Nino Mod (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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ninoexchange2018-06-24 11:15 pm
nino_mod) wrote in ninoexchange2018-06-24 11:15 pm
Entry tags:
fic for pikamiya!
For: pikamiya
From: :3.
Title: Love Situation
Pairing/Focus: Ohmiya
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 6,845
Warnings: mild swearing, mention of minor character death (OC), non-graphic depiction of violence
Summary: Ending a war and forcing a peace treaty by pretending to date your nation’s greatest enemy? Easy.
Dealing with your feelings for him? A lot more difficult.
Notes: Dear pikamiya, this was intended to be a Gundam Wing AU, but it turned into a Fake Dating fic in a Gundam Wing setting instead. I still like it and I hope you do, too.
Thank you to the mod for all her patience and help and to the best beta reader I could hope for <3
Ohno stood behind the wall that divided the press from backstage with a deep frown on his face. He was looking over the papers he got for his presentation. His father wanted him to explain to the press that they weren’t going agree to the demands of the rebels. That the pictures of Ohno that showed them close to one of them were fake.
Which was true. Ohno had never met Nino in such a casual setting. But they’d crossed on official meetings; they’d even exchanged some polite words - forced on Nino’s side and hopeful on Ohno’s side.
Ohno just wanted this war to stop. The rebels’ demands weren’t as exaggerated as his father tried to make them look like. Some Ohno would readily agree to, others would need a bit of compromise. But all in all, it wasn’t anything worth to continue this war and all the deaths that came with it.
He pressed his lips together. He hoped that his decision would help.
Hearing his name announced, Ohno squared his shoulders and stepped out and in front of the press. With a deep breath he looked at the papers once more - before putting them aside. There was no turning back.
--
“Ninomiya Kazunari is my boyfriend. So I want to stop this fight and want to work out a treaty.”
The room where the little rebel group met to listen to the press conferences fell silent. Nino could feel the eyes of everybody in the room on him, and he didn’t know what to say. He was careful not to let any emotions show on his face, though.
He was confused, his feelings were in turmoil. How could Ohno just declare something like that? And what did that mean for them? For the rebellion and for all the people around them?
Nino bit his tongue, still feeling people staring at him. He had to be careful.
A peace treaty would be excellent. They were all tired of the war. Nino breathed in slowly through his nose, sitting up a little bit straighter. He remembered the last destroyed Gundam suit he had witnessed and the boy lying broken inside.
Nino knew what he had to do.
“Oh well, seems like the charade is over,” he joked, and groaned when a heavy land fell on his shoulder.
“Nino-chan! Why didn’t you ever tell us?” Aiba asked with a pout.
Nino forced a sheepish grin to his lips. “It’s complicated. With us on different sides of the war…” he explained. “We thought it was better to keep silent until…” he stopped talking and shook his head before pointing at the TV with his chin.
Aiba nodded with a grin as if that explained everything and in a way it probably did.
Nino stood up and went in the direction of the door. “I should call him and scold him properly for shocking me that way,” he said with a wave as he opened the door to leave.
Outside, Nino groaned, trying to think of a way to get Ohno’s number without anybody noticing that they actually had never really spoken before today.
--
“I’m still surprised they didn’t strangle you.”
Ohno looked up when he heard the voice coming from his balcony and saw the small figure clad in his tight leather suit standing just outside the open glass doors. Ohno had been sure that he had closed them. But it wasn’t that surprising that Nino could pick locks, to be honest. Nino always seemed to find his way into closed buildings and rooms.
“They can’t without causing a stir,” Ohno answered, moving so the table was between them as Nino stalked closer in slow, smooth steps. There was a dark but also slightly amused look on his face, and Ohno couldn’t quite decide if he should fear for his life or not.
“Accidents can happen all the time, Ohno-san,” Nino told him, almost purring, and a shudder went down Ohno’s spine. He moved back again just to hit the bed with his knees.
He sat down, still spooked, but Nino was grinning openly now. His stance relaxed, and Ohno let out a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding.
Nino sat down on his desk. His dark eyes looked around in his room before they stopped on Ohno who was observing Nino carefully and silently.
“What are you doing here?”
“Aw, am I not allowed to visit at my supposed boyfriend’s room?” Nino asked and cocked his head to the side. “I thought that’s the least I can do now after you told the whole world that we were engaged.”
Ohno grimaced at those words. He had known that this might be a problem for Nino, but he hadn’t known what else to say that would stop the attacks at least for a moment.
“There already were rumours about us dating after that last big conference where we met,” Ohno said. That bit had been Nino’s fault, as the other liked stalking up to him and confront him in the strangest places. There it had happened to be in the corner of the big hall where Ohno had looked for a little bit of peace between all the talks with the different governmental groups. He wasn’t interested in politics, and it wasn’t his fault that he was born to the prime minister and everybody thought he would be the next one in line.
“That still doesn’t explain anything.”
Ohno rolled his eyes. Was this man stupid? Ohno had thought that Nino was smart and would have seen through all of this by now. But apparently not.
“Doesn’t itt? Look, you had your demands - which our higher-ups never would have agreed upon. So there would have been another fight, perhaps another war. Would that have been what you have wanted? Were all the ones before not enough already? Telling them we are a couple will make them more open to negotiate.”
“So it’s all just a plot to stop the war?” Nino asked again.
Ohno stood up. He went closer to Nino until they were face to face. Nino looked at him without moving, and Ohno wasn’t sure if Nino was even breathing right now.
“Yes. So is there anything you would like to complain about?”
It took a couple of moments for Nino to shake his head, a soft breath leaving his mouth in a sigh. Ohno could feel it against his face as they were standing so close to each other now.
“No. Expect us tomorrow at nine for a nice small friendly visit. If we want to make the public believe we aren’t the enemies they picture us as, we should act like a couple openly.”
Nino stood with those words, moving towards the balcony again. He smelled like mint, Ohno realised. He watched Nino leaving the room and jumping down the balcony.
Ohno forgot how to breathe for a few seconds at the sight, but then he saw Nino’s black and yellow Gundam flying away into the night.
--
“I can’t believe that you didn’t tell us!” Jun said for the hundredth time, and Nino tried hard not to roll his eyes or answer. “We are your best friends!”
“Please, shut up,” Nino said louder than he had intended, looking at the group before him. He was tired of listening to all those complains. Jun, Sho and Masaki had been asking him about Ohno all the time since they left their hideout to get to the villa where Ohno lived. He could understand that they were unhappy with him for not telling them about his relationship with Ohno, but there was nothing he could do about that.
“I already told you that it was dangerous for us, okay? Satoshi and me, we weren’t sure that it would work out. After all, there was a time we hated each other,” he explained carefully. Again. He didn’t like lying to them, but it was his best option.
“And it’s good, isn’t it?” Aiba intervened, and Nino looked at him with a small smile. Aiba had been delighted about the whole thing. “Finally there’s some good news and Nino is in a happy relationship. As long as Ohno wouldn’t hurt him, I’m okay with it.”
“It could be a plan to weaken him,” Jun mumbled.
Nino chuckled a bit. “No worries. I can look after myself.”
Stretching, he saw that their car was finally approaching the villa.
“We would have been so much faster with the Gundams,” he mumbled with a frown, but Sho shook his head.
“Those are for battle, not for transportation. How would it look if we arrived here wearing armour?” Sho asked with a lifted eyebrow.
Nino shrugged. He honestly didn’t care about that. It would have been faster and more comfortable for sure. But since this was an official meeting it was better that way, even he knew that. Nino thought back to the warnings their superior had given them this morning with a shudder.
Get your act together Ninomiya, he scolded himself standing up when the car came to a stop to leave it along with the other three. They needed to be perfect. Nino just hoped Ohno knew how to act.
--
“It looks nice,” Aiba murmured when they entered the private sitting room. Nino looked around once as he let himself be led by Ohno’s hand. He would have loved to be alone with the older man for a moment, but his idiot friends have decided to agree to Ohno’s invitation to come inside.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it,” Ohno mumbled, tugging playfully at Nino’s hand as he let himself fall onto the sofa and forced Nino to sit down beside him. “I asked the maids to bring us some drinks and sweets for our refreshment. I hope you’ll like them.”
“I’m sure they are delicious. Thank you.” Nino was glad they had Sho for polite conversations so he could stay silent.
