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ninoexchange2016-06-18 11:51 pm
nino-mod.livejournal.com) wrote in ninoexchange2016-06-18 11:51 pm
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fic for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
phrenk (1/4)
For: phrenk
From:jade_lil
Title: At Sea For You (Sail away with me)
Pairing/Focus: Nino/Ohno, Jun/Sho, eventual Aiba/Nino
Summary: Blind date on a cruise: find love in the most unexpected places, was what’s printed above the suggested timeframe the trip should be, followed by the suggested activities that ‘would make the trip for the would-be couple worth it’ and it was enough to make Nino’s stomach lurch unpleasantly.
Rating: R
Warning: none except maybe for the lame crack?
Note: dearestphrenk, I hope you like my take on your prompts. I tried to incorporate as much as of everything here (I’m kidding XD, but I did try, I swear :D) and after the talk I had with one of my beta, I decided on the cruise prompt. The title came from her too. I stated Ohmiya there but keeping in mind that your first pairing choice was Aimiya, Aimiya it is, then. I really hope this is okay for you. Thank you to the team of beta who worked with me on this fic – the captain, P and R, you guys are the best. And to my number one enabler, who had to listen to me angst over this fic for almost a month, thank you <3 I don’t know what I will do without you, really <3
+
Chapter 1
When Nino went to work that morning, he knew something unexpected would happen.
He hadn't been wrong.
It was just those feelings he got when something out of the ordinary was bound to occur; the hairs at the back of his neck would stand on end and there would be this tingling sensation on the inside of his palms the same way he was feeling exactly the moment he stepped into the meeting room.
His senses were on edge and he wasn't sure exactly what was causing it, almost jerking in surprise the second Aiba Masaki, his best friend, stood next to him, throwing a shapely arm over his shoulders and squeezing him before he could even shake the other man off.
"Good morning, Nino," Aiba greeted with a grin that would have rivaled those damn good-looking idols his sister liked so much and gave him a wink – or at least Aiba’s creepy version of it, nodding. Nino knew that look - had seen it so many times in the past that it didn't take him long to realize what it meant.
Soon he was turning his head to where the rest of the team were seated - Ikuta and Maruyama sitting next to each other at the very end of the long table, talking animatedly; Sho and Jun were, as usual, not there yet. But Sho and Jun were the least of Nino’s concerns now, as his gaze zeroed in on an unfamiliar guy's face sitting next to Shihori Kanjiya –tanned with sleepy eyes, cherub-shaped face, and a gorgeous set of lips that had Nino thinking of too many wicked things before he could even stop himself.
Nino felt that familiar prickling at the back of his neck, his hand absently reaching out to grab the nearest part of Aiba he could find – Aiba’s elbow - gripping it tight enough to leave bruises.
“Name?” he mumbled under his breath just loud enough for Aiba to hear.
Aiba leaned in. “Ohno Satoshi, 35 years old, not married, no girlfriend,” Aiba said, dutifully. He grinned;vaguely thankful that he had trained his best friend well enough to be able to gather that much information in just a small amount of time, and trying his level best to listen while his gaze kept darting towards the new guy. “Don’t ask me if I think he’s batting for the other team because you know I can’t tell.”
He nodded. “Area of expertise?” he asked.
“Yoga slash dance instructor,” Aiba dutifully supplied. “Shii-chan’s recruit, apparently,”
He turned. “You’re kidding,”
Aiba didn’t look like it. “Nope,” Aiba shook his head at the same time the door to the meeting room opened, Jun and Sho emerging behind it. “You can check it yourself. The dude wasn’t talking, I got all that info from Shii-chan,”
“No shit,” he muttered before Jun was elbowing his way inside and giving him the stinky eye when he threw Jun a glare, his usual morning greeting.
“Sit your ass down, Dumb and Dumber,” Jun grumbled, pointing at their usual position on the table just as his partner, Sakurai Sho, rounded the other way and nodded at them.
He sneered at Jun. “Of course, Your Highness,” he said, “I apologize for causing trouble,” he said, and then, like an afterthought, “though you have to excuse me becauseit might just be that you have mistaken me for someone else since the other half of that duo is there,” he pointed at Maruyama, who went tomato red the second he realized Nino was pointing at him,“sitting next to Ikuta-san,” he said, ignoring Maruyama and the disgusting grin he had on his face and Aiba’s annoyed huff before Aiba was rounding the way towards their designated seats.
Jun arched one fine brow at him. “Oh, but I thought you were theoriginal partner,” Jun grinned, “Sorry, my bad,”
He grinned back. “No, I wasn’t,” he said, “since I’m smarter than most of you, no offense meant,” he said, giving Jun a wink.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes,” he smiled sweetly. It didn’t escape him that the new guy looked entirely unperturbed to what was happening around him and was simply staring absently in front of him.
Then,“But now that you’ve mentioned it, do you want me to tell you what we fondly call you and Sho-chan?” Nino watched the way the corners of Jun’s mouth twitched at the mention of his partner’s name, how Nino was familiarly addressing the other man as if Sho was more of a friend than a mere colleague. Nino knew it irked Matsumoto Jun knowing that he was more than a little friendly with his partner and Nino, having been aware of this had used that knowledge to his advantage every goddamn time he had the chance.
“Guys,” Sho called, apparently sensing another brewing bitch fight. Jun ignored his partner, Nino did too – this was too good a chance to pass on, really.
“Beauty and the Beast,” he said, eyes twinkling with mischief, watching as Jun’s face relaxed into a somewhat bashful smile, at least until he pointed at Jun’s face and followed it with, “you’re the beast”
He barely ducked in time, grinning hugely as he sidestepped Jun and avoided getting hit in the head with a bunch of fliers as he went his merry way to hide himself behind Aiba.
It was then that his gaze caught the new guy’s eyes that he realized what he did, going scarlet red and ducking his head in shame. Next to the man, Shihori Kanjiya rolled her eyes at him.
In the front, he vaguely heard Sho greeting them and introducing the new guy, “Ohno Satoshi-san joined us just last week and he will be partnering with Kanjiya-san for our upcoming trip.” He didn’t realize he was staring until Aiba was elbowing him to obviously get his attention.
“What?”
