Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/3104525. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: M/M Fandom: Arashi_(Band) Relationship: Ninomiya_Kazunari/Ohno_Satoshi Character: Ninomiya_Kazunari, Ohno_Satoshi, Aiba_Masaki, Matsumoto_Jun, Ikuta_Toma, Machida_Shingo Additional Tags: Kyo_to_Kyo Stats: Published: 2015-01-03 Words: 10838 ****** Try ****** by honooko Summary Ohno and Nino have to make an effort. Kyoto-era Baby!Ohmiya get- together. Notes 'Kyo to Kyo' was a musical event in 1998 during which several Juniors groups from the Tokyo JE group went to join with the Kyoto juniors studying dance. Nino, Aiba, and Jun all went, meeting Ohno there for the first time. Nino turned 15 during the trip, and Ohno hadn't yet turned 18. Ohno recently confirmed in an interview that after the show finished, he and Nino remained close friends and talked on the phone regularly in the year or so he continued to stay in Kyoto. Nino was lost. He knew he was on the right floor (probably) and heading the right direction (hopefully) but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember if he was looking for a door on the right, or a door on the left. Considering there were three on either side, he wasn’t very optimistic about making it to the rehearsal on time. But he’d had to stop, lingering in their dorm room to have a brief phone call home. He was never alone at any other time, so he’d been waiting for a space of just ten minutes when he could do it and not be hiding in a bathroom stall. It wasn’t that he was embarrassed to be caught talking to his mother, it was just that—talking to her always reminded him of why he was so damn homesick in the first place. He didn’t like how wobbly his voice got, and he certainly didn’t want his friends worried about him. He was fine. He would be fine. He just needed to hear her voice, telling him that she missed him too. But now he was on an errand from Hell trying to find the damn room. It was a bigger one, but definitely on the third floor. The sheer size of this place was mind-boggling at times. He’d thought the Tokyo headquarters was pretty large, but he hadn’t accounted for the fact that the Kyoto headquarters had an entire theater attached. He stopped in front of EAST HALL 3B. It seemed like the right one. He was pretty sure it was the right one. Relatively sure. He turned the knob very slowly and carefully, pushing the door open just enough to peek in the gap. Music flowed out around him, punctuated by the soft squeaks of sneakers on the floor and thuds of landed jumps. Even from behind, Nino already knew who he was watching. Ohno Satoshi. Ohno appeared to be alone, for once. The song he was working with wasn’t one Nino recognized—a personal project maybe? He didn’t think that was allowed, but maybe since Ohno had already been here for a year, he got special rewards. He was moving around the room to a sharp, staccato beat with lyrics in English. He didn’t understand enough to know what it was about, but that hardly mattered, because Ohno’s body was telling a pretty damn good story. The first few days in Kyoto, the older boys had been working elsewhere. It wasn’t until four or five days in that Ohno, Machida, Akiyama and the rest came to work with them. Everyone across the board had been hugely impressed, but Nino only really noticed Ohno. Ohno didn’t go to talk to anyone; he just stood next to his friends and tapped the toes of his sneakers on the floor, waiting to be told what to do. All the Tokyo boys sat on the floor around the edge of the room, and the lights turned down. Once everyone was in their positions, the choreographer gave the signal for the music to start. Then Ohno moved. ‘Movement’ didn’t feel like the right word for it, because to Nino, movement always involved some sort of strain, reach, pull, twist—something restraining that needed to be forced. Ohno didn’t force anything, he just flowed, his body pulsing forwards and backwards to the heavy beat. Every joint in his body seemed to answer to his call. He was movement. And Nino had simply sat on the floor, jaw gaping. Aiba elbowed him in the ribs and made a nodding gesture to remind him to keep his mouth closed and stop drooling, but Nino couldn’t stop watching. He was utterly mesmerized. And then the song ended, and Ohno faded back into the shy, slightly dopey- looking teenager he’d been before the song possessed his very bones. The applause raining down on him seemed to fall on deaf ears, because he was already staring somewhat vacantly forward with no expression on his face. Then the boy next to him—Machida?—elbowed him and pointed, to Nino’s mild horror, at Nino. Ohno blinked, ran his fingers up the crown of his head, pulling sweaty hair through long fingers, wrinkled up his nose and laughed, elbowing his friend right back. He then met Nino’s eyes, and for what felt like eons to Nino, nothing happened. Then Ohno did a very short, sharp, serious-faced bow, before cracking a smile. Nino was quite certain his ears were hot and red, but he returned the smile with his own, tipping up his nose and giving a comical golf-clap in return. It was hard not to watch Ohno after that. On his part, Nino made every effort to include Ohno in whatever he was doing. He’d seen Ohno float through a room, either following someone he already knew, or moving towards them, without really talking with anyone else. Jun wondered if he was stuck-up, but Nino was pretty sure he was just shy, like Aiba. Except Aiba still attempted social interaction as best he could knowing full well he wasn’t good at it. Ohno seemed afraid to even try that. He just stayed with his friends, laughing and smiling and being truly, upsettingly, devastatingly attractive. Nino really couldn’t stay away anymore. It was starting to affect his concentration, and after a stern talking-to from his group leader, he made his move. This involved collecting his lunchbox, lingering in various parts of the room until Ohno came in, then beelining it straight to his side, sitting down on the floor next to him with such force he almost fell over. “Hi,” Nino said to Ohno. Ohno had jerked back from Nino’s exceedingly energetic greeting, and remained in a frozen position of recoiled confusion. It was then that Nino realized he’d forgotten to introduce himself. Ever. “Uh,” he said with a sheepish grin, “I’m Ninomiya Kazunari.” For a moment, Ohno just stared at him. “That’s long,” he said finally. “You don’t seem big enough for that name.” “Yep,” Nino agreed. “That’s why they call me Nino. Much faster.” “Nino,” Ohno confirmed. “The one and only, so far as I know,” he said. Ohno smiled at him, and Nino felt his heart kick. It was such a gentle smile, soft at the edges and warm in the middle. He felt special just by virtue of getting to see the expression at all. “I’m Ohno. Ohno Satoshi.” “I know,” Nino said, opening his bento. Lunch was short—even unfairly hot guys couldn’t interrupt a fellow from his meal. “You do?” Ohno asked, sounding genuinely surprised. Nino looked at him: his eyebrows were knit, but raised. He looked sincere. Nino really liked sincerity. “Yes,” he said very, very seriously. “You see, I’ve been stalking you for several months now. I know what size shoes you wear, what your favorite color is, and whether or not you sit or stand when you piss.” “I’m not sure I even know that much about me,” Ohno commented, seemingly unperturbed by Nino’s humor. “You must have put in a lot of hours.” “You have no idea,” Nino said, nodding his head. “My timesheet is a mess.” “...I introduced myself, right?” Ohno said after a moment. He scratched his nose. “I can’t remember. There’s a lot of you guys this time.” “You kind of did,” Nino said. “They said your name and you nodded. I guess that counts.” “...How old are you?” Ohno asked, looking at Nino a bit more closely. “I thought you were one of the little ones, but you’re not, are you?” Nino wished he had a bigger number to give, because the one he had certainly felt like he fell into the ‘little ones’ category Ohno mentioned. To his credit, Nino hid his embarrassment by shrugging his shoulders as if it didn’t make any difference to him one way or the other. “Fourteen. Almost fifteen. There are littler.” Ohno gave him a look of surprise again. Did this guy walk around and be constantly taken aback or confused by things? Those seemed to be his primary emotions and expressions. “You’re only fourteen?” Nino hunched around his lunch box. “It’s not like I’m an embryo,” he pointed out a touch defensively. Ohno laughed; it was a nice sound, not loud at all but enough to feel like it filled a space. