fic for harinezumi_kun (2/2)

[nino-mod.livejournal.com]

For: harinezumi_kun
From: gomushroom

Part 1


Nino meets Jun regularly now, if every weekend can count as regular. Jun takes him to the movies, shows Nino his workspace at home, goes through lengthy explanations about his administrative work at the Ministry, and treats him to fancy and delicious food.

He silently appreciates Jun’s effort to keep everything slow, and in return he doesn't try to pick any more fights. Ohno keeps him updated with Jun’s files and Nino finds himself rereading them when he’s not practicing or even digging out his old magic books to study.

One afternoon, Jun has Nino sitting at his kitchen counter with the promise of delicious homemade udon. He lets Nino nurse his ice tea as he proceeds to do the simple preparations.

“I want to meet your fairy,” Nino suddenly says. It’s his fifth visit to Jun’s apartment but he’s never met said fairy. If he’s going to let Jun meet Ohno, he knows it’d be better to set a time after he meets Jun’s.

“You want to meet Sho?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Just curious. I thought I would’ve met her now that I’ve been here often, by my standard. But I haven’t.”

Jun begins arranging the noodles after he’s satisfied with the broth. “Well, this hasn’t come up in any of our talks. I thought you didn’t want to talk about or meet my fairy. Yet.”

“I don’t want to talk about it but I want to meet her. From what I read, she’s an Escarlate.”

“Oh, yes she is one indeed.” If Jun is surprised that Nino read his file thoroughly he doesn’t show it. He sets a ready portion aside. “It can be arranged easily since she’ll be back from her trip shortly. Is sometime next weekend okay? I can send her to meet you.”

“Okay.”

Nino settles back into comfortable silence as Jun sets another bowl on the counter before he goes to the fridge to dig out something else.

He waits a while before inquiring. “Aren’t you going to ask?”

“Ask what?”

“To meet my fairy?”

“Satoshi?” Jun says, coming back to the counter with small plate of chopped green onions. “I don’t need to ask to meet Satoshi; I already did.”

Nino gapes openly. “You already did?”

“Yeah.” Jun glances and winces at Nino’s surprised expression. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know if it was going to surprise you. I met him months ago.”

“Months ago?”

“Mhmm, about a few days after our first meeting,” Jun clarifies.

“Why wasn’t I informed?”

“I asked him, or to be precise, I bound him to not talk about our meeting with you,” Jun explains, still looking at Nino. “He can’t talk about it with you even if he wants to.”

“You’re slick,” Nino says. Somehow it’s easier to know that it’s been settled already. He doesn’t want to deal with the awkward big meeting or anything.

“That I am. After all I wanted to know more about that someone who put you in such a hostile mood during our first meeting, someone you think is worth fighting for.” Jun turns, wearing a smile and holding a steaming bowl of udon, closing the discussion promptly and leaving no question unasked. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” Nino says, before adding for emphasis, “for the food.”

Jun laughs animatedly as he sets his own bowl down. He hands Nino his chopsticks. “Shut up and eat, Ninomiya.”




Nino sighs in irritation, dropping his notes with force, sending stars sparking. The bell has been ringing for a while, a melodious but still annoying tick-tock one-two ring. He hopes Ohno gets the door soon enough, scaring away whoever it is and allowing him to get back to his practice and nail his latest trick.

He glimpses at the clock on the wall. Twelve noon already. Stretching his throbbing knees, Nino lies on the floor a while, blinking his mind back to the present.

“Nino, you have guest,” Ohno announces from the entryway, before he pads, not floats, her way to the living room together with a lean chic figure. “This is Sho and she’s here to see you.”

Nino rolls to see the fairy bow at him slightly before quickly turning to sit on his knees to bow back.

“I believe you have things to talk about. I’m just going to make myself scarce and try my best to not eavesdrop,” Ohno smirks cheekily, retreating dramatically to the bedroom.

“Shut up,” Nino scolds him, fully aware that Ohno will hear anything anyway, a fact that he had accepted long ago. “Go away!”

His focus turns back to Sho, still standing rigidly with her neat business suit in the middle of the room with raised eyebrows as she observes him and Ohno quietly.

“Have a seat.” Nino stretches luxuriously before limping to the kitchen; working on the floor is always hard on his knees, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. “Do you want something to drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you’re having. Thank you,” Sho pipes.