With a small noise, he let himself lean against Ohno’s side, prompting Ohno to put an arm around him.
Ohno had been perfect in front of the house. His smile had seemed honest when he greeted him with a hug and then proceeded to hold Nino's hand throughout the photo session that followed.
Nino had just smiled throughout it and held Ohno’s hand tightly before thanking the journalists and letting himself being led into the house by Ohno. He wasn’t used to such things and was just happy that nobody wanted to hear anything from him.
Now he was a bit tired and closed his eyes when he felt fingers running over his spine.
He was sure he heard Aiba whispering “how cute,” but he decided to ignore it for now. He was just glad that even his friends seemed to believe their lie. If they did, the public would be easy to convince.
“It was a surprise for us to hear that you two were dating,” Jun began carefully, and Nino opened one of his eyes halfway to glare at him. “How did you meet?”
“At one gala. It was boring, and we ended up alone together. So we talked,” Ohno answered readily with a shrug that disturbed Nino’s resting form.
He sat up again with a groan. “And I realised it wasn’t so bad talking to him after all. So I decided to visit him once or twice in secret. That turned into more meetings that I lost count of and, yeah…”
“How did you manage to get here?” Jun sounded surprised, which brought a smirk upon Nino’s face.
“Hoshi is fast and silent if needed,” he answered cockily.
Sho groaned. “It’s not for you to use freely just for visits! What if someone caught you?”
Nino shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Nothing happened. And how else was I supposed to get here? The trip is far too long otherwise.”
Nino knew Sho wasn’t happy with that answer, but he was sure that Sho wouldn’t tell their superiors and get him into any kind of trouble.
“I see…”
“If it helps, everybody here knows not to do anything to Nino or the Gundam,” Ohno said, carefully dislodging Nino to stand up when the door opened. He thanked the maids for the refreshments and brought back one cup of tea of Nino, sitting down beside him again.
“Thanks.”
“Have you ever been on a date?” Aiba asked. Nino almost choked on his tea while Ohno rubbed his back shaking his head with a sad frown on his face. Damn this guy was good at acting, Nino thought in awe.
“No, because all our meetings were in secret and quite short - it just wasn't possible. But hopefully, that will change now, ne Kazu?” Ohno said, looking at him with a bright smile.
Nino hoped his smile was at least a bit like that one when he nodded in answer. “For sure.”
Inwardly, he breathed out a sigh of relief when the conversation changed to the other three thinking of possible meeting spots. It was much better than his friends grilling them about their past. Nino could only smile and nod at some of the suggestions, silently hoping that this wouldn’t be his downfall.
--
Nino waited until the door shut. His friends had decided to give them a bit of time alone to say their goodbyes. He looked at Ohno who had removed himself from his side the moment the door had shut.
“I’m impressed,” Nino mumbled.
Ohno cocked his head to the side with a smirk.“I’m as well. I hadn’t thought you would be anything else than a snarky brat,” Ohno answered, making Nino hiss angrily.
Ohno chuckled stepping closer, so they were face to face. “I’m looking forward to our next meeting brat,” he said, pausing when there was a knock. “I think they’re waiting for you.”
Nino was sure someone had stolen his breath, but he got back to his senses when there was another knock.
“Coming!” he shouted, annoyed. “Until then bastard.”
With that he left the room with hurried steps.
--
“Try this!”
Nino blinked when an ice cone was almost violently shoved into his face. He stepped back, surprised, and caught Ohno’s gaze with his own.
“Huh?”
“It’s blackcurrant. It tastes delicious. Come on, try it.”
“But it’s yours?!?”
Nino and Ohno had gone out for a shopping date as Ohno had declared that he needed new paints for a new art project and Nino had agreed to go with him when he had asked. It was perfect for their first public appearance together, he had thought.
“Yeah, and I want you to have a taste,” Ohno answered, shoving it in Nino’s face again.
Nino moved forward to lick at the offered ice-cream when he realised that Ohno wouldn’t give up. To his surprise, it wasn’t as sweet as he had imagined it, but very fruity.
“It’s nice,” he agreed and laughed when Ohno beamed at him.
They walked further down the street. Ohno swung their hands back and forth. For a moment Nino had forgotten that they held hands, but now that Ohno moved them he was hyper-aware of the warm slightly sweaty hand in his own.
Everything about Ohno seemed to be warm… his eyes when they fell upon Nino. His smile when he had greeted him this morning. Nino thought that Ohno was confusing. He never would have thought that the other would be like that. Nino had always thought Ohno was just as unfeeling as his father and a bit of an idiot. Now he knew Ohno could be just as scheming as Nino was and that he didn’t seem to like the leadership of the colonies much either.
“Can you let go of my hand?” Nino asked after a moment of silence between them.
Ohno shot him a slightly annoyed look. “No. We are out in public and supposed to be sweethearts. Holding hands is the least we should do. What if someone is filming?”
Nino frowned at those words. He had all but forgotten about possible cameras. This was annoying. “You are probably right,” Nino mumbled, looking at their hands again. He felt heat creeping up his cheeks at the sight of their tightly intertwined hands. He glanced at Ohno and was glad that the other was obvious to his thoughts.
“There will be another state banquet soon,” Ohno said deep in thought as he led Nino through the streets.
“Yep, we’re invited. Sho said Joshima-san got an invitation the other day.”
“So you’ll come?” Ohno asked.
Nino was taken aback by the happy look on his face and nodded carefully. “Of course. I never would never an opportunity to visit my boyfriend.”
Ohno chuckled, and Nino felt warm all over when his hand was squeezed slightly.
“I’m happy to hear that,” Ohno whispered. Then he cleared his throat. “The art shop. Do you want to look around?”
“I have no idea about art, so no thank you, my dear,” Nino said and smiled when that endearment brought a blush onto Ohno’s face. The other looked really cute that way.
With a small giggle, he followed Ohno to the register where Ohno was ordering the things he needed, stepping closer. Nino put his chin on Ohno’s shoulder and peered down at the counter to check out the shop's special offers. He offered the clerk behind the register a happy smile.
When the woman was gone, Ohno looked sideways at Nino. “What are you doing?”
“Being a good boyfriend, don’t you think?” he said and was delighted when the faint red was back on Ohno’s face.
“The best,” Ohno whispered.
He thanked the clerk when she handed over his order, and Nino stepped back so that Ohno could pay.
Outside, Nino sighed. “We should head back. Your people might be worried about you.”
Sadly, Ohno agreed.
They slowly walked back to Ohno’s villa where Nino waved goodbye and headed over to climb into Hoshi - he now had the official permission to use it for his visits - and left, deep in thought.
--
“Why Hoshi?”
“Huh?” Nino looked up from the book he had been reading. His eyes found Ohno’s easily across the room where Ohno had put up his canvas to paint him.
Before, Nino had been against that. He didn’t like his pictures to be taken in general. Having to sit still for a few hours just so that Ohno could paint him seemed to him pointless.
But Ohno had asked him so many times that in the end, Nino had agreed just so that the other wouldn’t get onto his nerves anymore and shut up.
“Your Gundam. I thought their names had a meaning? You name them right?”
“Why do you know this?”
“Aiba-chan told me he called his Tomodachi because he wanted people to become friends instead of enemies. Even if I think it’s silly. How do fights help people to become friends?”
“Masaki talks too much,” Nino groaned, closing his book. He moved around on the cushioned chair and pulled his feet up to rest his chin on his knees. “But yes, our group had the chance to name our Gundams. Sho called his Zero because wants there to be zero deaths in the future, for example. Jun, on the other hand, chose his as a joke. The scientists that made the suits all ended up calling him MJ, so he has called it MJ.”
“And yours?”
“Hoshi?”
Ohno nodded eagerly.
Nino smirked. “It’s a secret,” he answered and laughed out loud when Ohno’s face fell in disappointment.
“You’re mean.”
“Yep.” Nino shrugged moving again on his seat. He put one foot under him and stretched the other out in front of him. “But this mean guy is getting tired of sitting in the same spot for hours already, and you promised me food.”
Ohno glanced at his painting for a moment before he put down his brushes with a sigh. Nino probably was right.
Nino followed Ohno to the dining room, looking around silently. Inside, he nodded gratefully at the maid that brought in food and waited until they were alone again.
“Who is living here?” he asked partaking in the food.
“I am.”
“You and?”