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. You’re just...” He trailed off, but Nino knew how the sentence was going to end already, and finished it for him. “Different,” He said. If there was one word that applied to Nino, it was without a doubt ‘different’. He was loud to hide how shy he was. He was dry to hide how nervous he was. He was funny to hide how self-conscious he was. And above all, he was highly physically affectionate to hide how he really felt about the gender he was constantly surrounded by. “No,” Ohno said, shaking his head. “Interesting. You’re interesting.” Nino stared at him, taken aback for the first time. Interesting? Him? “I think you have me confused with another embryo,” He protested, “because I am definitely not interesting.” Ohno hummed, digging into his own lunch. Nino wasn’t sure if he was being dismissive or just thinking, but he decided to wait it out. “You came over to talk to me. Why?” “I... wanted to talk to you,” Nino asked cautiously, unsure if this was a trick question. “That’s interesting,” Ohno explained. “Why?” “Because no one wants to talk to me,” Ohno finished, smiling. “I’m boring.” But so, so hot. And now he was staring in through a cracked doorway watching Ohno-as-movement slide and pop around the room. For some reason, occasionally Ohno would stop, jog over to the music player and rewind it, before going back and repeating the action with a slight change. Nino realized suddenly that Ohno was choreographing himself. It suddenly made the scene he was witnessing both more interesting and more private, and he struggled with the feeling that he was invading Ohno’s secret space. The music stopped, and Ohno stopped being movement. He was panting a bit, sweat beading up on his forehead and the back of his neck. He straightened, running his fingers through his hair to push it back again and Nino chewed his lip. He wasn’t quite ready to admit that he was attracted to boys. He could accept it, he could feel it without being too upset, but saying honestly, even in his own head, was a little more than he was brave enough for yet. It was hard enough navigating the chaos that was Johnny’s Juniors; he didn’t want to deal with the added complications of romance. Unfortunately, Ohno seemed to be drawing all of those feelings he was perfectly happy to ignore out of him. He watched Ohno’s hands and hair and body and got lost in daydreams. That’s probably why he got caught. Ohno’s eyes met his through the reflection in the glass on the walls of the room. “Nino?” He asked, turning around. Nino was still crouched on the floor in the hall, head halfway inside. Aware he was not going to easily be able to talk his way out of this, he made a quick wish that Ohno would at least not be angry. “Hi,” Nino said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” “You’re not,” Ohno said, shrugging one shoulder. He came over, crouching down so he was on-level with Nino, pushing the door open wider. “I’m finished. What are we doing?” “You’re practicing,” Nino said. “I’m lost.” “Oh,” Ohno answered, looking slightly disappointed. “What room are you looking for?” “I’m not sure,” Nino said, sighing. “If I knew, I’d be there.” “Here I was, thinking you’d stepped up on your stalking,” Ohno said, pouting. His lip was full. Nino dropped his gaze. “Nah,” Nino said. “I just got distracted, watching your butt.” “You think I’ve got a nice butt?” Ohno said cheerfully. “You have a very nice butt,” Nino assured him. “You have a very nice everything.” He was flirting. He knew he was flirting, but damn if he could stop. Ohno seemed to be playing along, but that just plunged Nino into a further state of confusion. Did Ohno know what Nino was trying to do, or was he just joking around? Nino always got the impression that Ohno didn’t really bother to hide his feelings about anything, but they’d only known each other about two weeks. It was difficult to believe that he’d gotten a true sense of Ohno from such a short period of interaction. Ohno stood up, extending a hand out to Nino. “I think I know the room you’re supposed to be in,” he said with a smile. “I’ll show you.” Nino grinned, accepting that beautiful, long-fingered hand. Ohno didn’t anticipate Nino weighing so little though, and his pull didn’t just lever Nino to his feet—it also launched him forward onto Ohno’s chest. They stumbled, but Ohno hooked an arm around Nino’s waist to keep them upright. His t-shirt was sweaty around the collar and Nino planted his free hand on Ohno’s chest. He felt Ohno’s heart pounding against his palm; he must have been dancing harder than Nino had seen. Ohno released him, deftly stepping backwards. The hand that held Nino’s dropped quickly, curling into a fist at his side. There was a moment of silence, each of them deliberately not looking at the other. Nino wasn’t sure why it felt so awkward so suddenly, but something had clearly changed. “...It’s around the corner.” “What?” Nino asked, having forgotten their conversation entirely. “The room you want. It’s around the corner,” Ohno said, walking past Nino and into the hall at a brisk pace. Nino had to jog a bit to keep up, his own hands jammed in his pockets. His fingers were still tingly where they’d been resting on Ohno’s shirt. “This one,” Ohno said sharply, still not meeting Nino’s face. Unwilling to push the issue, Nino nodded his thanks and ducked inside, bracing himself for a scolding. Looking back over his shoulder, he wanted to smile at Ohno, but he was already walking away. “Ninomiya!” The choreographer snapped. Nino winced, heading inside properly. For the next few days, Ohno was hard to find. At first Nino assumed he was just busy, but then he witnessed the older boy ducking around a corner just as Nino was about to say hello. After that, he got the distinct impression that Ohno was deliberately avoiding him. It was starting to get annoying; all he wanted was to chat, maybe play around a bit, but no. Ohno was straight up trying to never get stuck alone with Nino. So of course, Nino waited. It wasn’t difficult; he watched which hall Machida went to after practice, followed, and tucked himself into a poorly-lit corner near their dorm room and bided his time. Sure enough, shortly after dinner, Ohno came down the hall. He was humming to himself, and when he hit the melody, he lifted to his toes and turned, rolling a wave across his shoulders before facing forwards again. He’d made it to his door, hand on the knob, when Nino slinked out of his corner on cat-silent feet. “If you hate me, just tell me,” Nino said to Ohno’s back. The speed at which he turned around was impressive, his back slamming against the door. “Nino?!” “It’s fine,” Nino said evenly. He had long since perfected this speech. He