Nino decides on cold green tea, walking back to the living room with two glasses. “Here you go.”

“Thank you.” Sho settles on the far end of the couch gracefully, setting her handbag down to receive her glass. “Jun said that you need to see me.”

“You’re pretty,” Nino begins.

“Ah, thank you.” Sho blushes, prettily, before she looks up to meet Nino’s curious eyes. “But I suppose that was you playing your tricks on me. Jun said that I need to be careful with you, never let my guard down, as you are very smart and, using his word, slick.”

It warms Nino’s heart in an instant, both Jun’s instructions for Sho and Sho’s earnestness in taking the instructions seriously. He sips his cold tea considerately, trying to find the best approach to get to the main point without sounding like he has more than a mild interest in Jun.

“Ninomiya, I know why you want to meet me,” Sho helpfully points out, “and if it makes it easier, you don’t need to ask and I will just answer. How about that?”

Nino stares for a while longer before he lets out a chuckle. “You surely are different than mine.”

Sho’s laugh is rich, boisterous, and contagious. “Of course. That goes without saying.”

“I was just curious.” Nino finds himself smiling at Sho who now appears more relaxed on the other side of the couch. “But I guess, there were questions I wanted to ask.”

“Questions you want to but can’t ask,” Sho supplies and smiles at Nino’s faint scowl. “I am straightforward in nature and, it doesn’t really matter if you believe me or not at the moment, but I want to help you. Helping you will be helping Jun and that’s what I am meant to do.”

Nino sighs, tired of hearing the word constantly thrown at him for the past months rather than huffing over Sho’s lengthy speech. “I hated that word.”

“Past tense,” Sho grins nonetheless.

“Let’s say I say yes,” Nino says, directing them back on topic, “yes, I have questions, and worries, about the arrangement.”

“Regarding your questions, I believe you have already come up with some answers.” Sho puts her glass on the side table before turning back to Nino, with all her seriousness, raising a hand when Nino starts to let out a comment. “But let me lay the facts out in the open here. Let’s say you were asking about my being with Jun because it can then imply your being with Satoshi-kun.”

“That’s a complicated way to lay those facts out in the open.”

Sho ignores Nino’s tone and continues, “I will rush to Jun’s side every time he has problems. I will try my best to fix it so I can help him to reach what he’s destined for.

“My approach caused problems for us back when he was young and extremely difficult. I made mistakes too; we fairy gods do. I used to think that my being always there would solve anything. Problem is, this fairy god thing doesn’t always work that way.

“Sometimes I have to let him go, let him deal with his problems, and stand back, stand back within reach. Being there when he needs me doesn’t mean being there crowding him all the time but being there when he as much as turns back and needs to find me, turns back to admit that he needs me; I am going to be there, always.”

Sho plays with the hem of her skirt, a gesture Nino suspects is a quirk when she is rearranging her thoughts before she delivers her lengthy speech.

“Satoshi-kun is completely different,” Sho continues, eyes gazing faraway. “He needs to be different. He doesn’t deal with Jun. He deals with you. You are not Jun and Satoshi-kun knows that. You are definitely not a textbook case.

“He might be doing nothing over the fact that you’re uncomfortable with this arrangement, but I think it’s his way of letting you know that you need to sort this out yourself. By doing nothing he’s helping you. I know it’s not easy for him, or for you. Nothing ever is.

“Arrangements are not something that are only meant to be. It needs work and effort put into every part of it. We have to fight for what we’re meant to be.”

Nino sips the last of his cold tea, as he waits.

“Ninomiya,” Sho says, holding his gaze, “Satoshi-kun will stay near while doing nothing to interfere. All the same, I will do anything to win my battle for Jun, including rushing to his side and nagging him about everything.” Sho’s grin blooms onto her face. “Ohno has his ways, I have mine.”

“What we talked about here stays here, right?” Nino muttered, eyes cast down. Sho has confirmed more than enough; he couldn’t put it in better words and for now it’s enough.

“Of course. Jun will not be privy to this conversation. I will say that I spent the afternoon watching your magic tricks,” Sho assures him, before smiling with glee. “He’ll be so jealous.”

Nino chuckles. “You’ve seen nothing.”

“I think I’ve seen enough.” Sho scoots forward, leaning to give Nino a kiss on the cheek. “We should play piano together sometimes.”