Aiba chuckled, handing over a sheet of paper. Their next job, apparently. “Check him out later,” Aiba murmured, obviously referring to the new guy, Ohno Satoshi-san, who looked vaguely like he was about to fall asleep, trying his level best to keep his eyes open. Nino wouldn’t admit it but he was actually busy going ‘awww, so cute’ under his breath to really pay attention to anything.
Aiba elbowed him again, this time a little harder and Nino actually winced at the sudden pain.
“Seriously, do the eye-fucking later, okay?” Aiba was grumbling, sounding serious. “Jun-chan will have our heads on a silver platter if we miss something again, so please, pay attention. You know I’m not like you, and I can’t be trusted to remember every single detail about this meeting, so keep your shit together, at least until this meeting is over, got it?”
He shrugged, shifting so he was facing the front instead of the new guy with the perfect lips.
“Aye aye, Sir.”
+
Nino had been working at FOREVER YOUNG – Hospitality, Travel, Leisure Services Inc. for more than seven years now. He and Aiba joined the company as the first “Errand Boys” under the then Errand Services Chief, Joshima Shigeru-san at twenty-two, Aiba joining two weeks earlier before him.
It was a company that catered to seniors or the elderly, or the “Baby Boomers”, as they were fondly referred to these days. The company offered wide range of services, from Adult day care, to investment advices, medical services, etc, and their latest addition a couple of years back, Travel and Leisure, where Nino and Aiba had been transferred to immediately after its formation.
Their jobs back then were just as the name implied; errand boys for elderly people who could no longer do things by themselves and for themselves, like shopping groceries for them and accompanying them to the clinic or the spa or the like.
FOREVER YOUNG was amongst the first to offer such services, a pioneer in the field itself. In just a span of six months, their clients tripled in numbers so Joushima-san had to hire a couple more guys to help out, at the same time their president, Johnny-san, decided to put up two additional services to offer their clients apart from the three that already existed. The business boomed quite literally in the following years that Nino was glad he did the right choice by leaving his previous employer and joining FOREVER YOUNG despite his reluctance about the job itself at first.
Now, the company offered several other services to clients, apart from the very first ones that were established during the first years Nino had joined, most of which still focused on making the lives of the elderly and their families easier. From providing medical assistance to setting these baby boomers up for a date, FOREVER YOUNGwas the company to go to.
Presently, he and Aiba were working under the Travel and Leisure department – where the Errand Services fell right under immediately after the department’s formation. It was still headed by Joushima-san himself, though he was more focused on the business side of things now, having given Nino and his team of seven,which Aiba and he were a part of, free reign as to how they would work a job so long as they didn’t fuck up. They still mostly worked as “Errand Boys”, but in a kind of sophisticated way.
Under the Travel and Leisure department, it was mostly, well, about travelling leisurely. Nino and Aiba, and later joined by Ikuta and Maruyama, and then followed by Sakurai Sho and Matsumoto Jun a few months later, they mostly worked with boomers – senior citizens or retirees who had saved enough to spend on travelling or do things they weren’t able to when they were still working. Jun and Sho were tasked with managing each trip’s itineraries, from meeting with the elderly clients and consulting them about the activities they would want (and are safe enough) included in the trip.
Those usually included hiking, visit to shrines, skiing, onsen visits and the likes. Jun and Sho’s jobs focused on ensuring each trip was properly planned, activities included, while his and Aiba’s and Ikuta and Maruyama’s jobs were to ensure their clients are being properly cared for during the trip. The job included meeting the client personally before each trip, learning their medical histories and making sure they are well-prepared for any unforeseen emergencies such as the need for quick medical aid and such.
Nino had to admit the job itself was tiring but in a way, enjoyable. He didn’t think he’d like being surrounded by old people; he’d thought he would eventually grow tired being around them, but it didn’t happen. To be honest, Nino liked his job. And most of the elderly people he had worked with eversince he joined FOREVER YOUNG, he remained friends with. He still talked to them, visited them, even those that were so old they could barely remember him.
Nino liked his job enough to stay, salary package and the flexible working hours withstanding, but staring at the upcoming job he and his team would work on for the coming week, Nino wondered if requesting Joushima-san for a quick department transfer was possible.
“Blind Date on a cruise?” he read out loud, startling even the quiet new guy sitting opposite of him. Next to him, Aiba hummed thoughtfully under his breath. “At sea. On a boat,” he said, his mouth twisting disbelievingly, raising his head to stare at Jun and Sho. “You’re fucking kidding, right?”
“Read the job request and you’ll know it has been approved and signed by Joushima-san himself,” Jun said. Nino didn’t. That was the first thing he did the second he saw the word ‘cruise’, cringing as he scanned the paper as if it would mysteriously produce teeth and bite him.
“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, Matsumoto,” he grunted. Jun sneered at the same time Sho stood up, obviously with the intention of breaking the brewing tension. Jun saw this and Nino swore Jun’s expression softened instantly and for the life of him, Nino felt entirely justified in wanting to throw his staple wire remover at Jun’s head right then and there.
Jun simply gave him a look. “I wasn’t planning to,” he said, “it’s just that it is surprising, seeing that you’ve decided to outright complain when you haven’t even checked that the job itself had been duly approved,”
“I’m not complaining,” he said, eyes flickering towards Ohno-san, who looked vaguely more awake than he was minutes before. He was, to Nino’s surprise, appraising the paper with more interest than Nino supposed he should, given the fact that the entire job request plan was enough to make the hair at the back of his head stand on end.
Blind date on a cruise: find love in the most unexpected places, was what’s printed above the suggested timeframe the trip should be, followed by the suggested activities that ‘would make the trip for the would-be couple worth it’ and it was enough to make Nino’s stomach lurch unpleasantly.
He was about to open his mouth and accuse Jun of letting his inner romantic get the best of him by actually taking this ‘Blind Date’ to the extreme because seriously, setting up the boomers for a date was a real pain, not to mention, embarrassing. It all boiled down to the cringe-worthy fact that the boomers could very well act like a bunch of lovesick teenagers that Nino had to resist the urge to blush and gag everytime he had to chaperone a pair for a walk or something. Watching younger couples being lovey-dovey with each other was sickening enough, but seeing a pair of seniors acting like that was ten times worse.
