fic for phrenk (2/4)

[nino-mod.livejournal.com]

For: phrenk
From: jade_lil

Part 1


Chapter 2


“Dinner’s at eight sharp, so make sure your babies are properly dressed and ready by then,” Jun had reminded them half an hour after they boarded, along with the handouts of their itinerary for their two-day and two-night Tokyo Bay cruise, complete with activities they would try to squeeze in for the whole trip.

As agreed, four people had been assigned under Nino’s care. Nino had pondered over their medical records, checking each one carefully so he could outline his usual first-aid plan in case something went south.

So far, there was only one who needed Nino’s close watch. Takagumi Miho-san, who would be celebrating her seventy-fifth birthday the day after, while on the cruise itself, had once broken her hip and had asthma. Though the asthma attacks, according to her and to her attending physician, whom Nino had talked to on the phone a day before their scheduled trip, were few and far in between, Nino still had to make sure she had all her medications with her before they allowed her on board along with the others.

The other three, Sukamoto Rika-san, Miyamoto Kyoto-san, and Hashigawa George-san had only complained of aching joints and the occasional high-blood pressures – the usual illnesses caused by old age.

“Odagawa-san was complaining about the rooming arrangements,” Aiba told him when they met up outside the hall of the room Takagumi-san was sharing with Sukamoto-san,while checking the anti-nausea patch Aiba had put behind his ear earlier. He stayed dutifully still and let Aiba inspect it without saying anything. “He said he didn’t sign up for this cruise and he most definitely didn’t pay a crapload of money only so he would end up sleeping with a fellow man,” Aiba snickered, fingers squeezing his chin lightly before he was pulling away.

“Didn’t you tell him this is supposedly a blind date cruise, according to Matsumoto-san at least, and not a honeymoon cruise?” he said.

“I did,” Aiba said, “but you know how they are when they’re pissed, wouldn’t even listen to reason.”

“Sounds like my dad, then.”

Aiba chuckled. “Oh, totally.”

“Why don’t you try and switch them around, then? Put Horiyama-san and Odagawa-san in the same room instead of Odagawa-san and Kumamoto-san?” he suggested.

“I’d have to check if Horiyama-san will agree –“

The boat rocked so suddenly he was grabbing for Aiba’s arms for support. He didn’t feel particularly dizzy yet, but with the way this damn boat was rocking, he knew he’d eventually feel it. It was just a matter of time. “Damn it, I swear to god, if this boat sinks and we die, I’ll haunt Jun’s ass even in the afterlife,” he grumbled.

Aiba laughed good-naturedly and thumped him not-so-gently on the hip. “Don’t worry, Nino-chan, I’m not going to let you die. If this boat sinks, I promise you I’d leave my charges behind just to save you.”

He giggled at that, couldn’t not. “Oh my god, don’t let them hear you say that or I swear to god you’d get in trouble,” he said, turning at the sound of a door opening from the end of the hall.

Then, as if on cue, Jun emerged from one of the rooms, grinning, and looking like he had just stepped out from the glossy pages of those model magazines he loved carrying around with him. Perfectly-styled hair, crisp-looking three-piece black and white suit, an expensive looking pair of shiny Armani shoes and a dazzling smile to match that Nino felt the sudden urge to wipe off with his fist.

“Oh, Jesus,” Aiba muttered next to him.

“Hey losers,” Jun greeted them when he was close enough to do so, dazzling smile still in place. “I hope you’re not planning on going to dinner wearing those abominations you call clothes, yes?”

Nino blinked, gave Jun a quick, sweeping glance before he was looking down and frowning at himself. He could hear Aiba’s snickers despite the fact that Aiba was trying but failing to be inconspicuous.

“What?”

“The dinner,” Jun repeated, brandishing something that looked like a menu of some sort. Nino didn’t bother look at it properly. He was busy staring at Jun, trying not to face-palm. It was kind of difficult.