“I’m the only one living here. My father was tired of seeing my face daily a few years ago because I argued too much. He couldn’t outright throw me out so he decided that I should look after this place. A few guards and servants with their families live close by, though.”
Nino stared at Ohno in surprise. He would have never thought about something like that. “But you seem close!”
Ohno shrugged, taking a sip from the sparkling wine. “It’s all a stupid act. Dissonance doesn’t sell as well as a loving bond between father and son who are both still not over the tragic loss of their mother and wife during a rebel attack years ago.”
“Must have been hard,” Nino mumbled, at a loss of words.
Ohno nodded, but then shook his head. “Yes and no. My mother was a loving parent, so of course, it was hard to lose her, but I know that I’m not the only one and some people lost their parents, their children because of the colonies as well. I’m not stupid. There isn’t just black and white.”
Nino nodded quietly at those words. He really couldn’t find any words to answer that. So he finished his meal in silence and didn’t complain when Ohno asked him if he would be able to continue the painting.
--
“Nervous?” Ohno asked, and Nino frowned thoughtfully for a moment. They had met early to get ready for the banquet this evening and to be honest he didn’t yet know what he really should think about this all. This evening they had to be the perfect couple.
He felt a hand on his chin and closed his eyes at the warmth coming from Ohno. Ohno had been perfect these last few days, and it was confusing to Nino how good he felt in his presence.
Nino opened his eyes seeing Ohno peering down at him with worried eyes. His heartbeat fastened and Nino had to breathe in deeply through his nose to calm down his nerves.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly and tilted his head a bit in thought. “I think we’ll be okay. We’re good actors after all,” he mumbled, not really convinced.
But Ohno didn’t seem to realise as he let go of his chin and nodded in agreement. “You are right. We can fool them easily. Then let’s go. Most people should be here already.”
Nino took the offered arm with a smile and together they entered the great hall. Ohno was a steady presence beside him, leading him throughout the room, and it was easy to ignore the whispers and looks because of that.
Still, Nino was nervous when Ohno made the first round nodding and greeting a few of the guests. Of course, Nino had visited those assemblies along with his friends as a spy when Joshima-san insisted, but he usually stayed hidden in the shadows. Now he was right in the middle of it all, and it was something else entirely.
Ohno confidently introduced Nino to everybody that hadn’t met him. Nino offered smiles whenever needed.
“You’re tense,” Ohno whispered when they finally were in a secluded space and put an arm around Nino.
Nino forced himself to relax, sinking against Ohno. “I forgot that this all means that we have to talk to everybody. I normally don’t talk to anybody,” Nino grumbled.
Ohno chuckled softly. “They’re going to think I’m forcing you to be with me.”
Nino looked up in surprise and glanced around the room. Eyes were still on them even if not as openly as they were when they just entered. “I’m just nervous because of the people,” he said with a pout. Then a bit more loudly so that the people closest of them would be able to overhear: “I like it more when we’re alone, Satoshi.”
Ohno chuckled and nodded. “Me too, my love. But today is supposed to be fun. Let’s greet your friends.”
Nino looked up when Ohno nudged him softly, and saw his friends at the entrance. He smiled, taking Ohno’s hand to lead the way this time.
Ohno and Nino stayed close to each other for the whole evening, arms around shoulders, arms around hips or hands clasped together as they talked with politicians, friends and families. As the evening went on, Nino relaxed more and more at Ohno’s side. Ohno was good at creating a calm atmosphere where Nino could just let himself go.
After dinner, Nino dragged Ohno outside. He sat down on one of the stone banks in the garden, pulling Ohno down beside him.
“I drank too much wine,” Nino mumbled as he sleepily put his head on Ohno’s shoulder and closed his eyes.
“A lightweight, huh?” Ohno teased but threaded his hands through Nino’s hair to play with the soft strands.
Nino sighed happily at that and nuzzled Ohno’s shoulder without realising. Ohno smelled so good - sandalwood and cinnamon, he thought with a happy smile. He could fall asleep right away if they hadn’t been in public.
Nino had never thought that Ohno would be so comfortable to be around, but this felt almost real now. Sad that it had to end one day. As that thought crossed his mind, he blinked his eyes open and looked at Ohno in shock, moving away from him in the process.
“What’s wrong?” Ohno asked worriedly and put his hand on his forehead as to check his temperature. “Are you feeling sick?”
Nino shook his head slowly. He wanted to ask Ohno so badly how everything would end because there had to be an end, right?
But Nino heard steps before he could form the first syllables and looked up to see some reporters entering the garden. Panic clouded Nino’s mind as he realised that because of his reaction they looked like they were arguing.
He looked at Ohno for help, and Ohno put a hand to Nino’s neck and came closer. “Close your eyes,” he whispered.
Nino did as he was told. His hands found Ohno’s arms for stabilisation and then he felt warm, soft lips on his own. There were tingles all over his body. He opened his mouth in a silent gasp. His head moved to the side a bit by instinct so that they fitted more comfortably and Nino could feel Ohno’s slight sigh against his lips.
Their mouths moved against each other slowly. Nino couldn’t help himself as he let his tongue wander into the other one’s mouth to taste him. Ohno tasted sweet like the chocolate cake they had had as dessert.
Nino could hear the clicks of cameras going off. When voices started to join them, Ohno carefully ended the kiss, leaving Nino feeling dazed and disoriented for a moment. There was a silent apology in Ohno’s eyes when Nino met them, but Nino barely understood the meaning behind it.
“Found them!” Aiba shouted.
Nino blinked, trying to get his thoughts back in order.
“Hiding, really?” Jun said well-naturedly.
Nino rolled his eyes. “We wanted to have time to ourselves,” he said and intertwined his fingers with Ohno’s hand between their bodies. He squeezed a bit to show that he was thankful for his rescue earlier and looked at his friends. “What are you doing out here? Aren’t there more important things to discuss inside?”
Sho shrugged sitting down beside them with a tired sigh.
“Most people are drunk by now. We’re getting out of here. Are you coming back to the base with us?”
Nino looked at Ohno and shook his head. “I will stay with Satoshi tonight,” he answered, offering them a smile.
“Are you sure? With everybody here...”
“Yep, don’t worry. Satoshi will make sure that nothing happens, ne?” he asked.
Ohno nodded. “Yeah. If everybody is getting drunk, we can head back up to my rooms soon.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow then.”
Nino waved goodbye to the others and looked at Ohno with a sigh. “Going back inside?”
“Going back inside,” Ohno agreed and stood up before helping Nino up. Another hour full of boring small talk awaited them until they finally could excuse themselves.
Ohno closed the door to his bedroom behind them when they were finally able to get away and rubbed his face tiredly.
“I hate these kinds of events,” he grumbled, making Nino laugh out loud.
“You looked really comfortable, though.”
“Years of practice,” Ohno joked before becoming serious again. “I’m sorry for kissing you so suddenly. We hadn’t talked about that before.”
“It’s okay. Kisses belong to relationships so there should probably have been one already,” Nino answered with a sheepish smile. “And it was kinda my fault.”
“Yeah, what happened out there?”
“I suddenly thought about what will happen later. When will this fake relationship end?” Nino asked in a hushed voice not meeting Ohno’s eyes.
Ohno stayed silent for a long moment and Nino could feel his eyes on him. It made him unbelievably nervous.
“We need to wait a bit after the peace treaty is passed. Then I think if we break up, nobody will think it was a rouse just to make it happen.” Ohno’s voice was strangely cold.
Nino looked up, agreeing slowly.
“As for tonight,” Ohno continued, “I’m sorry, but we should probably share this room. Most rooms will be full with all our guests. It would cause problems if someone stumbled upon you in another room.”
“Okay, no problem. I can sleep on the sofa or the floor,” Nino offered with a shrug. He didn’t really mind as he was used to cramped sleeping quarters. Being with the rebels, sometimes travelling far away in order to hide or with the Gundams to fight, wasn’t the most comfortable life one could lead.
“You are the guest,” Ohno mumbled unconvinced. “You should have the bed.”
Nino looked at the large bed. It probably smelled completely like Ohno and being so close to Ohno earlier had been nice even if it kind of made him uncomfortable at the same time. He was a bit scared what sleeping in his scent would do to him and his body.
“Don’t be silly. You are not used to sleeping on the floor are you?”