hadn’t given it often, but he certainly wasn’t afraid to anymore. “You wouldn’t be the first. Just—just tell me, to my face, and I’ll leave you alone.” Ohno was silent. He kept his eyes on the ground, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Nino wondered if Ohno was going to punch him; he hadn’t seemed the type to punch anybody, but everybody had a limit. He may have just reached Ohno’s. But the silence dragged on, and Nino found himself getting more and more impatient with the entire situation. “Look, this doesn’t have to be hard,” He said, a bit sharply. “Just tell me to get lost.” Ohno shook his head. Nino wasn’t really sure what this was supposed to mean, and he stepped in closer to say so. Ohno’s hand came up, and Nino flinched away—then long fingers slide up his cheek, curling around his jaw to his ear. It was such a weird gesture, so strangely intimate, that he momentarily froze. Ohno’s hand stayed where it was, rubbing his thumb along Nino’s cheekbone. “I don’t hate you,” Ohno said softly, voice low. Nino shivered, goosebumps raising up along his skin. Ohno pulled his hand back, nudging Nino’s shoulder until he stepped back. Once free, Ohno turned around again and went back to opening his door. Before Nino could stop him, or even speak, he was inside and closing the door in his face. Nino touched his cheek where Ohno’s hand had ghosted across his skin and stared at the wood in complete and utter confusion. He went back to his own dorm, still pensive and rubbing his face. He sat down on his bunk, and Aiba rolled over from the top, dangling his upper body so he could see Nino properly. “You’re pretty late,” he commented brightly. Noticing Nino’s odd expression, he frowned. “What happened?” “I went to see Ohno-kun,” Nino said quietly, staring at his own palms. He’d explained his frustration to his friends already; Aiba was supportive, but due to his own shyness, unable to actively help much. Jun was sympathetic, but firmly believed that Nino should solve his own problems. Toma was just generally unhelpful, being full distracted by their work. “What did he say?” Aiba asked quietly, so they wouldn’t be overheard. “He said he doesn’t hate me,” Nino said, flopping backwards onto his bunk. “Then he... did something weird.” Aiba made a questioning sound, swinging one arm back and forth as he waited for Nino to elaborate. “He... touched my face. Like, kind of brushed it. I think. It was... it was weird,” Nino said, confusing himself even further. What kind of message was he supposed to take from a move like that? Ohno said he didn’t hate him, and Nino believed it. But the touch—caress was probably a better word for it—he had no idea how to interpret that. “Hm,” Aiba said. “Maybe he wants to make out.” “How many times do we have to talk about this?” Nino said, slightly annoyed. “Not everyone wants to make out. It’s just you that always wants to.” “Everyone I’ve made out with so far has wanted to,” Aiba protested. “Good for you,” Nino sighed. “People want to kiss you. They don’t want to kiss me.” He thought about it for a moment before adding, “Ohno doesn’t want to kiss me.” “I don’t know,” Aiba said. “I still think you should at least try to make out.” Nino sighed again, rolling onto his side. Aiba meant well; he knew that. He also knew that Aiba’s version of interpersonal interactions was considerably different than his own. He hadn’t thought about making out with Ohno, but now that the idea was in his head, he couldn’t seem to shake it. What would it be like to run his fingers through Ohno’s hair and kiss him? To press their bodies together and feel Ohno’s muscles move against him? To— Okay, Nino really needed to stop thinking about this before he had a problem on his hands. “This is ridiculous,” Nino muttered to himself in the dark once the light went out. “Completely ridiculous.” But the next day when he saw Ohno at lunch, it all came back. Ohno’s t-shirt rose up when he stretched, exposing the waistband of his boxers. Ohno’s fingers ran through his hair and pulled it back from his face when he started to sweat. Ohno’s hips rolled to the beat of the music in the most sexual manner Nino could offhand recall seeing. He was suddenly supremely aware of Ohno’s presence on a whole new level that he was absolutely not prepared for. His teenage hormones were running wild on him and it was like nothing he’d ever dealt with before. He suddenly found himself dodging Ohno by ducking around corners and avoiding eye contact. Ohno caught up to him on the way out of the showers; Nino had taken a bit longer than usual and he’d been surprised by Ohno’s voice quietly calling out to him when he headed into the changing area. He froze, his towel still clutched around his waist, before responding. “Wait,” he said, “I’m n—let me put my clothes on.” He absolutely did not want to have this conversation wearing nothing. Ohno waited until Nino called out the all-clear. His hair was still wet and sticking up where he’d run the towel over it, and he’d not yet put his feet into his shower sandals, but at least he was dressed. Ohno came around the corner of the lockers and Nino felt himself suck in a breath. Ohno was wearing jeans and a tank top, but the jeans were riding low and the tank top left nothing to the imagination as far as Ohno’s torso was concerned. Nino had to force his eyes up to Ohno’s face. As much as he didn’t want to make eye contact, if he kept staring, he’d have bigger issues to worry about. He already felt his ears getting hot. Ohno seemed to be having a similarly hard time looking Nino in the face. His gaze was darting all over the place, glancing sideways at Nino before jerking away again. He was also chewing his lip nervously. He looked exactly as uncomfortable as Nino felt. “So,” Nino said, swallowing. “What’s up?” “...The other day,” Ohno said abruptly. Nino blinked. Ohno glanced sideways at him again before turning his head. Suddenly, he was annoyed by it. If he had to look at Ohno, then Ohno had to look at him. It was only fair. “Look at me,” He insisted. Ohno obeyed, so quickly that Nino suspected Ohno had not been thinking about it. “The other day,” Ohno repeated, meeting Nino’s eyes. “I—I made you uncomfortable. I’m sorry.” Nino stared at him. “I’m really sorry,” Ohno said. He sounded sincere; Nino had no trouble believing that Ohno was exactly as apologetic as he said he was. But that just confused him even more. Why was Ohno sorry? What had he even done? Nino rubbed his forehead between his eyebrows. Things had gotten stupidly complicated stupidly quickly. “I’m honestly not even sure what happened,” Nino said softly. He sat down on the bench in front of the lockers, tired of the entire affair now. He’d never been good at this, and Ohno didn’t seem to be doing much better. “I just wanted to know why you suddenly didn’t want anything to do with me, but then—you just—“ Nino put his face in his hands. “I’m really confused right now,” he said through his fingers. He heard Ohno’s feet on the tiles; Nino realized from the sound that Ohno was barefoot. He peeked through his hands and saw that Ohno was standing directly in front of him, almost between Nino’s legs. Startled, he looked up. Ohno was leaning over him, one hand planted on the locker behind him, the other hooked in his belt loops. His hair was falling over his eyes, but Nino could still see them clearly enough to feel them looking so deeply at him he got chills. And with each heart beat thundering in his ears, Ohno was getting closer. Nino had no idea why he did it, but he put out his hand against Ohno’s face, stopping him. “Wait,” he heard himself saying. His voice wobbled. