Two sugalumps, please.
Feb. 28th, 2009 01:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
primroseshowsHey, if anyone can teach me how to add banners to my profile, I would be very grateful!
This is how it escalated: with the challenger.
"Why the hell did you pass his answers??" Nino yelled.
Ohno looked up at him, eyes wide. "Because -- he answered correctly, didn't he?"
"When did you figure out who he was? Why didn't you disqualify him the moment you knew it was him?!"
Ohno shrugged helplessly.
Nino let out an extremely exasperated grunt and stormed out of the room.
Jun, Sho and Aiba stared at the door, then back at Ohno.
"Did anyone else just have a déjà vu?" Aiba asked. Jun and Sho raised their hands.
Nino was furious. What right did Chinen have to try to win a date with Ohno, if Nino himself wasn't allowed to? That wasn't fair. That wasn't right. Nino had thought Ohno going a date with a strange girl would be bad enough, but going on a date with that bright-eyed, snot-nosed Chinen Yuuri was a million fucking times worse. Nino was not going to stand for this bullshit. If Chinen thought he was going to win that date, then he had another thing coming.
Change of plans. Nino was staying in the game.
Nino was covertly peering around the corner of Hey!Say!Jump's dressing room when a pair of arms grabbed him from behind.
"Hey!"
Ohno put a hand over Nino's mouth and pulled him into an empty hallway.
"What is it," Nino said irritably, once Ohno had let him go. "I was kind of in the middle of something."
"Satisfying your bloodlust?"
"Cleaning up your mess," Nino retorted.
Ohno frowned. "Can't you leave Chinen-kun alone? He's not doing anything wrong."
Nino gaped. "Don't tell me you want that baby-faced demon spawn to win! Don't pretend you don't know what he's up to! He's going to drug you and tie you up and stick you in his closet to keep forever like some kind of collectible doll. A collectible doll, Oh-chan."
"I really don't think it'll come to that," Ohno said calmly.
"But are you willing to risk it?"
"Nino," Ohno said, in that rare tone of voice that meant he was getting fed up.
Nino looked away. "What."
Ohno let out a tiny sigh. He reached for Nino's hand and laced their fingers together. "You're being stupid. Stop it, okay? Let's stop."
"I don't want you to date that kid," Nino sulked.
Ohno smiled. "You know, even if Chinen-kun wins, it'll only be one date, right? Besides, I don't think he's going to win."
"Does this mean you're going to disqualify him?" Nino asked hopefully. "You can do it on the grounds that he's an annoying twerp."
"I can't do that," Ohno laughed. "And me, I guess I don't really mind annoying twerps." His fingers tightened briefly on Nino's, and for a brief instant, Nino was afraid his heart would leap out of his chest. They were in a secluded area together and Ohno was holding Nino's hand and was standing two breaths too close; it occurred to Nino that now would probably be a good time to lean in and kiss him. Nino could too easily imagine it in his mind: Ohno's face getting closer, his eyelashes dipping, the soft press of his lips -- Nino had kissed Ohno before, many times, so why was it that just thinking about it still made his body react like it was aching for something it had only ever dreamed of? Why was it that Ohno was looking at Nino like he knew exactly what Nino was thinking?
Nino forced himself to speak. "You're really okay with this contest? And don't lie."
Ohno shrugged. "It'll give me something to do on Valentine's, right?"
"If that's all you wanted --" Nino started.
"It's not," Ohno said abruptly. "Of course it's not." He looked right into Nino's eyes as he said it and Nino swallowed, hard. Ohno said softly, "Anyway, Nino always tries to take care of me, but it's -- you know, I can take care of myself. Okay?"
Not really, was Nino's first thought. It's not okay, I want you to need me too. Nino wanted to say that. Nino couldn't say that.
"Okay," Nino breathed. "But you'd better end up with someone hot." Ohno smiled and stepped a bit closer to press his cheek to Nino's as thanks. Nino could feel Ohno's lips on the fine hairs on his neck.
"I promise."
Alright.
Alright, so Nino had resolved to leave Ohno to it. If Ohno was looking for true love forever and ever, then fine, Nino would let him. So what if it made Nino's stomach squirm with green eyed snakes wearing Chinen Yuuri masks? The point was that Ohno might be happy, would be happy, and Nino had no right to take that opportunity away from him. Nino knew this.