“Which is not for at least –“ he face-palmed nevertheless, taking his phone out from the back pockets of his jeans and checking the time. “an hour and a half. Please don’t tell me you moved the time without bothering to inform us?”

“Of course not.”

“Then why are you already dressed?” he asked, “More specifically, why are you dressed like that?” he followed. Next to him, Aiba was clearly about to lose it, feeling the familiar weight of Aiba’s arms over his shoulders, squeezing him in warning and in affection.

“Why?” Jun grunted, pouting royally. It was really unfair that even when he was making that face, he still looked devastatingly handsome. Not that he was going to tell Jun that to his face, of course not. “Is there something wrong with my clothes?” Jun asked, looking down at himself.

“Nothing’s wrong with it,” he said, quietly admiring the way Jun’s slacks hugged his hips. Man, Sakurai Sho was going to have the time of his fucking life when he saw Jun later, that is if he hadn’t seen him yet. Though it was obvious in the way Jun was grinning so wide as if he’d just won something that Sho probably already had. “But I’m just curious, are we having an Extra-Terrestrial Beauty Pageant Night that Aiba-san and I weren’t informed about? Because if you’re hosting it, you’re definitely wearing the perfect outfit for it.”

Jun’s answering scowl made Aiba lose it entirely. He was laughing so hard he had to grab Nino’s shoulders to support himself, muffling his laughter against Nino’s hair. Nino couldn’t help it, he was giggling too, and before he realized it, Jun was reaching over to slap them across the head with his paper folder.

Then he was gone, stepping past them with a grumbled, “hmph.”

Nino wondered if he should apologize for teasing Jun so much, but he figured Jun would get his revenge soon enough. That’s how it always was between them, anyway. Better prepare himself for it, though.

“You’re the worst, really,” Aiba commented much later, when he’d finally calmed himself enough to talk without wheezing. “God, he’s going to make you pay for what you said to him, just you wait.”

“As if I’m never ready for whatever shit he would throw my way,” he said, nose in the air. Aiba chuckled and reached up to pinch his nose affectionately before he had time to avoid him. Aiba thankfully let him go before he decided to throw the first kick.

“Fine, fine, whatever.”


+

He was back upstairs at the Purser’s desk an hour later. He was in his best suit and tie, his shoes polished to the T. He’d been anxious ever since he left the room he was sharing with Aiba, leaving Aiba behind to dress himself despite Aiba’s grumbles of protest so he could check on his assignments first.

He thought he’d have to wait long, but thankfully, the four of them were all ready to go. Nino accompanied the ladies upstairs to the Dining Room which had been converted into a lavish-looking Private Banquet complete with about twenty-five round tables for two, lighted with aromatic candles, flowers adorning each barricading rails. The place itself was dimly lit, making it look even more romantic than Nino had given it credit for and if Nino was going to be completely honest about it, very beautiful. There was a large space at the very middle of it, obviously for people who would like to dance and a platform stage in the corner.

Even Kyoto-san, and George-san who had been than less enthusiastic about going up for dinner earlier,had immediately changed their tunes the second they saw the Dining room’s arrangement. Soon, Nino found them rounding the way to where the ladies were seated, sitting themselves opposite their prospected date with an embarrassed sort of grin.

Nino made sure his charges were all but properly seated, waiting until the others were, too, before he left them. But before he could, Miho-san waved him over and gave him a peck on the cheek, told him she forgot to tell him that he looked fantastic in his suit and if he could please save her a dance or two later, she would love it.

He grinned at her and took her hand in his, raised it up so he could brush his lips against her knuckles. He did the same with Rika-san, and it earned him another sweet peck on the cheek for it.

“Enjoy your dinner, guys,” he told them, bowing his head a little; behind him, he knew that the other three – Aiba, Ikuta and Maruyama, were also busy doing the same. He gave the two old men a wink as he gestured behind them. “I’ll just be out there if you need me. Just wave if you need me to help you with anything and I’ll come running,” he assured them with a smile. Behind him, the band he didn’t realize was already there started playing. It was Frank Sinatra’s The Way You Look Tonight.

