Gift fic for ica_90

[aibamods]

Title: Kotoba Yori Taisetsu na Mono
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: AiMiya
Warnings: angst

Summary: Aiba and Nino are a couple, but lately, their relationship isn't as easy and light as before. Problems arise on different occasions, reaching their peak when one day, Aiba's ex-girlfriend appears again.
After a really nasty fight, Aiba spends the night away from their home. On the next morning he returns with a tattoo carrying two names – one of them is Aiba's, but the other one is not Nino's...

Notes:Dear ica_90, actually, this story gave me some kind of headache as I am trying to avoid writing too much angst, so I am not sure if this is angsty enough for you^^; However, I tried my very best and I hope I was able to produce something you can come to like.
I want to thank my beta for doing an amazing job, finding all my stupid mistakes but especially for standing by my side during the writing process.
Also, thanks to the mods for another round of the exchange, making sure that there will be more awesome Aiba stories on this planet XD


Aiba looked up from his phone. Nino was sitting on the sofa, a magazine in his hands, reading about the latest games that were flooding the market.

He could at least try it, right? There was nothing wrong with asking Nino.

“Kazu?” Aiba asked softly and Nino's head went up. He smiled at Aiba, who suddenly felt insecure. Nino looked relaxed and the soft smile indicated that he was in a good mood. With his question Aiba might destroy Nino's peace, but he really really wanted to go there...

When Nino's eyes grew a bit wider, looking at his boyfriend inquiringly, Aiba took a deep breath before he voiced his idea.

“I just saw on facebook that there is a nice little street food festival a few blocks away. Sho just texted me to say that they have so many delicious snacks. Wanna go?” he asked cheerfully while his heart was beating strongly in his chest.

“I'm not hungry,” Nino gave back and the soft smile that had been on his lips a second ago, disappeared.

“They also have some artists and a dance competition,” Aiba tried it once more but he already knew from the face Nino was making that his boyriend would turn him down, again.

“I am not in the mood to go out now,” Nino replied, his eyes already back at the magazine. “But you can go and meet there with Sho. I don't mind,” he added. Of course, he had noticed that his boyfriend really wanted to go there.

“It's okay, I rather stay here with you,” Aiba stated and was making himself comfortable in his armchair.

He had known that it would end it that way, but he was still a bit disappointed. A tiny little piece of his heart had hoped that Nino would agree to spent at least a few minutes of their weekend outside.

After all, they hadn't gone anywhere the last month. No party, no walk through the nearby park, not even a short stroll to have dinner at the restaurant that was situated just around the corner.

Aiba knew that Nino had a lot of stress at work and although it wasn't his preferred way to overcome stress, for Nino it obviously worked best if he stayed at home, having a relaxing weekend with Aiba or some of their friends around.

Also, Nino would never stop Aiba if he really wanted to go out. He always said that he should go and enjoy himself. However, as much as Aiba loved Nino for not making him stay inside the whole time as well, as much he disliked to go out without his boyfriend. He loved Nino and wanted to spend as much time as possible with him – just not inside the flat all the time.

Not being able to solve this conflict was wearing Aiba out. However, he had known that this problem might arouse when he started a relationship with Nino. They had known each other since high school and Nino had always been the indoor type. However, during their teens and even during the first half of their twenties it had been easier for Aiba to drag Nino out. He would simply nag long enough until Nino would resign to his fate.

However, they had gotten older, more mature and Aiba was not the nagging, whiny boy anymore. He would not beg Nino to go out with him anymore. He would offer it, yes, but if Nino decided that he didn't want to, Aiba felt that he didn't have any right to force his boyfriend into something he didn’t want.

Still, Aiba knew that they had to do something about the situation, because slowly, but surely, it was putting a strain on their relationship, and Aiba wanted to fix it. He wanted their relationship to be the happy and sweet one that it had been in the beginning and he simply couldn't imagine his life without Nino anymore.

He still had no idea how to approach this topic, though. Being an indoor person was part of Nino's personality. It didn't feel right to Aiba to ask him to change such an essential part of his whole being. However, things couldn't stay the way they are...

Aiba felt his heart beating faster and his breath was quick and shallow. He needed to calm down. He would not be able to come up with a solution if he was close to panic.

With a jolt of his body, he stood up and walked towards the kitchen. A cup of tea was always able to calm him down, so he started preparing one for himself.

Since he had been too busy with his own problem, Aiba hadn't been able to catch Nino's worried look that had followed him into the kitchen.

- - -

When Nino saw the caller's ID, he was actually tempted to ignore the call. However, Sho probably knew that he was at home already, so he would call him every ten minutes until Nino would finally give up and take the call. His friend knew how to get him on the phone…

“Hey, Sho-chan,” he therefore greeted the man at the other end, trying to sound not annoyed. He could imagine why Sho was calling and he wasn't in the mood to speak about it at all.

“Nino? How are you?” he heard Sho's worried voice from the other end. Surprised, Nino was at a loss of words for a moment. He didn't expect this question.

“Aiba called me today, telling me that you're lying down with a cold and that you cannot come to Asami's party this weekend. So I simply wanted to make sure you're okay,” Sho went on and Nino finally realised what was going on.

Aiba had obviously tried to save his boyfriend’s reputation by making up an excuse for him when he called Sho this morning. Suddenly, Nino felt like crying. Although Aiba would love to go to the birthday party together, he had accepted Nino's refusal the day before and was even making sure that Sho would not start to nag.

“I'm okay. My headache is getting better, but my throat is killing me,” Nino quickly answered, joining Aiba's conspiracy before he faked a terrible cough.

“You really have a bad timing,” Sho gave back after Nino finally stopped. “I was looking forward to the party so much. It would have been just like the old days.”

“Yeah, I am sorry that I cannot come,” Nino apologised.

After some seconds of silence, Sho started to speak again.

“At least you have a decent excuse this time,” he said in a low voice and Nino began to wonder if Sho had already seen through Aiba. His boyfriend was pretty bad at telling lies.

“Because if you wouldn't have come just because going to the party would have meant to leave the house, I would have personally come over and dragged you with me,” his friend went on and Nino gulped. “Aiba was looking forward to this party since he knew it would take place. He was talking about it non-stop and how much the thought of having all four of us together again was making him so happy.”

Nino tried to suppress a sigh. He knew all that well enough so he didn't need Sho to tell him again.

“But if you're ill, it's important that you stay at home and get better again,” his friend said on the other end, his voice suddenly friendly and cheerful again.

“Thank you, I'll give my best,” Nino promised and luckily, Sho left it at that. He told Nino to greet Aiba when he would come home before he cut the call.

The sudden silence made Nino feel even more guilty. Sho had indirectly told him that he was making Aiba unhappy.

Not that Nino needed to be told. He knew it very well. However, he simply couldn't accompany Aiba to this party. It was just impossible.

Nino had actually wondered if fate wanted to score him off when they had met Asami about a month ago. They were simply taking a walk when her cheerful voice called their names.

Completely surprised to see her again after so many years, both had been speechless at first while she hugged them tightly, not being able to stop herself from telling them over and over again how unbelievable it was to meet them there.

Naturally, they had sat down at a nice little restaurant and had talked about the “old times”.

At high school it had always been Aiba, Sho, Asami and Nino. They were known at the whole school for being inseparably. However, the main reason Nino was sticking to them was Aiba, whom he had fallen in love with ever since the first day they met in the classroom.

When Nino got to know them, Aiba and Asami had been a couple. A perfect one as Nino had to admit. Therefore, he never tried to push himself onto Aiba. However, the relationship had come to an abrupt halt when Asami's dad had to change his workplace from Japan to America. The couple had decided that a long-distance-relationship was not what they wanted, so they set each other free. Also, although they had tried hard in the beginning to maintain their friendship, they had been talking to each other less and less until they finally didn't have any contact at all anymore.

Then, one day, Aiba suddenly announced that he had fallen in love with Nino. He declared that he liked men as much as women, which was easily believable since Aiba was the most open-minded person Nino ever came across with and gender, nationality or age had never been a hindrance to him. Still, Nino couldn't believe that Aiba should have come to like him. Characterwise, he was the whole opposite of Asami.

Nevertheless, Aiba had proven his love several times and their relationship had become stronger over the years. They shared a tiny flat when Nino went to university while Aiba was already working and moved into a bigger apartment when Nino had found a job after graduation.

Aiba always emphasized how much he liked being together with Nino. Still, Nino couldn't stop himself from wondering why Aiba had chosen him out of all people.

Nino was a party killer, given the fact he actually attended. Still, Aiba always asked him to come along. But when Nino saw Aiba interacting so easily and casually with people he never met before, he was sure that he, as the silent guy standing next to Aiba, was ruining the mood. Therefore, he was convinced it was better to stay at home to give Aiba the chance to enjoy himself better.

When Asami had asked them during their fateful encounter if they wanted to attend her birthday party since she was now working in Tokyo as well, Aiba immediately agreed. However, Nino had already decided at the same moment that he would not go.

Nino liked Asami, that was not the problem. He adored her for being such a natural, open-minded girl, well, woman, now. Her laughter was forcing you to join in while she was able to make jokes about herself all the time. She was so much alike Aiba.

So why did he not want to revive the good old times?

Simply because he was scared. He was scared to see Aiba and Asami interact as if they hadn't been apart from each other for over a decade, scared to see how well they were still complementing each other, scared to see that Aiba might have never stopped loving her.

Nino knew that, although his boyfriend had tried to hide it, Aiba had been crushed when he had told him yesterday that he would not come to the party. He knew that he should attend simply for Aiba's sake, but he just couldn't.

Because he was a coward.

And he shouldn't be surprised if Aiba would leave him one day for that...

- - -

Nino looked at the clock for the umpteenth time this evening and scolded himself when he realized what he was doing. It was only 11 pm and Aiba would not be home at this hour. It was too early.

Of course, Nino hadn't been able to relax ever since Aiba left to Asami's party. His brain had provided a lot of unhelpful thoughts about Aiba and Asami and he had have a hard time to calm himself down.

His biggest fear was that Aiba realized that he was actually more into women than men, because it still sounded fishy to Nino how Aiba could suddenly change his sexual preference that easily – even if that had been years ago.

Maybe, today, Aiba would realize that his whole relationship with Nino had been a mistake and that he was way better off with Asami who was a woman AND an outdoor type. Maybe, meeting Asami would finally show Aiba how much he was wishing for a partner to go outside with and that he could not longer deal with “indoor Nino” anymore. Or, given the chance that Aiba would not fall in love again with Asami, their meeting might open his eyes towards the female gender again because he was reminded of their relationship.

Nino sighed and let his hand run through his hair. There he was again. Thinking about things that might not even happen, but he simply couldn't stop. His fear was blocking all of his logic, forcing him to imagine the worst case scenarios.

And loosing Aiba would definitely be Nino's worst case scenario. Aiba was his life, his sun, his reason to be. There was no way he could ever spend a day without that man. Not, after he had been able to get a taste of living together with him.

Nino looked up to the pictures on their shelf. They showed him and his boyfriend at different times of their life, smiling happily and quite love-stricken at the camera. The last one though, had been taken quite a few years ago. They hadn’t attempted to take a new one lately, both probably being scared that it wouldn’t turn out as cheerful as the others. Did things really start to change between them lately?

While letting his eyes wander over the pictures, his view went over the clock and shocked, Nino realized that he had just spent another half an hour of his life with depressing thoughts that only brought him down even more. It was time uselessly spent...

The sound of a key being turned in the lock of their door was finally able to pull Nino out of his thoughts. Did Aiba come back already?

Nino rose from the sofa that he had been sitting on for the last hours but before he could even reach the door to their hall, Aiba appeared in the room.