Somehow, he preferred it better if they did the usual job – signing them up for travelling around the country, following them around to make sure they didn’t get sick, or worse, die, while on the trip. Seriously, it didn’t matter whether he’d have to follow them while they trekked the highest of mountains (so long as they were healthy enough to do it), didn’t matter if he had to bungee jump with them strapped on his back.
But putting them on a boat and having him cruise along with them around Tokyo bay? Oh, hell, no.
He opened his mouth to say as much, but the new guy, Ohno-san, beat him to it. Nino found himself staring at him, at the way his whole body was tilted to the side as he showed the paper to Shihori.
“So does this mean I can bring my rail and tackle box with me on the trip, Shii-chan? We are allowed to fish during our breaks, right?” with which Shihori Kanjiya replied with a hushed “ssh!” raising her head and giving them a seemingly apologetic smile as she took the paper out from Ohno-san’s hands.
Next to him, Aiba was grinning and elbowing him not-quite-lightly in the ribs in glee.
“Looks like your new crush is a secret fisherman, Nino-chan. Eww.”
“Shut it, Aiba-chan.”
+
Just when Nino thought it couldn’t get any worse, he learned that apart from the fact that he would have to spend two nights and two freaking days on a boat, of all the fucking places, he would have to babysit four pairs of boomers this time around, too.
If the other three were surprised by this announcement, they didn’t show it. Nino would have put up another complaint if it wasn’t for Sho telling them that Shihori and the new guy, Ohno-san, would be there to give them a helping hand in regards to caring for their assigned seniors.
“We have a total of sixteen participants this time around," Sho had announced much later, when Jun was done mocking him in the way only he knew how, the bastard. Nino had to keep reminding himself that killing Jun right then and there would be a bad idea, especially if he did it in front of an audience, so he had had to postpone that plan for later. "Eight pairs, to be exact. That means each of you -" Sho had glanced at them one by one, from him to the still blushing Maruyama sitting on his right, "will have two pairs to take care of. You will have the details of your assignments by tomorrow. Matsumoto-san will have everything ready by then,"Sho had finished.
Nino felt like objecting but he knew there was no point. It was Jun and Sho’s jobs to meet with the clients with the outline of the company’s offered services, after all, their jobs to point out which services would suit their potential clients best. His job, ever since he was transferred to this department along with Aiba, and soon after with Ikuta and Maru, was to make sure their elderly clients were well-cared for regardless of the trip or the activity they would soon find themselves in.
But it seemed that for the last of couple of jobs, all they got was a bunch of grandmas and grandpas who liked to try their luck in finding love, probably thinking they should go for it before their time was up.
Though why it had to be on a boat when there were other means of transportation readily available was beyond him, but then again, he could probably just blame it to those two bastards. Jun probably wanted a romantic getaway with Sho for a while now but didn’t know how to say it so whenthe opportunity presented itself in the form of those unsuspecting old farts, Jun grabbed it.
What an opportunistic jerk, Nino thought, mashing the keys of his console and imagining it was Jun’s face instead. It made him feel a bit better, to say the least, all the while wondering how satisfied it would make him if it really was Jun’s face he was mashing his fingers against, the thought making him grin despite himself.
To be honest, the only thing that had stopped him from outright marching his way to Joushima-san’s office to request a transfer was Ohno-san and his quiet, mysterious smiles at the repeated mention of the boat trip. The way his eyes lit up when Sho said they’ll be sailing for two days along the shores of Tokyo Bay.His first work under FOREVER YOUNG and it would be at sea, the other man had mumbled to Shihori who merely gave him an elegant eye roll but otherwise said nothing. And his quiet repeats of “Do you think it’s okay? Do you think they will allow it if I want to fish during break time, Shii-chan?” that Nino had to keep himself from staring, but it still didn’t escape him, the childish gleam in Ohno-san’s eyes as he stared at the tentative outline of itinerary Jun had prepared for the meeting.
And the fact that the other man had looked so very different when Nino himself had said, loud enough for Matsumoto to hear, that he didn’t see any reason why Ohno-san couldn’t fish while he was on break on the boat and that he would even gladly join the other man if Ohno-san had a spare fishing rod he could lend Nino.
“Yeah, let’s see how far that lie of yours will take you since we both know that the very thought of boarding a boat is enough to make you ill,” Aiba had mocked him afterwards, voice just loud enough for Nino to hear. Nino had given him an elbow jab in return for saying something stupid.
Though it wasn’t really stupid, if Nino was going to be completely honest about it; Aiba knew what he was saying, of course. Nino’s motion sickness was going to be a huge problem, but even that fact wasn’t enough to deter Nino from wanting and therefore, planning to spend quality time with Ohno-san so he could get to know him better.
Nino didn't think he would feel elated and equally miserable all in one day, but he guessed there's always a first to everything.
“Two-day and two-nights trip at sea,” Aiba said when he came back with a bucketful of popcorn and two bottles of beer, putting the bottles on the coffee table before Aiba slid next to him on the couch. He shifted, throwing his legs up on Aiba’s lap without bothering taking his gaze off his console, smelling the popcorn before he even saw it. “We’d probably have to buy you those anti-nausea patches just in case they don’t have them on the ship,”
After the dinner snack, he thought with a grin, tearing his gaze away from his game for bit and spying Aiba scooping a handful of popcorns and popping a few into his mouth before offering the rest to him. Nino opened his mouth obediently, thankful that he decided to follow Aiba instead of going home to his empty apartment.
It was his plan, to be honest, to release the frustration brought about by today’s events through smashing buttons and killing monsters on a bigger screen, but today he wasn’t in the mood to stay at home and game to his heart’s content the way he usually would. The stress from earlier was making him feel on edge, so he figured he could just follow Aiba home and pester him, make small talk while they were there. At least he could laze around and game here however long he liked to, plus there was free food. That was always a good deal in Nino’s books.
“D’you think I could still file for a transfer request? I heard Taichi-kun is hiring. They need a couple more staffs to handle their growing list of customers. I heard I just need to shut my mouth and listen to them old geezers ramble about the amount of money they have in their account and how worried they are that their relatives would discover they have that much money saved and would try to kill them to get it,” he said, only half-joking. Aiba shoved another handful of popcorn into his mouth in answer.