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Wait a second.” Ohno blinked into his palm; Nino felt his eyelashes move. “I’m confused,” Nino continued. “This isn’t making me less confused.” Ohno took Nino’s wrist and pulled his hand off. He looked half exasperated, half baffled. “I’m confused too!” he said in possibly the loudest voice Nino had ever heard him use. “You’re—it’s you!” “Me?!” Nino said incredulously. “I’m confusing?!” “Yes!” Ohno said. He turned, sitting down on the bench next to Nino and burying his face in his hands as well. He ran his fingers back through his hair again, trying to push it out of his face. Later, Nino could not possibly say what made him do it, but without thinking he reached out and tucked Ohno’s hair behind his ear. He withdrew his hand, looking at his fingers in complete disbelief. Why did he do that? “Sorry,” Nino said quietly. “That was... probably confusing too.” “Kind of,” Ohno said. He sounded wistful and slightly sad. “You’re really—I see you, and I just—“ “Feel things?” Nino suggested. “New things?” “Not... new,” Ohno said. “Just... stronger?” “More intense,” Nino agreed. “Really intense.” “Pretty much.” Nino looked up at the ceiling, trying to sort his feelings into understandable terms. It had all built up so quickly; at first he’d just been drawn to Ohno, but the desire to see him had intensified and developed into other desires entirely. He’d never felt such a physical reaction to someone’s mere presence before. If he’d had any doubts about himself and his preferences, they’d be gone now; fortunately he was not so naive about himself. Ohno was not him, but Ohno had essentially just admitted to knowing the same thing about himself, so that at least was not the issue they were dealing with. And if that particular brand of confusion was off the table, that actually made the real issue a great deal simpler. “How about we just... go slow?” Nino suggested. Ohno looked at him, attentive. “No rush, no—no getting carried away. Just little steps. See what happens.” “I don’t know if I can do little steps with you,” Ohno admitted frankly. “I haven’t been very good at it so far. And I tried.” “Try harder,” Nino said. “I will too.” Ohno hummed; he leaned back, his hands planted on either side of him. Nino assumed he was thinking it through, until he felt Ohno’s fingers overlap his. “Try harder.” The hand pulled back with a heavy sigh, but Nino got the impression that he was mostly kidding around. And for the first time in a while, Nino laughed. It felt good, especially when Ohno started laughing too, and Nino leaned sideways until their shoulders bumped together. And when Ohno’s fingers worked their way over again, this time, Nino turned his hand over to twist them together, squeezing. “I still don’t understand how I could possibly be interesting,” Nino admitted. It was absurd; he was so beyond ‘cool’ he came right back around, while Ohno turned the heads of everyone in the room when he turned on some magical switch when he danced. Nino could only attribute it to being seventeen; hopefully when Nino hit that number, he’d magically gain the same powers. Ohno turned his head and bent, bumping their foreheads together. The smile on his face was so warm it made Nino’s heart flip. “You’re Nino,” Ohno said simply. “That makes you really interesting.” Nino ducked his head shyly; he didn’t fully believe it, but he was willing to try. Over the next couple of weeks however, they both proved neither of them were very good at this whole ‘going slow’ business. For one thing, Nino could not keep his hands to himself. Now that he was more or less allowed to, he leaned on Ohno almost constantly, his hands skimming from Ohno’s shoulders down his front, with Nino’s body pressed against his back. Ohno kept coming up behind Nino when Nino was standing over something, slipping his long, beautiful hands up the back of Nino’s shirt and the bumps of his spine before drifting away. It was an agonizing tease for them both. Aiba had pulled Nino into a playful headlock, which turned into a minor brawl when Toma and Jun jumped in. At first they were just trying to pull each other to the ground, but it quickly escalated into a massive tickle fight. Aiba got Toma down and Nino was holding his feet, when Ohno came around the corner. Jun jumped up, dragging Nino up to attack with him. Giggling, they each grabbed one of his wrists; Ohno made half-hearted protests before joining in, quickly being overwhelmed by Nino when he tripped him and tossed him down. Nino sat across Ohno’s hips, pinning his wrists down. Nino had a wide, predatory grin on his face, and he was breathing heavily. Ohno was breathing pretty hard as well, and as the seconds dragged on, his breathing took on a different speed. Nino felt his heart pound, and not from the exercise. Ohno was flushed, his hair mussed and sticking to his skin where he was sweating. Ohno’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, then he licked his lip. Nino felt his hips shift just enough to put certain ideas in Nino’s head. For a moment, Nino could feel himself leaning down, eyes on Ohno’s lips. “Try harder,” Ohno murmured just loud enough for Nino to hear. He froze, watching Ohno’s sideways smile. He looked very apologetic. “Sorry.” Nino inhaled and rolled off of Ohno’s body. This was way harder than he’d expected. “This sucks,” Nino groaned, rolling over so he was face down on the floor. Ohno patted his head gently. “I know,” he said. “Believe me, I know.” It got worse after they started practicing on the completed set. The running on and off the stage involved very fast costume changes partly because there were more Juniors than costumes. Nino would dart off stage and pass his shirt immediately to Toma, his shoes to Jun, and his belt to Aiba. Then he’d wait for someone else to run off and pass their clothes to him. Ohno and the older boys had their own costumes they didn’t need to share, but they would occasionally be in the wings at the same time. Somehow, Ohno would manage to meet Nino’s eyes across the darkened room, and he would be overwhelmed by heat as Ohno’s eyes blatantly appreciated Nino’s bare and sweaty frame. There was just enough distance to discourage them from moving towards each other and acting on the electricity between them. It was probably a good thing the wings weren’t better lit; Nino wasn’t sure what would happen if they could see each other more clearly. It certainly would be more evident in the fit of their pants. “Try harder,” Nino mouthed at Ohno across the wing. Ohno smothered a laugh so no one would hear him from the audience, before shrugging. Nino stuck his tongue out before catching the shirt being thrown at him. Then there was showering. They’d learned very quickly that it didn’t matter how many other guys were around, they still couldn’t keep from completely avoiding touching. In one close call, they had both decided, without consulting each other that they would simply wait until they were the last one. Instead, Nino came around the corner at the same time as Ohno. His eyes went down to Ohno’s delicious abs, then up his chest until their eyes met. Ohno crossed the space between them with absurd speed, backing Nino up against the lockers and planting a hand next to Nino’s head. Ohno got control of himself just fast enough to avoid kissing Nino; he pressed his nose into the crook of Nino’s neck, pressing their bodies together. Nino threw his arms around Ohno’s neck, eyes closing as they just breathed each other in. “Harder,” Nino murmured against Ohno’s cheek. “It already is,” Ohno said with a smirk. Nino giggled, but the sound was cut off with a hiss when Ohno confirmed his statement by rolling their hips