“You're still up?” he asked and Nino could smell that he had been drinking quite a lot this evening.

“Yeah, I wanted to wait for you,” he replied, following Aiba into the kitchen.

“Why?” Aiba asked, taking Nino by surprise with this question.

When he therefore stayed silent, Aiba, who had just opened the fridge to take out some water to drink, turned to him again.

“To check up on me?” he asked and his voice was suddenly sharp.

Nino looked down to the floor. That had been one of the reasons, actually. But primarily, his brain wouldn't have let him sleep.

“Maybe you should have come along with me to make sure I won't do something you rather did not want to see,” Aiba went on, putting Nino on high alert with his words.

Why was Aiba suddenly speaking about this? DID he do something Nino didn't want to see? Or was he simply venting his anger about Nino not accompanying him to the party? For sure it was the alcohol that was speaking right now, but wasn't there a saying that people where the most honest when they were drunk?

“Did you do something?” he asked, because IF it had happened, he wanted to know it – now, even if it would hurt him dangerously.

“Would you even mind?” Aiba asked in return, his eyes loosing their sharpness, turning sad. “Do you still care about me and what I am doing?”

“Of course, I do!” Nino replied, shocked about Aiba's question.

“Then why are you sending me away all the time? Why do you tell me to enjoy my time when you're not with me? Why are you torturing me that much?” Aiba asked, his voice getting louder with each question.

“Because I think it's the best for you!” Nino tried to make Aiba understand, but his boyfriend was not in the mood and especially the state to be able to grasp the hidden meaning of Nino's answer.

“So it's best for me to be without you?” Aiba screamed, his usually warm eyes shooting lightnings at Nino. “Then maybe this is how it should be from now on!” he added and before Nino could say anything, Aiba stormed past him.

A few seconds later, he heard Aiba grabbing his keys before the door was being shut quite forcefully. And then there was silence...

Nino broke down on the floor. His imagined worst case scenarios had suddenly become reality.

- - -

When Aiba woke up, he groaned. His head felt as if lightning had split it in two and he felt pretty sick. While he took deep breaths, trying to reduce the pain, images from the last evening flooded his brain.

He had been at Asami's party, but since he missed Nino so much, he went home pretty early. However, on his way back his anger, that he usually managed to suppress pretty well, had bubbled up. Why couldn't Nino do him the favour and join this one party? It would have been like the old days. It would have been so much fun, but Nino had decided to stay at home – as always. Just WHY?

Maybe, Nino wasn't interested in going out with Aiba anymore? Maybe, he simply lost interest?

Driven by these thoughts and the alcohol in his blood, Aiba had been in a pretty bad mood when he had arrived at home and when Nino was not even speaking to him properly, he had snapped.

Aiba knew that he had been asking unreasonable things out of the blue, especially when he suddenly hinted that things Nino did not want to see could have happened at the party (although he would never do anything like this), but when Nino asked IF something had happened, showing that he did not trust his boyfriend in this, Aiba couldn't think straight anymore.

In the end, he had to leave the flat to calm down and to prevent himself from throwing mean things at Nino, something he already had started to do.

The only place he knew to go to was his friend's bar and indeed, when he had entered it, sitting down right in front of the bar, Toma didn't ask but only put a glass of whiskey in front of Aiba who welcomed the strong alcohol that made his brain even more fuzzy.

Aiba could remember that he had been joined by a stranger a few minutes later and that they had talked, but he couldn't remember WHAT they had talked about nor could he remember the face of the man.

However, he knew that he was home now. He would recognize their sofa's shape even in the state he was in right now. He and Nino had bought it together, taking care that it was comfortable enough to sleep on it, in case they had a guest staying over or didn't make it to the bed in some quite hot situations.

However, he had no idea how and when he came back. His brain simply couldn't provide anything useful after he drank the whiskey. He was also pretty clueless about which time it was. It could be in the morning, around midday or even evening already, though... would Nino let him sleep for that long? Was Nino even at home?

After yesterday's fight he might have even left the house, and Aiba would not blame him. He had behaved like an idiot, insulting Nino out of the blue just because he had been drinking too much.

Of course, Aiba knew that they had to talk about their problems, eventually. His anger would eat him up, if they wouldn't. However, he had wanted to do this in a calm atmosphere where Nino could relax and Aiba would have thought about how to phrase things beforehand to make sure Nino wouldn't get the wrong idea. But now, everything had gone terribly wrong...

“Are you awake?” he suddenly heard a soft and slightly scared whisper coming from somewhere behind him.

Aiba nodded and finally forced himself to open his eyes. He had to fight a sudden wave of nausea before his eyes could focus on Nino's pale face.

“What's the time?” he asked, thinking that this question was a good start.

“It's around one in the afternoon,” Nino replied, keeping his distance to Aiba.

“I slept quite some time,” Aiba gave back with an apologetic smile.

“You only came back in the morning,” Nino informed him and Aiba wondered if he had stayed awake the whole time, waiting for him to return.

“I'm sorry,” he therefore whispered, trying to sit up to close the distance between them. However, when he leaned on his right arm, a sting shot through his wrist and he fell back.

Immediately, Nino was at his side.

“Did you get hurt?” he asked, looking at his boyfriend with worried eyes.

“I don't know. I can't remember much after I left our flat,” Aiba answered truthfully. Only now he realized that he had a bandage around his wrist.

“Seriously, I have no idea what happened and why I have this,” he went on, showing Nino the bandage.

“You were quite drunk,” his boyfriend stated and Aiba pressed his lips together in apology. “But we should check on this,” Nino suggested and Aiba agreed almost immediately. Maybe this could give him a hint on what he did last night.

He also quickly checked the rest of his body but couldn't find any other hints of an injury. Meanwhile, Nino had began to carefully unwrap the bandage and was slowly reaching its end. He seemed to be relieved that Aiba let him do it while the other one was glad that Nino still cared about him.

“It doesn't look like a bad injury”, Nino stated when there wasn't any blood on the white cotton.

Aiba agreed and when Nino took off the last layer of the bandage, both realized confused that there were no traces of an injury on the upper side of Aiba's wrist but another bandage made out of see through foil wrapped around it.

With furrowed brows, Nino peeled it off. A strong, herbal scent hit them, setting them on alert again. It smelled like medicine, so there must be something wrong with Aiba’s wrist.

When the foil was off, there was still nothing to be seen on Aiba's upper wrist, so he began to think that maybe he sprained it and Toma patched him up. It would be not surprising if Aiba had stumbled with the amount of alcohol he must have had in his body.

Relieved, he let out a shaky breath. A sprained wrist would take a week to heal at the maximum, so there wouldn't be any traces left.

Nino, however, still wasn't done inspecting his boyfriend and when he turned Aiba's wrist for 180 degrees, so that the other side was showing, all of Aiba's hopes were crushed.

In a wonderful, delicate handwriting there were two names on Aiba's wrist, linked with a heart.

“Masaki and … Kazumi,” Aiba read out loud and simply couldn't believe that this was really written on his wrist.

It must be a bad jokes. For sure, it was just written with a sharpy. Maybe Toma played a prank on him when he was drunk last night.

Aiba licked his finger and directed it to the black letters in order to erase them. However, Nino caught his hand.

“Don't!” he yelled, getting Aiba's intention immediately. “It's still swollen and not fully healed yet. I will get you a new bandage,” he said before he stood up, his movement slightly erratic.

Aiba watched him disappear in the kitchen. Nino was probably looking for some foil.

Then, Aiba's view fell back on his wrist where the two black names stood against his white skin. He knew he had to explain this to Nino, the faster, the better.

However, he had no idea how this tattoo came onto his wrist or who was this “Kazumi”...

- - -

Nino actually managed to find the foil and cut off a large piece to wrap it around Aiba’s wrist before he collapsed on the floor.

When Aiba came home this morning he had been overly relieved because to him it was evidence that Aiba still wanted to be with him.

Right now, however, he wished that Aiba had stayed away because seeing his boyfriend's name linked with a heart to a girl’s name, unerasable on his wrist had frozen Nino's heart, that was sending its ice-cold waves through his body, making him feel numb.

His worst fear had been that Aiba would find back to Asami, so he somehow had come into terms with this idea although it was breaking him. But seeing a completely unknown woman’s name on Aiba’s wrist had shaken him to the core.

Who was Kazumi? Did Aiba get to know her at Asami’s party? Or did they know each other already since long before that day?

Maybe, Aiba had been pondering about how to tell Nino about his relationship with her and the alcohol had talked him into revealing it to Nino with this tattoo?

If Nino wouldn’t have been sitting on the floor already, he would surely have collapsed on it at that thought. The world around him was spinning and he had troubles to breath properly.

Why did he not realize that Aiba was already in a relationship with someone else?

The answer was simple – Nino had been too focussed on himself and well, he simply didn’t want to imagine Aiba with someone else.

He wasn’t angry at Aiba for not telling him earlier. He was sure that his boyfriend had been trying as long as possible to suppress his feelings for this Kazumi, but since he was giving Aiba a hard time by not accompanying him to parties and more or less forcing him to stay inside with his attitude, he must have been driven Aiba against the wall and his only way out had been a new relationship with someone who was not as complicated as Nino.

His tears were already dripping down his chin onto his shirt (that actually belonged to Aiba and that Nino had put on the night before because he wanted to be surrounded by Aiba’s scent), but Nino didn’t care at all.

He knew he should go back to Aiba who was still waiting for him, but he first needed to regain his composure.

“Nino?” Aiba’s soft voice warped its way through his dark thoughts.

Nino didn’t look up. He couldn’t. Not in the state he was in right now.

He heard Aiba moving around him, felt his presence getting closer until he was pulled into a soft but tight embrace.

Aiba pressed Nino close to him, who tried hard to not give in to his wish to make himself too comfortable in his boyfriend’s arms. If this was their goodbye, he didn’t want to lose himself too much in the warmth Aiba was providing, because then he would never be able to leave it again.

“Kazu, I’m sorry,” Aiba whispered, kissing his boyfriend’s soft hair.

Nino tried to prepare himself for Aiba’s explanation, for their break-up that would surely come any minute now.

His tears had stopped but the burning behind his eyes was still there. However, he held the tears back with all his might because he didn’t want to give Aiba a hard time who had always been weak to a crying Nino.

Right now, Nino wanted to set Aiba free who had obviously been driven into a corner, not knowing how to get out of it, finally ending it with a plain stupid but somehow Aiba-like solution.

“It’s okay,” he therefore said, surprised by his own steady voice.

He heard Aiba sighing. His boyfriend was obviously preparing himself for the inevitable.

“Please let me explain this,” Aiba started and Nino nodded trance-like. He would listen to everything Aiba had to say, he just hoped that he would not break into tears in the middle of it.

“I hope my explanation doesn’t sound too crazy to you,” Aiba went on with his voice full of insecurity.

Nino shook his head. He knew exactly why Aiba couldn’t stay with him any longer. It was the logical reaction to their dilemma. Actually, Nino was amazed that they managed for so long.

“When I left the flat yesterday, I was pretty angry,” Aiba admitted and Nino gulped. Of course, he had noticed this, and it had scared him like nothing else. “The only place that I could visit and that came to my mind was Toma’s bar, so I went there,” Aiba went on.

Nino had expected Aiba to go there. Toma was a good friend of them and they were frequenting his bar ever since he opened it a few years ago, though lately, Aiba went there more by himself than with Nino.

“Toma gave me a glass of whiskey that only added more fuel to my already pretty drunken state,” Aiba said, his face showing that he was not blaming Toma at all.

“I was sitting at the bar…,” Aiba went on and Nino started to wonder if this would be the moment where Aiba would introduce Kazumi.