Ohno shook his head in an answer, but a stubborn frown found its way onto his face. That kind of look was something that Nino had learnt to mean that Ohno would never agree to let him sleep on the floor. Nino felt too tired to argue, so he pointed at the bed giving up right away.
“Then we have to share. It might even be better - what if someone stumbles upon your room? And the bed is large enough. I think my bed at the base is not even half as large. What do you do with so much space anyway?” Nino rambled, trying not to show how nervous he suddenly felt at the idea of sharing a bed with Ohno and perhaps snuggling up to him… Oh God, he hoped his face wasn’t burning red right now.
“Okay.” Luckily, Nino thought, Ohno looked just as baffled as he felt.
Nino took off his jacket and tie and was about to open his shirt when Ohno’s hand stopped him. “What are you doing?”
“Getting ready for bed?” Nino looked up confused and blinked when he realised that Ohno couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’m not sleeping dressed up like this.”
“Uhm…” Ohno moved to rummage through his closet and thrust some pants and a t-shirt at him. “The bathroom is through that door. You can get ready there.”
Nino agreed silently and went to the bathroom to wash up and change into the pyjamas. When he entered the bedroom, he saw Ohno sitting at his desk looking suddenly very tired and went over. He put his hands on his shoulders and felt how tense they were.
“Everything alright?”
“Yup, just tired, don’t mind me,” Ohno mumbled, sitting up straight again and trying but failing to look chipper once more.
Nino smiled, starting to massage his stiff shoulders. “Get ready for bed. We’re both tired.”
Ohno enjoyed the massage for a bit before getting up and moving to the bathroom himself. “Don’t wait up for me. I’m going to have a shower, and it’ll probably take a while.”
“Okay, thanks Ohno.” Nino climbed into bed. It was really comfy, he decided as he closed his eyes. Being with Ohno had his perks.
He was half asleep already when Ohno entered the room again. He could feel him staring at him and hovering around the bed but not getting in. Nino sleepily grabbed Ohno’s hand and tugged him down.
“I can’t sleep if you are staring at me,” he explained when Ohno fell down beside him. Nino tugged his blanket moreover himself once more. “Sleep, now, you creep.”
“Brat.” Ohno chuckled making Nino hide a smile in his cushion as he fell asleep. Ohno wasn’t half as bad as he’d thought.
--
“I’m off then,” Nino told Ohno the next morning as they stood on the balcony. Hoshi was waiting for him to take off and Nino was clad in his leather suit once more.
Ohno watched him silently climbing up the Gundam and waited until Nino was sitting in the cockpit. “Until next week?” he asked hopefully.
“Perhaps earlier. I have to do some work back home, but if I can sneak out, I’m coming for a visit,” Nino promised.
Ohno’s eyes lightened up at that promise. He felt kind of lonely without Nino here.
“Good. My balcony door is always open for you,” Ohno joked.
“Better shut it properly. I’ll find my way inside, but if you keep it open on purpose, I have to worry about someone kidnapping you. I’ve to get going now, so take care.”
“Until next time, Nino.”
Nino gave a thumbs up as he closed the screen and started Hoshi to get back to base.
--
“Nino! Nino,” Aiba yelled as soon as he landed the Gundam and opened its screens. Aiba came to a stop in front of Nino, trying to catch his breath.
“What’s going on?” Nino asked when he saw Jun and Sho rushing in just a few seconds later, all suited up.
“There is an attack on Ohno’s villa. We don’t know what’s wrong. We thought you were still there and wanted to help you,” Sho explained, and Nino’s eyes widened.
“What?” he asked shocked. That couldn’t be true. Ohno was still there, and there was no way he could escape alone. If he’d been with Ohno, they could have used Hoshi. “I’ve to go back get him.”
“It’s too dangerous, Nino,” Jun hissed.
Nino glared at him. “This attack is probably because of me. I won’t let him die because of me.”
Jun wanted to object, but then Joshima could be heard over the speakers in the hangar. “Get your asses on the Gundams and go there. The attackers aren’t marked, so if our dear boy here survives and Ohno doesn’t, they will declare this to be our doing. They’ll think it was a ruse to kill the heir of that damn prime minister. If that happens I will have your heads!”
Masaki, Sho and Jun exchanged glances, swearing, but Nino was already back to climbing into Hoshi to get back to Ohno as quickly as possible.
When he reached the estate, he saw it halfway in flames already. He ignored the Gundam suits shooting at the building and fighting with the few guards Ohno had for his protection and landed right at the balcony. He jumped out of it, running to the balcony doors. Nino swore slightly when he realised that Ohno had listened to him and it was locked. It took a few moments until he picked the lock with shaking hands, pushing inside.
“Ohno!? Where the hell are you?”
He looked around not finding him and running out of the room to search in the others for Ohno. Finally, he saw him in one of the reception rooms.
“Nino?” Ohno asked, confused when Nino grabbed his hand.
“No time, we have to go before this whole thing is on fire,” Nino hissed and tried to hurry up. They had to get out of here before the smoke got too thick.
“Why are you attacking me?”
“We aren’t attacking you, idiot. Would I be here if we were? We are rescuing your sorry ass. I don’t know who is attacking but how about we find out after we are safe?!”
That seemed to work as Ohno now finally began to run beside him back to the balcony. Nino hurriedly helped him climbing into Hoshi. Luckily, Sho and the others had thought to cover his ass (and parked Gundam) by drawing the fire of the attackers.
“Move a bit,” Nino demanded when he was inside as well. It was a tight fit since their Gundams were designed to hold one person, not two, but with some difficulties Nino slipped into his seat in the cockpit and was able to punch in a few commands for the screen to close and Hoshi to startup.
“I have him. We are going back as I’m of no use for you as I can hardly move around,” he announced to the intercom once they had reached flying height and just waited for three confirmations before he hurried back to base.
--
Nino had shown Ohno around by the time the other three arrived. He’d been glad that they were fine and the Gundams only needed a bit of attention after the attack. Now they were all sitting in the meeting room and watching the coverage of the attack on the estate.
“Nobody seemed to have seen you fleeing,” Joshima mentioned as there were only pictures of the fight and the burning house but none of Hoshi leaving.
Nino frowned and leant automatically against Ohno. It had become natural to lean on each other whenever they were in company by now.
“Now we have a statement by the prime minister,” the news anchor said, and silence fell again as the man entered screen.
Nino frowned at the grief on his face, but Ohno scoffed a little. He knew that look to be fake.
“I’m devastated to have to tell you that my son’s home was attacked just this morning. Nothing of the house was left. My son burned with it. They are now digging up the debris to at least find his body to give him the funeral he deserves. This act of cowardice perpetrated by the rebels. It shows that they don’t honour their words. Instead of the promised peace treaty we were attacked and my poor son had to die. It should be clear now that we never can give in to any of their demands. They are vermin, and we have to squash them all to find peace.”
“What the fuck?!” Nino cursed, ignoring the glares shot into his direction. They hadn’t done anything. He hated these kind of lies.
“It was my father’s plan,” Ohno mumbled with wide eyes. “With that statement, he made everyone thing the group Nino belongs to and all the other rebels are wrong. In this way, he was able to strengthen his status as the superior over the government.”
Joshima rubbed his face but smiled at that. “Yes, but you being still alive wasn’t in his plan. Now we have proof that we weren’t behind this attack. Show them you’re alive.”
Ohno nodded in understanding. “Yes, we should do that,” he answered, standing up.
“I’m coming with you!” Nino stood up as well before anybody could stop him and followed the two as they left the room. If they wanted to intervene before fighting broke out at the news, they had to hurry.
--
Nino was in a daze as Ohno was announcing on tv that it hadn’t the rebels after all but all his father’s doing, denouncing the prime minister’s motive to all the colonies. All the while he just stood slightly behind Ohno, holding his hand and making sure that he was okay. Nobody would try to attack Ohno again on his watch.
Back in his chamber at the base, Ohno sat carefully on the small bed and offered Nino a small smile. “It seems like we can stop the charade finally,” he whispered.
Nino shuffled nervously in front of him at those words. He had realised that he liked being with the other after all. Nino still remembered how his heart stopped for a moment when he thought Ohno was about to die.
With slow steps, he walked closer to the other and put a hand on his cheek. His fingers curled around his jaw, and he kneeled down to be face to face with Ohno.
“Or we could just make it real?” Nino asked.