But Nino wanted Ohno to be happy with hi--them, Arashi. Like it was, right now. Why did he have to go and mess with a good thing? Why did he have to try for something more?
And Chinen posed another problem. As long as Chinen continued to participate, Ohno would continue to get lovey-dovey-barf-worthy emails from him. And Nino couldn't just let thoughts of Chinen gallivant through Ohno's head willy-nilly, who knew what might happen. Ohno might develop a tolerance. Ohno couldn't develop a tolerance to something Nino was allergic to -- the fact that Ohno liked being on open water was already bad enough, but Chinen lived on land. If he could accomplish nothing else, Nino at least wanted Chinen out of the game.
Unfortunately, the rest of Arashi were now watching Nino's movements like a family of aggressive, "well-meaning" hawks, so Nino actually couldn't sabotage Chinen physically. He couldn't sabotage him electronically either, because only Ohno and the web team of the Uta no Oniisan site had administrative access. Nino might be able to steal Ohno's cell phone if he really tried, but again -- aggressive, petty minded hawks that lived off of Nino's pain.
That left Nino with the sole option of staying in the competition to keep Chinen from winning by winning himself.
The problem with that was that Nino had essentially just given his word that he wouldn't mess with Ohno's suitors. Nino supposed he could just leave it to Chinen to lose on his own, but that brat knew a bit too much about Ohno for Nino's comfort. No one believed Nino when he told them Chinen was timing his washroom trips to coincide with Ohno's, but Nino actually had video evidence to prove it -- or at least he did, until Ohno got mad at him for always following him to the toilet with a camera and made Nino delete everything he'd recorded. But the kid really did stalk every aspect of Ohno's life to an unhealthy degree and Ohno didn't need someone else like that in his life -- he already had Nino.
There was some sick manifestation of pride and resentment taking hold of Nino's body: Nino couldn't bring himself to step back and allow Chinen the freedom to try for something that was barred against Nino. Maybe Nino could just stay in as long as Chinen remained, if only to lessen Ohno's exposure to the boy. Plus, if Nino felt like being asinine, he only really agreed to leave Chinen alone, and if Nino did his best to win the date, then technically he wasn't messing with Chinen.
It was a lame justification for his actions, and were Nino a lesser man, he'd be overcome by the shame of it all. Good thing Nino gave up on experiencing shame when he joined Johnny's.
The days passed and much to Nino's incredible frustration, Ohnosan_no1fan continued to pass each of the daily questions. Aiba wouldn't stop making fun of Nino for it ("Chinen and Captain, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-N-G-- wait, how did you spell it again Sho-chan?") while Ohno sat back and acted like everything was going accord to some master plan, which was plainly ridiculous: in all the years Nino had known him, Ohno had only ever planned for two types of events: his next meal and his next fishing trip. The whole situation was turning out like the see through plot of some kind of B-grade low-budget movie, and Nino hated clichés. If it hadn't been for the fact that RamenLuver99 was also still in the race, Nino probably would have resorted to something drastic days ago, possibly involving hidden cameras and underwear and fire.
True to his word, however, Nino had so far completely left Chinen alone to do whatever his squeaky little heart desired; still, Nino couldn't help giving Chinen his best evil smile whenever they crossed paths in the Jimusho office. It was getting to the point where Chinen gave a full-body twitch and fled in the opposite direction as soon as he saw Nino approaching, and even Jun admitted that it was pretty funny.
Fortunately, by the end of the second week, it turned out that Ohno had kept his word too.
The day that Chinen was kicked out of the competition was one of the best in Nino's recent memory. For about ten seconds.
"Your biggest weakness, huh," Jun read. "Pretty mature of you, Leader. What did Chinen answer again?"
Nino nonchalantly paused his game. Aiba was sitting beside him and caught the movement; he grinned.
"Yeah Leader, why did you have to eliminate Chinen-kun? He was doing so well!"
Nino pushed his elbow into Aiba's stomach. Aiba bit his lip, but manfully did not cry out.
"He wrote..." Ohno clicked a few buttons on his phone. "I wouldn't want to improve anything about Ohno-kun, Ohno-kun is great, just as he is, Ohno-kun, if you're reading this, I think you're perfect, it's my dream to live up to Ohno-san's example, I love your singing and dancing, Ohno-kun; smiley face, heart mark, heart mark, heart mark, peace sign."