“Mhmm.” Nino blushes but doesn’t pull away, nor does he ask how Sho knows about it.

Sho doesn’t scoot back, staying near Nino, and she is more relaxed now, and waits.

“You know, Sho-chan.” Nino looks up, offering a sincere smile. "I had this pain in my heart."

“Another past tense,” Sho giggles triumphantly. “I’m glad I’ve been helpful.”




Undoing his bolts and opening the door, Nino takes one glimpse and welcomes Jun in.

“Hello,” Jun greets back, hair a bit ruffled, sans the suit. He has his sleeves rolled up and his bag slung on his shoulder.

“You should’ve come sooner because mine and yours are currently wrecking my kitchen.”

“You let Sho touch your kitchen appliances?”

A scream follows, with bursts of laughter coming from the kitchen. “I shouldn't?”

“You should never. Never ever.” Jun rushes in toward the kitchen. “You should never with Sho.”

Together they arrive in the kitchen to find Sho and Ohno hunched and giggling over lines of complete nail polish sets.

“Oh, Matsumoto, hello.” Ohno looks up first.

Sho follows, giddily welcoming Jun. “Hey! Did you know Satoshi-kun has these sets and never told anyone?”

“That’s because you never asked.” Ohno nudges Sho playfully, earning another delighted squeal.

Ignoring their fairies, Jun turns to Nino questioningly, finding him smiling back, wide and full of mischief. “Did I miss something?”

“Mhmm, no.” Nino winks. “Nothing really.”

A range of emotions flashes through Jun’s face before he smiles back at Nino. He reaches up to cup Nino’s chin, holding up his chin before landing a hard kiss on the mouth without warning.

“What’s that for?” Nino asks as his eyes flutter open at the loud calls of ‘wohoooo’ from across the kitchen.

“Mhmm.” Jun winks at him. “Nothing really.”




On one corner of the couch, Nino snuggles against Ohno, while Sho is reviewing Jun’s work documents on the other. They’ve decided on some fast food chicken wings delivery for dinner, earning excited agreement from Sho and Ohno and reluctance from Jun before he inspects Nino’s fridge, calling him helpless and caving in.

Jun sits cross-legged on the floor, reading one of Nino’s magic tricks books as he sips his coffee.

“Hey, Sho-chan,” Nino calls absently, “what color are your wings?"

Sho freezes instantly and Nino has never seen Jun whip his head so fast toward her.

"You have wings?"

Sho drops the document and throws a threatening glare at Ohno. "Satoshi-kun!"

“Gotcha, Sho-chan.” Grinning innocently, Ohno shoves Sho playfully.

“Wait,” Nino says, "we’re not supposed to know that you fairy gods have wings?"

Jun is insistent. "You have wings?"

Sho rolls her eyes at Ohno, ignoring Jun’s insistent curiosity. "I have to report this, Satoshi-kun. This is against the rules. You're taking this too far!"

"They already know," Ohno says calmly. "I've been well and thoroughly dressed down. Nino already knew a long time ago so I figured, why bother holding it down if I can’t?"

“You have wings?"

“I don’t use them, Jun.” Sho finally turns to Jun, embarrassed. “I don’t fly, okay?”

“Can’t fly, to be exact,” Ohno teases her.

“I can fly of course. They taught that in school, but I’ve made a firm choice. So I just don’t.”

Nino is fast. “Are you afraid of heights?”

“I am not!”

“Wow, Sho,” Jun laughs, amused at the new discovery. “ I thought I knew everything about you.”

“Well, you don’t.” Sho bites her lips, face flushed.

“They’re scarlet, right?” Jun unfolds his legs and reaches out to take hold of Sho’s hand, tugging good-naturedly. “Will you show them to me?”

At that exact moment Nino witnesses pure adoration, pride and love bloom on Jun’s face. He knows that it’s all for Sho yet it doesn’t settle uncomfortably in him. He’s familiar with the feeling. He’s familiar with it because he feels it, is sometimes unable to contain it when it comes to Ohno. Sho’s last words ring in his ears:




“We have no choice but to accept the arrangement, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t make arrangements within the arrangement. It’s up to us to decide after all. After all I find it useless to fight this," Sho concludes. "For our kind, fate is not something you fight against."

