Hearts in Harmony [10/?]
Sep. 6th, 2010 11:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
inourwritemindsTitle: Hearts in Harmony [10/?]
Genre: Romance/ Humour/AU/ Slight Angst (very slight)
Rating: PG-13 (perhaps higher as story goes on)
Pairing: Ohmiya and Sakuraiba
Disclaimer: They own me not vice versa
Beta:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
tonieboo0013
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
A/N: LJ cuts hates me.
It was Friday night and Nino found himself armed with his Wii remote and American takeout, unsure of what else a debatable single man should be doing on a weekend night alone. Not surprisingly, Aiba had called to tell him he’d be spending yet another night at Sho’s place. To his immense surprise, however, Jun had called to inform him that he had a date that night.
“I’ll tell you more afterwards. I don’t even know if it’s anything yet,” Jun had laughed, responding to Nino’s excited string of questions. “And don’t you dare tell Aiba!”
So, there he was. Friday night, with video games and a hamburger, just like when he was twelve years old and dating wasn’t even a thought in his mind. Briefly, very briefly, he considered calling Ohno. The thought passed quickly, as he was entirely unsure of every aspect of their relationship and he wasn’t sure how a call from him would be perceived. Well, he did know, and even though his stomach fluttered at the thought, he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to give that impression quite yet.
He bored after a few more races; he’d played the game non-stop for a week, and put down his controller in favour of his guitar. Lately, Ohno’s reassuring voice had been ringing in his head whenever he picked it up. “People like your music, Nino, and you have to embrace that and give it your all,” he’d said that night, as if he really, truly believed that Nino could make miracles happen just by picking up his guitar.
Nino began strumming, flawlessly reciting the chords he’d fabricated the night after his walk with Ohno. He only had a few sentences messily scribbled down in his notebook, just enough for the beginning of a verse. He remembered nearly running home, the sentences forming as he walked, and picking up his notebook, jotting down the lines before they slipped his mind. Ohno, that whole night, in fact, had still been running over and over again in his head. He’d wanted to say thank you, wanted to convey to him how much it meant to have him say those things, but he’d been too self-conscious and chickened out. Instead, he’d started to write, the only thing he knew how to do when all verbal communication escaped him.
“Because it’s embarrassing, I decided to send you this message in code. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. As for a hint… It’s not anything fancy like “I love you”,” Nino continued to strum, repeating the verse in an attempt to find the right sound.
At first the song had begun slow and soft, but it hadn’t felt right. He’d been restless playing it like that, straining to keep the beat slow. Instead, he started testing different tempos, finally deciding on a faster, upbeat rhythm in the end. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever actually play it for the older man, but it felt nice, for once, to have words to say to him. Words that weren’t meant to push him away, but to let him in, even if he was still unsure why he’d wanted entrance in the first place.
But it’s strange… This word means the same when said to both those you love and those you hate.
After another hour, that was all he’d come up with, realizing that writing words for the man was almost as hard as speaking them. He’d begun to get frustrated, writing and then promptly erasing sentences, until the phone rang, loud and shrill. Nino briefly longed for his old phone before picking up. Saved by the bell, he thought dryly.
“Hello,” he answered, his voice sounding less than enthusiastic even to his own ears.
“Nino? Hi, it’s Ohno,” the tentative but cheerful voice on the other line responded. “I’m happy I caught you in.”
In an attempt to not look pathetic, Nino found himself lying through his teeth, “Yeah, my plans fell through.”
Ohno chuckled on the other line, “Sorry to hear that. I just got back from the museum.” When Nino made an interested sound, he continued, “I finished the paintings on time, so I got the exhibit.”
“Wow! Ohno, that’s great!” Nino grinned, placing his pencil back on his notebook and giving the older man his full attention.
All he got in return was a bashful, “Thanks.” He could tell Ohno was uncomfortable with the attention and for a split second, he wondered how he’d make it through a whole exhibit centered around him.
“When is it?” He inquired, hoping he’d called for more than just a pat on the back.
The artist responded quickly, “A couple weeks. That’s what I called for, actually.” Nino inhaled, waiting for the rest, his stomach beginning to flutter about. “I was wondering if you, Jun and Aiba wanted to come.”
“Sure,” the musician agreed a little too quickly, and then fell silent, embarrassed.
“Good,” Ohno sighed, “Thanks. It’ll be full of snobby critics, so make sure you bring Aiba along. He’s always good for lightening a mood.”
Nino snorted, “No worries. You’ll have three incredibly unapprised people; you’ll come out looking really smart. Jun’s a real charmer when he wants to be, so he can captivate the crowd for you. And I can stand beside you, saying things like, “Wow! How much does this masterpiece cost?” Or, “Have you given Julliard an answer yet, they keep calling!” You know, work up the crowd a little.”
Ohno was laughing on the other line, pausing to catch his breath before replying, “I was just hoping for a couple people to snicker at guests with, but that sounds better.”