“I dunno, are you sure you’d be okay working there? Wouldn’t you die of boredom?” Aiba asked, reaching for his beer bottle and taking a quick swig. “because I would. God, listening to them complaining all day? That’s even more exhausting than accompanying a couple of them to the supermarket or something.”
“Hmm.”
“Plus, if you request to be transferred now, you’d be passing off the opportunity to piss Jun-kun off, at least more than you usually do and man, I’m sure as hell you’d miss it.”
“Damn right, I’d miss it,” he said, accepting more of the popcorn Aiba was offering. He chewed, imagining Jun’s face everytime he would pop byto spoil his obvious romantic plans with Sho when Jun least expected it, just to annoy him.
Plus there was Ohno-san. Surely, he wouldn’t miss the chance to know the other man even if it meant he had to endure two freaking days and nights on a boat. Nausea patches and motion sickness pills exist for a reason, Nino told himself.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” he said, finally, gesturing for the other bottle of beer which Aiba dutifully reached over before handing it to him. He paused his game and put it aside. “But only if you promise to help.”
Aiba looked like he already knew what he was talking about even though he hadn’t elaborated on it yet. It came with the fact that they were best friends, apparently, and that Aiba could read him like an open book, despite his many attempts to keep most of his private life private.
“So, what do you say?”
Aiba’s eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth twitched. “Uh, I don’t like where this is going,” Aiba muttered. “If this is about your fisherman, Nino –“
He leaned in, the contents of the bottle sloshing dangerously at the movement. He knew what Aiba was about to say next, of course, of course, had anticipated it even, mostly because they had an agreement with regards to each of Nino’s would-be affairs. Aiba’s help would be limited to checking the guy Nino would usually go for – his name, age, his sexual preference, his relationship status if it was possible to know it as early as possible – but that was it. The rest would all be on Nino, how he would pursue the guy would be completely on his terms, as it always had been.
This time though, Nino knew he would have to ask more from his bestfriend. It came with how weak he would be during the trip (damn seasickness, really) and he was sure that getting his bestfriend to agree to spying on his prospective boyfriend would be the best option. At least he would have ample time to plan something romantic on top of everything else he’d have to plan during the two-day, two-night trip, maybe topple Matsumoto Jun’s obvious attempt at finally getting into Sho-chan’s pants using the romantic cruise as an excuse by getting inside Ohno’s own as soon as possible.
“I know we’ve agreed on certain terms about my would-be relationships, but just this once, Aiba-shi,” he started, giving Aiba his most charming smile along with the puppy eyes, something that had always worked on Aiba, no matter how many times he’d used it. “Can we revise and revisit? I mean, just this once, I swear.”
Aiba frowned. “What do you mean?”
He allowed himself a smile, hiding it against the sleeve of Aiba’s shirt as he leaned in for the kill, folding himself against his bestfriend’s side. He knew he would be taking advantage of the fact that Aiba couldn’t – didn’t have the heart to, really – refuse him no matter what he asked from him. It was why he loved his bestfriend so much even though he never said it, apart from the beautiful fact that Aiba never minded that his bestfriend was gay, and a gay with an attitude.
He curled his fingers against the front of Aiba’s shirt, vaguely aware of the beer bottle getting snatched out of his other hand before he spilled the contents on himself or on Aiba, because his bestfriend was awesome that way.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” he sniffed, breathing in the familiar scent of Aiba’s laundry detergent.
“Nino –“
He unburied his face from where he has it mashed against Aiba’s sleeve, tugging on the fabric for effect. He realized his bestfriend was looking at him with something Nino couldn’t quite pinpoint, again, and the intensity of it made him feel self-conscious without knowing why. It made him feel uneasy but at the same time, warm,that he couldn’t find it in him to look away even if he probably should have.
“I want you to help me with Ohno-san, Aiba-shi,” there, he said it, not even feeling remotely embarrassed about it though he did feel a little odd, watching the way Aiba’s expression hardened.
“You didn’t ask for my help before,” Aiba said, levelly. “What’s so different about him that you have to ask me now?”
He thought about it before he answered, burying his nose against Aiba’s shoulder, wondering about it, too. “He’s so – quiet,” he said, remembering the way Ohno-san had kept to himself the whole time they were there, listening to Jun and Sho’s endless babbles. “Mysterious. I don’t know how I should approach him, I don’t know what he likes, what he’s thinking. I don’t even know if he likes guys or if he’s straight, and it’s just. It’s frustrating. I find it so difficult to read him, and I’m used to being able to read people, regardless if I end up liking them or not.”
Aiba was quiet for a while and he was afraid he’d said too much when Aiba did answer, voice soft. “And the quiet ones weren’t usually your type,” Aiba said. “But I knew it would be the face, his build,that would draw him to you, and I was right. The moment I saw him; I knew you’d like him.”
“Yeah,” he said, dreamily, half-jokingly. “That ass, have you seen it? God, I could stare at it forever, I mean, really,” he said. Aiba heaved a sigh.
“Fine, then,” Aiba said, after a long beat. He raised his head quickly to stare at Aiba, face breaking into a huge grin.
“Really?”
Aiba nodded. “Sure,” he said. “But I’m telling you, there’s a limit to what I can, and would do to help you, alright? I’m not serenading him for you, or swim the ocean while holding up a huge banner that says ‘Please go out with me?’ because I know you, you’re a secret romantic, too,” Aiba said. He probably would have said, you’re exactly like Jun-kun but held his tongue, probably for his own sake.
Nino really, really loved him.
“Nah, nothing disgusting, I swear,” he said, kneeling up properly and throwing his arms around Aiba’s neck but not before dropping a sound kiss to Aiba’s cheek. “You’re the best, Aiba-shi,”
Aiba huffed, messing his hair and squeezing him back quick, muttering, “you’re lucky I love you,” before pushing him off.
He grinned, shifting back to his place and throwing legs up on Aiba’s lap again. “Well, yes, I guess I am,” he grinned.
And if he sounded entirely smug about it, Aiba sure looked like he didn’t mind or didn’t notice. He simply shook his head and gave Nino this look without saying anything, grabbed Nino’s beer from the center table and handed it over for Nino to take.
