It Was Always You (Chapter 5)

[rainbow_teatime]

Title: It Was Always You
Pairing: Sakumiya (main), Ohmiya, Sakuraiba
Rating: PG
Summary: Ninomiya Kazunari attempts to confess his feelings to college senior Ohno Satoshi in a letter. However, in a twist of events, the letter did not end up with Ohno, but his roommate Sakurai Sho, who happened to have unrequited feelings for Nino's roommate, Aiba Masaki. The pair finally decide to form an alliance of mutual interests, only to learn that it takes them in a completely different direction...

"Now, for our final phase!" Nino said as he doodled on a foolscap pad, "the Split!"

"Hmm, so now our goals are to split into our pairs?" Sho asked, and Nino nodded.

"Naturally, confessing your love to each other must also come next, ne?" Sho added. Nino nodded. And paused.

"WAIT WHAT?!"

"But that is given, isn't it?" Sho said matter-of-factly, "the main crux of whether this operation works or not is whether we are able to get close to our crushes like we aimed to do!"

"Well okay yes you have a point but.."

"…Ooookay if you are going to go by that love letter thing again like you did with me, I think the meaning this entire operation is gone."

"H-hey! Firstly, it was not for you-It was for Oh-chan! And secondly, it was NOT a love letter, it was a letter of gratitude and admiration!"

"Eh…the way I see it, it's the same damn thing."

"It's not!"

"Well either way, you and Satoshi-kun have been hanging out together lately, so there really isn't a need for a letter now, is there?"

"Yes, okay I get that point but really, it isn't that easy," Nino said," even you have difficulties of your own expressing just how much you LIKE Aiba-cchi."

"Well yeah, but it doesn't have to be, right?" Sho sighed as he peered out from under the grandstands to look up at the sky. Just then, he felt some drops of rain on his cheeks. Within a few seconds, what started out as a drizzle had become a huge downfall.

"Well, do you want to stay here on the cold concrete or do you prefer to run back to our dorms in the rain?" Sho asked, brushing our some raindrops from his hair.

Nino wrinkled his nose in annoyance as he looked out at the rain and took out his Nintendo 3DS.

"I will stay here for a bit."

Sho nodded and took out his books, and took out two other objects, tossing one of them to Nino.

Nino looked at what looks like something wrapped neatly in several plastic bags to make a rather simple floor cushion.

"... What is this?"

"Newspaper floor cushions. Sit on the concrete for the next few hours and you won't feel your ass anymore."

"Well, I guess there is one way to test that theory," Nino mumbled as he sat himself on the makeshift cushion and flipped his gaming console open.

Sho smiled as he propped himself on his own makeshift cushion and spread out his books.

Nino watched him study from the corner of his eye and looked back at his gaming console, his Animal Crossing avatar shuffling around with a watering can. Just then he broke the silence.

"Sho-kun?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing, watching me play?"

"Exactly that."

Nino chuckled and looked beside him to see that Sho had made himself comfortable on the space beside him, his Economics textbook resting in his lap while he watched him play.

"Go study, President of the Student Council," Nino jabbed with a smirk as he returned to his game. Sho said nothing and only looked straight at Nino, his gaze somehow making Nino look up from his game a few minutes later.

"Nino..I.."Sho said in a soft voice as he edged closer, his eyes that held Nino's gaze now looking down shyly into his lap, "I..I guess I just wanted to tell you.. I’m in love with you.”

Nino's eyes widened in shock as he felt his face flush red at Sho's confession. His console felt heavy in his hands as he struggled to find a way to stop his heart from beating too fast and too loud.

A moment later, Sho's face then broke into a confident smile.

"See? Wouldn't that work? It’s pretty simple even if you feel just a bit nervous."

Nino's heart stopped for a moment.

"What?"

"Satoshi-kun is not someone who needs something painfully elaborate for a confession," Sho explained as he sat back in position against the wall, "he is someone simple and down-to-earth. So long as your sincerity towards him shows through, I'm sure it would alright. Plan your confession along that line, ne?"

"Oh...right that makes sense," Nino murmured, his face now cooling down, his head feeling completely numb. He shook his head vigorously.

"No no no he likes Aiba-cchi, not me. Sheesh, what was I thinking..."

"An atmosphere like this is not too bad either, eh?" Sho quipped as he scribbled away on his notebook, "he likes quiet, private settings. You go to his house often, so I think you will get that."