Man, Matsumoto Jun and his penchant for the theatrics, really.

He was standing there for more about ten minutes more when a poke in the hip prompted him to turn around.

It was Kanjiya Shihori, looking charmingly beautiful in her white, spaghetti-strapped cocktail dress that hugged her curves well and standing next to her was the man Nino had been anxiously waiting to see all evening.

Ohno Satoshi looked so damn edible in his black and blue suit and a matching light blue bow tie that it was almost illegal. He was wearing his usual calm demeanor, but he did return the smile Nino gave him when he was close enough and Nino felt his heart kicked dangerously hard in his chest at the sight of it.

“I was told we’d have to wait until our clients are done with their dinner and their complimentary dances before we’ll have our turn,” Shihori said. Nino had to force himself to look away from Ohno’s face, particularly his mouth so he could pay attention to what Shihori was saying.

“A tiny sacrifice for the greater good, it seems,” he said, shrugging; it made Shihori giggle. “Sakurai-san’s words, not mine,”

“Our good man, Sakurai-san,” Shihori said, “and Matsumoto-san too?”

“The pair with the purest of hearts,” he agreed, glancing briefly at Ohno. Then, changing the subject, he said, “Can we expect you guys to show off your dancing prowess tonight or are you here for the same reason I’m here?” he asked.

Shihori was immediately shaking her head when Ohno mumbled, “the food?” with a frown that matched his pouting lips, his voice loud enough for Nino to hear. The question was so sudden and the expression on Ohno’s face so serious that Nino found himself cracking up before he realized it. Shihori apparently found it less funny though she was rolling her eyes to the heaven as if she was used to Ohno spouting nonsense every now and then.

“Oh, god, I’m so sorry,” he said, little puffs of mirth still tumbling out of his mouth. God, it probably wasn’t meant to be funny, but Nino found it hilarious all at the same time. “I just. Ohno-san, you have a wicked sense of humor, just so you know,” Ohno simply smiled at him and shrugged in a way that made things in Nino’s stomach trip up his throat.

“I just thought you’re here for the food, too,” Ohno reasoned, “because I am. Why can’t we eat with them again?”

“Because –“ Shihori said, or started to, but stopped midway when Sho’s voice carried itself to where they were, calling them, all FOREVER YOUNG staff, to join them.

He spied Aiba running towards him, and Shihori tilting her head slightly in his direction before she walked away. Ohno followed her without another word.

“I see you’re making good progress even without my help,” was the first thing Aiba told him when he was close enough to do so. Nino scowled at him.

“What progress?” he muttered. “If you’re referring to that little word exchange that happened earlier, it was nothing. Thanks to Shi-chan, I was at least able to hear him talk. I don’t know what the deal is about those two, but Ohno-san sure seemed like he was attached to her by the hip and it’s – it’s frustrating.”

“You think they’re together?”

Nino gave Aiba a look. “Probably bestfriends, like us,” he said. “I mean, Shi-chan sure looks like she knows almost everything about him and indulges him. But she doesn’t look at him the way a deeply in love person looks at another. It’s just. It’s not there.”

“How about Ohno-san?”

He tsked, annoyed again for not being able to know or read what Ohno was thinking. “I told you, it’s so difficult for me to read him. It’s like, I don’t know, it’s very odd. I should at least be able to get something out of him by now, but I can’t.”

“Seems like your gay radar is a little fucked up, huh.”

That earned Aiba a not-so-gentle punch in the shoulder. “Stop reminding me, damn it,” he mumbled, then, like a bulb had been lighted up above his head, he grinned.

“What?”

He hooked an arm around Aiba’s elbow and led him towards the dining room area to join the other staff.

“Aiba-shi, I have a plan.”


