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aibaexchangeTitle: between the skyscrapers (the moon appears)
Pairing: Aimiya
Rating: PG
Word count: 2853
Summary: We could never leave. Nino would never.
Notes: Written for prompt #10. This was written a little bit messily and abstractly on purpose to match UB’s theme, but I’ve always wanted to try writing a fic about UB. Thank you for listing this prompt! <3 and shoutout to the mods for being wonderful <3
“I want to do something I wouldn’t be able to do if it’s not with Nino.”
Nino blinked. Jun’s eyebrows were furrowed at Aiba’s words, while Sho and Ohno were trying to process whatever Aiba just said. They were at their fourth meeting of the week and Jun was starting concert preparations and they were going to meet their choreographers. Jun and Sho already decided on the concept they wanted to use, so now it was Nino and Aiba’s turn.
“That’s good, that’s UB-ish,” Jun was scribbling something on his notebook, he’s always scribbling something, Nino thought. “But what kind of thing?”
“I’m… not sure either,” Aiba’s eyes trailed. “It’s UB. It’s Nino and Masaki, Masaki and Nino. It’s loyalty, it’s being stuck with one another, it’s closeness, it’s a long-time friendship, it’s …” He stopped, seeming to look for the right word.
“It’s intimacy.” Nino offered.
Aiba gave him a soft smile. “Right. It’s intimacy. I think we will be able to make it work.”
“Of course, we will.” Sho said out of nowhere, and Nino saw Aiba grinning at the man.
3 days later, when their affixed choreographer came to demonstrate UB’s choreography for the first time, Nino wondered why he even agreed at all.
***
“Ouch.”
That was the third time Aiba’s elbow had hit Nino’s chin that night, and Nino almost wanted to give up. He lay down on the floor, beads of sweat trailing down his chin. They had been rehearsing for a week, and neither he nor Aiba had seemed to get a grasp of the choreography. Not to add all the choreographies for the other songs they needed to memorize as well.
From the corner of his eyes, Nino could see Aiba sitting next to him, panting. Nino still wondered why he said yes to this, but seeing the glint of happiness in Aiba’s eyes when he first watched the choreography, it kept him going. They’ve done more difficult choreographies, he knew they definitely would be able to do this too.
Nino also knew that this is exactly what he and Aiba wanted, something only they would be able to do, something that can represent Aiba and him without words, just touches and moves. Most importantly, he knew all too well that the two of them will be able to do it. They were going to do it and show the world.
Aiba glanced at him and asked hesitantly.
“One more time?”
Nino smiled reassuringly.
“Of course.”
Aiba offered Nino his hand and Nino gladly took it, letting Aiba pull him into a sitting position. They stood up, and Aiba clasped their hands together.
“We can do this,” he whispered. “After all, it’s the two of us.”
It was always the two of them.
***
The first time they accidentally kissed in the middle of UB rehearsal, Nino burst into a giggling fit.
Their faces had gotten too close, and when they turned, instead of hitting their heads, they kissed accidentally instead. A blush crept over Aiba’s cheeks, making him look a lot prettier, not that he usually wasn’t, meanwhile Nino giggled and melted into a puddle on the floor.
“Masaki, did you agree to do this choreography so you can steal kisses from me in the middle of practice? That’s really sneaky~!” Nino teased, still laughing.
Aiba pouted, “I didn’t! It was accidental, okay!!”
There’s no choreographer present. They just finished another meeting together with the other three, and decided to take some time to practice again since individual work had been keeping them from it for a while. Nino’s chuckle echoed in the room, before he sat up and surged up to plant a kiss on Aiba’s lips.
“It’s fine,” he grinned. “Come on, let’s continue.”
Nino stood up to repeat the song from the beginning, and in a few seconds he was back in front of Aiba, whose face was warm with a pretty shade of blush. Nino held up his hand, waiting for Aiba to clasp it with his hand together.
Aiba gave him a glance, smiled, and nodded.
“Let’s go.”
***
Aiba, Nino noticed, had gotten a lot touchier lately.
He would rest his hand on Nino’s forearm or thighs while they were in the middle of meetings. He would tackle Nino at VSA filming, or play around with him during Shiyagare. He would move to Nino’s couch and try to squeeze the two of them there to start cuddling him as Nino tries to continue playing his game. Nino also knew that the other three probably had some unvoiced questions, but before that, his curiosity needed to be solved first.
Not that Nino minded, honestly. Aiba had always been considered touchy, even though still not as much compared to Ohno or Jun who were just clingy in general. And it was Aiba, hell, he had gone through hell and back with that guy, of course Nino didn’t mind. What he wa curious about was merely why the touchiness had been increasing.
They were at Nino’s apartment, a box of pizza laying on his low table. Aiba had barged into his house with pizza and beer, and Nino, of course, wouldn’t have said no. Now he had the taller man pressed against his side, trying to beat Nino in Mario Kart, a slice of pizza in his mouth.