"That's true," Nino said as he continued playing on his Animal Crossing game, deciding change his tasks from watering plants to fishing.

But with his mind still occupied by Sho's pseudo-confession, he could hardly make any successful catches.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Nino?"

"..."

"Nino?!"

"..."

"... AHHHH! I LOST YOUR GAME'S SAVE DATA!"

"WHAT?!" Nino exclaimed as he looked at Aiba, only to be met with a playful smack on the head.

"No I did not. But you were miles away in thought. Dinner is ready."

"O-oh, right.." Nino mumbled as he shook his thoughts out of his head and went over to grab a plate of pasta.

"Did something happen today?" Aiba asked, "you are rarely so out of spirits."

"I..I guess I just wanted to tell you.. I’m in love with you."

"OUT OF MY HEAD," he commanded his thoughts firmly as he looked down at his dinner and shook his head, "nothing much, really."

"Huh.. well hang in there, Nino-kun. I'm sure whatever is bothering you will get better soon enough." Aiba said with a cheerful smile.

Nino bit his lip as if weighing something in his mind, and then spoke up.

"Erm, Aiba-cchi?"

"Hmm?"

"What do you think of Sho-kun?"

"Huh? Ahhh, your friend Sho-kun!" Aiba said with a grin, "he's a pretty cool guy! He's super smart and has quite the sense of humour. I like him."

Nino looked at him in surprise. He hadn't expected their operations to be THAT successful.

"Y-you do?"

"Well yeah, I mean, he is a great dude to hang out with. How exactly did you manage to meet such a fun guy? He is such a complete opposite of you!"

Nino coughed on his food. He was definitely not telling a soul about this alliance.

"Ahaha…it's a long story."

"I've got all night."

"MORE IMPORTANTLY," Nino asserted, determined to change the topic, "... Aiba-cchi. How would you like to be confessed to?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hmm.. Nino is pretty quiet, but he is pretty reliable. I like him," Ohno said,"remember how he took care of you the last time at the amusement park?"

A small smile played on Sho's lips as he remembered Nino teaching him how to play some games on his 3DS.

"He does not look it, but he is actually pretty easy to understand," Ohno said between mouthfuls of rice.

Sho smirked. "I think that is only with you, Satoshi-kun. I don't know how his mind works."

"Huh. That's surprising. Then how in the world did you two know each other anyway? You two are as different as night and day."

Sho's eyes widened in surprise.

Right.

They had not discussed how they were supposed to "know" each other.

"... ahaha. It's a long story."

"Ehhh.. well, next time then."

To: sho_sakurai@arashimail.com

From: mario_kazu@arashimail.com

Subject: Confession tips

Sho-kun,

I managed to ask Aiba-cchi about the kind of a confession he likes.

He likes it simple too, but would also like a small token of someone's feelings for him. It can be like a bento or something handmade- the point is to give him something to remember.

Think hard about it, Pres!

Hang in there!

Nino.

Sho read Nino's email to him and smiled as he wrote a reply back.

To: mario_kazu@arashimail.com

From: sho_sakurai@arashimail.com

Subject: RE:Confession tips

Nino.

Thank you for that helpful tip.

It seems that Satoshi-kun likes you well enough. I cannot really tell if he likes you that same way or not, but you know him best. He is someone who is very considerate of others. However it goes, I know it will be fine.

Do your best too.

Sho looked at his email signature.

Sakurai Sho

Student Council President

Storm University

He smiled as he backspaced the entire signature and signed off as simply...

Sho

He then left his phone on his bedside table as he flopped down on his bed, hearing Ohno turning over in his sleep in the bunk bed above him.

He looked up at the bed where his roommate slept.

"Nino…hmm.." he murmured to no one in particular as he drifted off slowly to sleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Nino choked on his hamburger meal as he looked at Sho opposite him.

"WHAT?! You are going to confess to Aiba-cchi tomorrow?!"

Sho nodded.

"Well, I sort of decided how to go about it," Sho explained, "I will make some bento for the both of us and tell him how I feel."

"Ah.. well that is a good idea, but.." Nino said, "Oh-chan sort of let me in on something I am concerned with."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"…He told me never to trust your cooking skills," Nino said with a questioning look.

Sho made a mental note to cook a "special" meal for Ohno later.

"Well okay, it isn't the best but.."