+


His plan, sadly, had been immediately shut down the second Jun started talking.

Nino had never felt so betrayed in his entire life than at this moment, when he was watching Jun claiming the spare keys from Sakurai Sho's hand as if he was claiming the man himself before he proceeded to take the rest of the spares from all seven of them.

“Okay, people, listen up,” Jun announced while the desert were being served, effectively taking everyone’s attention.

It was a little game Jun came up with after dinner (or maybe he'd already thought about this way before) while their clients were busy ignoring their deserts and instead chatting excitedly with their respective dates. He announced that since there were also four pairs of staff accompanying the elderly this time around, why don’t the eight of them join in the fun too? That earned him a very enthusiastic and a very loud round of applause from the elderly which Jun returned with a shit-eating grin. It was almost disgusting.

The game, as explained by Jun, would be like this; there would be two boxes – one would contain the four set of keys to the cabins reserved for the eight of them, each bearing colored ribbons, blue, red, green and purple. The other box would have matching-colored cards which would determine the rooming arrangements.

Temporarily, Jun was rooming with Toma, Maru with Sho and Ohno, Aiba with Nino. Shihori had her room all to herself but with the result of this game, Shihori would have to share her room with a man.

This made their audience of sixteen and the few of the ship’s cabin crews cheering for the seven of them as Shihori blushed a pretty shade of red at the unexpected attention.

Jun divided them into two groups. Toma, Ohno, Aiba and as expected, Sho, made up one group while Nino, Maru, Shihori and Jun were on the other.

He was sweating bullets when Jun told the two groups to line up, facing each other, the boxes in between them. He met Aiba’s gaze through the noisy cheering around him, vaguely aware about Aiba mouthing something to him. He frowned, unable to understand what his bestfriend was saying as Jun ordered each of them to take a step forward, two at a time, to pick a key and its matching card simultaneously. But that wasn’t it. Jun also told them they have to make sure to keep the cards and the keys hidden until all of them have picked one out for themselves.

“I want everyone to show what they picked out at the same time, alright?” Jun reminded them, voice shaking with obvious excitement.

Maru and Toma went first. The crowd was silent while Toma and Maru picked a card, but the sounds of hushed giggles that followed when they both grinned at each other goofily after they’ve picked the key and the card and stuffed them into their suits’ pockets was heartwarming.

Jun and Sho stepped forward next, Jun thankfully shutting up as he picked out a card from the box. Nino saw them locked gazes for several seconds, Sho’s mouth lilting into a would-be smile as he took his hand out, bowed and then stepped back.

Then it was Nino and Aiba’s turn.

“It should be either you or Ohno-san,” he whispered under his breath the moment he stuck his hand inside the box hoping his best friend could hear him. “Just you or Ohno-san,”

“You mean it would be so much better if it’s just Ohno-san, right?” Aiba mumbled. He tilted his head in question, frowning. There was that look on his bestfriend’s face again, the one that brought little shivers of awareness and confusion down his spine. “Fine.”

He didn’t know what Aiba meant, but then he didn’t have time to figure it out. Jun was commanding them to step back, prompting Ohno and Shihori to step forward after them. He had to keep himself from checking the card he’d picked out, mumbling a quiet prayer about it not matching Toma’s or Sho’s keys if possible.

Toma because he didn’t want to end up seeing Maru’s face all the damn time, especially when his work was over and all he would want was to curl on his bed, because that certainly would be the case. Maru would probably going to end up staying at his and Toma’s shared room more than he would in his own and Nino knew Toma would allow it because Toma indulged and tolerated Maru’s idiocy like a mother to her child. But despite the fact that Nino sometimes found Maru’s obvious infatuation to him adorable, he had his limits, too. Seeing Maru blush and giggle and try his best to squeeze himself into a wall whenever Nino happened to be in the same vicinity would probably urge Nino to either jump off the ship or throw Maru off the ship just to avoid seeing him.