Part 2
phrenkFrom:
jade_lilTitle: At Sea For You (Sail away with me)
Pairing/Focus: Nino/Ohno, Jun/Sho, eventual Aiba/Nino
Summary: Blind date on a cruise: find love in the most unexpected places, was what’s printed above the suggested timeframe the trip should be, followed by the suggested activities that ‘would make the trip for the would-be couple worth it’ and it was enough to make Nino’s stomach lurch unpleasantly.
Rating: R
Warning: none except maybe for the lame crack?
Note: dearest
phrenk, I hope you like my take on your prompts. I tried to incorporate as much as of everything here (I’m kidding XD, but I did try, I swear :D) and after the talk I had with one of my beta, I decided on the cruise prompt. The title came from her too. I stated Ohmiya there but keeping in mind that your first pairing choice was Aimiya, Aimiya it is, then. I really hope this is okay for you. Thank you to the team of beta who worked with me on this fic – the captain, P and R, you guys are the best. And to my number one enabler, who had to listen to me angst over this fic for almost a month, thank you <3 I don’t know what I will do without you, really <3+
Chapter 1
When Nino went to work that morning, he knew something unexpected would happen.
He hadn't been wrong.
It was just those feelings he got when something out of the ordinary was bound to occur; the hairs at the back of his neck would stand on end and there would be this tingling sensation on the inside of his palms the same way he was feeling exactly the moment he stepped into the meeting room.
His senses were on edge and he wasn't sure exactly what was causing it, almost jerking in surprise the second Aiba Masaki, his best friend, stood next to him, throwing a shapely arm over his shoulders and squeezing him before he could even shake the other man off.
"Good morning, Nino," Aiba greeted with a grin that would have rivaled those damn good-looking idols his sister liked so much and gave him a wink – or at least Aiba’s creepy version of it, nodding. Nino knew that look - had seen it so many times in the past that it didn't take him long to realize what it meant.
Soon he was turning his head to where the rest of the team were seated - Ikuta and Maruyama sitting next to each other at the very end of the long table, talking animatedly; Sho and Jun were, as usual, not there yet. But Sho and Jun were the least of Nino’s concerns now, as his gaze zeroed in on an unfamiliar guy's face sitting next to Shihori Kanjiya –tanned with sleepy eyes, cherub-shaped face, and a gorgeous set of lips that had Nino thinking of too many wicked things before he could even stop himself.
Nino felt that familiar prickling at the back of his neck, his hand absently reaching out to grab the nearest part of Aiba he could find – Aiba’s elbow - gripping it tight enough to leave bruises.
“Name?” he mumbled under his breath just loud enough for Aiba to hear.
Aiba leaned in. “Ohno Satoshi, 35 years old, not married, no girlfriend,” Aiba said, dutifully. He grinned;vaguely thankful that he had trained his best friend well enough to be able to gather that much information in just a small amount of time, and trying his level best to listen while his gaze kept darting towards the new guy. “Don’t ask me if I think he’s batting for the other team because you know I can’t tell.”
He nodded. “Area of expertise?” he asked.
“Yoga slash dance instructor,” Aiba dutifully supplied. “Shii-chan’s recruit, apparently,”
He turned. “You’re kidding,”
Aiba didn’t look like it. “Nope,” Aiba shook his head at the same time the door to the meeting room opened, Jun and Sho emerging behind it. “You can check it yourself. The dude wasn’t talking, I got all that info from Shii-chan,”
“No shit,” he muttered before Jun was elbowing his way inside and giving him the stinky eye when he threw Jun a glare, his usual morning greeting.
“Sit your ass down, Dumb and Dumber,” Jun grumbled, pointing at their usual position on the table just as his partner, Sakurai Sho, rounded the other way and nodded at them.
He sneered at Jun. “Of course, Your Highness,” he said, “I apologize for causing trouble,” he said, and then, like an afterthought, “though you have to excuse me becauseit might just be that you have mistaken me for someone else since the other half of that duo is there,” he pointed at Maruyama, who went tomato red the second he realized Nino was pointing at him,“sitting next to Ikuta-san,” he said, ignoring Maruyama and the disgusting grin he had on his face and Aiba’s annoyed huff before Aiba was rounding the way towards their designated seats.
Jun arched one fine brow at him. “Oh, but I thought you were theoriginal partner,” Jun grinned, “Sorry, my bad,”
He grinned back. “No, I wasn’t,” he said, “since I’m smarter than most of you, no offense meant,” he said, giving Jun a wink.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes,” he smiled sweetly. It didn’t escape him that the new guy looked entirely unperturbed to what was happening around him and was simply staring absently in front of him.
Then,“But now that you’ve mentioned it, do you want me to tell you what we fondly call you and Sho-chan?” Nino watched the way the corners of Jun’s mouth twitched at the mention of his partner’s name, how Nino was familiarly addressing the other man as if Sho was more of a friend than a mere colleague. Nino knew it irked Matsumoto Jun knowing that he was more than a little friendly with his partner and Nino, having been aware of this had used that knowledge to his advantage every goddamn time he had the chance.
“Guys,” Sho called, apparently sensing another brewing bitch fight. Jun ignored his partner, Nino did too – this was too good a chance to pass on, really.
“Beauty and the Beast,” he said, eyes twinkling with mischief, watching as Jun’s face relaxed into a somewhat bashful smile, at least until he pointed at Jun’s face and followed it with, “you’re the beast”
He barely ducked in time, grinning hugely as he sidestepped Jun and avoided getting hit in the head with a bunch of fliers as he went his merry way to hide himself behind Aiba.
It was then that his gaze caught the new guy’s eyes that he realized what he did, going scarlet red and ducking his head in shame. Next to the man, Shihori Kanjiya rolled her eyes at him.
In the front, he vaguely heard Sho greeting them and introducing the new guy, “Ohno Satoshi-san joined us just last week and he will be partnering with Kanjiya-san for our upcoming trip.” He didn’t realize he was staring until Aiba was elbowing him to obviously get his attention.
“What?”
