Hearts in Harmony [3/?]

[inourwriteminds]

Title: Hearts in Harmony [3/?]
Genre: Romance/ Humour/AU/ Slight Angst(very slight)
Rating: PG-13 (perhaps higher as story goes higher)
Pairing: Ohmiya and Sakuraiba
Disclaimer: They own me not vice versa
Summary: Ninomiya Kazunari is in a rut. As an up and coming music artist who long ago gave up his dreams of making it, Ohno Satoshi is refreshing. Ohno Satoshi is an artist traveling from a small town to Tokyo to pursue his dreams of having his own exhibition and Nino is some well needed trouble.

 

Nino’s brilliant plan to avoid taking the subway early was brilliant until it wasn’t. He found himself waking with the sun and Aiba, who had the rest of the week off due to store renovations, had sworn that it was his body giving him a sign that he was meant to take the subway with Ohno. Nino showed him exactly how he felt about that.

“Nino,” Aiba whined, “I don’t see what your problem is. So the guy likes you just stop denying yourself happiness and date him.”

“Aiba,” Nino replied with a growl, “I met the guy like what four times and I learned his name like two days ago.”

“I fell in love with Sho in a night,” Aiba reminded him triumphantly. Nino just thought he was digging himself a hole.

“That must have been one hell of a night,” Nino couldn’t help the grin from spreading across his face and the knowing edge that coloured his voice.

“It was,” Aiba laughed, returning the grin with an even bigger one of his own. “Now stop stalling, go take the subway with Ohno and be happy about it!”

“I need a cup of coffee,” Nino whined, trying to twist of Aiba’s steel grip and perhaps make his way to the TV for another half an hour.

“You’ve had three,” Aiba’s voice was gleefully devious and it made Nino twitch in annoyance. “Bye, love!”

Nino managed to grab his guitar on the way out the door before Aiba slammed it and he heard the lock click. He had a key but he had a feeling Aiba was probably stacking chairs and various household items behind the door and it probably would be a good thing if he got to work on time.

As he trudged his way towards the subway station, Nino tried to muster up all his negative feelings and get rid of the warm, excited feeling settling in his stomach. This was all so ridiculous and he couldn’t believe he was even wasting his time worrying about it. Some random, cute guy wouldn’t stop him from taking the subway he’d been taking for years. Ohno was obviously new which meant that Nino had the right to take it when he wanted. God, he was being childish. He would take the subway. He would be civil to Ohno. Then he would get the hell off and get that annoying artist out of his brain.

 

When he boarded the train he took a seat and tried not to make it obvious that he was looking around. He didn’t care if Ohno was on the subway; he only wanted to know if he should put his hood up.

“Hi, Nino,” Ohno’s voice rang from beside him and he nearly fainted in his seat.

“Ohno,” Nino replied civilly like he’d promised himself. He couldn’t believe he’d been so distracted as to take a seat with an empty one beside it.

They sat in silence, Ohno obviously catching the negative vibes practically rolling from Nino’s body. Ohno shifted uncomfortably in his seat before letting out an awkward, “Going to work?”

Nino nodded his head, “I work at the-”

“Music store, I know,” Ohno nodded his head with a small smile. “Seems like a perfect fit.”

Nino sat frozen, unsure of how to react to that. He decided on a sharp, demanding “How do you know that? Are you stalking me?”

Ohno seemed taken aback by the accusation, “Aiba stopped by the cafe yesterday. Told me he wanted to “check-up” on me, make sure I was good for you. I guess he didn’t tell you then?”

Furious was an understatement, Nino was fuming. He couldn’t believe both of them, conspiring behind his back. Aiba was his best friend, he was supposed to be on Nino’s side and he was sure that Ohno was more than happy to learn all about him. He wasn’t just furious, he was anxious. How much did this guy know about him?

“We’re not dating!” Nino shouted incoherently, barely able to find the words to express how angry he was.

Ohno snickered at that, “I know that.”

“Well then why are you talking to my best friend?” Nino shot back, glaring daggers at the artist who seemed completely unfazed by Nino’s fit and this just managed to annoy Nino further.

Ohno shrugged, “I didn’t go searching for him. Besides it wasn’t like I actually got a chance to get a word in. He just followed me around blurting out random facts.”

The train lurched to a stop and the automated voice told him it was his stop. Nino was torn between the conversation and the need to get to work and decided on both. Without really giving it much thought, he latched on to Ohno’s wrist and dragged him along. He was surprised when he didn’t meet any resistance.

The train pulled away leaving the two man stranded on the platform. Now that he was off the train, Nino wasn’t really quite sure what to do or say.

“Sorry, did you need to be somewhere?” He started apologetically, checking the schedule to see when the next train came. “I wasn’t really thinking.”