"You don't need to be so literal!" Sho laughed.
"So, what," Nino demanded impatiently. "What was the right answer?"
"Oh, um..." Ohno thought about it for a second. "Maybe something like, too dependent on others, or needs a lot of support, like that."
Nino gave an internal sigh of relief. He'd suspected as much, and had written Ohno's greatest weakness as his inability to fit in with any other group except Arashi. Although Nino didn't see this as a weakness. Far from it. But he couldn't put down what he'd really wanted: obliviousness of others' feelings towards him.
"So he's out definitely?” Sho asked.
Ohno nodded. "Out."
"And that leaves how many people left?"
"Five."
"Oooh!" Aiba said, sitting up. "It's getting exciting now! Any favourites, Leader?"
Nino held his breath. RamenLuver99 RamenLuver99 RamenLuver99. Come on.
Ohno smiled widely, giggling, like he was recalling some secret joke. "Yeah. This one." He held up his phone for them to read. Nino squinted at the screen, heart beating wildly in anticipation.
username: [Gimmickgamer4]
What -- the -- fuck.
Nino scrolled through Gimmickgamer4's answers madly, with a mounting sense of horror. Shock and horror. Shock, horror, and insurmountable disbelief.
This person answered like Nino. Or, like Nino would have answered, had he been answering as himself and not as a girl-with-Nino's-thoughts.
Question 5 (added 02/04/2009): If we were to get married, when would be the best time to do so?
Question 5 answer (submitted 02/05/2009): When life allows it, and then, only if we want to. Marriage should be a matter of love, not career.
Question 6 (added 02/05/2009): What is it that you like best about me?
Question 6 answer (submitted 02/06/2009): That Oh-chan never tries to be someone he's not.
Question 7 (added 02/06/2009): What meal would you cook for me, on my birthday?
Question 7 answer (submitted 02/07/2009): If you wanted something special, we'd have to cook it together. Otherwise, just ramen and a store-bought cake.
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
This person was Nino. She (or he?!) had mirrored Nino's initial thoughts, when presented with those questions, almost to a tee. Nino had answered similarly himself, but when he had to put down more than one phrase, he tried to write it from the hands of an extremely sane and mellow girl. He'd put a lot of effort into characterizing his answers, and this thief just went and stole Nino's personality and ended up passing just as easily? Nino felt cheated. Swindled. He couldn't believe this person existed.
Nino glanced around him frantically. Everyone was busy with other things; no one had mentioned the resemblance at all. Maybe they didn't see it? But that was impossible; they'd known Nino too well and for too long to miss out something as stark as this. Or maybe Nino was just being paranoid; maybe Gimmickgamer4 didn't resemble Nino that much. Ohno certainly was okay with it, had picked Gimmickgamer4 as his favourite.
Was that good or bad? Nino didn't know. It was good, very good, that Ohno had apparently liked someone who resembled Nino to an amazing degree, but it was bad, extremely, extremely bad, that it wasn't Nino. It was some punk identity counterfeiter acting as Nino and as soon as Nino tracked him or her down, sparks were going to fly.
“Tell me Leader asked you to get something for him,” Jun said, lifting his eyebrow when Nino plopped down beside him on the couch, rifling through Ohno’s bag. “Tell me you remember what the word respect means.”
“Anything you want to hear,” Nino said sweetly. He pushed past manga, a banana, a tiny fishing lure in plastic wrap, Ohno’s mp3 player – darn, where was his cell?
“This isn’t subtle at all, you realize,” Jun told him.
“What isn’t?” Nino asked, feigning ignorance.
“Has it ever occurred to you to leave Ohno to it? I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”
Nino shot Jun a mean look. “If you’re not going to tell me where Ohno’s cell phone is, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Jun rolled his eyes. “It’s truly beyond me why people like you.”
“All the girls be lovin’ me,” Nino sang. “All the boys be hatin’ me. Seriously, where is it? I know Captain doesn’t have it, I just searched him.”
“I’m not getting into this, thank you,” Jun said firmly.
Nino went to look in Aiba’s bag. Lost items had a habit of migrating to Aiba’s bag, while Aiba’s own things, for some reason, always made their way to the fridge. “Ah! Here it is!” he exclaimed, picking out Ohno’s phone.
“When did you lose your dignity, I wonder?” Jun asked.