Aiba chuckled, handing over a sheet of paper. Their next job, apparently. “Check him out later,” Aiba murmured, obviously referring to the new guy, Ohno Satoshi-san, who looked vaguely like he was about to fall asleep, trying his level best to keep his eyes open. Nino wouldn’t admit it but he was actually busy going ‘awww, so cute’ under his breath to really pay attention to anything.
Aiba elbowed him again, this time a little harder and Nino actually winced at the sudden pain.
“Seriously, do the eye-fucking later, okay?” Aiba was grumbling, sounding serious. “Jun-chan will have our heads on a silver platter if we miss something again, so please, pay attention. You know I’m not like you, and I can’t be trusted to remember every single detail about this meeting, so keep your shit together, at least until this meeting is over, got it?”
He shrugged, shifting so he was facing the front instead of the new guy with the perfect lips.
“Aye aye, Sir.”
+
Nino had been working at FOREVER YOUNG – Hospitality, Travel, Leisure Services Inc. for more than seven years now. He and Aiba joined the company as the first “Errand Boys” under the then Errand Services Chief, Joshima Shigeru-san at twenty-two, Aiba joining two weeks earlier before him.
It was a company that catered to seniors or the elderly, or the “Baby Boomers”, as they were fondly referred to these days. The company offered wide range of services, from Adult day care, to investment advices, medical services, etc, and their latest addition a couple of years back, Travel and Leisure, where Nino and Aiba had been transferred to immediately after its formation.
Their jobs back then were just as the name implied; errand boys for elderly people who could no longer do things by themselves and for themselves, like shopping groceries for them and accompanying them to the clinic or the spa or the like.
FOREVER YOUNG was amongst the first to offer such services, a pioneer in the field itself. In just a span of six months, their clients tripled in numbers so Joushima-san had to hire a couple more guys to help out, at the same time their president, Johnny-san, decided to put up two additional services to offer their clients apart from the three that already existed. The business boomed quite literally in the following years that Nino was glad he did the right choice by leaving his previous employer and joining FOREVER YOUNG despite his reluctance about the job itself at first.
Now, the company offered several other services to clients, apart from the very first ones that were established during the first years Nino had joined, most of which still focused on making the lives of the elderly and their families easier. From providing medical assistance to setting these baby boomers up for a date, FOREVER YOUNGwas the company to go to.
Presently, he and Aiba were working under the Travel and Leisure department – where the Errand Services fell right under immediately after the department’s formation. It was still headed by Joushima-san himself, though he was more focused on the business side of things now, having given Nino and his team of seven,which Aiba and he were a part of, free reign as to how they would work a job so long as they didn’t fuck up. They still mostly worked as “Errand Boys”, but in a kind of sophisticated way.
Under the Travel and Leisure department, it was mostly, well, about travelling leisurely. Nino and Aiba, and later joined by Ikuta and Maruyama, and then followed by Sakurai Sho and Matsumoto Jun a few months later, they mostly worked with boomers – senior citizens or retirees who had saved enough to spend on travelling or do things they weren’t able to when they were still working. Jun and Sho were tasked with managing each trip’s itineraries, from meeting with the elderly clients and consulting them about the activities they would want (and are safe enough) included in the trip.
Those usually included hiking, visit to shrines, skiing, onsen visits and the likes. Jun and Sho’s jobs focused on ensuring each trip was properly planned, activities included, while his and Aiba’s and Ikuta and Maruyama’s jobs were to ensure their clients are being properly cared for during the trip. The job included meeting the client personally before each trip, learning their medical histories and making sure they are well-prepared for any unforeseen emergencies such as the need for quick medical aid and such.
Nino had to admit the job itself was tiring but in a way, enjoyable. He didn’t think he’d like being surrounded by old people; he’d thought he would eventually grow tired being around them, but it didn’t happen. To be honest, Nino liked his job. And most of the elderly people he had worked with eversince he joined FOREVER YOUNG, he remained friends with. He still talked to them, visited them, even those that were so old they could barely remember him.
Nino liked his job enough to stay, salary package and the flexible working hours withstanding, but staring at the upcoming job he and his team would work on for the coming week, Nino wondered if requesting Joushima-san for a quick department transfer was possible.
“Blind Date on a cruise?” he read out loud, startling even the quiet new guy sitting opposite of him. Next to him, Aiba hummed thoughtfully under his breath. “At sea. On a boat,” he said, his mouth twisting disbelievingly, raising his head to stare at Jun and Sho. “You’re fucking kidding, right?”
“Read the job request and you’ll know it has been approved and signed by Joushima-san himself,” Jun said. Nino didn’t. That was the first thing he did the second he saw the word ‘cruise’, cringing as he scanned the paper as if it would mysteriously produce teeth and bite him.
“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t do, Matsumoto,” he grunted. Jun sneered at the same time Sho stood up, obviously with the intention of breaking the brewing tension. Jun saw this and Nino swore Jun’s expression softened instantly and for the life of him, Nino felt entirely justified in wanting to throw his staple wire remover at Jun’s head right then and there.
Jun simply gave him a look. “I wasn’t planning to,” he said, “it’s just that it is surprising, seeing that you’ve decided to outright complain when you haven’t even checked that the job itself had been duly approved,”
“I’m not complaining,” he said, eyes flickering towards Ohno-san, who looked vaguely more awake than he was minutes before. He was, to Nino’s surprise, appraising the paper with more interest than Nino supposed he should, given the fact that the entire job request plan was enough to make the hair at the back of his head stand on end.
Blind date on a cruise: find love in the most unexpected places, was what’s printed above the suggested timeframe the trip should be, followed by the suggested activities that ‘would make the trip for the would-be couple worth it’ and it was enough to make Nino’s stomach lurch unpleasantly.
He was about to open his mouth and accuse Jun of letting his inner romantic get the best of him by actually taking this ‘Blind Date’ to the extreme because seriously, setting up the boomers for a date was a real pain, not to mention, embarrassing. It all boiled down to the cringe-worthy fact that the boomers could very well act like a bunch of lovesick teenagers that Nino had to resist the urge to blush and gag everytime he had to chaperone a pair for a walk or something. Watching younger couples being lovey-dovey with each other was sickening enough, but seeing a pair of seniors acting like that was ten times worse.