“And…,” Aiba continued and Nino braced himself for what was to come. “I have no idea what happened after that.”

Nino’s eyes popped open. He had expected a lot of things and a lot of ways Aiba would use to explain himself, but he had not expected THIS! Somehow, his body was already loosening his cramped muscles that he had unintentionally tensed in preparation of the worst.

“I know that it sounds super crazy but please believe me! I have no idea how I got this tattoo and I swear, I don't know any Kazumi,” Aiba admitted, slowly releasing Nino from his embrace to be able to look into his boyfriend’s eyes.

Nino suddenly felt his heart beating again. It was as if he was slowly awakening out of a rigour that he hadn’t even realized to be in.

“Can you believe me?” Aiba asked, his voice slightly shaking.

Nino finally looked up into his boyfriend’s face. Aiba’s eyes were insecure but most of all honest and full of warmth. Aiba didn’t seem to be hiding anything.

Still not really able to believe that this was not their break-up (yet?), Nino nodded and heard Aiba releasing the breath he had been holding. He seemed to be overly relieved to be assured of Nino’s trust.

“I will find out what happened last night and how I got this tattoo, I promise. And then I will explain everything to you properly,” Aiba said, his voice full of honesty.

Actually, Nino was a little bit scared about what Aiba would find out about that night. He did trust his boyfriend’s report – there was no doubt. Aiba was the most honest guy Nino ever came across, so if Aiba said that he had no recollection of what happened, he really could not remember anything. His boyfriend was simple unable to tell lies.

“I am just so sorry that everything’s chaos now and that you have to suffer from it,” Aiba apologised once more and pressed a soft kiss on Nino’s forehead.

Nino finally gave in to the tenderness Aiba was showering him with, now that he knew that Aiba would not leave him on this day.

Things didn’t turn out as bad as he had expected. Of course, Nino didn’t like the idea of HIS boyfriend running around with a love tattoo on his wrist that didn’t carry his name but at least Aiba was not in a relationship with someone else or wanted to break up with him.

Therefore, Nino was finally able to resume his task of taking care of his boyfriend. He entangled himself from Aiba, and went to the bathroom to find the cream that he usually applied to Aiba’s wounds. They always had some in stock because Aiba was sometimes a bit inattentive, as his thoughts were already somewhere else and not with his surroundings, and so he suffered from minor injuries more often than Nino liked it (although Aiba usually waved them off, but bathed in Nino's attention when he was tending his wounds, nonetheless).

When he came back, Aiba had stood up from the floor and was sitting on their small kitchen table. He let Nino take care of him with a relieved expression. He had obviously been pretty stressed by the whole situation as well.

When Nino had finished applying the cream and wrapping a new foil and bandage around Aiba’s wrist, his boyfriend took his hands, pressing them softly before Aiba searched for Nino’s eyes again.

“I will start to find out the truth tomorrow morning,” he promised and Nino saw the eagerness in his eyes. He simply hoped that the truth would not make things even more complicated…

- - -

As promised, Aiba went to Toma’s bar the next day right after work. The opening hours indicated that the bar was still closed when he arrived, but Aiba knew that Toma was already there, preparing the place for the evening. So he simply entered through the front door.

Aiba was greeted by the dim light of the bar while he searched for his friend. He had been dying to talk to him because the loss of his memory was driving him crazy. He really wanted to know what had happened two nights ago.

The still slightly swollen skin on his wrist was reminding him more often than he wished that there were two names on it, unerasable, and he really hated the idea of having a name imprinted on his body that he didn’t know who it belonged to.

Aiba had never been a big fan of tattoos but he wasn’t too shocked about the existence of it now. Instead, he was bothered endlessly by WHAT the tattoo said. He wouldn’t mind at all if there would be his and Nino’s name written down – maybe that would even strengthen their relationship that lately seemed to have lost its initial ease – but THIS was simply unacceptable.

Furthermore, the tattoo had been a huge shock to Nino, what Aiba could understand perfectly. He would be totally crushed as well if there would be a tattoo with another person’s name on Nino’s wrist linked with a heart to his boyfriend’s name.

Aiba had a slight idea how Nino must be feeling right now and he was incredibly angry at himself for causing his boyfriend so much pain.

Nearly breaking into tears, Aiba remembered Nino’s shocked face but also his composure when Aiba had tried to explain everything to him. Nino did not show any hint of anger or frustration, trying to stay as calm as possible. Recognizing his boyfriends effort, Aiba sniffed and decided once more to get things solved as fast as possible.

Because basically, Nino was putting on an act. Inside he was most probably fighting a tough battle between believing into Aiba's words and believing the words on Aiba's wrist. However, Aiba knew very well that Nino would not tell him, no matter how many times he'd ask about his thoughts, so the only way to stop Nino's fears from running wild was to find out the truth.

Pushing the nagging thought away that he also might hear something he didn’t actually want, Aiba finally called for his friend and a second later Toma appeared from the back of the bar.

“Aiba-chan, what are you doing here?” he asked surprised.

“I need your help,” Aiba said and began to explain his situation. Toma listened to him attentively and from his expression, he could see that his friend was able to understand the gravity of his problem.

“I really need to know what happened that night,” Aiba ended his monologue. “Did I talk to someone?”

Toma looked at his friend with a thoughtful expression.

“You were indeed talking to someone,” he finally said.

“Who was it?” Aiba wanted to know.

Toma shrugged his shoulders and smiled apologetically. “I don’t know. He was here for the first time and I never saw him before.”

Aiba sighed. His new hopes had been immediately crushed.

“He was wearing a stylish jacket with a white shirt underneath that had a blue collar. His jeans were from a famous brand, sitting tightly around his butt.”

Aiba hit Toma for his last comment, knowing that his friend loved to check out other men’s behinds but didn’t interrupt his report. He hoped that Toma’s description would spark a memory of that night although at the moment nothing came to his mind.

“He had his black hair styled back, giving him a mature vibe. His eyebrows were prominent but simply added to his overall beauty,” Toma went on.

“And I was talking to this pretty man?” Aiba wanted to confirm and Toma nodded. The man really sounded like someone Aiba would be attracted to since he liked mature looking men (he liked cute and innocent looking men more though). However, since the name on his wrist was undoubtedly female, he wouldn’t have to worry about that man.

“Did you hear what we were talking about?” Aiba went on inquiring but Toma shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t pay attention to it as I was busy serving the other customers,” he apologised. “But it seemed to be quite a depressing conversation because you were looking as if you were going to cry any moment. The beautiful man was patting you shoulder while the woman was holding your hands…”

Aiba’s head shot up in alarm.

“Which woman?” he asked. Until now, Toma had only talked about a man.

With an apologetic expression, Toma went on. “There was a woman accompanying the man. She had long black hair and a cheerful voice. Her smile was incredibly cute though.”

“Maybe she was his girlfriend?” Aiba asked, not liking the idea of having talked to a woman that night.

However, Toma shook his head. “I couldn’t feel any romantic vibes between them,” he said determined and Aiba didn’t question his decision. Toma had never failed with his judgement about people’s relationship with each other.

Anyway, this woman had been holding Aiba’s hands. Was she that mysterious Kazumi?

“Do you know their names?” Aiba asked a little bit scared. IF she was Kazumi, then he feared the worst.

“I only know the man’s name because he paid with credit card,” Toma said, pressing his lips together since he knew that he was not being helpful.

Aiba slumped, but then he had an idea.

“Can you give me the man’s name, please?”

Aiba could see that Toma wasn’t too fond of that idea. Of course, it was quite unprofessional to hand out information about your customers, but this was an emergency.

It seemed that Toma had reached the same conclusion because he stood up with a sigh and walked to the cash point. After looking through a staple of bills, he finally pulled one out and presented the paper to Aiba.

“Matsumoto J,” Aiba read thoughtfully, but even the name didn’t ring a bell. It seemed that his brain had completely erased the man’s existence and apparently the woman’s as well.

“I’ve never heard this name before either, but when they left with you they said that they actually should bring you to their beauty salon because you were in dire need of it,” Toma grinned, earning himself a pout from Aiba. However, his mood quickly changed when he processed the information.

“You let me go with them? In my condition?” he asked, astounded.

“They looked like really nice people and I was super busy as it was Saturday night. How should I know that they would bring you to a tattoo studio instead of their beauty salon?” Toma defended himself.

“You’re right,” Aiba gave in. He didn’t have any right to push this on Toma. Aiba was an adult after all that should be able to look after himself. However, Toma had given him really valuable information.

“Do you know a beauty salon owned by someone with the name Matsumoto?” he asked his friend, who thought about the question for a moment before he shook his head.

“I’ve never heard of it. Not even my customers mentioned it,” he let Aiba know. Then, his face turned serious. “I’ve told you that I’ve never seen these two before. Maybe they were just visiting the area?” he voiced his thoughts albeit knowing that Aiba did not want to hear them.

Surprisingly, Aiba wasn’t discouraged at all. “I know that Tokyo is a big city, but I will find them,” he said determined and Toma was amazed by his friend.

As Aiba had just stated, Tokyo was a REALLY big city which must have hundreds of beauty salons. Furthermore, nobody knew if these two were actually working in Japan’s capital or not. However, Aiba probably knew all that, but was still overly motivated to find them. It wasn’t Toma’s place to tell him that it was highly unlikely that he would be successful.

“I wish you all the best on your quest,” he therefore only said. “In case I remember something else, I will let you know immediately,” he added.

“Thank you so much, Toma-chan, you already have been a great help,” Aiba assured his friend and got up.

He was in high spirits now that he had found a first hint. Finding this stupid beauty salon couldn’t be that hard, right?

Aiba thanked his friend once more before he left the bar, deciding to walk back home which was only one stop away by train.

However, his good mood slowly ebbed away when other thoughts crossed his mind. He had been talking to a woman and had even left the bar with her. Did something happen that night with her that led to the tattoo?

Aiba shook his head. He would never be able to betray Nino – he loved him. Sure, they had some problems in their relationship right now but they could work them out for sure. Their little difference in interest was not a reason to be unfaithful.

Still, Aiba couldn’t calm himself down completely. He really had been angry at Nino that evening and he had been really drunk. He simply couldn’t rule out that he had not done something stupid, especially not with his unhelpful brain.

Frustrated, Aiba ruffled his hair. Why did things turn out that complicated? He simply wanted to lead a peaceful relationship with the man he loved.

In this moment, Aiba decided that it would be better not to tell Nino about this mysterious woman, yet. It would only cause his boyfriend to get irritated even more and he was already in a fragile state of mind. Aiba didn’t want to add more fuel to it.

However, he would tell Nino about Matsumoto J and his beauty salon, that he would find for sure to solve the mystery of his tattoo. He would start his search as soon as possible.

- - -

Frustrated, Nino turned off the TV and let himself fall back on the sofa. He couldn't concentrate on anything they said on screen, not that there was something interesting on TV anyway.

His mind has been constantly wandering towards Aiba and what he might be doing right at that moment. After an early breakfast, Aiba had announced that he would spend this day as well looking for this mysterious beauty salon of the even more mysterious Matsumoto J.

Although Nino had been utterly relieved when Aiba came back, telling him that the one he had been talking to at Toma's bar had been a man, he slowly came to hate J (as he had started to call him).

After work Aiba would immediately visit all beauty salons he could find, asking for the man. He would be back late in the evening, completely exhausted from work and his search, so that he would either go straight to bed or attempt to cuddle with Nino on the sofa, falling asleep a few minutes after they sat down.