He smiled when Ohno moved forward and sealed his lips with a kiss.
pikamiyaFrom: :3.
Title: Love Situation
Pairing/Focus: Ohmiya
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 6,845
Warnings: mild swearing, mention of minor character death (OC), non-graphic depiction of violence
Summary: Ending a war and forcing a peace treaty by pretending to date your nation’s greatest enemy? Easy.
Dealing with your feelings for him? A lot more difficult.
Notes: Dear pikamiya, this was intended to be a Gundam Wing AU, but it turned into a Fake Dating fic in a Gundam Wing setting instead. I still like it and I hope you do, too.
Thank you to the mod for all her patience and help and to the best beta reader I could hope for <3
Ohno stood behind the wall that divided the press from backstage with a deep frown on his face. He was looking over the papers he got for his presentation. His father wanted him to explain to the press that they weren’t going agree to the demands of the rebels. That the pictures of Ohno that showed them close to one of them were fake.
Which was true. Ohno had never met Nino in such a casual setting. But they’d crossed on official meetings; they’d even exchanged some polite words - forced on Nino’s side and hopeful on Ohno’s side.
Ohno just wanted this war to stop. The rebels’ demands weren’t as exaggerated as his father tried to make them look like. Some Ohno would readily agree to, others would need a bit of compromise. But all in all, it wasn’t anything worth to continue this war and all the deaths that came with it.
He pressed his lips together. He hoped that his decision would help.
Hearing his name announced, Ohno squared his shoulders and stepped out and in front of the press. With a deep breath he looked at the papers once more - before putting them aside. There was no turning back.
--
“Ninomiya Kazunari is my boyfriend. So I want to stop this fight and want to work out a treaty.”
The room where the little rebel group met to listen to the press conferences fell silent. Nino could feel the eyes of everybody in the room on him, and he didn’t know what to say. He was careful not to let any emotions show on his face, though.
He was confused, his feelings were in turmoil. How could Ohno just declare something like that? And what did that mean for them? For the rebellion and for all the people around them?
Nino bit his tongue, still feeling people staring at him. He had to be careful.
A peace treaty would be excellent. They were all tired of the war. Nino breathed in slowly through his nose, sitting up a little bit straighter. He remembered the last destroyed Gundam suit he had witnessed and the boy lying broken inside.
Nino knew what he had to do.
“Oh well, seems like the charade is over,” he joked, and groaned when a heavy land fell on his shoulder.
“Nino-chan! Why didn’t you ever tell us?” Aiba asked with a pout.
Nino forced a sheepish grin to his lips. “It’s complicated. With us on different sides of the war…” he explained. “We thought it was better to keep silent until…” he stopped talking and shook his head before pointing at the TV with his chin.
Aiba nodded with a grin as if that explained everything and in a way it probably did.
Nino stood up and went in the direction of the door. “I should call him and scold him properly for shocking me that way,” he said with a wave as he opened the door to leave.
Outside, Nino groaned, trying to think of a way to get Ohno’s number without anybody noticing that they actually had never really spoken before today.
--
“I’m still surprised they didn’t strangle you.”
Ohno looked up when he heard the voice coming from his balcony and saw the small figure clad in his tight leather suit standing just outside the open glass doors. Ohno had been sure that he had closed them. But it wasn’t that surprising that Nino could pick locks, to be honest. Nino always seemed to find his way into closed buildings and rooms.
“They can’t without causing a stir,” Ohno answered, moving so the table was between them as Nino stalked closer in slow, smooth steps. There was a dark but also slightly amused look on his face, and Ohno couldn’t quite decide if he should fear for his life or not.
“Accidents can happen all the time, Ohno-san,” Nino told him, almost purring, and a shudder went down Ohno’s spine. He moved back again just to hit the bed with his knees.
He sat down, still spooked, but Nino was grinning openly now. His stance relaxed, and Ohno let out a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding.
Nino sat down on his desk. His dark eyes looked around in his room before they stopped on Ohno who was observing Nino carefully and silently.
“What are you doing here?”
“Aw, am I not allowed to visit at my supposed boyfriend’s room?” Nino asked and cocked his head to the side. “I thought that’s the least I can do now after you told the whole world that we were engaged.”
Ohno grimaced at those words. He had known that this might be a problem for Nino, but he hadn’t known what else to say that would stop the attacks at least for a moment.
“There already were rumours about us dating after that last big conference where we met,” Ohno said. That bit had been Nino’s fault, as the other liked stalking up to him and confront him in the strangest places. There it had happened to be in the corner of the big hall where Ohno had looked for a little bit of peace between all the talks with the different governmental groups. He wasn’t interested in politics, and it wasn’t his fault that he was born to the prime minister and everybody thought he would be the next one in line.
“That still doesn’t explain anything.”
Ohno rolled his eyes. Was this man stupid? Ohno had thought that Nino was smart and would have seen through all of this by now. But apparently not.
“Doesn’t itt? Look, you had your demands - which our higher-ups never would have agreed upon. So there would have been another fight, perhaps another war. Would that have been what you have wanted? Were all the ones before not enough already? Telling them we are a couple will make them more open to negotiate.”
“So it’s all just a plot to stop the war?” Nino asked again.
Ohno stood up. He went closer to Nino until they were face to face. Nino looked at him without moving, and Ohno wasn’t sure if Nino was even breathing right now.
“Yes. So is there anything you would like to complain about?”
It took a couple of moments for Nino to shake his head, a soft breath leaving his mouth in a sigh. Ohno could feel it against his face as they were standing so close to each other now.
“No. Expect us tomorrow at nine for a nice small friendly visit. If we want to make the public believe we aren’t the enemies they picture us as, we should act like a couple openly.”
Nino stood with those words, moving towards the balcony again. He smelled like mint, Ohno realised. He watched Nino leaving the room and jumping down the balcony.
Ohno forgot how to breathe for a few seconds at the sight, but then he saw Nino’s black and yellow Gundam flying away into the night.
--
“I can’t believe that you didn’t tell us!” Jun said for the hundredth time, and Nino tried hard not to roll his eyes or answer. “We are your best friends!”
“Please, shut up,” Nino said louder than he had intended, looking at the group before him. He was tired of listening to all those complains. Jun, Sho and Masaki had been asking him about Ohno all the time since they left their hideout to get to the villa where Ohno lived. He could understand that they were unhappy with him for not telling them about his relationship with Ohno, but there was nothing he could do about that.
“I already told you that it was dangerous for us, okay? Satoshi and me, we weren’t sure that it would work out. After all, there was a time we hated each other,” he explained carefully. Again. He didn’t like lying to them, but it was his best option.
“And it’s good, isn’t it?” Aiba intervened, and Nino looked at him with a small smile. Aiba had been delighted about the whole thing. “Finally there’s some good news and Nino is in a happy relationship. As long as Ohno wouldn’t hurt him, I’m okay with it.”
“It could be a plan to weaken him,” Jun mumbled.
Nino chuckled a bit. “No worries. I can look after myself.”
Stretching, he saw that their car was finally approaching the villa.
“We would have been so much faster with the Gundams,” he mumbled with a frown, but Sho shook his head.
“Those are for battle, not for transportation. How would it look if we arrived here wearing armour?” Sho asked with a lifted eyebrow.
Nino shrugged. He honestly didn’t care about that. It would have been faster and more comfortable for sure. But since this was an official meeting it was better that way, even he knew that. Nino thought back to the warnings their superior had given them this morning with a shudder.
Get your act together Ninomiya, he scolded himself standing up when the car came to a stop to leave it along with the other three. They needed to be perfect. Nino just hoped Ohno knew how to act.
--
“It looks nice,” Aiba murmured when they entered the private sitting room. Nino looked around once as he let himself be led by Ohno’s hand. He would have loved to be alone with the older man for a moment, but his idiot friends have decided to agree to Ohno’s invitation to come inside.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it,” Ohno mumbled, tugging playfully at Nino’s hand as he let himself fall onto the sofa and forced Nino to sit down beside him. “I asked the maids to bring us some drinks and sweets for our refreshment. I hope you’ll like them.”
“I’m sure they are delicious. Thank you.” Nino was glad they had Sho for polite conversations so he could stay silent.
With a small noise, he let himself lean against Ohno’s side, prompting Ohno to put an arm around him.
Ohno had been perfect in front of the house. His smile had seemed honest when he greeted him with a hug and then proceeded to hold Nino's hand throughout the photo session that followed.