Now, the reason he didn’t want to end up rooming with Sho? It was because of Matsumoto Jun, period.

By the time Shihori had came back and stood next to him, Nino’s vision was going in and out of focus so that he had to squint hard to see and strain his ears to hear Jun through the roaring noise in his ear. He barely realized they were moving the table and the boxes aside, vaguely registering seeing Aiba stooping down very quickly just as Ohno was stepping back to stand next to him, and frowning at the almost blurred sight of Aiba handing something to Ohno-san once he was back on his feet, looking slightly apologetic. He shook his head, aware about Aiba’s tendency to act clumsy even in the most delicate situations and then reminding himself not to worry about Aiba for now.

“Okay, everyone, step forward,” Jun announced, his hand shaking around the microphone, his voice trembling slightly, too. They did what Jun asked, taking two, three steps forward until they were about two feet apart from the other four standing opposite them.

“Put your hand out with the keys and the matching cards on my cue, okay?” Jun said, shoving his other free hand inside the pocket of his suit. The rest of them copied the movement as if on autopilot.

Nino barely had enough time to observe his fellow staff members, or at least the ones standing opposite them,but he did see that out of the four, Toma and Ohno were the only ones who looked positively calm despite the ongoing chaos. Toma seemed to be treating this game as if it was something he didn’t want to do but had to anyway, while Ohno only looked mildly interested.

“On three,” Jun said and started counting and Nino was sure he’d never prayed so hard in his life the way he was uttering prayers then. “Three!” Jun exclaimed and then eight hands shot out almost simultaneously to the front.

Nino’s eyes did a very quick sweeping glance across the four keys laid out in front of him and felt his heart race at the same time he found the one matching the card on his. He raised his head just high enough to see whose hand it belonged to, blood pounding hard through his ears loudly enough to rival the cheering noises coming from everyone around them.

The second Nino’s gaze found the owner of the hand the key belonged to, it sure felt like the world in general had just halted into a full stop.

“Okay, claim your roommates!” Jun shouted and the cheer this time around was louder, but damn it if could even hear it. He vaguely watched Jun stalk his way to Sho, grabbed the key Sho had in his hand and slapped the card in place of it instead, grinning smugly. He saw Toma throwing the key to Maru’s chest, Maru fumbling to catch it before he shoved both the key and the card into his suit pocket, looking positively at ease. Nino wanted to be jealous, but it was kinda difficult when he couldn’t focus enough so as not to embarrass himself further in front of an audience.

“Close your mouth, Nino-chan, geez,” he heard Aiba’s voice from somewhere, barely realizing Aiba was already standing next to Shihori, twirling the key matching the card on Shihori’s hand around his fingers. A few seconds later, Ohno stepped in, the tips of their shoes almost touching; Nino briefly realized this was the closest they’ve been since they met each other the first time, his eyes glancing downwards to the key Ohno had in hand as he bowed his head.

“I’m going to apologize in advance for the trouble, Ninomiya-san,” Ohno said. Nino didn’t know what to say, how to reply, just stared at Ohno gaping like an idiot, at least until someone shoved him lightly forward from behind until he almost collided face-first against Ohno.

He staggered back, feeling like he ought to say something now lest things would get awkward. He didn’t realize he was turning around to find Aiba, in panic, but his bestfriend was nowhere nearby. In fact, he was alreadyfar from his reach, near the mini-stage with Jun and Sho, Shihori standing next to him, her hand curled around Aiba’s elbow.

“I –“ he said, or at least started to but found that he couldn’t think of anything coherent to say to Ohno, who stood there looking like he wasn’t actually there. He was gazing dazedly on the spot near Nino’s ear, unblinking and Nino wondered why he suddenly felt so out of his depth.

He was sure he was close to hyperventilating there in the middle of the crowded dining room when a cold pair of hands worming their way around his wrists saved him.

When he looked down, he realized it was Miho-san.