“It’s just difficult," Nino admits, face flushed.

“It is. But we’re together in this.”

“We?”

“All of us.”

“But.” Nino knows that it might be reaching but he has to let it out. “This is not all of us.”

“Yes, I know. Aiba-chan, right?”

“I hate it when your kind knows what I am about to say before I even know what I am about to say."

“That’s a complicated way to say what you want to say, but I see what you mean. We’ll fix that. Together."




“Show you what?” Sho’s cheeks go crimson.

“Show me,” Jun repeats, “your scarlet wings.”

“Be good and I’ll probably show them to you when we get home.”

This time the loud calls of ‘wohoooo’ come from across the couch, Ohno and Nino cheering for both of them.




A few months later, even if he’s been expressing his wish to see Nino at his workplace, Jun hasn’t been able to show up. Nino still goes to work every Monday and Wednesday, nothing out of the ordinary as he holds on to routine, letting himself go through his days just as before.

“Best of luck,” Aiba shouts from behind the bar as he serves two glasses to the costumer, giving him a thumbs up.

Nino gives him a salute in return and heads for the stage.

Once he’s on stage, it flows naturally. Card tricks have been his best ability since he was in school, and it’s nothing complicated as he flicks through cards, charming the audience, getting their curiosity piqued and revealing new tricks week after week. Easy moves, quick spreads, flicks of cards later, Nino finishes his last session for today; applause at the end of day, complimentary or sometimes even more enthusiastic, is more than enough for him.

He walks back toward the bar, smiling his way through the thin crowd, and meets Jun.

“You’re here,” Nino greets him excitedly. “Since when were you here? And why are you sitting at the bar? Can you even see me performing?

“I do have heightened sight. I see you performing just fine from here.”

“You sure about that heightened sight?” Nino steps aside to sit on the stool next to Jun. “You wear glasses when you read.”

“Heightened sight has nothing to do with nearby objects.”

“You’re farsighted?” Nino chuckles, shaking his head. “The things I learn about you every day. It just gets better and better.”

“Well, I am. Ironically enough. But I caught all of your performance session,” Jun assures him. “That was impressive.”

“Thank you.”

“You don’t use magic but you perform magic. Nicely if I may add. I found it very interesting.”

“I bet you did.” Nino sets his card decks on the counter, looking down to hide the blush creeping onto his cheeks. “I need a drink. Do you want anything?”

Jun gestures to a glass in his hand. “Your Aiba-chan said it’s on the house.”

“He loves giving away drinks on the house,” Nino says. “I don’t know how he can maintain his business.”

Jun sips his drink. “It’s a slow night after all.”

“No,” Nino corrects him, “this counts as a full house.”

“Really?” Jun asks, surveying the half full bar, people nursing their drinks and only one rowdy bunch of students keeping the atmosphere lively. “How can he maintain his business then?”

“I know, right?” Nino looks around to find Aiba, but the man is nowhere to be found. He might be in the kitchen. Nino can wait for his drink.

“Nino,” Jun calls, stopping Nino from shuffling his cards back and forth while waiting for Aiba, “just out of curiosity, don’t you have bigger dreams? Bigger than this?”

“I don’t,” Nino replies simply. “I don’t like bigger dreams. They hurt more when they shatter in you face. And if you’re so eager to understand me, understand this. I don’t dream, I live.”

“No need to get prickly now. I know it’s a touchy subject and I was just curious. You’re a Goelo, right? Don’t you ever want to explore that?”

Nino sighs. While he appreciates Jun knowing it’s a touchy subject and being careful to bring the topic up, it’s still difficult for him to talk about this with others. It’s not just other people, he reminds himself, it’s Jun. “I did my share of exploration, the full spread of mind-reading shit and then some right after I graduated, for two years. I don't want to do it again.”

Jun reaches his hand out to Nino’s shoulder, giving him slow soothing touches, and Nino realizes that he’s shaking as he meets Jun’s concerned gaze with a silent challenge: I don’t want to talk about it.

Jun smiles instead, letting Nino off from explaining without a word while keeping his hands on Nino’s shoulder. “Then you never have to.”

Aiba strolls toward them behind the counter and Nino is glad for a solid distraction. "Aiba-chan, where have you been? I want my session beer, please!"

“A little catastrophe in the kitchen,” Aiba says, already pouring beer into a glass and sliding it in front of Nino. “It’s all under control now, don’t worry.”