together. Nino’s hands moved up to Ohno’s hair, running his fingers up along the back of his skull, tilting his own head back and biting his lip. Ohno’s mouth found his neck, and he licked at the junction between his neck and shoulder. Nino groaned, rolling his hips forwards again. He had given up on ‘slowly’; it felt too good to keep pretending he actually wanted ‘slow’ in the first place. Ohno kissed him under his jaw. Nino couldn’t think anymore; he didn’t want to think anymore. But then Ohno pushed himself away, taking a few shaky steps back. Nino made a very sad, whining sound, reaching out with one hand. “No,” he said, “no no no!” “Yes,” Ohno said gravely, breathing hard. “We said slowly.” “Fuck it!” Nino said. “I don’t care anymore!” “No,” Ohno said, “You do. We do. We’re just—“ “Fucking horny as hell,” Nino snapped, taking a few quick steps forward. Ohno moved backwards, holding his hands out, but laughing as he struggled to get out of Nino’s range. His towel started to slip and he grabbed it one-handed. “I know, I know!” Ohno protested. “But—“ “No!” Nino interrupted again. “I’m not confused anymore! This was a stupid agreement! It was seriously the worst idea ever!” “I’m not disagreeing, exactly,” Ohno said placatingly. “Just—now? Do we want to do this right here, now? Now?” “I want to do something,” Nino said, clenching his fists at his side. He knew he was bright red, and he knew he was almost begging, but he was so beyond caring that his dignity was the last thing he could possibly be worried about. “I’ve never gotten to—“ He slapped his hands over his traitorous mouth. He’d made it so far without Ohno finding out. Maybe he would let it pass without comment. One look at Ohno’s face confirmed that this would not, in fact, be what was happening. A series of emotions played across—surprise, confusion, and guilt. It was the last one that had Nino worried. “Please don’t—It’s not that big of a deal—I mean, it is I guess, but—“ He fell silent when Ohno held up a hand. “It’s not—it’s not an issue like you think it is,” He said. “It’s just—that’s a big thing to do.” Nino dropped his head. They’d been so close. It wasn’t like ‘virginity’ really mattered to him; he’d always figured the time would come. And honestly, the idea that it would be Ohno was incredibly exciting. Everything about this had been exciting. But then he had to go and open his big, stupid, virgin mouth and now Ohno was not nearly as into this as he had been five minutes ago. “Everybody says that and they’re all wrong,” Nino said firmly. Ohno laughed, but Nino didn’t feel like Ohno was directing it at him. “I know, I just... this is going to make me sound like such a pervert, I’m really sorry,” Ohno said, wincing. “But you being fourteen kind of makes a big difference to me now.” Nino wanted to scream. Or cry. Or just press this stupid, hot, stupidly hot boy against the wall and kiss him until he forgot all about Nino’s extremely inconvenient age. Instead, he was standing in his towel, wet hair sticking to his forehead, hands clenched into fists at his side. He could feel himself getting more and more upset at how completely frustrating this entire thing was. Maybe he hadn’t been sure what he wanted a week ago, but now he had no doubts at all—but Ohno did. Maybe big enough doubts to call the whole thing, start to finish, off. His bit his lip; he was rapidly losing control of his emotions, and with his chin glued firmly to his chest, Ohno wouldn’t see it on his face. He didn’t know how evident his distress was on the rest of his body; his shoulders were a taught line, his hands were fists, and his entire body was shaking. “Nino,” Ohno said quietly, from much, much closer than he’d been before. In fact, he’d at some point stepped behind Nino, wrapping one arm around his waist and pulling him back against Ohno’s chest. Ohno put his cheek against Nino’s head, and opened one of Nino’s fists so that he could twist their fingers together. Nino shook his head, completely out of words, but squeezed Ohno’s hand tightly, making sure there was no confusion over his silence. He wanted this so badly. It wasn’t fair. Ohno swayed slightly, holding Nino to him and rocking them back and forth gently. It was an entirely different way of touching; up until now, Nino had been electrified when they were skin-to-skin, but this was... new. He could feel the tension leaving his shoulders. His heartbeat slowed. The heat in his skin was dissipating and he exhaled deeply. Ohno started humming very softly, continuing their slow rocking-dance until Nino seemed calm. “Don’t be upset,” Ohno said into Nino’s ear. “It won’t be today, I’m sorry. But it’ll be.” “Promise?” Nino asked, wishing he didn’t sound so small. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe it; he was just getting tired of the tease. Ohno pressed a kiss to Nino’s hair. “Promise.” “My fifteenth birthday is in six days,” Nino informed Ohno firmly. “You better be ready to give me the best birthday present of my life.” “I’ll see what I can do,” Ohno said seriously, his tone betrayed by the slight squeeze he gave Nino around the waist. He released Nino and twirled him around by their linked hands, before adjusting his grip so he could kiss the back of Nino’s hand, smiling. By the time Nino made it back to his dorm to slide into his bunk, Aiba, Jun, and Toma had been doing everything they could think of to cover for Nino’s absence. They had finally settled on violent diarrhea when Nino returned. “Are you okay?!” Jun hissed into the darkness. “You were gone for ages!” “Did you finally do it?!” Aiba asked. Nino was glad it was too dark to see Aiba’s face; he was slightly annoyed that Aiba had apparently blabbed Nino’s current problems to all their friends. It was probably out of concern, but that still meant there were two more people involved in this mess than there had been previously. And Jun was still weird about sex. “We did nothing,” Nino said carefully. It wasn’t completely true, but he knew if he said anything else, his friends would refuse to let him sleep without talking about it. “I just want to sleep, okay?” “You are okay, though, right?” Jun asked again. Nino smiled despite himself; Jun was a bit of a worrier sometimes. “I’m fine,” He said warmly. “I really am.” Jun seemed to accept this, because Nino heard his bunk squeak as he resettled. Nino himself fell asleep almost immediately; he’d had a long week and the next one promised to be, if possible, even longer. Ohno sat next to him the next morning at breakfast, looking upsettingly cheerful. Nino gave him a very long, very dry look, eating his rice with no expression on his face. Ohno attempted to steal a piece of toast, and Nino rapped him firmly on the back of the hand with his chopsticks. “Ow!” Ohno said, pouting at Nino. “That was mean.” “This is my food,” Nino said flatly. “Yours is over there.” “You’re mad at me.” “You noticed.” “I said I was sorry.” Nino took another bite of rice, staring at him in silence. It was too early for him to feel sympathetic. “Niiiiinoooo-chaaaaan,” Ohno said, stretching out every syllable and leaning over to bump shoulders with him. “Don’t be maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.” Nino finished his rice and moved on to his soup. “Okay, I get it.” The soup was excellent, but a bit hot. Nino blew on it. “My fault. I suck. I’m sorry.” Nino examined his plate, carefully picking off the hijiki. He hated hijiki. “Are you going to be mad forever now?” Ohno asked. He turned so he was speaking right into Nino’s ear. “I don’t like sleeping with people when they’re mad at me.” “I don’t like sleeping with people who refuse to sleep with me despite showing every