“H-Hey.”

She smiled, patting his hands and tugging him with her. “You promised me a dance, young man,” she told him. He grinned down at her, vaguely sparing Ohno an apologetic look before he let himself be tugged towards the dancefloor. There were already a couple of pairs there, swaying to the cozy music the band was currently playing. The tune was familiar, but Nino couldn’t exactly remember what the title was.

“So you’re here to claim me, is that it?” he joked, putting his arms around her, the gesture making her giggle in a way that made Nino smile too.

“And to tell you that you look absolutely stunning in your suit,” she said, lightly tugging on his tie, tilting her head and nodding. “Aiba-kun, too.”

That warmed him. “So do you,” he told here, adding, “and you already did, you remember?” He winked at her.

“And that you should pay more attention,” she continued as if he hadn’t interrupted her as she looked up at him thoughtfully. “Because you won’t know what you’re missing if you focus your attention on someone who doesn’t deserve it, who wouldn’t ever see it, appreciate it because his attention is already on someone else.”

He frowned. “Miho-san, what are you talking about?”

She reached up, patting his cheek softly, affectionately; he didn’t know why but the way she looked at him somehow reminded him of his late grandmother – the older woman with the cheeky grin and warm, affectionate smile. “You’re smart, Kazu-chan,” she said. “You’ll figure it out.”


+

At quarter past one, he was in the room he would be sharing with Ohno, pacing around the carpeted floor like a man waiting for his wife to deliver their first child. He’d dimmed the lights and made the beds, both of them (there were twin single beds here, much to Nino’s disappointment) even though he was not entirely sure why he did it. He’d even showered and made an effort to find the newest pair of sweats he owned, as if whatever he was wearing would even matter.

Well, it wasn’t like he was aiming to get down and dirty with Ohno tonight (but if he’d get lucky, then why the hell not?), not with the fact that they’ve barely spoken to each other during those few times they were in the same vicinity, but somehow, he at least wanted to get to know the other man better. It was kind of hard to do that when they’re in the company of the other staff members, when he’s working and Ohno probably was, too, but staying in the same room with him would surely change that.

He was wondering about the perfect conversation-starter once Ohno walked in the door, when his gaze went past the beds and onto the digital clock blinking back at him thathe realized how late it already was.

They left the dining room half an hour past eleven. He was the first to lead his charges back into their rooms, despite George-san’s complaints about not being able to dance with Miho-san, not even once that evening.

“You’ll have your turn tomorrow, I promise,” he told the older man, much to George-san’s delight. It seemed like George-san and Kyoto-san both fancied Miho-san, not that she actually noticed it because she was busy having fun with them and was making great friends with the others, too. And if he didn’t think of something to make sure one of them would turn his attention to the other woman, Rika-san, then he’d have a bigger problem than that promised dance come morning.

And that was almost two hours ago, so where the hell was Ohno?

He was in the middle of worrying himself sick, about what could have happened with the other man, conversation-starter be damned, when someone who very clearly didn’t sound like Ohno, at all, was calling Nino’s name from behind it.

It was Aiba.

“Nino-chan –“

He was yanking the door open and grunting, poking his head out of the door and checking the hallways quickly without bothering saying hello. When he was assured that the hallways are empty and that there was no clear sign of his supposed roommate, he stood there, frowning, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his back against the cabin’s door.

“Aiba-shi, what are you doing here?” he hissed, noting the fact that his bestfriend was huffing and there was moisture gathering at his temples. “And oh my god, what the hell have you been doing? Please don’t tell me you decide to go for a run around the ship at almost two in the morning?”

Aiba waved him off. “No, of course not, just. Umm. Are you going to sleep now?”

His frown deepened. “Do I look like I’m about to?” he said. Aiba stared pointedly at him. He sighed. “Well, no. My roommate’s not here yet,” he said, depressed.