Of course, Nino was grateful that Aiba put so much effort in searching for the man who was apparently his only clue on how he got that stupid tattoo. Nino was close to choking whenever he saw it although Aiba tried to hide it with accessories and long sleeves, but that didn't change that fact that it was still there.

However, due to his frantic search Nino didn't see Aiba more than one hour each day. He kind of had been looking forward to the weekend, to have his boyfriend around him for a little bit longer because Nino had no idea how much longer he would be able to enjoy it.

Nino was still crazily scared about what Aiba might find out. He never doubted Aiba's report about that evening and that he had no recollection at all about what had happened. Still, there must be a reason why Aiba was wearing a woman's name on his wrist and that's what was keeping him up all night.

Maybe, Aiba might have forgotten about the woman because he was drunk, but if he found her again, he might remember why he had been attracted to her or why he was convinced (in his drunken state) that it was a good idea to imprint her name onto his body.

And maybe, he would decide that Kazumi was actually way more suited to be his partner than Nino and that there was no other way than to leave him.

Nino couldn't suppress the sob that was creeping up his throat while his eyes started to hurt again from the pressure of upcoming tears. He didn't want to cry – not again! But the thought of having to separate from Aiba, the sun of his life, his reason to live, was just so unbearable that he simply couldn't stop his tears...

Suddenly, Nino jumped in shock. The ringing of the doorbell had caused his heartbeat to sped up to a quite unhealthy level.

For a moment, he thought that Aiba was back, but then he remembered that his boyfriend owned a key and didn't need to ring the bell. Nino decided that he didn't want to see anyone else than Aiba, so he ignored the furious knocking as well. However, when a well-known voice suddenly began to shout, he shuffled to his feet reluctantly. The owner of the voice would not give up until Nino would open the door so he could save himself (and his neighbours) the ruckus and let him in.

“Come on, Nino, I know you're home! Just open the d...,” Sho shouted while knocking and ringing the bell at the same time, but stopped when the door was finally being opened.

He took Nino's state in and quickly pushed himself through the opened door before he pulled his friend into a hug.

“Oh, Nino, I know you miss him and rather wish that I was him”, he said, patting Nino's back, causing the bag in his hand to sway dangerously, so he let go of his friend and showed it to him.

“Aiba told me to keep you company and make sure you eat enough, so I brought some hamburgers,” Sho went on, showing Nino the logo of his favourite restaurant printed on the bag.

So it had been Aiba who was behind this visit. Nino felt like crying even more after realising that his boyfriend still seemed to care for him, but he held his tears back in order not to startle Sho, who was always slightly helpless when someone was crying.

Therefore, he followed Sho into the kitchen, trying to get a hold of himself on his way.

His friend had already taken out the food from the bag and was rummaging in the fridge on his search for drinks. He gestured Nino to sit down at the table while he opened two cans of beer, putting them on the table as well.

Sitting down on the opposite end of the table, Sho reached out for the food and began to eat. He had never been able to wait if there was food in front of him.

“Aiba is really crazy about his search,” Sho said with his mouth full, making it hard to understand him, but Nino had become an expert in understanding “full-mouthed talking Sho” over the time.

“Yeah, he told me that he won't rest until he found out the truth,” Nino replied and finally started to cut his hamburger into pieces. He wasn't really hungry but he knew that Sho would force him to eat at least a bit since he had the habit to make sure that his friends were taking good care of their bodies.

“Yeah, and he really doesn't have many clues. Only that the two are working in a beauty salon and that the man's name is Matsumoto J,” Sho added.

Nino's head shot up.

Two?

Aiba had never mentioned “two” people. He had always only been talking about the man, that J.

Nino's brain was quickly drawing conclusions. If Sho was specifying that the name of the MAN was Matsumoto J, then the other person must be a woman... Kazumi?

Aiba had indeed been a little bit nervous when he had told Nino about what he had found out in Toma's bar. He had been slightly hesitant when he talked about the man, but Nino had blamed their whole situation for Aiba's insecurity.

Never had he spent any thought on the fact that Aiba might be hiding something from him. That didn't sound like his boyfriend at all, but judging from Sho's comment just now, Aiba had been doing exactly that.

Nino suddenly felt like throwing up his hamburger. Aiba never LIED. It wasn't in his default setting to be even able to do something like this.

Yet, he DID, causing Nino to immediately imagining the worst, again.

“You're not going to eat that anymore?” Sho asked, pointing at Nino's food that the other one was pushing around on his plate.

Nino shook his head.

“I just had something before you arrived,” he apologised.

Sho eyed the food, obviously figuring out how much Nino had eaten. In the end, he seemed to be satisfied as he reached out for Nino's plate and began to shove the leftovers into his own mouth.

Nino watched him and although his brain was thinking about way too many things at once right now, a wave of thankfulness rolled over his body. He was glad that Sho was always taking good care of his friends, especially him, since he was known for being quite undisciplined when it came to food.

However, the dominating his mind was information about the second person Aiba had been talking to. Nino assumed her to be a woman causing his brain to come up with several torturing images at once.

Nino didn't want to see them and he really didn't want to think about this now. He needed a distraction and it was sitting right in front of him. Sending a silent apology to Sho for using him now, Nino asked that one question that would trigger a lengthy report from his friend.

“Say, Sho, how's work?” Nino asked and immediately, Sho's head shot up, his eyes sparkling.

Nino forced himself to listen to Sho's talk, throwing in questions to just keep him talking as he didn't want to be left alone with his thoughts.

- - -

Aiba looked over to Nino, who was sitting next to him on the sofa. He looked to adorable in his yellow plushy pajama.

The TV show they'd watch every week together was on and Nino seemed to be quite interested in today's topic.

Slowly, Aiba let his hand wander over to Nino, beginning to draw little circles and other patterns on his upper thigh. Apart from the slight frown that wandered over Nino's face, his boyfriend didn't show any reaction, but Aiba didn't get discouraged from the lack of response. Probably, Nino played hard to get and wanted some extra attention since Aiba hadn't been able to spend time with him the last week due to his frantic search (which absolutely didn't show any progress, sadly).

When Sho had phoned Aiba a few days ago, telling him that Nino was missing him like crazy (he had been on the verge of crying when Sho had appeared, after all), Aiba had felt seriously guilty and therefore, he had decided that today he would not look for Matsumoto J, but rather stay home and take care of Nino – EVERY part of Nino.

Aiba was convinced that sex was always a good way to show how much you love your partner and to tighten the bond between two people. Since Nino had behaved slightly awkward since Sho's visit, Aiba thought that it was the right time to get close to each other again – literally.

Furthermore, ever since he got this tattoo, Nino had become reluctant to touch him and Aiba was craving for body contact with his boyfriend. He loved cuddling and of course, he loved to sleep with Nino.

He also wanted to show Nino that those black letters on his wrist didn't change his love for him at all and that these words didn't have any meaning to him.

Aiba's hand had reached Nino's hip bone, getting dangerously close to his boyfriend's member. With a frown, Nino finally turned to Aiba just to be greeted by a wicked grin Aiba knew Nino could interpret.

Aiba chose this moment to lean over to his boyfriend and capture his lips in a soft kiss. Nino seemed to have not expected this as he needed a few seconds to respond to it. However, when he finally did, Aiba was surprised by the force with which Nino kissed him back.

He had planned to start things slowly, giving Nino time to get into it, but his boyfriend was obviously quite desperate for Aiba's attention.

Feeling Nino getting hyped up, Aiba pulled him onto his lap. Immediately, his boyfriend wrapped his arms around his neck, initiating the next long, demanding kiss, and Aiba was more than ready to give everything to Nino he wished for.

He let his hands wander up and down Nino's sides before he decided that although their sofa was big enough, he wanted to continue things in their bedroom. Quickly, he secured Nino by grabbing his butt and stood up. Turning off the TV one handedly, he sucked in the air through his teeth when Nino began licking that special spot under his earlobe, sending pleasant vibes through his body.

Aiba made his way to their bed and sat down on it, again having his boyfriend sitting on his lap. He loved to have Nino there because he could stimulate his boyfriend without any restrictions.

Meanwhile, Nino had started to mark his boyfriend, leaving lovebites on his neck but Aiba let him be. He could understand Nino's need to put his own claim on his body.

Aiba used the following minutes to get Nino out of his trousers and underwear, being greeted with quite a prominent erection. When he took Nino into his hands, his boyfriend moaned against Aiba's neck while he began to rock into his boyfriend's hand.

Fondling one of Nino's buttocks with his free hand, Aiba felt his own need pressing against his trousers. However, he wanted to endure it for a bit longer, pleasuring Nino thoroughly before he would ask him to take care of it.

Aiba let his thumb run over Nino's wet tip while he tightened his grip around the hard flesh in his hand. He felt his boyfriend pulsating under his fingertips and the pleasure shoot through his body. Having Nino in his hand like this was always lightning a fire in his stomach.

Nino, finally being satisfied with the marks he left on Aiba's body, had begun to open the buttons on Aiba's pajama. When he was done, he pushed the dark green chequered fabric out of the way and let his fingers run over Aiba's smooth chest, stopping at the nipples once in a while to roll them between his fingers.

Aiba nearly lost himself in the pleasure Nino was creating for him, so when his grip around Nino's length became less tight, his boyfriend slipped from his lap. He pulled Aiba to his feet again, getting him out of his pajama quickly.

They shared a few sloppy kisses, both of their erections showing how much they were in need for each other. Aiba had also taken care of Nino's pajama shirt. Now, they were both pressing their hot bodies against each other, drowning in the comfort of their closeness. Aiba noticed that Nino was clinging more to him than usual, but he enjoyed having him so close.

When they grew too impatient, they finally crawled back onto their bed, not knowing who initiated the final push, but in the end, Aiba was lying down while Nino was hovering above him, their eyes meeting before he started peppering his boyfriend's birthmark with little kisses.

His arms still tightly wrapped around Nino's waist, Aiba pressed a soft kiss against Nino's head, taking in the unique scent of his boyfriend. He gulped down the sob that tried to make its way out. He simply loved Nino so much and he hated their current situation. He really wanted to solve all this and go back to their normal life.

Aiba knew that there was still the problem of Nino always staying inside, waiting to be solved, but right now, he couldn't care less about it. Right now, he even wished that this would be their only problem. But it wasn't. Those words were still on his wrist, the blank ink mocking them with its vividness.

Aiba wanted, no, needed to be united with Nino, to feel him, to share the same emotions while moving against each other, to ensure them about their love for each other, so he gently nudged Nino into the direction of his own waiting member to advance their actions.

Of course, his boyfriend understood the soft gesture and kissed a wet trail down Aiba's slender body until he reached the glistening tip, that he engulfed immediately.

Now, Aiba couldn't hold himself back anymore and voiced his pleasure with lots of breathy moans, interrupted by outcries of his boyfriend's name.

He had his hands in Nino's hair but when his boyfriend took him in till the root, one of his arms shot up to his face while the other hand clawed the bedsheet until his knuckles went white.

However, Nino simply continued to tease his boyfriend, bobbing his head up and down while his hand began to play with Aiba's balls.

With another groan, Aiba laid his lower arm above his eyes, feeling the sensation becoming stronger when he was derived by his sense of vision. He knew he would have to stop Nino soon before he could pull him over the edge with his hand and mouth, but he wanted to enjoy this even for a few seconds longer.

Nino slowed down for a bit though when he stopped using his mouth and tongue and replaced them with his hands, creating a nice friction around Aiba's member.

Being able to take a deep breath after this amazing ride, Aiba rolled his arm up so that its underside was showing. Before he even realized what he was doing, his boyfriend's movements came to a sudden halt.