sign they want to.” Nino growled at him. Ohno pouted at him. Nino frowned at him with as much seriousness as he could put into it. Ohno raised an eyebrow at him; Nino turned away, annoyed with himself as much as he was with Ohno. He really didn’t understand why this had to be so damn hard. “Look,” Ohno said quietly, “Things... they got really serious really suddenly. I got—nervous.” Nino gave him a sideways look. What the hell was that supposed to mean? But Ohno wasn’t making eye contact; he was staring at his fingers on the tabletop. He was also a bit red. Was he... embarrassed? Or shy? “Tell me honestly,” Nino said, equally quiet and hiding his mouth behind his soup bowl. “How many times have you... done that?” Ohno shifted uncomfortably beside him for a moment, but Nino was willing to allow it if his suspicions were correct. “Three,” Ohno said. “Kind of.” “Kind of.” “Depending on your definition of ‘it’, yeah.” “Using most people’s definition?” “...Two.” “And how many people was that with?” “One.” Nino placed his chopsticks down on the rest. He finally turned to Ohno, looking him full in the face. Ohno was still burning a hole in the table with his eyes, so Nino put a finger under his chin and forced him to look up. “You’re exactly as overwhelmed by this as me, aren’t you?” he asked. Ohno didn’t need to answer; Nino could read it on his face. Taking his hand away, he leaned sideways against Ohno. “I don’t know why you didn’t just tell me that.” “I’m not good at this,” Ohno said. “Talking, that is.” “Clearly,” Nino said. He sighed, dropping his head to Ohno’s shoulder. “We could have sorted this out a while ago otherwise.” “You’ve been giving really... mixed signals,” Ohno said with just a slight hint of a whine. “Fair,” Nino said. He had sort of started all of this before imposing the now much-loathed ‘slow’ limitation, a limit he himself had been pushing to the breaking point on several occasions. Ohno certainly wasn’t helping, but he had in his own way also been the most consistently respectful of it by pulling back when they got carried away. Maybe Nino was ready to fuck up and make mistakes, but Ohno wasn’t willing to take that risk. And Nino had given him enough reasons to doubt his resolution to play it safe. “Do you think I should wait?” He asked Ohno. Ohno hummed at him. “Is there even a teeny part of you that doesn’t want to?” Ohno said. “Because that’s the part you should probably—“ “Listen to,” Nino agreed with a sigh. “Not really. Maybe earlier, but not anymore.” “It’s your choice,” Ohno said. “But I kind of need you to tell me.” Nino’s hand found Ohno’s; he twisted their fingers together, watching Ohno’s long fingers laying across Nino’s short ones. He’d never expected this to involve so much talking, but all things considered, Ohno had an excellent point. Nino didn’t want to do something he’d regret, but Ohno needed to be even surer that Nino was ready for all of this. It was clear he wouldn’t do anything until he was 100% positive it was wanted. “I’ll think about it,” Nino promised. “But I’m pretty sure my answer won’t change.” Ohno disentangled their hands, but slid his newly-freed palm around to Nino’s lower back. It was a quietly possessive gesture that sent goosebumps down Nino arms. No matter what he told Ohno, Nino had already made up his mind. He wanted this; he wanted Ohno’s electric touch, he wanted Ohno to kiss him properly, he wanted to feel Ohno’s skin against his own with nothing between them. He’d spent days thinking about it, and he knew he wanted it. It was just a matter of convincing Ohno of that. He still had five days before his birthday—he’d spend them assuring Ohno he was very much in favor of them getting completely carried away. “Just don’t drive him crazy,” Toma advised sagely. “You know how you get.” Nino nodded, sharing his box of senbei with him. Generally speaking, Nino had restraint, but he was also much more affectionate with his friends than most people. When he and Sho had started getting closer, Nino had to consciously scale back his behavior when Sho expressed some discomfort with it. Gradually they’d adjusted and now Sho was perfectly fine having Nino drape all over him, but it had taken a bit of time and talking. Toma’s advice, however, did not allow for the slow tease Nino was planning. He was dead-set on making sure that by the time he turned fifteen, Ohno was desperate to jump his bones. His first idea was pretty simple: seduction. Unfortunately, Nino had never attempted to seduce anyone before and wasn’t entirely sure what to do. He tried to think back to what had seemed to get Ohno’s attention before: touching had definitely had something to do with it, but there were other circumstances. Ohno seemed to enjoy just watching Nino, so Nino decided to give him a show. He danced like he’d never danced before, with as much energy as he had. Besides making their director thrilled, it made Nino sweaty and breathless in full view on a regular basis. After one particularly active number, Nino flopped into a chair on the side of the room, gulping down water from a bottle as he tried to catch his breath. He noticed Ohno staring at him from across the floor, pupils blown wide, watching the sweat roll down Nino’s neck and his shirt stick to his chest. Nino knew his body didn’t have anything particularly attractive about it, but sometimes it didn’t matter what you looked like—what mattered was how you used it. Nino smirked at Ohno across the room, swallowing his water in one big gulp. Walking around Ohno, Nino deliberately draped himself across Ohno’s shoulders as much as possible. He also started following an impulse he had, until now, been ignoring: grabbing Ohno’s delightfully pert ass. Every chance he got, he’d grope. Ohno would either bravely ignore it, or swat Nino off, but he never seemed particularly upset or annoyed. Once, he even made motions to return the favor, but Nino danced out of his reach with a giggle. But the day before his birthday, something changed. Nino saw Ohno having a deep, quiet conversation with his friend Machida. He kept glancing in Nino’s direction with an increasingly deep frown. Nino didn’t like the way Machida was looking at him either; it was suspicious and disapproving. Machida hadn’t warmed to Nino like most of the other Kyoto boys had, and Nino had every reason to believe that Machida wasn’t in favor of Ohno having anything to do with Nino. Sure enough, after that conversation, Ohno seemed to be deliberately avoiding Nino again. He managed to stay out of sight for the rest of the day, upsetting Nino terribly. “Maybe you should just talk to him again,” Jun suggested softly. He’d been watching Nino’s anxiety in silence, but once Nino started to become quietly withdrawn, he’d spoken up. “It helped last time, right?” Nino nodded, pulling his knees up to his chin. Jun uncharacteristically put an arm across Nino’s shoulders, giving him a slight squeeze. Jun wasn’t one for physical comfort, but when he did, he meant it. Nino appreciated the gesture greatly. The day of his birthday, Nino woke up with a powerful resolution: he would at the very least get a good, solid conversation with Ohno. With this in mind, he made no attempts to corner Ohno anywhere public; instead, he spent the day with his friends, leaving Ohno to dart around him nervously without being hunted. Once they had all finished for the day, Nino sent his friends back to their dorm room while he once again padded his way quietly down the halls to the long-term dorms where Ohno lived. He tucked himself into a corner to wait. It wasn’t long before Ohno and Machida came down the hall. Ohno looked downright miserable, and Machida was a