“I never do,” Nino says, reaching for his glass before he remembers. “Oh, and this is Jun.”

Aiba smiles brightly. “Ah, you’re Nino’s soulmate!”

Jun turns to Nino who’s having a small fit of coughs with a raised eyebrow. “So you told him already.”

“I told him nothing.”

“Let’s say,” Aiba whispers dramatically, “Nino has a loose tongue when he’s drunk.”

“I see. I’ll keep that in mind.” Jun laughs, much to Nino’s mortification. “I’ll have another of this then, Aiba-chan.”

“Right on.” Aiba nods. “Again, it’s on the hou—“

“I’ll pay for this one properly and the one after this. In fact, I’ll pay for Nino’s beer.” Jun cuts him off, leaving Aiba speechless. “Let’s say it’s a celebratory round of drinks on me.”

“If you say so,” Aiba says before going to the far end of the counter to fetch a new bottle. “I’ll put it on your tab.”

“You do that,” Jun says, turning to find Nino throwing a weird stare at him and a soft kick to his shin. “Ouch. What?”

“Showoff.”

“Does it work for you?” Jun grins back at him, so achingly familiar by now; those tired eyes, searing and offering open understanding and laughter, those crooked lips, smiling for him and for him only.

Nino leans forward, clutching the lapel’s of Jun’s suit, pulling him closer, and kisses him full on the mouth, lingering before pulling away. “Fortunately, it does. Very effectively.”




As soon as Jun kicks his apartment door closed, Nino presses into him, hands searching blindly for Jun, wanting to feel up as much as skin as he can. Jun wraps him close, tracing kisses down his throat and promising more.

“Hmm.”

Nino’s hands stop abruptly and he hears Jun sigh heavily behind his ear before he realizes that they are in Jun’s apartment, which also means that there’s someone else in the house.

Nino pulls away from Jun slightly and turns to find Sho grinning from ear to ear as she leans on the end of the entryway before burying his burning face in Jun’s neck.

“Sho,” Jun groans. “Not cool.”

“Sorry about that. You were too engrossed in each other.” Sho twirls away toward the living room, her summer dress waving merrily. “I’m just kindly informing you that I’ll be shimmering away to Nino’s place tonight and having a slumber party with Satoshi-kun. Any minute now.”

“Hold that thought.” Jun drops a kiss on Nino’s forehead before taking Nino’s hand and heading inside the apartment to scold Sho. “You just did that in purpose, didn’t you?”

“Maybe.” Sho’s already putting her bundles of documents away, going to the bedroom and walking out with her makeup pouches, shoving them all in her big bag and then announcing cheerfully, “I’m ready to go!”

“Now that’s record breaking,” Jun comments dryly, not wanting to delay Sho any longer.

“He’s a boy today,” Nino manages to let out now that he’s steadied his uneven breaths.

“Ah, bummer!” Sho glances her wristwatch. “But it’s already near midnight so it won’t be so bad.”

“Just go,” Jun says.

“I’m going. I’m going.” Sho paces the living room, searching for things she might have forgotten. “I’m sure I already have everything ready…”

“Sho, just go. Satoshi will have whatever you need”

“And don’t come back until I get home,” Nino adds.

“Very well, Ninomiya.” Sho grins, excitedly wagging her fingers at them.

Jun turns to him, meeting Nino’s eyes with amusement and delight, and he leans down to drop deep kisses that Nino welcomes gladly.

“Have fun, you two.” Sho rolls her eyes at the kiss and whirls dramatically before disappearing among a soft haze of brilliant red.

“This is supposed to be weird,” Nino murmurs minutes later, the two of them still standing in the middle of the living room, holding each other impossibly close. “This is supposed to be super weird.”

“But it’s not,” Jun corrects him, titling Nino’s face slightly to lick his ear. “It’s right. You’re right.”

Nino slides his leg over Jun’s leg and his hands sneak easily under Jun’s shirt. Jun returns the bold action, holding Nino’s face steady, patiently coaxing his lips to give fuller access to him all over again. Nino shivers, his hands trailing up and down Jun’s back, finding soft skin. Jun hums his consent as he kisses Nino again.