“So what does him not being here have to do with whether you want to sleep or not? Oh, you’re waiting for him?” Aiba returned. “Jeez. You’re being so nice it’s scary,”

“Shut up,” he grumbled. “I just. I have to lock the door and he doesn’t have a spare key. Matsumoto took all the spares, you know that. I’m supposed to wait for him, open the door for him,” he said, “Which reminds me, how are you going to get into the room you’re sharing with Shi-chan if she locks you out?”

Aiba opened his mouth obviously about to say something but closed it again immediately. Nino frowned.

“What’s wrong, Aiba-chan?”

“Nothing,” Aiba said. “I just. I don’t feel like sleeping there tonight, in the same room with her, I mean.”

Brows arching, he gave Aiba a suspicious glare. “Well, there’s no way I’m going to let you sleep here,” he said. “I mean, I can, but you know it’s –“

“Your roommate is not here anyway,” Aiba said, “and he probably won’t be, not tonight.”

“What?”

“He’s – well, I saw him on his way to the upper decks, said he was going fishing,”

He frowned, feeling slightly incredulous. Was he serious? “At this time of night?”

“It’s morning,” Aiba pointed out; he pointedly ignored him.

“Is he crazy?” he grunted, turning round and walking straight inside, sitting himself on the edge of the bed with a huff – the one he’d decided on after a few minutes of poking and checking the mattresses. “I mean, can’t he do that tomorrow? Or at least when the sun is up? Will he be able to catch anything at this time?”

“He already has,” Aiba grumbled, low enough that Nino almost didn’t catch it.

“What was that?”

“He might already have, I said,” Aiba said, looking obviously irritated. Nino wondered what was wrong with him. “I mean, since he’s been there for about an hour now,” Aiba added, then, “so, can I sleep here?” he asked, already crawling his way to Nino’s bed without prompting, and Nino belatedly realized Aiba was still on his suit pants and dress shirt he wore earlier for dinner.

“Why are you still wearing that? Weren’t you supposed to have showered already and get changed, at least? Is Shi-chan giving you trouble or what?”

“No, and I planned to but –“ Aiba said, then paused, taking his gaze elsewhere. Nino wanted to be annoyed, but it was late and despite the fact that he did plan to wait until Ohno came back, his body was clearly not in agreement with this. He could already feel the strain of the previous day in the way he could barely keep his eyes open, yawning despite his best efforts to keep it in.

“Fine, whatever,” he grumbled, crawling on the bed with Aiba and shoving him to give him space. Soon they were under the covers, his face pressed against Aiba’s chest, Aiba’s arm thrown companionably around his waist. “You should lock the door,” he mumbled into Aiba’s chest.

“I thought you already did, but okay.”

“Don’t forget,” he said around another yawn, fingers twisting into the fabric of Aiba’s dress shirt. “And you should at least change your shirt. You stink,” he lied, digging his nose into the hollow space of Aiba’s throat.

“I will, later,” Aiba mumbled into his hair. “I’ll borrow one of yours since I don’t have my suitcase with me.”

He was quickly losing the will to keep his eyes open, when he was so comfortable with where he was, nosing at his bestfriend’s neck, the familiar though faint scent of Aiba’s cologne lulling him to sleep.“Not the white one and definitely not the yellow one you brought back from Cebu, yeah?”

“The black one, then.”

“Sure.”

“Go to sleep, Nino.”

“If Ohno-san knocks –“

“I’ll open the door for him, I promise.”

He curled his fingers against the front of Aiba’s dress shirt, already drifting faster than he would have wanted to. “And you will not go back to sleep next to me when he comes in?”

“I won’t.”

“ – ‘kay,”

“Goodnight, Nino-chan.”

He sighed, vaguely felt the soft press of Aiba’s lips against his temple, the feel of Aiba’s warm breath as he hummed an almost distant-sounding tune. He was out like a light the moment Aiba’s arms wound tight around him and gathered him in.


Part 3