Nino's eyes were glued to Aiba's wrist, who quickly turned it around, but he could see in Nino's eyes that it was already too late. The hurt expression on his face showed his state of mind openly and when Aiba let his eyes wander a bit lower, he could see that Nino's initial excitement was gone.

His heart cramped upon seeing what these stupid words were doing to Nino and he reached out for his boyfriend to soothe him. However, Nino backed away from Aiba's arms, not meeting his eyes.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered and Aiba could already hear that Nino was on the verge of crying.

He didn't know what to do, so when Nino got up from the bed and went towards the door, releasing a suppressed sob before he finally disappeared, Aiba could only watch in horror. When he heard the bathroom door being shut and locked afterwards, he hit the sheets with all of his force.

His whole plan of soothing Nino, making him understand how much he still meant to him, had backfired completely and now things had gotten even more fucked up than before – Aiba had never thought that this would be even possible.

He knew that trying to talk to Nino was useless in such a situation. He would have to wait until his boyfriend was ready to come back to him. However, Aiba was terribly scared that Nino wouldn't come back this time, that he finally destroyed everything they had left.

Furiously wiping away the tears that had formed in the corner of his eye, Aiba once more found his determination to finally find this J and his stupid beauty salon. He needed to know the truth – for Nino's sake. If his boyfriend could only wait for him a little bit longer...

- - -

Aiba looked at the paper in his hand. It had the address of another beauty salon written down on it in his own scrawly handwriting.

This time, Aiba had a good feeling about the beauty salon. It's name “Baby Blue” didn't gave away anything about the owner's name and Aiba couldn't find it on the website either (just that it belonged to a chain). Still, something about “Baby Blue” made him feel that he was on the right track.

This would be extremely helpful as he didn't have much time anymore. Ever since he tried to sleep with Nino, which had ended in a total disaster, things at home had become even more uncomfortable.

Nino had stayed in the bathroom for hours that evening and although Aiba had tried to stay awake to be able to talk to his boyfriend when he had calmed down, he had fallen asleep eventually. He hadn't heard Nino leaving the bathroom but in the morning he had found him sleeping on the sofa.

Since that day Nino hadn't returned to their bed and was sleeping in the living room instead, making Aiba feel terribly lonely at night so that he couldn't sleep properly. Those few hours he passed out every night were only due to his exhaustion and because his body really needed some sleep.

Although Aiba had tried to talk to Nino about what happened, his boyfriend was always quickly changing the topic. Aiba was frustrated because he wanted Nino to understand that those words on his wrist didn't change anything between them. On the other hand, he could understand him. He had no idea how he would react if Nino would come home with a tattoo that didn't carry Aiba's name but the one of an unknown girl.

Still, something needed to be done about their situation. With that positive feeling he had about “Baby Blue”, things might finally change...

With a hopeful nod, Aiba checked the navigation's screen on his phone, noticing that he was already pretty close to the beauty salon. He took a look around, hoping for his brain to remember if he had been in the area before.

However, nothing in his surrounding sparked any memory, not even the tall building that carried the sign of the beauty salon. It was located on the fifth floor and when Aiba took the elevator to his destination, he had to admire the architecture of the building. Its main construction material was glass, so the sun light was floating into the building easily, the brightness giving Aiba another boost.

When the doors opened on the fifth floor, Aiba immediately faced the counter of the beauty salon. Bracing himself for what might come, he stepped inside.

“Aiba-chan?”

Aiba's head shot into the direction the crystal-clear but obviously female voice came from.

“It's so nice to see you again,” she said and closed the distance between them.

Aiba eyed her carefully. Immediately, Toma's description came to his mind. The woman had indeed long hair, a pretty smile and a cheerful voice and since she seemed to know him, she must be the woman he had been talking to in the bar the other evening.

“Hi,” Aiba simply offered as he was unsure how to go on now that he finally had found the mysterious woman.

“Oh, don't be so shy,” he got immediately scolded by her. “We got along so well that night.”

Aiba felt his heartbeat speeding up. Her last comment somehow made him imagine the worst. Did he really spend the night with that woman? Admittedly, she was cute and her smile was forcing Aiba to look at her lips repeatedly. Still, did he went that far to sleep with her?

“What are you doing here anyway?” she finally wanted to know.

“I want to talk,” Aiba replied, thinking that this might be the most diplomatic way to start.

“Don't tell me it didn't go well with Nino,” she said, her expression slightly panic-stricken.

Aiba hesitated. She knew about Nino?

“I told you to talk to him properly,” she went on, placing her hands on her hips, looking at Aiba discontently.

Aiba gulped. Obviously, she had wanted him to tell Nino about them.

“Seriously, you are so hopeless,” she sighed deeply. “As are your eyebrows,” she added and the sudden change of topic confused Aiba so much that he simply stayed silent.

When she grabbed his hand, panic rose up in him, but she already went on talking.

“I will take care of that and while I am doing it, you will have to tell me everything. Jun's inside too, so he can listen to you as well,” she explained, already dragging Aiba with her, not waiting for his reply.

Aiba had no other chance than to follow her. He was a mess. He seriously couldn't believe that he had slept with someone else than Nino. How was he ever going to explain that to him?

Furthermore, the woman obviously believed that Aiba wanted to repeat what they did, but he didn't feel any urge to do so. She was cute, indeed, but he was not attracted to her in an erotic way and he would never cheat on Nino when he was in his right senses.

When they entered the treatment room, Aiba immediately spotted the tall man with prominent eyebrows. This beauty salon seemed to be specialised on this facial feature, what the first thing that shot through Aiba's mind.

“Jun, look, who's here,” the woman said and slapped the man's shoulder to get his attention.

“Aiba?”

Since he knew his name, Aiba concluded that the man had been in the bar too. Figuring that “J” stood for “Jun”, Aiba wondered how the girl and this man were related. As Toma had said they really weren't a couple otherwise she wouldn't have brought Aiba in. Maybe they were siblings or simply good friends. In any way, Aiba didn't feel like making this man his enemy, but since he was going to tell the woman that he didn't want to start a relationship with her, it was likely going to happen. Maybe he should run while he still had the chance? But then he would never hear the truth...

“What are you doing here?” Jun asked the obvious.

“He wants to talk about Nino,” the woman informed him.

“Nino... hmm...,” the man replied thoughtfully, his eyebrows furrowing in a way Aiba started to feel uncomfortable. Running away suddenly seemed like the better option.

However, he was already shoved into a chair by the woman, who stood behind him, her hands on his shoulders while she looked at him through the mirror.

“Now, tell us everything,” she demanded.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Aiba considered his options. He could run away to escape this weird situation (and Jun, who was scrutinizing him through the mirror as well, an unreadable expression on his face) or he could face the two people behind him and finally get to know what had really happened that night.

It took Aiba not more than three seconds to decide. He owed Nino the truth and even if this might get damn uncomfortable for him, he had to go through it – for Nino's sake.

When Aiba opened his eyes, he didn't dare to look into the mirror again to meet the two pair of eyes, but he finally began to tell them why he entered their beauty salon today.

- - -

With hurried steps, Aiba ran from the train stop back to their flat. He wanted to talk to Nino as soon as possible. He needed to tell him everything he had gotten to know at the “Baby Blue” beauty salon.

Despite his first impression, Jun had been an incredibly nice guy and Becky, the woman, was a real treasure as well. Aiba felt so relieved to have decided to talk to them instead of running away, that he had been crying some tears of happiness on his way home.

He had opted to call his boyfriend and tell him everything on the phone but then he decided to tell him personally because Aiba was convinced that his news would help to bring Nino closer to him again. The two beauticians did not solve the whole mystery about “Kazumi”, but they definitely helped to erase those many doubts Aiba had about cheating on Nino and he had received a hint about where he had gotten the tattoo on his wrist.

Aiba was smiling when he quickly opened the door to their apartment house. He simply felt so relieved and carefree now that he nearly flew up the stairs. Their relationship would finally get back to what it was before he got this stupid tattoo and then they could work out their other little problems step by step.

Finally, Aiba could hold Nino in his arms again without having this nagging little voice in his head that told him that only a few weeks ago he had held another woman like this – which he didn't (well, there was still a 1 % chance he did, but even Jun told him that he was convinced that Aiba would never betray his Nino, no matter which state he was in).

Finally, he could tell Nino about this night where he had been talking with Jun AND a woman, who was, as Aiba had found out, Jun's colleague and good friend. He didn't have to hold back this little detail anymore. It had really stressed Aiba out to not tell his boyfriend about her in order to not give Nino anything more to worry about. Nino would scold him today for not telling him, but Aiba believed that Nino would be too happy about his news to stay mad at him for too long.

Finally, Aiba would be able to let Nino know that this mysterious Kazumi probably didn't even exist. He still had no idea how that name managed it onto his wrist, but at least, nobody seemed to know anyone who was called like that.

He could tell Nino all that and tomorrow they would go to the tattoo studio Jun was sure Aiba had visited that night and the last mystery could be solved, allowing them to get back to their normal life.

FINALLY!

Aiba opened the door to their apartment and bounced back when the lights were turned off. He immediately listened carefully for any noises. Sometimes, Nino would forget to turn on the lights when he was playing on his console, but Aiba was only greeted by a silent apartment.

“Nino?” he asked while turning on the lights, walking further into their flat to check the rooms. However, he couldn't find his boyfriend.

It was quite unusual for Nino not to be home at this hour, but Aiba didn't worry – yet. Maybe Nino was still out with his colleagues (though usually he always had a good excuse to not accompany them). However, since things didn't go as smoothly at home as usual, Nino might have decided to spend the evening out (which would actually make Aiba happy as he wanted his boyfriend to have fun outside once in a while).

Still, he was a little disappointed because he wanted to talk to Nino, now. Therefore, he dialed his boyfriend's number to ask him when he would be back. However, Nino did not take the call.

Sighing, Aiba looked for the number of one of Nino's colleagues in his phone. He had saved it just in case.

“Yes?”

“Hi Maru, it's Aiba,” he introduced himself to Nino's cheerful co-worker.

“Aiba-chan, nice to talk to you. What's up?”

“I wanted to know if Nino's with you as I wanted to ask him when he'd be home,” Aiba explained, hoping he didn't sound like a clingy boyfriend.

“Nino? I thought he's with you,” Maru replied, making Aiba frown. “He called some days ago, saying that he's ill and cannot come to work,” Nino's colleague went on.

Aiba's eyes popped open in surprise. Nino was ill? Why didn't he tell him? He would have taken care of his sick boyfriend for sure, making him tea and preparing a nice bath for him...

“Say, Aiba-chan, are you perhaps drunk?” Maru asked on the other end, chuckling.

“Um... that might be the case,” Aiba immediately took the offered way-out, trying to let his voice sound slightly slurred. “Sorry for troubling you,” he added.

“Don't worry,” Maru laughed. “Just make sure to take good care of Nino to help him get better soon. See you!”

With that, Maru cut the call, leaving Aiba in a state of confusion. He simply couldn't understand why Nino would not tell him about feeling unwell. True, he hadn't been home much these past days, and maybe Nino didn't want to become a hindrance on Aiba's search because he wished for a quick solving as well, but his boyfriend should know that Aiba would put him before everything.

Also, if Nino wasn't out with his colleagues... where was he? Especially since he was sick?

Aiba could only think of Nino's parents and after quickly thinking of an excuse to call them and ask them if their son was with them, Aiba finally dialed their number.

After ending the call, Aiba was seriously starting to get worried since according to Nino's parents, their son wasn't there either. Aiba was slowly starting to run out of options. Since Nino wasn't an outdoor person, he didn't have many places he would go to. Work and his parents were the only options Aiba could think of.

Furthermore, an idea formed in Aiba's head that he really didn't want to think about, but it kept growing and slowly dominating his mind.