Somehow, he preferred it better if they did the usual job – signing them up for travelling around the country, following them around to make sure they didn’t get sick, or worse, die, while on the trip. Seriously, it didn’t matter whether he’d have to follow them while they trekked the highest of mountains (so long as they were healthy enough to do it), didn’t matter if he had to bungee jump with them strapped on his back.
But putting them on a boat and having him cruise along with them around Tokyo bay? Oh, hell, no.
He opened his mouth to say as much, but the new guy, Ohno-san, beat him to it. Nino found himself staring at him, at the way his whole body was tilted to the side as he showed the paper to Shihori.
“So does this mean I can bring my rail and tackle box with me on the trip, Shii-chan? We are allowed to fish during our breaks, right?” with which Shihori Kanjiya replied with a hushed “ssh!” raising her head and giving them a seemingly apologetic smile as she took the paper out from Ohno-san’s hands.
Next to him, Aiba was grinning and elbowing him not-quite-lightly in the ribs in glee.
“Looks like your new crush is a secret fisherman, Nino-chan. Eww.”
“Shut it, Aiba-chan.”
+
Just when Nino thought it couldn’t get any worse, he learned that apart from the fact that he would have to spend two nights and two freaking days on a boat, of all the fucking places, he would have to babysit four pairs of boomers this time around, too.
If the other three were surprised by this announcement, they didn’t show it. Nino would have put up another complaint if it wasn’t for Sho telling them that Shihori and the new guy, Ohno-san, would be there to give them a helping hand in regards to caring for their assigned seniors.
“We have a total of sixteen participants this time around," Sho had announced much later, when Jun was done mocking him in the way only he knew how, the bastard. Nino had to keep reminding himself that killing Jun right then and there would be a bad idea, especially if he did it in front of an audience, so he had had to postpone that plan for later. "Eight pairs, to be exact. That means each of you -" Sho had glanced at them one by one, from him to the still blushing Maruyama sitting on his right, "will have two pairs to take care of. You will have the details of your assignments by tomorrow. Matsumoto-san will have everything ready by then,"Sho had finished.
Nino felt like objecting but he knew there was no point. It was Jun and Sho’s jobs to meet with the clients with the outline of the company’s offered services, after all, their jobs to point out which services would suit their potential clients best. His job, ever since he was transferred to this department along with Aiba, and soon after with Ikuta and Maru, was to make sure their elderly clients were well-cared for regardless of the trip or the activity they would soon find themselves in.
But it seemed that for the last of couple of jobs, all they got was a bunch of grandmas and grandpas who liked to try their luck in finding love, probably thinking they should go for it before their time was up.
Though why it had to be on a boat when there were other means of transportation readily available was beyond him, but then again, he could probably just blame it to those two bastards. Jun probably wanted a romantic getaway with Sho for a while now but didn’t know how to say it so whenthe opportunity presented itself in the form of those unsuspecting old farts, Jun grabbed it.
What an opportunistic jerk, Nino thought, mashing the keys of his console and imagining it was Jun’s face instead. It made him feel a bit better, to say the least, all the while wondering how satisfied it would make him if it really was Jun’s face he was mashing his fingers against, the thought making him grin despite himself.
To be honest, the only thing that had stopped him from outright marching his way to Joushima-san’s office to request a transfer was Ohno-san and his quiet, mysterious smiles at the repeated mention of the boat trip. The way his eyes lit up when Sho said they’ll be sailing for two days along the shores of Tokyo Bay.His first work under FOREVER YOUNG and it would be at sea, the other man had mumbled to Shihori who merely gave him an elegant eye roll but otherwise said nothing. And his quiet repeats of “Do you think it’s okay? Do you think they will allow it if I want to fish during break time, Shii-chan?” that Nino had to keep himself from staring, but it still didn’t escape him, the childish gleam in Ohno-san’s eyes as he stared at the tentative outline of itinerary Jun had prepared for the meeting.
And the fact that the other man had looked so very different when Nino himself had said, loud enough for Matsumoto to hear, that he didn’t see any reason why Ohno-san couldn’t fish while he was on break on the boat and that he would even gladly join the other man if Ohno-san had a spare fishing rod he could lend Nino.
“Yeah, let’s see how far that lie of yours will take you since we both know that the very thought of boarding a boat is enough to make you ill,” Aiba had mocked him afterwards, voice just loud enough for Nino to hear. Nino had given him an elbow jab in return for saying something stupid.
Though it wasn’t really stupid, if Nino was going to be completely honest about it; Aiba knew what he was saying, of course. Nino’s motion sickness was going to be a huge problem, but even that fact wasn’t enough to deter Nino from wanting and therefore, planning to spend quality time with Ohno-san so he could get to know him better.
Nino didn't think he would feel elated and equally miserable all in one day, but he guessed there's always a first to everything.
“Two-day and two-nights trip at sea,” Aiba said when he came back with a bucketful of popcorn and two bottles of beer, putting the bottles on the coffee table before Aiba slid next to him on the couch. He shifted, throwing his legs up on Aiba’s lap without bothering taking his gaze off his console, smelling the popcorn before he even saw it. “We’d probably have to buy you those anti-nausea patches just in case they don’t have them on the ship,”
After the dinner snack, he thought with a grin, tearing his gaze away from his game for bit and spying Aiba scooping a handful of popcorns and popping a few into his mouth before offering the rest to him. Nino opened his mouth obediently, thankful that he decided to follow Aiba instead of going home to his empty apartment.
It was his plan, to be honest, to release the frustration brought about by today’s events through smashing buttons and killing monsters on a bigger screen, but today he wasn’t in the mood to stay at home and game to his heart’s content the way he usually would. The stress from earlier was making him feel on edge, so he figured he could just follow Aiba home and pester him, make small talk while they were there. At least he could laze around and game here however long he liked to, plus there was free food. That was always a good deal in Nino’s books.
“D’you think I could still file for a transfer request? I heard Taichi-kun is hiring. They need a couple more staffs to handle their growing list of customers. I heard I just need to shut my mouth and listen to them old geezers ramble about the amount of money they have in their account and how worried they are that their relatives would discover they have that much money saved and would try to kill them to get it,” he said, only half-joking. Aiba shoved another handful of popcorn into his mouth in answer.