Nino had just smiled throughout it and held Ohno’s hand tightly before thanking the journalists and letting himself being led into the house by Ohno. He wasn’t used to such things and was just happy that nobody wanted to hear anything from him.
Now he was a bit tired and closed his eyes when he felt fingers running over his spine.
He was sure he heard Aiba whispering “how cute,” but he decided to ignore it for now. He was just glad that even his friends seemed to believe their lie. If they did, the public would be easy to convince.
“It was a surprise for us to hear that you two were dating,” Jun began carefully, and Nino opened one of his eyes halfway to glare at him. “How did you meet?”
“At one gala. It was boring, and we ended up alone together. So we talked,” Ohno answered readily with a shrug that disturbed Nino’s resting form.
He sat up again with a groan. “And I realised it wasn’t so bad talking to him after all. So I decided to visit him once or twice in secret. That turned into more meetings that I lost count of and, yeah…”
“How did you manage to get here?” Jun sounded surprised, which brought a smirk upon Nino’s face.
“Hoshi is fast and silent if needed,” he answered cockily.
Sho groaned. “It’s not for you to use freely just for visits! What if someone caught you?”
Nino shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Nothing happened. And how else was I supposed to get here? The trip is far too long otherwise.”
Nino knew Sho wasn’t happy with that answer, but he was sure that Sho wouldn’t tell their superiors and get him into any kind of trouble.
“I see…”
“If it helps, everybody here knows not to do anything to Nino or the Gundam,” Ohno said, carefully dislodging Nino to stand up when the door opened. He thanked the maids for the refreshments and brought back one cup of tea of Nino, sitting down beside him again.
“Thanks.”
“Have you ever been on a date?” Aiba asked. Nino almost choked on his tea while Ohno rubbed his back shaking his head with a sad frown on his face. Damn this guy was good at acting, Nino thought in awe.
“No, because all our meetings were in secret and quite short - it just wasn't possible. But hopefully, that will change now, ne Kazu?” Ohno said, looking at him with a bright smile.
Nino hoped his smile was at least a bit like that one when he nodded in answer. “For sure.”
Inwardly, he breathed out a sigh of relief when the conversation changed to the other three thinking of possible meeting spots. It was much better than his friends grilling them about their past. Nino could only smile and nod at some of the suggestions, silently hoping that this wouldn’t be his downfall.
--
Nino waited until the door shut. His friends had decided to give them a bit of time alone to say their goodbyes. He looked at Ohno who had removed himself from his side the moment the door had shut.
“I’m impressed,” Nino mumbled.
Ohno cocked his head to the side with a smirk.“I’m as well. I hadn’t thought you would be anything else than a snarky brat,” Ohno answered, making Nino hiss angrily.
Ohno chuckled stepping closer, so they were face to face. “I’m looking forward to our next meeting brat,” he said, pausing when there was a knock. “I think they’re waiting for you.”
Nino was sure someone had stolen his breath, but he got back to his senses when there was another knock.
“Coming!” he shouted, annoyed. “Until then bastard.”
With that he left the room with hurried steps.
--
“Try this!”
Nino blinked when an ice cone was almost violently shoved into his face. He stepped back, surprised, and caught Ohno’s gaze with his own.
“Huh?”
“It’s blackcurrant. It tastes delicious. Come on, try it.”
“But it’s yours?!?”
Nino and Ohno had gone out for a shopping date as Ohno had declared that he needed new paints for a new art project and Nino had agreed to go with him when he had asked. It was perfect for their first public appearance together, he had thought.
“Yeah, and I want you to have a taste,” Ohno answered, shoving it in Nino’s face again.
Nino moved forward to lick at the offered ice-cream when he realised that Ohno wouldn’t give up. To his surprise, it wasn’t as sweet as he had imagined it, but very fruity.
“It’s nice,” he agreed and laughed when Ohno beamed at him.
They walked further down the street. Ohno swung their hands back and forth. For a moment Nino had forgotten that they held hands, but now that Ohno moved them he was hyper-aware of the warm slightly sweaty hand in his own.
Everything about Ohno seemed to be warm… his eyes when they fell upon Nino. His smile when he had greeted him this morning. Nino thought that Ohno was confusing. He never would have thought that the other would be like that. Nino had always thought Ohno was just as unfeeling as his father and a bit of an idiot. Now he knew Ohno could be just as scheming as Nino was and that he didn’t seem to like the leadership of the colonies much either.
“Can you let go of my hand?” Nino asked after a moment of silence between them.
Ohno shot him a slightly annoyed look. “No. We are out in public and supposed to be sweethearts. Holding hands is the least we should do. What if someone is filming?”
Nino frowned at those words. He had all but forgotten about possible cameras. This was annoying. “You are probably right,” Nino mumbled, looking at their hands again. He felt heat creeping up his cheeks at the sight of their tightly intertwined hands. He glanced at Ohno and was glad that the other was obvious to his thoughts.
“There will be another state banquet soon,” Ohno said deep in thought as he led Nino through the streets.
“Yep, we’re invited. Sho said Joshima-san got an invitation the other day.”
“So you’ll come?” Ohno asked.
Nino was taken aback by the happy look on his face and nodded carefully. “Of course. I never would never an opportunity to visit my boyfriend.”
Ohno chuckled, and Nino felt warm all over when his hand was squeezed slightly.
“I’m happy to hear that,” Ohno whispered. Then he cleared his throat. “The art shop. Do you want to look around?”
“I have no idea about art, so no thank you, my dear,” Nino said and smiled when that endearment brought a blush onto Ohno’s face. The other looked really cute that way.
With a small giggle, he followed Ohno to the register where Ohno was ordering the things he needed, stepping closer. Nino put his chin on Ohno’s shoulder and peered down at the counter to check out the shop's special offers. He offered the clerk behind the register a happy smile.
When the woman was gone, Ohno looked sideways at Nino. “What are you doing?”
“Being a good boyfriend, don’t you think?” he said and was delighted when the faint red was back on Ohno’s face.
“The best,” Ohno whispered.
He thanked the clerk when she handed over his order, and Nino stepped back so that Ohno could pay.
Outside, Nino sighed. “We should head back. Your people might be worried about you.”
Sadly, Ohno agreed.
They slowly walked back to Ohno’s villa where Nino waved goodbye and headed over to climb into Hoshi - he now had the official permission to use it for his visits - and left, deep in thought.
--
“Why Hoshi?”
“Huh?” Nino looked up from the book he had been reading. His eyes found Ohno’s easily across the room where Ohno had put up his canvas to paint him.
Before, Nino had been against that. He didn’t like his pictures to be taken in general. Having to sit still for a few hours just so that Ohno could paint him seemed to him pointless.
But Ohno had asked him so many times that in the end, Nino had agreed just so that the other wouldn’t get onto his nerves anymore and shut up.
“Your Gundam. I thought their names had a meaning? You name them right?”
“Why do you know this?”
“Aiba-chan told me he called his Tomodachi because he wanted people to become friends instead of enemies. Even if I think it’s silly. How do fights help people to become friends?”
“Masaki talks too much,” Nino groaned, closing his book. He moved around on the cushioned chair and pulled his feet up to rest his chin on his knees. “But yes, our group had the chance to name our Gundams. Sho called his Zero because wants there to be zero deaths in the future, for example. Jun, on the other hand, chose his as a joke. The scientists that made the suits all ended up calling him MJ, so he has called it MJ.”
“And yours?”
“Hoshi?”
Ohno nodded eagerly.
Nino smirked. “It’s a secret,” he answered and laughed out loud when Ohno’s face fell in disappointment.
“You’re mean.”
“Yep.” Nino shrugged moving again on his seat. He put one foot under him and stretched the other out in front of him. “But this mean guy is getting tired of sitting in the same spot for hours already, and you promised me food.”
Ohno glanced at his painting for a moment before he put down his brushes with a sigh. Nino probably was right.
Nino followed Ohno to the dining room, looking around silently. Inside, he nodded gratefully at the maid that brought in food and waited until they were alone again.
“Who is living here?” he asked partaking in the food.
“I am.”
“You and?”
“I’m the only one living here. My father was tired of seeing my face daily a few years ago because I argued too much. He couldn’t outright throw me out so he decided that I should look after this place. A few guards and servants with their families live close by, though.”