few steps ahead of him. As soon as Machida spotted him, he froze; Ohno walked into his back. “Macchin, what—“ Ohno stopped speaking abruptly when he saw Nino. Nino smiled at him. “Hi,” he said. “Can we talk?” Machida opened his mouth, but Ohno cut him off. “Yeah,” he said. He looked at Machida; they didn’t speak, but something was definitely communicated between them, because Machida frowned, crossed his arms, and continued walking down the hall. He knocked on another room, and Akiyama opened the door to let him in. Once the door was closed, Ohno held out his hand to Nino. “Come on,” he said. “We’ll be alone for a while.” Nino smiled at him warmly, taking Ohno’s hand and letting himself be pulled up. Unlike the first time, they didn’t end up chest-to-chest, but Ohno’s hand still sent tingles up his arm. Ohno opened the door to his room, and Nino followed him in. It was small, but lived-in. The walls had posters from various performances, intermixed with photos of families and friends. Ohno had a corner plastered with drawings in pencil and ballpoint pens; Nino was fairly certain Ohno had drawn them himself. Slightly nervous about the upcoming conversation, Nino stayed by the door with his arms crossed in front of him. “So,” he said softly. Ohno turned to face him; his expression was hard to read. “Macchin doesn’t approve,” Ohno said simply. “He thinks you’re too young and I don’t know what I’m doing.” “What do you think?” Nino asked. “Do you still—“ “Yes,” Nino said without a moment’s hesitation. Ohno moved immediately, crossing the space between them in two steps. Nino backed up until his back hit the door, but he reached out with both hands, catching Ohno’s face and guiding him. Ohno planted his hands on the door on either side of Nino’s waist, pinning him to the wood. Nino sucked in air as Ohno pressed against him, lining up their bodies in a way that could only be described as ‘delicious’. Ohno nuzzled Nino’s cheek, his breath hitching up. Nino’s fingers twisted through his hair, enjoying the feel of the silky strands across his digits. “Kiss me,” Nino murmured. Ohno didn’t need to be told twice. When their lips met, Nino couldn’t hold back his moan. Ohno tilted his head and ran his tongue along Nino’s lower lip. Opening immediately, they deepened the kiss, sending waves of heat down Nino’s body. Pushing his knee between Ohno’s legs, he got a good grind in that pushed an answering groan from Ohno immediately. They pushed against each other, friction distracting them not quite enough to stop kissing. Ohno’s hands moved from the door to Nino’s hips, pulling them snug against each other. Nino tilted his head back as he had to gasp for air, and Ohno took the opportunity to kiss Nino’s neck, licking at the juncture between neck and shoulder. Nino dropped his hands to Ohno’s hips, dragging them together again as another moan worked its way free of his chest. “Bed,” Ohno breathed against Nino’s skin; all Nino could manage was to nod, letting Ohno guide them backwards until they hit the bunk. Ohno fell backwards and Nino wasted no time in climbing over him, sitting on Ohno’s hips and loving the way they ground together. Ohno’s hands skimmed up Nino’s stomach under his t-shirt as Nino bent down to kiss him against. Taking the hint, he straightened and peeled out of his shirt; Ohno put one arm around Nino’s waist so he wouldn’t get thrown off when Ohno sat up himself. Nino helped him out of his t- shirt, dragging his fingers across Ohno’s newly-exposed abs. Ohno hissed, reaching for the button of Nino’s jeans. Nino was kissing the underside of Ohno’s jaw, pushing his hair clear so he could bite down, sucking just hard enough to leave a mark Ohno might have difficultly explaining later. Later didn’t matter just now though; Ohno was far more concerned with getting Nino’s jeans off of him. After a few seconds of fumbling, Ohno popped the button open enough for him to get at least part of his hand down the front. The sound that came out of Nino’s mouth was something he’d never heard himself make before. “Can we—off?” Nino panted against Ohno’s lips. Ohno nodded, rolling them sideways. Nino wriggled out of his jeans in a heartbeat, kicking off his socks as he went. Ohno wasn’t far behind him, kicking off his own pants and tossing them into a corner. Nino reached for him, but Ohno held out a hand. Without a word, he went to his bedside table, fishing through a drawer until he’d pulled out a foil packet and a little bottle. He tossed them on the bed beside them carelessly, but Nino looked at them and swallowed. Following Nino’s gaze, Ohno frowned the smallest bit before lying down next to him and laying his hand flat on Nino’s chest. “Hey,” Ohno said, voice low and a bit rough. The sound made Nino shiver in pleasure, and he rolled over to face Ohno. Ohno’s hand lifted from his stomach to his cheek, running across Nino’s skin. “Sorry,” Nino said. He hadn’t changed his mind; he just hadn’t let himself think that far ahead yet. “I need a minute.” “No rush,” Ohno said softly. “Whatever you’re ready for, okay?” Nino tilted his head so he could lean into Ohno’s palm. All he needed was a moment to breathe and collect himself; now that he’d had a second, he just wanted Ohno to touch him again. “Come closer?” Nino asked, reaching out. Ohno obliged, moving so he could lean over Nino’s body. He dropped down to kiss him; as his lips devoured Nino’s, Nino’s hands running over Ohno’s stomach and chest, leaving goosebumps in his wake. In case Nino had any doubts about Ohno’s interest in their activities, he’d raised his leg and braced his foot against the mattress and ground their hips together again. The hardness and heat from Ohno’s boxers left no doubt in Nino’s mind that this was all very, very real. But when Ohno started to lower his body more fully over Nino’s, he felt himself getting nervous again. It was very stupid, but he could feel his body tense under Ohno’s touch. Ohno felt it too; he pulled back. “Okay?” He asked gently. Nino did not know where he was getting all this patience; if their positions were reversed, he could not promise he would be so understanding. Nino put both his hands over his burning red face, but Ohno pulled them down, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek. “I have an idea,” Ohno said. He rolled onto his back, taking Nino’s hands and guiding him until he was once again sitting on Ohno’s hips, then setting his palms next to Ohno’s head on the bed. From this position, Nino was in complete control of any movement they might make; he could feel Ohno’s erection against him, so the passion had definitely not waned. It was definitely a lot better; he felt the knot in his stomach loosen. Unsure he had the words to thank with, Nino settled for leaning down and kissing Ohno as thoroughly as possible. Ohno’s hands were running up and down his back, leaving hot shivers in their wake. Nino’s hips had started to grind down again, and Ohno was rolling up to meet him. One of Ohno’s hands moved around to his chest, thumbing at Nino’s nipple. He gasped; he’d never thought about it before, but it felt amazing. His eyes closed and he arched into Ohno’s touch. “Better?” Ohno said devilishly. Nino growled at him, grinding down in retaliation for the tease. Ohno sucked in air, not even bothering to hide his pleasure. “Better,” Nino said, leaning down to nip at Ohno’s ear. “Much better.” Ohno hissed, hands gripping Nino’s hips and using the leverage to grind further. Nino was feeling much more confident from his new position, and this surge of boldness led him to murmur, “Naked?” “Gladly,” Ohno said with a grin. Nino sat up and moved away, giving Ohno enough space to kick