What if Nino had left him?

What if he finally had enough of Aiba and his weird report about that night?


What if he didn't believe Aiba and was convinced that he had slept with a woman?

What if Nino believed that Aiba was not in love with him anymore?

What if Nino wasn't in love with HIM anymore?

Aiba forced himself to take deep breaths. He was panicking. He could feel it. His heart had started to beat faster and he had the feeling that he was slowly suffocating.

He needed to calm down in order to be able to think properly about the situation and to come up with a solution. Maybe Nino didn't leave him and was simply somewhere Aiba hadn't thought of yet...

Still, although the thought was scaring him like nothing else, Aiba knew that he would be able to understand Nino's decision to leave. His memory loss and the mysterious woman's name on his wrist was really suspicious. Maybe Nino simply had enough of it. He had already been bringing physical space between them, after all...

Aiba hit the table he was standing next to right now, ignoring the pain that shot through his fist. He should have read the signs which would have enabled him to take action and stop Nino from leaving, but he had been too busy with his search for that beauty salon. Even after Sho had told him about Nino's feelings, he hadn't really paid attention to them. He was a real idiot!

Wait … Sho!

Aiba immediately dialed Sho's number. He was Nino's friend as well, after all. Maybe, he was there. Why didn't he think about this before?!

“He-”

“Is Nino with you?” Aiba asked, not letting Sho pick up the call properly.

“No, he's not,” his friend replied and Aiba sank down on the floor. If he wasn't with Sho, he really had no idea where else to look for Nino.

“Why are you asking?” Sho wanted to know as Aiba's panic-stricken voice couldn't escape his ears.

“Because he's not at home,” Aiba gave back, his voice void and powerless.

“Oh...” Sho's remark wasn't that helpful but at least it showed that he had immediately understood the graveness of the situation.

“Did you try Toma's bar?” Sho suddenly asked.

“Nino hates going to bars by himself,” Aiba gave back slightly annoyed. Sho should know that.

“Yeah, but maybe there is something he wants to find out...,” his friend began and Aiba thought that he somehow sounded guilty.

“What does he want to find out?” he asked, getting a really bad feeling about this.

There was silence at the other end and Aiba could nearly see Sho grimacing instead of wanting to answer.

“SHO!”

“Maybe he wants to find out if you talked to a woman that night...,” his friend quickly said, the words coming out in a rush as if he had been holding them in for too long.

Aiba felt a new wave of energy rushing through his body. If Sho was indeed right, there was still a chance he could find Nino and tell him everything he got to know from Jun and Becky.

“I'll be hanging up,” he informed Sho who screamed something about rooting for him before Aiba cut the call. He would deal with Sho later because he had a feeling that his friend might have done something not so clever, but his priority was to find Nino.

Aiba rushed into the hall, put his shoes on while he reached for his jacket at the same time before he grabbed his keys and left their flat. While he rushed towards Toma's bar, he prayed that Nino didn't lose hope in him yet...

- - -

Nino was standing in front of Toma's bar. It was already late in the afternoon and the streets were filling up with people who had just finished work and were looking for a nice place to have dinner and maybe drink one or two beer.

Uncertain if he really should enter the bar and talk to Toma, Nino tried to bring as much space between the people on the footpath and himself as he was starting to feel claustrophobic with the mass of bodies around him.

Usually, Aiba would walk between Nino and the people, shielding him from the masses, knowing that his boyfriend wasn't good with too many people around him. That was one reason why Nino, when he went out, always wanted Aiba to be by his side.

However, today, he was alone.

As soon as Nino had left their flat, he had started to doubt his decision of going to Toma. He was tempted to turn around and go back more than once, but in the end, his brain had forced him to go on despite the uneasiness he had been feeling.

Basically, Nino knew that he had to do this now or he wouldn't be able to find a single calm minute anymore. Ever since Sho had mentioned that Aiba had been talking with two people that night, Nino's mind had been inventing the most scary scenarios.

Nino wanted to believe in Aiba who was telling him over and over again that he would find out what had happened soon. Still, after hearing that Aiba hadn't told him the complete truth about that night, a nagging little voice in his head told Nino more often than he wanted to hear it that Aiba maybe knew a lot more about that night than he was pretending.

These doubts, as much as Nino tried to suppress them, were affecting him heavily. He found it hard to approach Aiba because he was scared that his boyfriend, who knew him very well, would find out about what was going on in Nino's head. And IF Nino was wrong and Aiba had been talking with two men and all of his brain's accusations were wrong, Aiba would be bitterly disappointed that Nino would think of him as a liar.

Things had even gotten more complicated for Nino after Aiba had tried to sleep with him. In the beginning, Nino had been overly happy that Aiba was still thinking of him as attractive, as someone he wanted to sleep with (even if he might have done it with a woman – the possibility was still there), so that he had joined his boyfriend eagerly.

He had poured all his love and emotions into the kisses they had shared while he had worshipped Aiba's body with all of his attention. He even had been able to forget about all his dark thoughts for a moment and when Aiba had kissed him back eagerly, making him feel loved, Nino had been in paradise.

However, then, he had seen the tattoo on Aiba's wrist again and these black words had erased all of his happiness in a second, allowing his doubts to come back with full force.

He suddenly wondered if Aiba was simply trying to find out if it was more fun to sleep with a woman than with him. He knew that this did not sound like his boyfriend but this thought didn't leave him and so Nino had to rush out of the room before he suffered from a terrible breakdown.

He had never really recovered from it, so he tried to stay away from Aiba as far as possible. He didn't trust himself. There was a high possibility that he would throw himself on Aiba again, simply to feel his warmth around him, but Nino knew that his heart would break afterwards and his brain would make sure that he'd feel even worse (if that was even possible).

The only way to get his brain to shut up was to find out if Aiba had been talking to a woman called Kazumi or not and the only one who could help him with that was Toma.

Taking a deep breath, Nino braced himself for the noise that would hit him as soon as he'd enter the bar. He let a group of salary men pass before he took the last steps to the entrance.

The bar was not that crowded yet but the stiffy air, the overall heat as well as the loud laughter mixed with a whole ocean of words hit Nino full force and although he had braced himself before he had opened the door, he immediately felt like running far far away.

Still, he forced his feet to move forward, to the counter, where he had already spotted his friend.

“Nino? What are you doing here?” he was greeted by the bar's owner after he had finally managed to make his way towards him.

“Can I talk to you for a second?” Nino asked, fighting his fear. His hands were sweaty when he placed them on the counter to feel the firm wood beneath.

Nino knew pretty well that Toma was already very busy but his friend immediately nodded. He obviously looked bad enough for Toma to agree to everything.

His friend led him behind the counter to a small hallway that was connecting the kitchen, the storage room and the main room of the bar, but the air was cooler and it was way more quiet there.

Toma looked at him with a worried expression, but Nino greedily sucked in the cool air, trying to calm down a bit before he finally came straight to the point.

“When Aiba was here, the night he got so terribly drunk that he ended up with a tattoo,” Nino began and he could see a frown wandering over Toma's face, “Has he been talking to a woman?”

His face gave away that Toma did not expected this question and that he was reluctant to answer it. Nino was very well aware of the fact that he was putting his friend in a pinch, but he really, really needed to know.

“Please, tell me,” he therefore added and Toma took a deep sigh.

“He was talking to a woman, indeed,” he answered then and Nino's world came to an abrupt halt before it shattered into millions of tiny little pieces.

“But you know Aiba,” Toma immediately intervened. “He would never betray you.”

Nino nodded, but only to make his friend feel better. Inside, he was void, the darkness capturing his body with an incredible speed.

“You have to believe in him. I am sure there is a logic explanation for all of this,” Toma went on and Nino would love to believe in his friend's words, but Aiba had betrayed him. Aiba had LIED to him.

Aiba never lied. Never.

So if he'd done it now, there must be something behind the bush and Nino couldn't believe that it was something that he would think of as positive.

“I'm sure there is an explanation to it,” Nino replied, hoping that he sounded normal enough for Toma to not get suspicious.

His friend nodded and patted Nino's shoulder.

“Just give him a little bit more time and he'll have it worked out,” he said. He still looked reluctant to leave Nino alone although the noise inside the bar had gotten louder, implying that more guests had arrived, waiting to have their orders being taken.

“You're right,” Nino therefore said, not wanting to be a hindrance to his friend's business any longer. “I was simply getting impatient and wanted to search for the truth by myself, but it's better to leave that to Aiba,” he went on, forcing himself to smile.

Toma nodded and gave Nino a pat for the last time before he left him in the hallway. Nino didn't see that his friend was pulling out his phone and started to type something furiously since he was already loosing himself again.

The short act for Toma, when he pretended that everything was alright, was over now and he couldn't hold up that façade any longer. He opened his mouth in a silent cry while his knees started to tremble, not being able to hold him anymore, so that he fell onto the floor with a hard thud, but he couldn't feel that physical pain at all.

To Nino, having found out that Aiba had been lying to him, was proof enough that his boyfriend was more involved with that Kazumi than what he had pretended to know. And this could only mean that there was something going on between Aiba and that woman.

Nino felt as if his heart was being ripped out of his chest. The pain was unbearable.

He had always tried to push the idea that Aiba was betraying him away. He had believed in his kind words and knowing Aiba, he simply couldn't imagine anything like that, so reality hit him hard. Too hard and too painfully.

Finally realizing that he was still in Toma's bar, even if he was hidden from the public eye, Nino decided that he couldn't stay here any longer. He had no idea where to go to, though. Their apartment was not an option. Aiba was maybe home already and Nino couldn't face him – it would break him once and for all.

Actually, he didn't want to see anyone right now. He wanted to disappear, simply fade away, not being a hindrance for Aiba's new sprouting love anymore. He wouldn't be missed by anyone anyway.

Scrambling to his feet, Nino decided that he would just walk – walk away from everyone he knew, walk until his power would leave him and he would fall onto the ground where he'd stay until he would pass out.

When he left Toma's bar through the backdoor, the icy air hit him, but although he should feel cold, Nino didn't mind at all. He was numb inside, so there was no difference if he turned into ice on the surface as well.

He walked away from the bar, his friends, his life with Aiba and he didn't turn around once.

Nino!

Nino shook his head. Why was his brain torturing him so much, making him hear Aiba calling for him?

Nino!

He wished, it would stop. He wanted to forget Aiba or he would go insane over the thought that he lost the most important part of his life.

NINO!

Long arms were suddenly wrapped around his shoulders from behind, pulling him to a halt while he felt the warmth spreading over his back.

“My Kazu, my love, I've found you!”

Nino froze. Not from the cold this time though. He would always recognize this voice, these arms, this scent, this man behind him.

WHY WAS HE HERE?

“I'm sorry, I am so sorry, Kazu,” Aiba went on, pulling Nino closer to him while his warm breath slowly began to heat the skin on Nino's left cheek.

“Please, don't go. Don't leave me,” he continued and Nino felt a warm tear wetting his neck, realising that it was not his own.

“You don't need me anymore,” Nino whispered, his chest hurting so much that he thought he'd faint any second.

“I DO need you. I don't want anyone else but you,” Aiba assured him, letting go of Nino only to turn him around to face him. “YOU are the one I want,” he said determined.

“You have Kazumi,” Nino replied stubbornly. He didn't want to be lulled in by Aiba's words once more. He knew he would not survive another betrayal.

“I don't want her, whoever she is. I have no recollection of her but I have tons of you and all of these memories are my biggest treasure that I store carefully in my heart because they are mine, because YOU are mine,” Aiba went on, pulling Nino into an embrace as to make sure he wouldn't run away again.