At the moment, Nino wants nothing more than to blame the arrangement, to resist, but Jun lifts him off his feet, deepening the kiss, thoroughly kissing his open and wet lips and asking for more as it allows short pants to escape. Nino leans away slightly, opens his eyes, finding Jun’s brown eyes, open, without shadows. A soft purple haze clouds his vision, encasing them in the moment. He lets out a smile, a welcoming smile, pressing his hips up slightly to be rewarded with a moan.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment, dreaming of this, wanting this,” Jun pants heavily, purple haze turning into just slivers of faint floating stripes as he sighs.

And at that moment Nino sees Jun fall apart, trying to hang on to the last line of sanity. He isn’t the only one who feels the pull, who feels the power. Jun does too, or maybe Jun feels it stronger, but Nino will not find out if he doesn’t act on this tonight.

“Shut up and kiss me again,” Nino breathes, “and just take me to bed already.”

“Ninomiya,” Jun growls, wet and heavy on his swelling lips, and Nino has never heard his name drawled out so alluringly from anyone’s lips.

Nino gladly surrenders. “Jun, it’s Kazu.”




Aiba comes over for dinner at Jun’s apartment upon Nino’s invitation for their anniversary. He says it was hard to find a replacement behind the counter but then decided that he would happily close the bar for one night if it’s for Nino and Jun.

Jun serves his udon specialty at the kitchen counter, impressing the pants off Aiba who asks for seconds before Nino finishes his.

“Nino, you really need to keep this guy,” Aiba says, slurping his noodles noisily. “This is absolutely delicious.”

“I am.” Nino looks up to a satisfied Jun. “I am, Aiba-chan.”

“I’m glad,” Jun says, setting the dessert plate on the counter. “I’ll leave you two at this. I have a skype conference in a while.”

Aiba nods, trying to thank him with a full mouth and failing.

“Just take your time. I’ll be back when I’m done.” Jun pats him on the back on his way out of the kitchen. “And Nino knows where everything is if you want your second seconds.”

Nino knows that the skype conference is an excuse and Jun is giving him time and space to be with Aiba.

“Aiba-chan,” Nino begins when they have set aside their bowls and Aiba’s devouring the macarons. “I’m going to move in with Jun.”

“Oh, okay. I kind of saw that coming.”

“And I’m still gonna be clingy,” Nino continues.

“I think I had gotten used to you a long time ago, and since then it’s not the same when you’re not around.”

“Please never stop.” Nino reaches out to grab Aiba’s free hand. “Keep being there for me.”

“I won’t stop.” Aiba emphasizes when Nino stared in a faint disbelief. “I’ll be around. Having you around makes me happy too, you know.”

“And I want to keep doing magic tricks. It’s definitely complicated but it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I can make a good living out of it.”

“I’ll still be needing a resident magician at the bar for a long while.”

Aiba smiles, now focusing on Nino as he intertwines their fingers and holds on. “And I’m happy that you’re happier now. I’m not saying that you weren’t happy before but you’re, what is it called, more content?”

“Maybe.”

“And if that’s how it is, it’s how it is, right? You found that miracle, didn’t you?”

“I’m not big on miracles. Why can’t we just live life as it is?”

“Living life as it is is a miracle; sometimes we simply forget.”

“You are definitely one of my miracles.” Nino steps down from his seat, wrapping himself around Aiba and holding him in a hug. “Thank you.”

“Nino,” Jun says, coming back to the kitchen, “Satoshi’s on the phone asking for you.”

“What does he want now?” Nino reluctantly pulls away from Aiba before shuffling himself toward the bedroom.

“I always thought that Satoshi was Nino’s imaginary friend,” Aiba says, straightening his sweater.

“He is.” Jun opens another can of beer for Aiba.

“Well, I’m glad you decided to entertain him all the same.”

“Aiba-chan, you can’t even see all of us,” Jun says, “yet you understand him the most.”

Aiba sheepishly smiles. “I like him.”

“I do, too,” Jun continues. “And you are important to him. I’m not going to cut him out of such an important part of his life.”

“Don’t you think you should tell him, not me, about this?”

“You know how he is. He doesn’t want to listen.”

“It doesn’t mean that he’s not listening in the first place.”

Jun grins, offering his hand. “You are welcome in our house any time.”

Aiba accepts the offered hand, giving it a firm shake. “As you are too in my bar. Any time.”