“Happy to be of service,” he smiled, noticing that his tone was verging on flirting.
Ohno offered the date and Nino promised to inform Aiba and Jun the next time he saw them. They were getting ready to hang up when Ohno cleared his throat. “Uh, Nino? I wasn’t joking about the dinner.”
For a moment Nino sat there, confused, until he remembered their conversation on the phone the week before, and felt a flush rising up his neck and to his face. “I know.”
“Good, Sunday then? I caught a few this morning, and I can grill them up for you,” Ohno spoke cheerfully, his answer more of a statement than an invitation.
“Um, s-sure?” Nino stuttered, fiddling with the paper in his notebook. A dinner was definitely a real date.
---
“Nino-kun!” Aiba called, walking into the kitchen the next evening, an air of purpose to him.
Sho and Jun followed behind, not as exuberant, but grinning at him in a way which made him squirm uncomfortably. He had a feeling he’d regret calling them and seeing the gleam in their eyes, he knew he was right. There was nothing worse than Aiba and Jun, together nonetheless, on a mission. He always knew that, but he’d been desperate and in a moment of weakness, dialed the number to Sho’s apartment. It had all gone downhill from there.
“First,” Jun spoke up, skipping pleasantries and going right for the point, “and most important. What are you going to wear?”
“I don’t know…” Nino shrugged, “I was thinking jeans and a T-shirt.”
Even Sho was shaking his head, as Jun looked at him, aghast. “God, you are absolutely helpless without us.”
Nino glared, not appreciating the attack, “And you are the reason gay men have this stereotype.”
Aiba laughed, stepping in between them and effectively breaking the tension. “Simmer, guys, simmer. Let’s just help him out; helpless or not, it’s Oh-chan on the line here.”
The musician coughed, looking at Aiba with a raised eyebrow, “Oh-chan?”
Aiba grinned, triumphant, “I thought of it the other day, isn’t it cute?”
He didn’t bother with a response as they walked into his bedroom, sidestepping various articles of clothing and songbooks, and headed towards the closet. It was cluttered, mostly clothes Jun had given to him, insisting that he wear them every once in a while and making suggestions of what they would look best with, but Jun navigated his way expertly through it like it was his own.
“I was thinking his long grey cardigan, that white undershirt, and his dark grey checkered scarf. Paired with black skinny jeans and it’s perfect,” Jun said after a moment of rummaging through the closet, pulling out said items as he listed them.
Sho looked impressed, awed even, but Aiba turned to him and said, “He should be good at it; he’s subscribed to every fashion magazine in Japan and America.”
Jun shrugged, “Well, some of us actually care about appearances.” He was eyeing Aiba’s yellow poncho distastefully as he said this. “I always give the best presents, you know.”
“Truthfully,” Nino rolled his eyes, “I’d prefer a new game over that blue blazer you got me for Christmas.”
Jun walked into his bathroom, waving him off as if his time would be wasted replying to something so trivial. He came back a few moments later, various hair supplies in his arms and spoke slowly, “Watch everything I do; you’ll need to do it on your own tomorrow.”
After much messing around and applying of products, Jun stepped back, victorious. “God, I am that good.”
Nino had to admit that it looked good, great even, but it didn’t look as if Jun needed an ego boost, so he hopped off the chair and moved to his bed, ass still partly numb. “Alright, I’m going to stop you there before you move on to make-up. Thanks, though.”
After waving off his friends, all smiles and best wishes, he walked back to his notebook. He had been thinking about the next day since the phone call, nervous and excited. He was almost getting used to the flip-flopping in his stomach.
What will happen from now on? Of course I have no idea, but I’m not worried at all. Because your smile is the best answer.
He thought of those sentences while Matsujun had been styling his hair and repeated them until he got the chance to write them down. They weren’t for the first verse, but he knew he could use them somewhere.
The musician stayed up late that night, jotting down ideas and working on fitting the words with the new beat. It wasn’t until three in the morning that he noticed the time and the fact that if he went to bed too late, he’d wake up with horrid bags. He cursed Matsujun for putting this in his head at all. He nearly jumped into bed, forcing his eyes closed willing sleep to take him, thoughts of the next day still very present in his mind.
---
His wake-up call the next morning was not his alarm, but his cell phone buzzing and Matsujun’s name on his caller display.
Nino’s voice was still groggy as he answered, “What’s up?”
Jun sounded pleased, slightly worried, but more or less cheerful as he replied, “The date went good, very good. I didn’t want to say it in front of Sho, but we saw each other again yesterday, and I really like him.”
The older man had to will himself not to snap, still annoyed from the early hour, and instead chuckled, “I’m glad, will you finally tell me who he is?”
He could almost see Jun shaking his head, a mischievous smile, “Nope, not yet. I have to be sure, completely sure and then I’ll tell you.”