"NOPE. You will not give my best friend food poisoning. Please."

"Well.. then teach me then! Teach me how to make a decent bento, why don't you!"

Nino sighed.

"Good Lord, this is hopeless."

"Oi. Don't give up on me when I have yet to even try."

"We will see."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"... Sho-kun? I asked for dry, cooked rice. You had put too much water."

Sho peered over to see that what he had thought was rice had turned out to be a pot of watery gruel. Nino sighed as he poured the gruel into a pot.

"That will be your dinner later."

"WHAT?!"

"Now watch," Nino ordered as he scooped a small portion of rice and a proportional measure of water into the rice cooker.

"THIS, is how you cook rice," Nino said, "now, can you cut the sausages there into small octopuses?"

Sho nodded obediently as he cut a sausage in half, and made two small cuts to make one successful octopus.

"I did it!"

"Good job, grasshopper," Nino praised as he mixed two eggs in a small bowl and started to heat up a pan, "can you do the others too?"

Sho nodded as he continued to work, just in time to hear a pan sizzling pleasant beside him. He looked to see Nino watching the egg cook in the pan, his jet-black hair falling slightly over his forehead, just above his brown-gold eyes. His lips were pursed gently as he trained his focus on the egg, his spatula moving skillfull-

"TSS!" Sho hissed as he felt the sharp blade nick his index finger. Nino looked over to see a small, angry red line appearing on Sho's finger.

"Are you okay?!" Nino asked worriedly as he turned off the fire and took Sho's hand into his own, bringing his index finger to his lips.

Sho felt his cheeks flush warmly as he felt Nino's soft lips on his cut finger.

"S-stop! It's just a cut, that's all!"

"Don't move," Nino ordered firmly, "…it might hurt, but hold on for a bit. I'm disinfecting it."

"Technically, it doesn't work that way, but..." Sho mumbled under his breath as he closed his eyes, feeling the soothing warmth of Nino's lips mix with the sharp,acute pain of the cut.

Nino soon took off his lips and examined the cut.

"Thankfully, it is not that deep. I'll get a plaster just to prevent any problems," Nino said as he took out a small plaster from the fridge. Sho watched as Nino applied the plaster slowly on his finger.

"Pfft.." Sho giggled softly, "I see you have Mario plasters."

"Don't like it? I can always rip the Mario plaster right off your cut."

"Ah~ You're mean, Nino-kun~"

"Shut up, baka," Nino barked as he gave Sho's index finger a gentle squeeze to keep the plaster secure before looking up at him with concern, "does it still hurt?"

Sho made no answer as he watched Nino's fingers brush against his own, carefully stilling them with his other hand.

"I'm okay now really," he said quietly, feeling the silence sink awkwardly into the air around them, Nino's hand possibly burning against his own.

"T-that's good then," Nino stammered as he quickly drew his hands away and turned to the cooking before them, "but this is a little troubling. Can you still prepare Aiba-cchi's bento with that plaster on you?"

"I still want to try. Maybe just...watch me closely?"

Nino nodded slowly as he guided Sho to the stove.

"Since I will take over your cutting duties, you will have to learn how to fry this."

"Yeah okay but I really don't kno-"

"Listen. It really isn't that difficult. Just do as I say..."

The rest of the time past quickly as Sho learnt how to fry a simple omelet and chicken karaage. He watched as Nino attentively packed the rice into a bento box, sprinkling furikake seasoning on top before carefully placing the other condiments into the box.

"Ohhh this looks so good!"

"This is a bento lunch, right?" Nino said as he closed the lid, "that means you are going to have to prepare this in the morning. Can you do it?"

"I don't know about doing this on my own in the morning. I only just learnt this today."

"Good point..." Nino said thoughtfully, "okay. I will write down the instructions. Just follow them down to the last letter and you will be able to do it on your own, okay?"

Sho sighed in response.

"Sho-kun, you are going to have to try. And it will be fine, believe me!" Nino said as he picked up a piece of karaage with his chopsticks and shoved it into Sho's mouth. Sho looked shocked for a moment before he chewed, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Oh wow. It's seriously good."

"See? Aiba-cchi will be impressed. I will give you the instructions later. If all else fails, just tell Oh-chan about it. I'm sure he will gladly help you."

Sho shrugged but smiled as he picked up a small omelet and ate it, savouring the pleasantly sweet taste in his mouth.