“Thank you,” Jun holds his hand tight.

Aiba knows that Jun wasn’t saying thank you only because he’s welcome at the bar. It’s a thank you for so much more. Thank you for understanding us, thank you for keeping an eye on him for me. Thank you for taking care of my Nino when I’m not able to.

“You’re welcome.”

In the background Sho’s clapping happily, mouthing, “Well done, Jun.” Ohno smiles widely besides her.

“I thought you were going to keep Nino in the bedroom for a while,” Jun silently scolds them two, rolling his eyes. “You had one task!”

“He’s very kind,” Sho says, walking around Aiba. “And he smells nice.”

“He is and he does,” Ohno says, pitying the young man a little because he can’t see them. It would be so much better if he could.

“I’ll get Nino so he can walk you out.” Jun sets his untouched beer on the counter.

“Okay,” Aiba reaches for his beer, clueless of Jun ushering two fairies out of his kitchen, and waits for Nino.




“Thank you for tonight, Aiba-chan.” Nino reaches out, fixing Aiba’s jacket, ignoring the question and raised eyebrow. “Stay warm.”

“I will.” Eyes crinkled, Aiba gives his winning smile. “I’ll see you next week.”

“With my new tricks.”

“Yes.” Aiba gives Nino one last nudge before heading out the door. “Good night.”

Outside, Aiba turns left toward the stairs and green thread sparks follow him. Nino can’t contain his satisfied smile; he and Ohno have done well. Now Aiba is officially, no, magically, part of him, a fact that comforts him.

Nino walks back to the kitchen, finding Sho and Ohno crowding Jun while the poor guy tries to wash the dishes.

“I said, never touch my precious china bowls. Don’t.”

“I was trying to help.”

“You’re my fairy god, not my maid,” Jun scolds. “Your maid dress notwithstanding.”

Ohno laughs at that, earning a smack from Sho.

“And what are you doing here, Satoshi? I said I don’t need any help.”

“I’m just sending you helpful vibes.”

“Not getting any.” Jun dips another dish into the soapy water. “Just get lost, you two, play cribbage or something.”

“We’re not old men,” Ohno says.

“Old people,” Sho corrects him.

“Whatever.” Ohno shrugs, turning to find Nino leaning against the kitchen island, grin fixed on his face, radiant, happy and content with the situation. “Nino! You want to help?”

“No.”

Jun turns his head toward Nino along with Sho, one with a scold on his face, and one with a grin now to Nino’s liking, the familiar grin.

“Come on, it’d be fun,” Sho says, waving. “Jun can’t do anything about us crowding him, all soapy hands and all.”

“Is that a dare?” Jun says and that’s all the warning Sho gets before she squeaks when Jun’s soapy finger pokes the tip of her nose. He laughs heartily. “Consider it accepted.”

Ohno tries to step back but still gets some splash.

Nino laughs. “Come on, old man. Let’s get home tonight and leave these two all soapy.”

“Don’t you dare go out of that door before I get to kiss you goodb—,” Jun can’t finish his sentence because Sho has helpfully spread soap suds on Jun’s cheek. “Sho! That’s fucking dish soap on my face!”

“It sure is,” Sho chuckles, escaping from Jun’s reach. “Come on, I’ll walk you out before the wrath begins.”

“Jun,” Nino says, nudging Ohno to the entryway, shouting his goodbye as he goes, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”




“Won’t you get bored?” Nino suddenly asks, swinging their joining hands a bit as they stroll toward home, enjoying in the clear autumn night.

Ohno has Nino’s hands firm on his hold. “No, I don’t think I will.”

“You stay home, floating about, taking care of me. Now with Jun and Sho around, sharing the same space, won’t you get bored?”

“It’s what I am meant to do. It’s not boring.” Ohno squeezes his hand lightly. “It never is.”

“Don’t you give me those company lines!”

Ohno stops them, keeping Nino a reach away, their hands still laced together. “Sure, we have had our difficult moments.”

Nino nods, waiting.

Ohno shrugs, a gesture Nino has long known serves as a sign of sincerity rather than indifference. “But it’s okay. We’re okay.”

“Good.”

Nino smiles and receives one in return as Ohno’s light blue wings wrap them both close, flapping gracefully, with hints of yellow sparks gently alight. They resume walking, steps lighter, hand in hand, together.

.