“But you have been talking with a woman in Toma's bar, so stop pretending you don't know her,” Nino gave back, trying Aiba to stop telling him the things he wanted to hear but at the same time couldn't believe.

“I was indeed talking to a woman that night and I am sorry to have kept this from you, but her name is not Kazumi, her name is Becky and she is a colleague of that Matsumoto J, that I found today, so will you listen to what I found out?!”

Aiba loosened his embrace and stepped back a little, giving Nino time and space to think about his question. His cheeks were wet from the tears and his lips were trembling.

He looked determined and serious, not at all mischievous or calculating, Nino thought and slowly processed what had just happened.

Aiba had asked him to come back.

He still wanted him.

Warmth suddenly washed over Nino's body, melting his frozen heart and heating up his numb body.

“OK,” he whispered and Aiba let out a relieved sigh, pulling Nino into his arms again.

“Thank you,” he said and kissed Nino's head.

“Let's find a place where it's warm,” he added and took Nino's hand.

Shocked over the coldness of Nino's fingers, Aiba began to rub them between his own hand while they walked side by side.

Nino was still confused, his feelings were a mess, but that little flame of hope burning in his heart was powerfully fighting against the darkness that had clouded his brain.

Aiba led him to a small café where only a few people were sitting on the tiny tables, sipping on a steaming liquid or having a light dinner. After ordering two hot drinks, Aiba reached out for Nino's hands, holding them tight.

He began to talk about how he finally found the beauty salon called “Baby Blue” today and how scared he was when a woman recognized him and even called him by his name. He even told Nino that he had feared that it was Kazumi and that he falsely began to think they really had done something that night.

When Aiba talked about the scary looking J (whose name was Jun, but Nino decided that J suited that man better), Nino had to smile a bit, imagining his intimidated boyfriend sitting in that beauty salon with these two people he feared for different reasons.

However, Aiba reported, both turned out to be really nice people who had been listening to Aiba's worries resulting from that night, trying to help him with his relationship problems. Still, it all sounded too good to be true and Nino couldn't believe that things were really that easy.

Furthermore, he felt awkward knowing that two complete strangers were informed about their relationship but Aiba assured him that they would never judge Nino nor anyone else for the things they did. They even had told Aiba to take better care of Nino when they were going out.

When Aiba reached the point where he had asked the woman if her name was Kazumi, she had cracked up, telling him that her name was way more complicated. Since she has an English father her name was not sounding Japanese at all – he named her Rebecca, but everyone called her Becky.

Of course they forced Aiba to tell them how he got this idea and that's when Aiba had showed them his tattoo. Upon seeing it, Jun had shifted a bit, seemingly a bit uncomfortable. Becky made him tell Aiba that during their talk in the bar Jun had suggested Aiba to get a tattoo to imprint his eternal love to Nino onto his body.

“Jun even brought me to a tattoo studio since I seemed to be seriously convinced by the idea of having your name on my body. However, something must have gone wrong in the tattoo studio,” Aiba finally ended his report, and rubbed over the black words on his wrist, obviously unhappy about them.

“Very much wrong,” Nino stated and Aiba pressed his lips together.

Nino was still in a daze. At the beginning of Aiba's report, he had been sceptical and careful about listening to Aiba. However, during his report Aiba had always openly looked into Nino's face, showing no sign that he was still hiding something or making this story up.

So, there was nothing that could stop him from believing in Aiba's words. He really WANTED to believe in them. They made his body feel warm and cosy, his thoughts light and less aggressive, his heart joyful and full of love.

And that's the effect Aiba usually had on him and why he admired and loved him so much. He wanted to be with this man – forever, and since things really seemed to be nearly solved, he could stop imagining break-ups and betrayals. It suddenly seemed so crazy to Nino how he could have thought Aiba was able to do this. Not HIS Aiba, who had just declared his love to him over and over again.

Not able to hold himself back any longer, Nino leaned forward and kissed Aiba's cheek softly.

The happy smile that spread over his boyfriend's face made Nino all fuzzy inside and he realised that his facial expression had softened as well. They simply looked into each other's eyes, words unnecessary to explain their feelings to each other.

But then, a frown wandered over Aiba's face when he seemed to remember something.

“Jun couldn't tell me what happened inside as he went back home after he dropped me off in front of it but he gave me the address of the tattoo studio,” Aiba explained.

“Will you go there with me tomorrow?” he then asked, playing with his empty cup, while looking hopefully at Nino.

“Yes.”

Aiba's face lit up and he sent another beautiful smile into Nino's direction that made his heart beat faster. However, Aiba turned serious once more.

“And... will you come home with me tonight?” he asked, his voice soft and full of love.

“... Yes!”

Aiba's smile was back while he rubbed his hands, trying to channel his relief into something that was not a joyful scream (because that would have earned him some shocked looks from the other guests and most probably a slap from Nino).

Instead, Aiba paid for their drinks and took Nino's hand. When they left the little café, he took their entangled hands into his pocket, to make sure at least one of Nino's hand would not get cold again. Nino cuddled a bit closer to Aiba, immediately being wrapped into his warmth.

Of course, there were still many things to talk about and they still had to erase that tiny little possibility of Aiba meeting a girl named Kazumi in that mysterious tattoo studio, who had enchanted him so much that for whatever reason his drunken brain had decided to switch Nino's name with hers.

However, the only way to find out was to ask the tattoo artist and Nino was utterly delighted that Aiba wanted him to be there when he'd visit the studio. They would find out the truth together and then they could work with it, no matter what it would be.

Because Aiba still loved him and wanted him in his life and Nino felt the same about Aiba.

- - -

Aiba couldn't help but smile while he was walking on the pavement, his hand, that was holding Nino's in a tight grip, swinging back and forth.

Before he had found Nino yesterday, Aiba had been on the verge of breaking down. He had been so angry at himself for causing Nino so much pain that the latter had decided to rather go away instead of bearing it any longer.

He had also been scared that Nino had stopped loving him. His heart had been beating like crazy, nearly jumping out of his chest when he had told Nino about his findings, while he had been praying that his boyfriend was able to believe in his words.

His relief was stronger than words can describe when Nino had agreed to accompany him to the tattoo studio and when Nino even wanted to come home with him, Aiba had felt like embracing the whole world.

On their way home, he had been smiling all along, kissing Nino's cheek once in a while when his happiness had exploded again, making his boyfriend blush cutely.

At home, Nino had brought his duvet into their bed again, making Aiba cry tears of happiness that he had tried to hold but couldn't upon the prospect of finally sleeping next to his Nino again. They didn't have sex, but had simply enjoyed each other's presence, holding each other close while they shared soft kisses. It had been the first night since days that Aiba had slept through without any bad dreams or lying in the dark completely awake.

In the morning, they had left for work together and promised to meet after they finished, to look for the place where Aiba had gotten his tattoo.

“It must be right around the corner,” Nino stated as he was holding the phone with the map on display, making sure they'd find their way.

Aiba looked around but as always when he tried to remember something about that night, his brain was unhelpful. The puzzle pieces he had gotten from his meeting with Jun and Becky and from Toma were leading him the way to the tattoo studio but he had no recollection of it at all.

He really hoped to get the last pieces today and finally find out what had happened that night. He was still a bit scared of “Kazumi”, but Aiba had already ruled out the option of having cheated on Nino with her. Sure, you never know, but Jun told him that he'd brought him to the studio at 3 a.m., ringing the owner out of bed because of Aiba's emergency. Nino told him that he had been home at 6.30 a.m. There wasn't much time between arriving at the studio and going back home, as the studio was about an hour ride away from their flat AND somewhere in that time he must have gotten that tattoo as well, so, although Aiba was sometimes quite quick to come in bed (which was all Nino's fault as Aiba defended himself), it was nearly impossible.

Still, how did that name get on his wrist...?

“Purple Passion?”

Nino's voice pulled Aiba out of his thoughts. He looked at the sign his boyfriend was pointing at and nodded.

“Yeah, Jun told me that's the name of the tattoo studio,” he confirmed.

“Flashy,” Nino murmured and Aiba grinned.

They looked at the sign for about a minute before Aiba took a deep breath, turning towards his boyfriend next to him.

“I just want you to know that I love you, and only you,” he began and Nino looked right back into his eyes. “No matter what we will find out, I promise, that nothing about my feelings for you will change,” he went on, wearing an earnest expression.

Aiba could see how much his words were making Nino happy as his eyes became soft and a tiny smile appeared on his lips.

“Thank you,” his boyfriend whispered, blinking away a tear. “It's good to know, because I don't want to share you,” he stated then.

Aiba's heart seemed to explode from happiness and the only way to channel his emotions was to reach out for Nino and kiss him passionately, not caring about the people that passed them.

“Let's go inside,” Aiba said after he broke the kiss and Nino nodded. They entangled their fingers once again before Aiba opened the door to the tattoo studio.

They stepped into a small room with an unoccupied counter. Behind the counter was a door, probably leading to the actual tattoo studio. The walls were decorated with various pictures of tattoos.

“They look really elaborated,” Nino stated.

Indeed, the tattoos weren't thick or simply black, but more delicate, not comparable to the ones Aiba had seen so far and he could see the artistic vibe coming from them. Apart from the fact that it was the wrong name on his hand, Aiba quite liked the thin lines on his wrist. However, he wasn't here to admire the talent of the tattoo artist, he wanted to know the truth.

“Hello?” he therefore called out loud.

There was shuffling in the back of the shop and a few seconds later, a man with light brownish hair appeared. He stretched and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before he looked at his two customers.

“Aiba-chan?” he asked and the man flinched at the overly personal way of addressing him.

“Seems like we're in the right place. He remembers you,” Nino stated from behind Aiba.

“Of course, I remember him. He wasn't here too long ago. Are you bringing a new costumer?” the owner asked, looking into Nino's direction.

“No!” Aiba quickly denied. “This is Nino, my boyfriend.”

He could see that he startled the owner of the studio with his remark as his eyes popped open while his mouth formed a tiny little “o”.

“Actually, I have no idea what happened that night. I don't remember your name and I don't remember any Kazumi,” Aiba went on and the owner nodded.

“You were pretty drunk when Jun brought you here,” he confirmed and Aiba nodded miserably. “I can help you with my name, I am Ohno Satoshi, but I don't know any Kazumi either,” the owner continued.

Aiba let out a frustrated groan.

“According to Jun I didn't meet any Kazumi from the moment I talked to him to the moment he brought me here. Now you tell me that here is no Kazumi either,” he stated the facts. “Why the hell did I think that this is a good name to be imprinted on my wrist?” Aiba nearly screamed and buried his face into his hands.

Nino rubbed his boyfriend's back soothingly.

“Didn't he tell you anything about any Kazumi?” he asked Ohno.

“No, I'm sorry,” the owner said, looking at Aiba sympathetically.

“It seems as if she doesn't exist!” Aiba groaned.

“But you were very sure that you are endlessly in love with her,” Ohno stated. “It was a bit hard to understand though as you were drunk AND crying.”

“Yeah, it happens a lot. He gets emotional when he is drunk,” Nino stated while Aiba nodded weakly.

“You also had a hiccup, which made it nearly impossible to get what you were saying,” Ohno hesitatingly provided some more information.

“Ah, I know, I know,” Nino intervened. “Even I have troubles understanding him at such times, especially because he suddenly starts to invent stupid names for me, like Ninomi-,”

While Aiba tried to hide his embarrassment, Nino suddenly looked at him with wide-opened eyes.

“What?” Aiba asked, not seeing how making fun of him was helping them in any way.

However, instead of answering his boyfriend's question, Nino turned towards the owner of the tattoo studio.

“What EXACTLY did he want you to write on his wrist?” he inquired.