Nino shook his head, a mix between faintly amused and exasperated. Jun had always been like that with all potential boyfriends, never spilling until he was positive there was ‘promise’. It never bugged him or Aiba much, but that might have been because not a lot of guys were up to Jun’s standards. He growled into the phone, “So, you called and woke me up just to tell me how great he is?”
“Basically.”
“God damn, you are lucky you are on the other side of this line. Can I sleep now? Aiba is more suited for the reaction you’re looking for. Squealing isn’t really my thing,” Nino yawned again, burying his head deeper into the pillow, hoping to stay tired.
“Aiba’s always at Sho’s house,” Jun spoke matter-of-factly, “And I’d feel weird having Aiba squeal all this information right into his ear.”
“Well, try me at a different hour,” he smiled, trying to be sympathetic. He really was attempting to be supportive, but it was before nine and he’d fallen asleep closer to four. “I promise I’ll be as enthusiastic as you’d like.”
“I’m holding you to that,” Jun laughed, hanging up moments later, leaving Nino alone and still slightly awake.
Before dozing off again, Nino felt the fluttering feeling starting to return. It was that day.
---
A/N: This would have been up sooner really, but LJ cuts hates me. Really, really hates me. So finallly, three days later, it uploads without screwing up. I apologize for the lack of updates as usual, but I have nothing to blame it on other than RL, so thanks for those of you who are still sticking with this. I really do appreciate it more than you know.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 07:05 pm (UTC)YOU SPOIL ME ♥
I'm so glad I decided to ship express because you deserve it 8D
This was the place where I heard what Nino's solo was like. And what the lyrics were. AND I LOVE THEM~
I'm trying to give an actual review on this thing, I swear! But the whole 36 hours minus the tiniest of catnaps has me fvlvy8gvchfo8v rf87yg hfaoygving.
I loved how you showed Nino's writing process, and how he wouldn't dare interrupt Jun when his zen was collected, but he also didn't tell any of them of the song. Like it's a secret, for now, at least. And, btw, after listening to the actual song, you did a great job describing the rhythm.
Reading back over my edits... I kinda sounded mean, with all the bracket or past/present/future tense parts and I didn't leave much fuschia... I remember that I rushed through these to have them done and
I'M SORRY
tym4beddTIME FOR WORK
D:
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 02:25 am (UTC)The lyrics made me all fuzzy inside, but all Nino's lyrics do that to me. THAT GUY DOES IT TO ME. How am I supposed to live sanely with men like that in the earth? TELL ME.
Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. Don't worry about my sensitivity, I've made it through life thus far with it, I can handle it. I SWEAR!
Thanks for your amazing editing and commenting! It always leaves me grinning! ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 06:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:14 am (UTC)Thanks so much for always reading and commenting! It means a lot ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 06:42 am (UTC)Thanks for the update :D
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:15 am (UTC)Thanks for the comment ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 07:09 am (UTC)I love it when Nino and Ohno talking on the phone,, cute,,! (>v<)
Haha, Jun has to take care of what's Nino going to wear! XDDD
And I wonder who's the guy Jun talking about,,?
Looking forward to the next! Thanks for sharing! (^ ^)
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:18 am (UTC)Jun has a mystery man.. oh dear. XD
Thanks for always reading and commenting, dear! ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 02:14 pm (UTC)so happy to see a new chapter ^^
can't wait for the date!!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:22 am (UTC)So happy to see you around c:
Thanks so much for reading and commenting!♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 02:45 pm (UTC)and finally it's the date!! \o/
can't wait to read the next ^^
thanks for sharing (^.^)y
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:29 am (UTC)Thanks for sticking with this! And always leaving great comments! ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 03:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:30 am (UTC)Thanks for always reading and commenting ♥♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 03:40 pm (UTC)i am really happy about this.
i missed it. *smile*
and this chapter sounds really good. ^^
finally nino has a date with oh-chan!
i am totally excited what will happen there.
and aiba is happy with sho and jun with someone else. ^^
so it is perfect.
i can't wait for the next one!!!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:33 am (UTC)Thanks for always reading and commenting, dear! ♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 12:35 am (UTC)Glad to see you around! Thanks so much for always reading and commenting ♥♥
no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 09:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 06:15 am (UTC)I've missed this one. :') I loved this chapter! I'm glad Nino is getting his muse back, and it's all because of Ohno. :3
I can't wait to read about the date. :D
no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 07:20 am (UTC)Thanks for reading and leaving a lovely comment ♥
(BTW, I'm extra pleased with you because you just so happened to comment on my birthday. Well you didn't comment on my birthday, but like an hour before and I only got it now. PLUS it says Sept. 17 on the date. Anways, I'm rambling, but YAY c:)
no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 07:35 pm (UTC):O Happy birthday! :D
no subject
Date: 2010-09-18 01:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-01 06:44 pm (UTC)Hugs!
no subject
Date: 2011-01-02 01:18 am (UTC)*hugs*!