Nino stared at Ohno in surprise. He would have never thought about something like that. “But you seem close!”
Ohno shrugged, taking a sip from the sparkling wine. “It’s all a stupid act. Dissonance doesn’t sell as well as a loving bond between father and son who are both still not over the tragic loss of their mother and wife during a rebel attack years ago.”
“Must have been hard,” Nino mumbled, at a loss of words.
Ohno nodded, but then shook his head. “Yes and no. My mother was a loving parent, so of course, it was hard to lose her, but I know that I’m not the only one and some people lost their parents, their children because of the colonies as well. I’m not stupid. There isn’t just black and white.”
Nino nodded quietly at those words. He really couldn’t find any words to answer that. So he finished his meal in silence and didn’t complain when Ohno asked him if he would be able to continue the painting.
--
“Nervous?” Ohno asked, and Nino frowned thoughtfully for a moment. They had met early to get ready for the banquet this evening and to be honest he didn’t yet know what he really should think about this all. This evening they had to be the perfect couple.
He felt a hand on his chin and closed his eyes at the warmth coming from Ohno. Ohno had been perfect these last few days, and it was confusing to Nino how good he felt in his presence.
Nino opened his eyes seeing Ohno peering down at him with worried eyes. His heartbeat fastened and Nino had to breathe in deeply through his nose to calm down his nerves.
“I don’t know,” he answered honestly and tilted his head a bit in thought. “I think we’ll be okay. We’re good actors after all,” he mumbled, not really convinced.
But Ohno didn’t seem to realise as he let go of his chin and nodded in agreement. “You are right. We can fool them easily. Then let’s go. Most people should be here already.”
Nino took the offered arm with a smile and together they entered the great hall. Ohno was a steady presence beside him, leading him throughout the room, and it was easy to ignore the whispers and looks because of that.
Still, Nino was nervous when Ohno made the first round nodding and greeting a few of the guests. Of course, Nino had visited those assemblies along with his friends as a spy when Joshima-san insisted, but he usually stayed hidden in the shadows. Now he was right in the middle of it all, and it was something else entirely.
Ohno confidently introduced Nino to everybody that hadn’t met him. Nino offered smiles whenever needed.
“You’re tense,” Ohno whispered when they finally were in a secluded space and put an arm around Nino.
Nino forced himself to relax, sinking against Ohno. “I forgot that this all means that we have to talk to everybody. I normally don’t talk to anybody,” Nino grumbled.
Ohno chuckled softly. “They’re going to think I’m forcing you to be with me.”
Nino looked up in surprise and glanced around the room. Eyes were still on them even if not as openly as they were when they just entered. “I’m just nervous because of the people,” he said with a pout. Then a bit more loudly so that the people closest of them would be able to overhear: “I like it more when we’re alone, Satoshi.”
Ohno chuckled and nodded. “Me too, my love. But today is supposed to be fun. Let’s greet your friends.”
Nino looked up when Ohno nudged him softly, and saw his friends at the entrance. He smiled, taking Ohno’s hand to lead the way this time.
Ohno and Nino stayed close to each other for the whole evening, arms around shoulders, arms around hips or hands clasped together as they talked with politicians, friends and families. As the evening went on, Nino relaxed more and more at Ohno’s side. Ohno was good at creating a calm atmosphere where Nino could just let himself go.
After dinner, Nino dragged Ohno outside. He sat down on one of the stone banks in the garden, pulling Ohno down beside him.
“I drank too much wine,” Nino mumbled as he sleepily put his head on Ohno’s shoulder and closed his eyes.
“A lightweight, huh?” Ohno teased but threaded his hands through Nino’s hair to play with the soft strands.
Nino sighed happily at that and nuzzled Ohno’s shoulder without realising. Ohno smelled so good - sandalwood and cinnamon, he thought with a happy smile. He could fall asleep right away if they hadn’t been in public.
Nino had never thought that Ohno would be so comfortable to be around, but this felt almost real now. Sad that it had to end one day. As that thought crossed his mind, he blinked his eyes open and looked at Ohno in shock, moving away from him in the process.
“What’s wrong?” Ohno asked worriedly and put his hand on his forehead as to check his temperature. “Are you feeling sick?”
Nino shook his head slowly. He wanted to ask Ohno so badly how everything would end because there had to be an end, right?
But Nino heard steps before he could form the first syllables and looked up to see some reporters entering the garden. Panic clouded Nino’s mind as he realised that because of his reaction they looked like they were arguing.
He looked at Ohno for help, and Ohno put a hand to Nino’s neck and came closer. “Close your eyes,” he whispered.
Nino did as he was told. His hands found Ohno’s arms for stabilisation and then he felt warm, soft lips on his own. There were tingles all over his body. He opened his mouth in a silent gasp. His head moved to the side a bit by instinct so that they fitted more comfortably and Nino could feel Ohno’s slight sigh against his lips.
Their mouths moved against each other slowly. Nino couldn’t help himself as he let his tongue wander into the other one’s mouth to taste him. Ohno tasted sweet like the chocolate cake they had had as dessert.
Nino could hear the clicks of cameras going off. When voices started to join them, Ohno carefully ended the kiss, leaving Nino feeling dazed and disoriented for a moment. There was a silent apology in Ohno’s eyes when Nino met them, but Nino barely understood the meaning behind it.
“Found them!” Aiba shouted.
Nino blinked, trying to get his thoughts back in order.
“Hiding, really?” Jun said well-naturedly.
Nino rolled his eyes. “We wanted to have time to ourselves,” he said and intertwined his fingers with Ohno’s hand between their bodies. He squeezed a bit to show that he was thankful for his rescue earlier and looked at his friends. “What are you doing out here? Aren’t there more important things to discuss inside?”
Sho shrugged sitting down beside them with a tired sigh.
“Most people are drunk by now. We’re getting out of here. Are you coming back to the base with us?”
Nino looked at Ohno and shook his head. “I will stay with Satoshi tonight,” he answered, offering them a smile.
“Are you sure? With everybody here...”
“Yep, don’t worry. Satoshi will make sure that nothing happens, ne?” he asked.
Ohno nodded. “Yeah. If everybody is getting drunk, we can head back up to my rooms soon.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow then.”
Nino waved goodbye to the others and looked at Ohno with a sigh. “Going back inside?”
“Going back inside,” Ohno agreed and stood up before helping Nino up. Another hour full of boring small talk awaited them until they finally could excuse themselves.
Ohno closed the door to his bedroom behind them when they were finally able to get away and rubbed his face tiredly.
“I hate these kinds of events,” he grumbled, making Nino laugh out loud.
“You looked really comfortable, though.”
“Years of practice,” Ohno joked before becoming serious again. “I’m sorry for kissing you so suddenly. We hadn’t talked about that before.”
“It’s okay. Kisses belong to relationships so there should probably have been one already,” Nino answered with a sheepish smile. “And it was kinda my fault.”
“Yeah, what happened out there?”
“I suddenly thought about what will happen later. When will this fake relationship end?” Nino asked in a hushed voice not meeting Ohno’s eyes.
Ohno stayed silent for a long moment and Nino could feel his eyes on him. It made him unbelievably nervous.
“We need to wait a bit after the peace treaty is passed. Then I think if we break up, nobody will think it was a rouse just to make it happen.” Ohno’s voice was strangely cold.
Nino looked up, agreeing slowly.
“As for tonight,” Ohno continued, “I’m sorry, but we should probably share this room. Most rooms will be full with all our guests. It would cause problems if someone stumbled upon you in another room.”
“Okay, no problem. I can sleep on the sofa or the floor,” Nino offered with a shrug. He didn’t really mind as he was used to cramped sleeping quarters. Being with the rebels, sometimes travelling far away in order to hide or with the Gundams to fight, wasn’t the most comfortable life one could lead.
“You are the guest,” Ohno mumbled unconvinced. “You should have the bed.”
Nino looked at the large bed. It probably smelled completely like Ohno and being so close to Ohno earlier had been nice even if it kind of made him uncomfortable at the same time. He was a bit scared what sleeping in his scent would do to him and his body.
“Don’t be silly. You are not used to sleeping on the floor are you?”
Ohno shook his head in an answer, but a stubborn frown found its way onto his face. That kind of look was something that Nino had learnt to mean that Ohno would never agree to let him sleep on the floor. Nino felt too tired to argue, so he pointed at the bed giving up right away.