“He mumbled a lot of things, but most of the time he babbled something like “My Kazu ...hick...%$§...mi”!”

Ohno tried to imitate a pretty drunken man who had problems to speak properly while he was crying and having a hiccup all at once.

“What if...,” Nino began and his eyes grew bigger when he looked at his boyfriend again. “What if you said “My Kazu, my Ninomi”?”

“Do I really say such things?” Aiba asked, not being able to believe that the solution was that easy.

“If you're drunk, you do!” Nino nodded furiously. “Try to say it!” he then urged his boyfriend. “In a slurry voice!”

“Nino, I don't think this makes s-,” Aiba tried to stop his boyfriend.

“TRY IT!”

And then Aiba tried it, giving his best to sound tear-stained and drunk.

After listening to it, Ohno rested his chin on his hand while he was carrying a thoughtful expression.

“This somewhat sounded like what you said that night,” he confirmed and Aiba's mouth fell open.

Was that the solution? A simple misunderstanding?

“Yeah, the more I think about it, the more it sounds like that to me,” Ohno nodded and scratched the back of his head.

Aiba still couldn't believe it. If this Kazumi didn't even exist, then there was no way he could have cheated on Nino. He DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!

He turned around to Nino to scoop him into his arms because he knew that his boyfriend had come to the same conclusion. However, instead of a smiling Nino, he was greeted by quite a furious one.

“You are such an idiot!” Nino screamed and reached out for Aiba's collar to shake him. “I was so worried over nothing!” he went on, hitting Aiba's chest with his fist. “I cannot believe it!”

With this, he buried his face in Aiba's jacket.

“I am so glad,” he sobbed then. “I am so so glad you didn't cheat on me!”

Aiba circled his arms around Nino and pressed him close, allowing his boyfriend to let out all of his overwhelming emotions while he smiled sheepishly at Ohno, who just grinned apologetic.

However, of course, Aiba wasn't angry at the owner of the tattoo studio. The man had tried to make sense out of Aiba's words and it was his own fault that it had ended up like this.

Stroking over Nino's soft hair, Aiba closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of relief that spread through his body, making him feel light-hearted and happy.

Of course, the whole incident had left some deep wounds on both of them, especially on Nino, causing them to distrust each other as well as themselves. However, Aiba knew that now, after they found out the truth, as stupid as it might be, those wounds would be able to heal and their bond, after nearly being torn apart, would become stronger than even before.

- - -

Aiba was sitting in Toma's bar, waiting for his boyfriend to arrive. He was all giddy because he couldn't believe that Nino had actually proposed to meet here – outside, in a room filled with people.

Of course, Aiba had taken care to choose a table in the corner where they had a good overview on the bar but were protected from most of the glances from the other visitors. He thought that Nino would feel a bit more relaxed sitting here than right at the counter or in the middle of the room.

Furthermore, Nino had stayed the last days at his parent's home. That wasn't unusual. Sometimes, Nino just wanted to spend some time with them and Aiba didn't mind at all. Of course, he missed his boyfriend, but he also wanted him to spent time with his family.

Therefore, Aiba's eyes wandered impatiently towards the door every ten seconds. He simply couldn't wait to have him back.

When Nino called him last night, asking if they could meet at Toma's bar, Aiba had been surprised but also overly delighted. They had talked about their conflict of Nino not wanting to go out with Aiba after they finally solved the mystery behind Aiba's crazy night, because both of them knew that this was their actual problem.

Nino told Aiba about his fear that he was actually a hindrance to Aiba, spoiling the fun with his nervous attitude around strangers and Aiba's heart had cramped upon hearing this. He immediately had tried to convince Nino that he didn't mind his behaviour at all since he was able to understand that Nino didn't like to be around so many people and really loved him for trying it again and again for his sake.

He promised Nino that he would take care of him whenever they'd go out – he would do the talking, trying to include Nino and he would make sure that there weren't too many people around his boyfriend, causing him to feel suffocated.

Furthermore, he told Nino that he would wait until he was ready. He would not pressure him anymore and give Nino all the time he needed to gather his courage for a drink outside. They could take it slow at the beginning – just the two of them, Aiba had proposed, while emphasizing again that he would wait as long as it would take, without getting impatient or annoyed.

And he did wait. He never asked Nino and he stayed inside as well. He simply didn't want to leave Nino behind again when he went to a party or a gathering with friends. They had visited Sho once, which barely counted as going out, but Aiba was happy anyway and thought that they were on the right track.

Sitting in Toma's bar now, waiting for his boyfriend, caused his blood to be all bubbly while his heart was dancing in his chest. It felt as if they finally were making steps towards their goal and he simply wanted to enjoy this evening to the fullest – if only Nino would appear.

Aiba checked his phone for the umpteenth time. Maybe Nino texted him that he would arrive later or, which would be acceptable as well, couldn't find the courage to come. At least, he had tried then. However, Aiba's phone didn't show any sign of Nino wanting to contact him, so he put it back into his pocket.

“Hi,” he was greeted by the voice he loved to hear the most just a second later, and his head shot up.

Nino was standing in front of their table, his face quite pale while he directed a nervous smile at Aiba.

“Kazu,” Aiba cried out gleefully and stood up to embrace him before he let Nino choose his seat who took the place where he would be able to see what was going on in the bar. Aiba sat down opposite of him in order to shield Nino.

They talked about Nino's stay at his parents and when Toma came to take their orders, they chatted with him for a while.

Aiba was happy – a simple and honest feeling of happiness. It spread through his whole body and he couldn't help but lean over to kiss Nino.

“Thank you,” he whispered and a smile spread over his boyfriend's face since Nino knew that he was the cause for Aiba's good mood.

When Toma brought their beer, Aiba raised his own immediately to make a toast and Nino followed suit. That's when he saw it.

Thin, delicate lines on Nino's wrist.

He reached out for it, forcing Nino to put down his own glass of beer.

“What is that?” Aiba asked before he could even take a proper look.

“A tattoo,” Nino gave back, stating the obvious.

Aiba turned Nino's wrist carefully upside, so that he could read what was written on the pale skin of his boyfriend.

The delicate tattoo looked nearly like Aiba's – two names, linked with a heart. The font was the same and Aiba was sure that this was Ohno's doing as well. However, the names were different.

Nino and Saki

It took Aiba about three seconds to understand what he was seeing. With soft eyes, he looked up to Nino.

“I love you, too,” he simply said and blew a kiss on Nino's wrist.

Comments

[reveetoile]

this story was a whirlwind full of emotions. I was so worried and scared that Aiba cheated on Nino somehow. I could really understand Nino's feelings and also Aiba's worry to find out what really happened. So I am really really happy for how it ended
Thank you for sharing. This was such a lovely story ^^

[yukitsubute]

Oh I loved that story
❤

First I thought it would go in a more humorous direction but I loved that the story was that earnest and so full of feelings - from love to desperation and sometimes anger. It was such an emotional ride till the end, and I am so happy that the bond between them was strong enough. 💛💚

Thanks for sharing anon-san, loved that 💛💚

[ica_90]

hey writer-san.
thanks a lot for this. this such a roller coaster ride XD
i hd an idea on how the kazumi name appear. but i didn't know it could be because of the hiccup. lol. silly guy XD
i love this. the angst in the beginning, the suspense, i'm totally in love with this.
i'm glad they finally solve the puzzle and they're fine in the end.
thanks a lot for writing this and sorry for causing you much trouble.

[duckyshimetai]

Hi Anon! *waves*

Aww, I don't do very well with angst either, but I think part of what makes it work is that I keep reading till the end, hoping for a happy ending ^^;

Omg poor Aiba at the start! It's really difficult to love someone when your interests are conflicting as much as this (indoor vs outdoor person). But he really persevered, and that's such an admirable thing. :)

Oh man, Aiba lying to Sho to cover up for Nino... sigh. Sho is scary :( but yeah, they couldn't have known that it was because Nino didn't want to see Aiba and Asami interact, rather than "just because Nino didn't want to go out of the house", but it did make Aiba and Sho unhappy. :(

And then everything just went whirling downhill from there, ouch. :(

I'm so glad that Nino trusted Aiba and held on in the middle, despite it taking so long for Aiba to find out. Oh, Sho, why did you have to tell Nino it was two people? *facepalm* but then again I was really glad Sho was there to take care of Nino temporarily, as well. ^_^

And I was on the edge of my seat as well, waiting to find out just how "Kazumi" came about! (I'm ashamed to say I originally thought that the tattoo artist just spelled "Kazunari" really wrongly LOL, sorry Oh-chan!!)

"Do I really say such things?” Aiba asked, not being able to believe that the solution was that easy. OMG LOL AIBA. XDDD

Anyway, I really enjoyed the ending, and thank you for the wild ride, Anon! *wink*

[nicefinalbeam]

Author! I really liked that you explored what could potentially become a problem in an already established Aimiya relationship. Of course they love and care for one another, but when you have different wants and needs, sometimes that isn't enough. Aiba wasn't pushing enough for what he really wanted from Nino, and Nino was too insecure in himself to realize that just being there for Aiba was all that was required - not the best social skills. It makes sense that they ran into some complications, and exploring both of their upset feelings was really interesting!

The tattoo thing was honestly funny! Poor Ohno was just doing his best to give Aiba what he asked for (next time maybe don't tattoo anyone if they're too drunk!! LOL), but he accidentally caused some trouble. :D I love, love that Nino copied Aiba's "mistake" and had a girl's name tattooed with his too at the end ahaha. So cute ♥ Glad it worked out between them in the end and they could come to a good compromise for going out!!

[kittykaty]

Thank you for the sweet comment!
I am glad you enjoyed the story with its ups and downs and lots of internal speeches^^

Aiba was so worried as well, like you and of course Nino was so scared that Aiba might leave him, but it all turned out to be completely unreasonable thinking because both love each other too much. <3

[kittykaty]

Too be honest, I DO have an indea about a tattoo story with lots of funny moments but it didn't with my recipient's wish, so I changed the direction comepletely. Still, one day, I want to go for the humourous story!

Yes, their love was deep enough to overcome this and now, that they are assured once more of each other's feelings, they can move forward in their relationship, solve the remaining problems and live together until they are cute, old ojii-chans!

Thank you for reading and leaving the nice comment!
(And thank you once again for your story <3)

[kittykaty]

Dear ica,

I am glad that the story was to your liking. I was so worried that I wouldn't hit your nerve because I am not used to writing angst and I thought I might screw up this time...

I know that the solution in the end is a bit silly, but I thought it actually fits Aiba and I really wanted a stupid solution so that the two realized that they had gone crazy over something so trivial, that they would never do it again and try to solve problems in a different way now^^

[kittykaty]

Ducky~~ <3

We already talked about this, but again, thank you so much for commenting and being right all the time for finding out it was me ;)

I am really grateful that you read it although it's not your favourite genre as well!

I kind of like my silly ending because it does fit Aiba as well as his earnest way to find out what had really happend. I am quite happy because I could fit different sides of him into this story <3

Thank you for reading it till the end and I agree - a happy ending is the best ending!

[kittykaty]

I think I barely write established relationships, so it was something quite new to me to explore but every relationship has its own problems and it's basically a question how both sides deal with it. And I agree with you - the AiMiya way was not the best one!

It was pretty hard for them, but I think they've learned their lesson now, after they'd gone through all that trouble.

Right! Yuo shouldn't tattoo drunk people, but maybe this was kin dof Jun's influence since he asked Ohno to do it (in the middle of the night^^).

I couldn't let it end in any other way than giving Nino a tattoo as well. And since it's Nino, it had to be that way XD

Thank you for reading and leaving your opinion about it! I appreciate it a lot!