“Say, Masaki,” Nino started, hands still skillfully hitting all the buttons. “Lately you’ve been touching me more than usual, is something up?”
He could hear Aiba munching on his pizza and swallowing it before he answered. “I don’t know, since we started rehearsing for UB, the closer it gets to the concert, I feel like my heart is going to burst,” he said. “But being close to you calms me down! It makes me feel like I will be able to nail the choreography later.”
Nino hummed, chewing on his pizza.
“Do you not like it?” Aiba asked, tone careful. Nino wondered if there was actually still a wall between them, no matter how thin, despite a lifetime friendship. But even if there wasn’t any, he was happy that Aiba always tried to take his feelings into consideration, making sure that he was not crossing any line.
“No, no, it’s okay, I’m used to it,” Nino grinned. “I was just wondering, I thought you misunderstood something and thought that I was dying. But good if that’s so.” He paused, thinking. “If it calms you down, Masaki, then just continue.”
Aiba snuggled closer to Nino.
“Okay.”
***
They were laying on the rehearsal floor, panting, damp with sweat. Nino turned his head and he could see Aiba next to him, eyes closed, rushed breathing showed by his chest going up and down, beads of sweat running down his face. For awhile, they just laid there, content, only accompanied by the sound of each other’s breathing.
Nino closed his eyes, the choreography playing in his head, counting the steps, cherishing the feel of Aiba’s touch, Aiba guiding him and him guiding Aiba, and Nino could hear UB playing endlessly in his head.
This was Nino’s favorite thing about rehearsing for UB, where at the end, he and Aiba could just lay there, side by side, content with each other’s presence. He didn’t know about Aiba, but a rush of memories always went through him during this time. He would remember the first time they met, remember them going home together, their first rehearsals together, the worries they shared and the snuggles Aiba had offered. The curious kisses when they were young to the slow, colored with feelings ones they shared as they got older. Aiba squeezing his hand before concerts, and the smile that never failed to reassure Nino that everything wa going to be alright.
“You’re thinking again, aren’t you?”
“No,” Nino answered, eyes still shut. “I’m feeling.”
He knew Aiba was watching him from where he was, but he stayed there, eyes closed, and he felt Aiba taking his hand, linking their hands together. Aiba had big hands, compared to Nino at least. Nino had known this even way before UB, of course, but it feelt so safe. Aiba’s hand was warm and a little bit rough against Nino’s skin, but like this, Nino feels home.
“You always feel too much, you know.”
“Whose fault is that?”
Aiba chuckled, and then he moved to reach Nino’s side, and Nino whooped in surprise, before chuckling because Aiba was just pulling him closer so he would have him in his arms, so Nino could bury his face in Aiba’s chest, Aiba’s long arms wrapping around him as he snuggled against the taller.
“We have a choreography session with the others in like … 5 minutes.” Nino whispered.
“Then let’s cherish our 4 minutes, then we’ll run.” Aiba said.
Nino smiled against Aiba’s collarbone.
“Sounds good.”
***
Sapporo, first day of the concert.
They needed to be on standby soon, since the Junction had started. After both he and Aiba were changed into the tight blue pants and the blue sweater, Aiba came and took Nino’s hand.
He squeezed and Nino squeezed it back, linking their fingers. Aiba bent down, pressing their foreheads together.
“Together. We are one.” He whispered, voice husky.
“Always.” Nino gave Aiba’s hand one last affectionate grip before separating from him to go on standby.
Nino was nervous, but when he was on stage, seeing the audience, seeing Aiba at the other side of the stage, all the nervousness was gone. He felt warm, thrilled, excited, and a lot of other emotions he couldn’t even explain, all jumping in his heart.
It felt like a blur, but the feeling when he clasped his hand with Aiba, moving together, the feel of Aiba’s body against his, and how they moved together, everything was ringing so loudly in Nino’s head. Nino felt like he couldn’t be happier than this, and this was only the first performance.
They did the Stand by Me pose at the end of the performance, something they had agreed on beforehand, and again, Nino felt a rush of nostalgia running through him. So when he went downstairs, he was glad Aiba made the first move to pull him into a bone-crushing hug.
“We did it!!!!” He beamed at Nino, happiness apparent on his face, shining like the brightest sun.
“Calm down, Aiba-sshi. It’s only the first one.” Nino smiled.
“Don’t try and hide it, I know you’re happy too.”
“I am,” Nino said. “I’m happy, Masaki. I am.”
Aiba gave his hair a ruffle before a staff called them to change their clothes.
***
After the first Tokyo concert leg was done, Nino found himself lying next to Aiba (again), except this time they were under the blanket and it was warm and comfortable, and Aiba was asleep for real.
If Aiba were awake, he would probably wrap his arms around Nino again and tell him to stop thinking. But now that he was asleep, nothing was stopping Nino from letting his heart and mind wander, and he turned to face Aiba.