“Then we have to share. It might even be better - what if someone stumbles upon your room? And the bed is large enough. I think my bed at the base is not even half as large. What do you do with so much space anyway?” Nino rambled, trying not to show how nervous he suddenly felt at the idea of sharing a bed with Ohno and perhaps snuggling up to him… Oh God, he hoped his face wasn’t burning red right now.
“Okay.” Luckily, Nino thought, Ohno looked just as baffled as he felt.
Nino took off his jacket and tie and was about to open his shirt when Ohno’s hand stopped him. “What are you doing?”
“Getting ready for bed?” Nino looked up confused and blinked when he realised that Ohno couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’m not sleeping dressed up like this.”
“Uhm…” Ohno moved to rummage through his closet and thrust some pants and a t-shirt at him. “The bathroom is through that door. You can get ready there.”
Nino agreed silently and went to the bathroom to wash up and change into the pyjamas. When he entered the bedroom, he saw Ohno sitting at his desk looking suddenly very tired and went over. He put his hands on his shoulders and felt how tense they were.
“Everything alright?”
“Yup, just tired, don’t mind me,” Ohno mumbled, sitting up straight again and trying but failing to look chipper once more.
Nino smiled, starting to massage his stiff shoulders. “Get ready for bed. We’re both tired.”
Ohno enjoyed the massage for a bit before getting up and moving to the bathroom himself. “Don’t wait up for me. I’m going to have a shower, and it’ll probably take a while.”
“Okay, thanks Ohno.” Nino climbed into bed. It was really comfy, he decided as he closed his eyes. Being with Ohno had his perks.
He was half asleep already when Ohno entered the room again. He could feel him staring at him and hovering around the bed but not getting in. Nino sleepily grabbed Ohno’s hand and tugged him down.
“I can’t sleep if you are staring at me,” he explained when Ohno fell down beside him. Nino tugged his blanket moreover himself once more. “Sleep, now, you creep.”
“Brat.” Ohno chuckled making Nino hide a smile in his cushion as he fell asleep. Ohno wasn’t half as bad as he’d thought.
--
“I’m off then,” Nino told Ohno the next morning as they stood on the balcony. Hoshi was waiting for him to take off and Nino was clad in his leather suit once more.
Ohno watched him silently climbing up the Gundam and waited until Nino was sitting in the cockpit. “Until next week?” he asked hopefully.
“Perhaps earlier. I have to do some work back home, but if I can sneak out, I’m coming for a visit,” Nino promised.
Ohno’s eyes lightened up at that promise. He felt kind of lonely without Nino here.
“Good. My balcony door is always open for you,” Ohno joked.
“Better shut it properly. I’ll find my way inside, but if you keep it open on purpose, I have to worry about someone kidnapping you. I’ve to get going now, so take care.”
“Until next time, Nino.”
Nino gave a thumbs up as he closed the screen and started Hoshi to get back to base.
--
“Nino! Nino,” Aiba yelled as soon as he landed the Gundam and opened its screens. Aiba came to a stop in front of Nino, trying to catch his breath.
“What’s going on?” Nino asked when he saw Jun and Sho rushing in just a few seconds later, all suited up.
“There is an attack on Ohno’s villa. We don’t know what’s wrong. We thought you were still there and wanted to help you,” Sho explained, and Nino’s eyes widened.
“What?” he asked shocked. That couldn’t be true. Ohno was still there, and there was no way he could escape alone. If he’d been with Ohno, they could have used Hoshi. “I’ve to go back get him.”
“It’s too dangerous, Nino,” Jun hissed.
Nino glared at him. “This attack is probably because of me. I won’t let him die because of me.”
Jun wanted to object, but then Joshima could be heard over the speakers in the hangar. “Get your asses on the Gundams and go there. The attackers aren’t marked, so if our dear boy here survives and Ohno doesn’t, they will declare this to be our doing. They’ll think it was a ruse to kill the heir of that damn prime minister. If that happens I will have your heads!”
Masaki, Sho and Jun exchanged glances, swearing, but Nino was already back to climbing into Hoshi to get back to Ohno as quickly as possible.
When he reached the estate, he saw it halfway in flames already. He ignored the Gundam suits shooting at the building and fighting with the few guards Ohno had for his protection and landed right at the balcony. He jumped out of it, running to the balcony doors. Nino swore slightly when he realised that Ohno had listened to him and it was locked. It took a few moments until he picked the lock with shaking hands, pushing inside.
“Ohno!? Where the hell are you?”
He looked around not finding him and running out of the room to search in the others for Ohno. Finally, he saw him in one of the reception rooms.
“Nino?” Ohno asked, confused when Nino grabbed his hand.
“No time, we have to go before this whole thing is on fire,” Nino hissed and tried to hurry up. They had to get out of here before the smoke got too thick.
“Why are you attacking me?”
“We aren’t attacking you, idiot. Would I be here if we were? We are rescuing your sorry ass. I don’t know who is attacking but how about we find out after we are safe?!”
That seemed to work as Ohno now finally began to run beside him back to the balcony. Nino hurriedly helped him climbing into Hoshi. Luckily, Sho and the others had thought to cover his ass (and parked Gundam) by drawing the fire of the attackers.
“Move a bit,” Nino demanded when he was inside as well. It was a tight fit since their Gundams were designed to hold one person, not two, but with some difficulties Nino slipped into his seat in the cockpit and was able to punch in a few commands for the screen to close and Hoshi to startup.
“I have him. We are going back as I’m of no use for you as I can hardly move around,” he announced to the intercom once they had reached flying height and just waited for three confirmations before he hurried back to base.
--
Nino had shown Ohno around by the time the other three arrived. He’d been glad that they were fine and the Gundams only needed a bit of attention after the attack. Now they were all sitting in the meeting room and watching the coverage of the attack on the estate.
“Nobody seemed to have seen you fleeing,” Joshima mentioned as there were only pictures of the fight and the burning house but none of Hoshi leaving.
Nino frowned and leant automatically against Ohno. It had become natural to lean on each other whenever they were in company by now.
“Now we have a statement by the prime minister,” the news anchor said, and silence fell again as the man entered screen.
Nino frowned at the grief on his face, but Ohno scoffed a little. He knew that look to be fake.
“I’m devastated to have to tell you that my son’s home was attacked just this morning. Nothing of the house was left. My son burned with it. They are now digging up the debris to at least find his body to give him the funeral he deserves. This act of cowardice perpetrated by the rebels. It shows that they don’t honour their words. Instead of the promised peace treaty we were attacked and my poor son had to die. It should be clear now that we never can give in to any of their demands. They are vermin, and we have to squash them all to find peace.”
“What the fuck?!” Nino cursed, ignoring the glares shot into his direction. They hadn’t done anything. He hated these kind of lies.
“It was my father’s plan,” Ohno mumbled with wide eyes. “With that statement, he made everyone thing the group Nino belongs to and all the other rebels are wrong. In this way, he was able to strengthen his status as the superior over the government.”
Joshima rubbed his face but smiled at that. “Yes, but you being still alive wasn’t in his plan. Now we have proof that we weren’t behind this attack. Show them you’re alive.”
Ohno nodded in understanding. “Yes, we should do that,” he answered, standing up.
“I’m coming with you!” Nino stood up as well before anybody could stop him and followed the two as they left the room. If they wanted to intervene before fighting broke out at the news, they had to hurry.
--
Nino was in a daze as Ohno was announcing on tv that it hadn’t the rebels after all but all his father’s doing, denouncing the prime minister’s motive to all the colonies. All the while he just stood slightly behind Ohno, holding his hand and making sure that he was okay. Nobody would try to attack Ohno again on his watch.
Back in his chamber at the base, Ohno sat carefully on the small bed and offered Nino a small smile. “It seems like we can stop the charade finally,” he whispered.
Nino shuffled nervously in front of him at those words. He had realised that he liked being with the other after all. Nino still remembered how his heart stopped for a moment when he thought Ohno was about to die.
With slow steps, he walked closer to the other and put a hand on his cheek. His fingers curled around his jaw, and he kneeled down to be face to face with Ohno.
“Or we could just make it real?” Nino asked.
He smiled when Ohno moved forward and sealed his lips with a kiss.
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I'm also glad that I surprised at least one person with that plot twist ^^ I feared it would be too obvious XDD