Ohno shrugged and when Nino hesitantly made his way toward the exit, Ohno followed. Nino was surprised at how effortlessly Ohno fell into step with his brisk pace and couldn’t stop his mind from becoming curious. The artist took the same train at the same time everyday and he had nowhere he really needed to be?

Nino nervously shifted his guitar and asked unsurely, “So what do you know?”

“From high school up,” Ohno smiled, “I’m not really sure how much information I actually obtained though.”

Nino smiled helplessly, “I’m sorry he bothered you at work. He doesn’t pay much mind to other people’s schedules, he really only follows his own.”

Ohno shrugged, Nino noticed that he did that a lot, “He’s nice enough.”

The fell into an uncomfortable silence as Nino guided the way towards the music store. Nino was at a loss for words and Ohno felt no need for them. He tried to understand how the man he was so intent on avoiding had somehow ended up walking him to work.

Nino had decided on the backstreets and they arrived at least ten minutes before he was actually supposed to be there but Nino considered this a blessing. The both stood at the door entirely unsure of what to say or how to continue.

Nino felt Jun’s eyes watching them intensely through the glass door and muttered a final, feeble, “I’m sorry.”

Ohno gave him a small smile before turning and heading back the way they came and Nino couldn’t stop himself from staring for a couple of minutes at the retreating back. Ohno was moving at a much slower pace than when they’d come but he never looked back once.

When Nino walked through the door he was met with a very smug Jun. The younger man was trying to contain a smile and gave a casual greeting.

“Oh, shove it Jun,” Nino replied bitterly, wishing for once that Jun had been running late.

The diva held up his hands, “I didn’t arrive to work with another man.”

“Aiba went to the cafe and told him everything about me from high school onward. What was I supposed to do?” Nino glared helplessly.

“Any normal person would have gotten off at their stop alone but then again you’ve always been a little out there,” Jun smirked and dodged the CD Nino hurtled at him.

“Can we just forget about this? And don’t tell Aiba,” he warned, an almost begging undertone in his voice.

Jun pretended to zip his lips and throw away the key before resuming his previous action of reading his fashion magazine, though it wasn’t too hard to catch the mischievous gleam in his eyes and the small smile that hadn’t been there before.

Nino spent the rest of his shift practicing his guitar while Jun tapped his foot along with the beats he knew so well and managed to read his way through three magazines.

It was almost seven when they closed up the shop for the night and Jun waited for Nino to grab his guitar, “Aiba will never know if we just sneak by now. It’ll only take a couple of hours and we can say we just went out for dinner or something.”

It took about a half an hour to reach the bar by subway and Jun didn’t miss the way Nino’s head automatically swivelled around, searching. When the artist was nowhere in sight he let the breath he’d be holding out and took a seat next to Jun.

“You know that it’s okay to like someone, right? He wouldn’t want you to isolate yourself romantically. He’d want you to be happy,” Jun whispered, feeling Nino jump beside him.

Nino couldn’t bring himself to look back at the younger man and found he was content to stare at the floor in front of him. “Jun,” his tone was full of warning and an underlying bit of distress.

“Sorry,” he replied, “I just thought you should know that. It was years ago, Nino.”

Nino didn’t speak until the train pulled up at their stop and he and Jun left the crowed train onto the nearly empty platform.

“I think I have an idea where it is,” Jun informed him quietly, aware that Nino seemed to be pondering something.

The older man nodded absently, “We should just slip in and out. If we stay for too long the man might recognize us when Aiba introduces us to him.”

Jun agreed and they made their way towards the bar at an anxiously fast pace. Nino couldn’t stop Jun’s earlier words from burrowing into his thoughts. He’d want you to be happy. He was happy, he thought stubbornly. He was more than happy, he was ecstatic and he was glad Jun was worried for him but there was really no need.

When they came across the bar with it’s lit up name and run down appearance both men were nervous. This seemed just the kind of place Aiba would go looking for men and just the kind of place he shouldn’t.

They pushed open the double doors and took a quick look around. They first noticed the butch man standing behind the counter and he was just like Nino had imagined. If the arm length tattoos weren’t enough to scare you off, the Mohawk just about did the job. He’s got tattoos and he’s real butch and he could easily kick your ass! Aiba’s words rang in Nino’s head and he couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe Aiba had even come around a place like this.

“It’s him, it’s Sho,” Nino whispered urgently to Jun, grabbing his arm and pulling him out before the man spotted them. “Aiba told me about him earlier.”

Jun let out an exasperated sigh, “I’m getting really sick of the police office.”

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Third chapter up:) I really hope you enjoy it! I had a little too much fun writing it, even if I'm not sure yet if it turned out the way I wanted it to.