Aiba was beautiful even when he slept. Honestly, Nino had no idea what kindness he had done in his life to deserve such a walking sunshine, a literal angel, god-send Aiba Masaki. And he meant this in every way possible. Aiba as a friend, Aiba as a member in the same group, and Aiba as a significant other.
The line he said in UB, Nino really does think that it’s such an accurate description of how he feels towards Aiba. But if you think about it, you always swaddle everyone in hot showers. After all, a hot shower is relaxing, warming, something that eases the heart. Nino thinks, it’s Aiba. For Nino, Aiba would always be home.
Aiba had always been the warmest beam of light, he was so kind to everyone and so genuine, maybe there were a lot of people’s images of him, but Nino was confident that he knew Aiba a lot better than those people. Aiba treasured his friends, he took care of them, they were a big part in his life. For Nino, people were people, he was him, they were two different things. But for Aiba, he could make those people a part of him while also staying true to himself.
Which is why Nino despised it when someone hurt Aiba.
He remembered Aiba’s previous partners, the ones that had hurt him and got him coming to Nino for comfort, and Nino had let Aiba cry while hugging him, and he remembered his heart clenching in anger, because if it were him, he would have never hurt Aiba like this.
But it was okay now, Nino thought, as he drew soft circles on Aiba’s arm. Aiba was here now, with him, and now they were in the middle of a huge project named UB, which had become an excuse for them being all touchy feely all the time during rehearsal (Nino clearly didn’t hate the idea. At all.) and Nino was so glad he and Aiba decided to do UB because it really made Nino look back on everything that they had gone through together, and once again, think about how Aiba had become such an important part in his life.
Nino smiled to himself and snuggled closer to the warmth of Aiba’s body, and let sleep take him in.
***
It was New Year Eve.
He was alone. Usually, he appreciated the solitude, without having to work on New Year’s Day or anyone bothering him on his Me-Time, but there was a little bit of loneliness creeping up on him and as much as he didn’t want to admit this, he kind of wanted company.
Nino sighed, before taking up his phone and opening his chatroom with Aiba.
Nino: You have plans?
Aiba: Nope, I’ve been mindlessly watching TV (LOL)
Nino: I want to make some food, you should come over.
Aiba: OK! :D I’ll come!
Nino: I’ll pick you up.
Aiba: Ooooh!~ :D Yay~
Nino smiled, and that’s how he ended up around an hour later with Aiba in the passenger seat, and him driving. Aiba didn’t ask about the reason behind Nino’s sudden invitation, but he didn’t seem to mind.
Nino always set his phone on shuffle, but then Season came on, and Aiba’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything. He just hummed quietly to the song, and Nino wished his house was further away, wished he would be able to immortalize this moment somehow. Wished he could capture Aiba’s shining eyes and the way his lips mumbled the lyrics, a distant look in his eyes.
In the whirling seasons, I'm changing too
But my feelings won't.
As they drove into the darkness of the night, Nino thought of the first time he realized he wanted to be something more than friends with Aiba. Nino thought of the first time he realized that Aiba was meant to be a bigger part of his life than simply a friend. Nino thought of the first time they held hands and Aiba’s breathy giggle. Nino thought of the first time they kissed, and then the second, the third, and so on. From tentative, experimental ones until they got used to the feel of each other’s lips on theirs.
Nino thought of how they got older and changed in many ways, but despite that, their feelings remained intact.
As Arashi. As Ninomiya Kazunari. As Aiba Masaki.
How appropriate, he thought.
***
January 14th, the last day of the Osaka leg, the last day of the tour. Nino looked across the stage, finding Aiba looking at him. He smiled and a million thoughts swirled in his head. They did it, for the whole tour, and they almost always did it perfectly. Of course. It’s them. It’s something only they can do.
Nino remembered the feeling he felt the first time he said yes to the proposal, he remembered the stolen kisses in the middle of practice and how his heart felt like it would jump out of his chest whenever he clasped his hand with Aiba’s. He remembered Aiba’s smile that made crinkles appear around his eyes and connect with his dimples.
Nino wondered what his life would be without Aiba Masaki. What his life would turn out to be had Aiba Masaki not barged into his life, had he not become his best friend. Probably he wouldn’t be standing here with the man he wants to spend what is left of his life with. Probably Arashi wouldn’t be what they were now, probably Nino wouldn’t be the Nino that he was right now.
If Nino could rewind the time, he would still say yes to everything. To debuting. To Arashi. To going through thick and thins with the 4 guys who danced in see-through costumes with him 18 years ago. And especially, to Aiba Masaki.
So Nino looked at Aiba across the stage for the last time, bowing deeply, and mouthing him the words he could never say enough to Aiba, the words he wished would convey everything that he’s feeling for this man who’s full of miracles.
Thank you.
.
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Date: 2019-01-16 02:10 pm (UTC)Thank you for reading!