off his boxers. Nino felt his mouth go dry; seeing Ohno fully naked was an answer to every teenage fantasy Nino had been nursing since they met. His cock was full and hard, practically begging Nino to touch it. Ohno didn’t give Nino time to be self-conscious about himself; he leaned in to kiss Nino deeply while pulling his boxers down. Nino was more than happy to lose himself in the kiss. Ohno was fumbling off to the side, but for once Nino was out-thinking him. He grabbed for the condom and put it in Ohno’s hand, not breaking the kiss for a second. “Me or you?” Ohno asked, causing Nino’s mind to short-circuit for a moment. “You,” He answered once his brain started working again. “I want you.” Ohno kissed him again, running his hand through Nino’s hair. “I know you didn’t like it before, but this part’s easier if—“ “I lay down,” Nino said. “I know. It’s okay.” He threw his arms around Ohno’s neck to reassure him that it was, in fact, perfectly okay. He knew enough to expect this. Ohno helped him lay down, pulling a pillow over for Nino to put under his hips while Ohno rolled the condom over his cock. Relatively comfortable, Nino looked up at the bottom of the bunk above them. He didn’t like how cold he felt when Ohno wasn’t touching him. To his relief, Ohno had returned, crawling over him and dropping kisses across his skin as he moved. He had the bottle in one hand, and once he reached Nino’s mouth, they kissed for a while before Ohno gently wrapped a hand around Nino’s cock. It was the first time in his life that he’d felt a hand that wasn’t his; he moaned loudly, thrusting into Ohno’s grip. The heat was incredible, and Nino’s body was moving of its own volition. Nino felt Ohno move his free hand to between his legs and kiss the side of his thigh. It was an electric touch to match the pooling warmth in his stomach. Nino knew it was coming, but that didn’t entirely make it pleasant. He hissed when Ohno’s finger first entered him, but Ohno took his time, pulling out regularly to add more lube. He murmured soft comforts against Nino’s skin, not once losing his rhythm on Nino’s cock. Nino knew when Ohno had moved on to two fingers, then three, but it didn’t hurt; usually it was mildly uncomfortable before gradually adjusting, but he honestly didn’t focus on it much thanks to Ohno’s attentions in his other hand. It wasn’t until Ohno took all three fingers in and crooked that he nearly jumped out of his own skin. The sound he made must have been somewhat loud, because Ohno chuckled against his skin. “It’s pretty good, right?” He said, sounding very pleased with himself. Nino still couldn’t manage words; he laid his arm over his eyes and made the sound again. He felt Ohno pull his fingers out, and he panted for air while Ohno crawled up higher on the bed. Pulling Nino’s arm off his face, Ohno kissed him until Nino had to break away for air again. “Do you want up?” Ohno asked him, nuzzling his jaw. There was sweat pooling in Nino’s clavicle, and his heart was beating what felt like a thousand beats per second, but he still managed to nod. His whole body was shaking, but Ohno helped him to kneel over his hips by sitting up with an arm around Nino’s waist again for support. He pressed a few kisses low on Nino’s belly before lining himself up. “Ready?” He said against Nino’s stomach. Nino grinned, pushing the sweaty hair out of his eyes. “Ready,” He answered. Very slowly and very carefully, bracing himself on Ohno’s thighs, Nino sank down on his cock. At first, he was not at all sure this had been a good idea. But Ohno kept a hold on his waist and continued to press kisses across his neck and shoulders, encouraging him to keep going. Finally, Nino felt his hips meet Ohno’s. He paused, chest heaving, feeling Ohno filling him in a way he’d never even been able to imagine. “Hold on,” Nino gasped as Ohno gripped his hipbones. “I’m going.” He moved. The wave that rolled over them was so powerful, Nino couldn’t believe it came just from the two of them. It rocked his body, pulling him into a rhythm Ohno was more than happy to match. After a few thrusts, Ohno laid back, Nino riding him with nothing but Ohno’s hands holding him down. His head fell back and he made that noise again, a low keening that built in volume as they moved together. The ball of white-hot tension in his belly grew and grew until Nino realized he was seconds out from coming. He tried to warn Ohno, but his voice didn’t work; all he could do was ride it out. The orgasm washed over him in a massive crescendo, his ears ringing and his mouth dry. He could hear Ohno calling out, but all he could do was keep moving, feeling Ohno pulsing inside him. Ohno’s fingers were white and they dug into Nino’s hips and they jerked; after a few more pulses, they slowed to a stop. Nino felt like his limbs weren’t working and fell forward onto Ohno; Ohno threw an arm around him, rolling them both over until he could pull out. Nino made a soft noise, still extremely sensitive, but Ohno kissed his forehead in apology. For a long while, they just lay there, catching their breath and enjoying the way their bodies tangled together. Nino got himself together faster, and helpfully removed Ohno’s condom, tossing it in a wastebin near the bed. Pleased with his dexterity, he then snuggled closer into Ohno’s light hold, pressing his nose into the space just behind Ohno’s ear. Ohno was making a humming noise that Nino was relatively sure was positive, but just in case, he lipped at the shell before whispering his question. “Did we try hard enough?” Ohno laughed, turning his head to nuzzle Nino back, kissing him. “We tried our very hardest,” he said solemnly. “You especially tried very hard.” “Thank you,” Nino said with a smile. “I did, didn’t I?” “Is it okay?” Ohno asked after a moment. “That it was me.” His first. Ohno would always be his first. And even if this never happened between them again (and Nino definitely believed it would not be) Ohno would still be his first. It hadn’t mattered that much before, but strangely now that it was over, it mattered a lot more than he’d thought. He thought about Ohno’s face when Nino took him in fully and smile a little cat-cornered smile. “This has been a very nice birthday,” Nino said happily. “I’m very pleased.” “Are your friends going to worry if you don’t come back tonight?” Ohno asked Nino, the arm around his waist tightening for a moment. Nino liked the little thrill he got when he imagined climbing under the covers and snuggling with Ohno for the rest of the night. “Probably a little, but they’ve got an idea of where I am,” He confessed. “I think it’s fine. Won’t Machida-kun—“ “Macchin and I have an understanding,” Ohno said. “That’s why he’s not here.” He sounded ever-so-slightly sad about it, and Nino kissed his cheek for comfort. “Then I’ll stay here, with you.” He announced. “If... if that’s okay.” Ohno said nothing; he just sat up, gesturing Nino with him. They moved up so Ohno could pull the covers out from under them, then lay back. Nino reached out to tuck them in, making sure every toe was covered before diving back in to press himself snugly into Ohno’s hold. He was going to get terribly fond of cuddling Ohno, he could tell already. “Hey,” He said into the darkness. Ohno hummed in response, half-way asleep. “Use my name.” “Hmm?” “My name. Can you say that, instead of ‘Nino’?” “Always?” “Just—just when it’s us.” Ohno smiled; Nino could feel it against his cheek. “Goodnight, Kazunari.” “Goodnight, Satoshi.” He had a few more weeks left in Kyoto; he fully planned to make the best of them. And he had no doubt he’d have to try very, very hard. Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!