“I dunno, are you sure you’d be okay working there? Wouldn’t you die of boredom?” Aiba asked, reaching for his beer bottle and taking a quick swig. “because I would. God, listening to them complaining all day? That’s even more exhausting than accompanying a couple of them to the supermarket or something.”
“Hmm.”
“Plus, if you request to be transferred now, you’d be passing off the opportunity to piss Jun-kun off, at least more than you usually do and man, I’m sure as hell you’d miss it.”
“Damn right, I’d miss it,” he said, accepting more of the popcorn Aiba was offering. He chewed, imagining Jun’s face everytime he would pop byto spoil his obvious romantic plans with Sho when Jun least expected it, just to annoy him.
Plus there was Ohno-san. Surely, he wouldn’t miss the chance to know the other man even if it meant he had to endure two freaking days and nights on a boat. Nausea patches and motion sickness pills exist for a reason, Nino told himself.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” he said, finally, gesturing for the other bottle of beer which Aiba dutifully reached over before handing it to him. He paused his game and put it aside. “But only if you promise to help.”
Aiba looked like he already knew what he was talking about even though he hadn’t elaborated on it yet. It came with the fact that they were best friends, apparently, and that Aiba could read him like an open book, despite his many attempts to keep most of his private life private.
“So, what do you say?”
Aiba’s eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth twitched. “Uh, I don’t like where this is going,” Aiba muttered. “If this is about your fisherman, Nino –“
He leaned in, the contents of the bottle sloshing dangerously at the movement. He knew what Aiba was about to say next, of course, of course, had anticipated it even, mostly because they had an agreement with regards to each of Nino’s would-be affairs. Aiba’s help would be limited to checking the guy Nino would usually go for – his name, age, his sexual preference, his relationship status if it was possible to know it as early as possible – but that was it. The rest would all be on Nino, how he would pursue the guy would be completely on his terms, as it always had been.
This time though, Nino knew he would have to ask more from his bestfriend. It came with how weak he would be during the trip (damn seasickness, really) and he was sure that getting his bestfriend to agree to spying on his prospective boyfriend would be the best option. At least he would have ample time to plan something romantic on top of everything else he’d have to plan during the two-day, two-night trip, maybe topple Matsumoto Jun’s obvious attempt at finally getting into Sho-chan’s pants using the romantic cruise as an excuse by getting inside Ohno’s own as soon as possible.
“I know we’ve agreed on certain terms about my would-be relationships, but just this once, Aiba-shi,” he started, giving Aiba his most charming smile along with the puppy eyes, something that had always worked on Aiba, no matter how many times he’d used it. “Can we revise and revisit? I mean, just this once, I swear.”
Aiba frowned. “What do you mean?”
He allowed himself a smile, hiding it against the sleeve of Aiba’s shirt as he leaned in for the kill, folding himself against his bestfriend’s side. He knew he would be taking advantage of the fact that Aiba couldn’t – didn’t have the heart to, really – refuse him no matter what he asked from him. It was why he loved his bestfriend so much even though he never said it, apart from the beautiful fact that Aiba never minded that his bestfriend was gay, and a gay with an attitude.
He curled his fingers against the front of Aiba’s shirt, vaguely aware of the beer bottle getting snatched out of his other hand before he spilled the contents on himself or on Aiba, because his bestfriend was awesome that way.
“Oh, you know what I mean,” he sniffed, breathing in the familiar scent of Aiba’s laundry detergent.
“Nino –“
He unburied his face from where he has it mashed against Aiba’s sleeve, tugging on the fabric for effect. He realized his bestfriend was looking at him with something Nino couldn’t quite pinpoint, again, and the intensity of it made him feel self-conscious without knowing why. It made him feel uneasy but at the same time, warm,that he couldn’t find it in him to look away even if he probably should have.
“I want you to help me with Ohno-san, Aiba-shi,” there, he said it, not even feeling remotely embarrassed about it though he did feel a little odd, watching the way Aiba’s expression hardened.
“You didn’t ask for my help before,” Aiba said, levelly. “What’s so different about him that you have to ask me now?”
He thought about it before he answered, burying his nose against Aiba’s shoulder, wondering about it, too. “He’s so – quiet,” he said, remembering the way Ohno-san had kept to himself the whole time they were there, listening to Jun and Sho’s endless babbles. “Mysterious. I don’t know how I should approach him, I don’t know what he likes, what he’s thinking. I don’t even know if he likes guys or if he’s straight, and it’s just. It’s frustrating. I find it so difficult to read him, and I’m used to being able to read people, regardless if I end up liking them or not.”
Aiba was quiet for a while and he was afraid he’d said too much when Aiba did answer, voice soft. “And the quiet ones weren’t usually your type,” Aiba said. “But I knew it would be the face, his build,that would draw him to you, and I was right. The moment I saw him; I knew you’d like him.”
“Yeah,” he said, dreamily, half-jokingly. “That ass, have you seen it? God, I could stare at it forever, I mean, really,” he said. Aiba heaved a sigh.
“Fine, then,” Aiba said, after a long beat. He raised his head quickly to stare at Aiba, face breaking into a huge grin.
“Really?”
Aiba nodded. “Sure,” he said. “But I’m telling you, there’s a limit to what I can, and would do to help you, alright? I’m not serenading him for you, or swim the ocean while holding up a huge banner that says ‘Please go out with me?’ because I know you, you’re a secret romantic, too,” Aiba said. He probably would have said, you’re exactly like Jun-kun but held his tongue, probably for his own sake.
Nino really, really loved him.
“Nah, nothing disgusting, I swear,” he said, kneeling up properly and throwing his arms around Aiba’s neck but not before dropping a sound kiss to Aiba’s cheek. “You’re the best, Aiba-shi,”
Aiba huffed, messing his hair and squeezing him back quick, muttering, “you’re lucky I love you,” before pushing him off.
He grinned, shifting back to his place and throwing legs up on Aiba’s lap again. “Well, yes, I guess I am,” he grinned.
And if he sounded entirely smug about it, Aiba sure looked like he didn’t mind or didn’t notice. He simply shook his head and gave Nino this look without saying anything, grabbed Nino’s beer from the center table and handed it over for Nino to take.
Part 2