“Are you telling me you don’t remember that night we made love?” Nino puckered his lips at Jun. Jun’s resulting expression of disgust was incredibly satisfying.
“I have to go vomit now,” Jun said, taking his leave.
“Love you too, poodle-kins!” Nino called after him.
"Nino? What are you doing?"
Nino froze. He was so intent on his current activity that he hadn't heard Ohno come into the room. Shit! Jun, that squealer! He ratted Nino out.
"Is that my cell phone?"
Nino didn't respond, trying to stay focused on his task. If Ohno just walked a bit slower than normal, then maybe Nino would have enough time to--
"That is mine! Hey!"
Nino darted away before Ohno could grab the phone. He ran around the room with his eyes still glued to the screen, Ohno in pursuit, both of them bumping into every piece of furniture available because Nino wasn't watching where he was going and Ohno was following.
"What are you doing?" Ohno cried. "I need that!"
Nino whipped around and tossed a cushion at him. Ohno caught it deftly. "If you're hacking into the website, I'm going to hurt you."
"I'm not hacking into the website," Nino said. He was hacking into Ohno's password manager program.
"Then give it back," Ohno said, holding out his hand. There was that fed up tone again, accompanied by the tiniest little wrinkle of frustration between Ohno's eyebrows. Nino scowled and returned the phone.
"I was just conducting some research," Nino reasoned. "I didn't change anything."
"Still, I don't like you doing it," Ohno said, putting his phone into his pocket.
"Fiiiine then." There were other methods to get Gimmickgamer4's IP address. There had to be. Otherwise Nino was screwed.
"I thought you were going to relax about this," Ohno said, giving Nino a wary look.
"I am."
"No you're not."
Nino’s mouth was dry. If you knew, he thought, would you understand?
"Why do you like that person so much, anyway?" Nino heard himself say. Damn. There went his chance to play the mature card for once. But he couldn’t help it, Nino really wanted to know. He'd already lost enough sleep for this stupid contest.
Ohno seemed surprised by the sudden question. "Huh?"
Nino huffed. "That Gimmick person -- that's my song title, by the way, isn't that some kind of copyright infringement? Why do you like that person so much?"
"Oh." Ohno stood awkwardly, staring blankly for a long while. "I just do," he said finally.
"Because?" Nino harangued.
"Because I just do," Ohno said again, the wrinkle appearing on his forehead once again, more pronounced this time.
"But why?" Nino pressed.
Ohno glared at him, like he couldn't believe Nino was making him talk about this. His voice became low and defensive. "She's funny and stuff, isn't she? You read her answers. She's level-headed. And she seems to be the type to give me some space, to know when to back off," he emphasized.
"Are you sure?" Nino asked. "I don't see that quality in her at all."
Ohno's eyelids dipped. "Maybe you're too blind," he said flatly, and left the room.
This was not going according to plan.
Nino was beginning to regret ever going down this road. At first, it'd just been a stupid impulse, to make sure that Ohno would end up okay, but Ohno seemed to be handling it fine. Then Chinen came into the picture and of course Nino had to defend against that. But now Chinen was gone, and a new threat had taken his place.
Let's get one thing straight: Nino wasn't against the concept of Ohno going out with other people. That would be unreasonable. Nino wasn't Ohno's keeper. Nino just thought, if Ohno had to be with someone, he had to choose someone worth his time. Ohno could be with anyone he wanted, so long as Nino judged her good enough for Ohno, wasn’t Chinen Yuuri, and definitely was not some half-baked imitation of Nino himself. That would just be insulting. But since Ohno had, in fact, seemed to have chosen to be with some half-baked version of Nino, Nino felt he was being spurred into action to avenge his own reputation: there was only one Nino in the world, and if Ohno wanted to be with some rip-off of Nino, he might as well be with the real one.
This was retarded, Nino thought, more than a little disgusted at how things had spun out of his control, including his own now convoluted feelings. And it wasn't like Nino wanted to do all this; he was just being backed into a corner here. It was Ohno's fault, the whole thing. So regardless of how the contest turned out, Nino looked forward to holding it over Ohno's head for the rest of his life.
It didn't change the fact that he felt like an ass.
Nino had made it to the last five. Rules changed now. Contestants were allowed to send Ohno a personal email, pleading their case for why Ohno should go on a date with them. From there, Ohno would pick two finalists. And then, from one last email submission each, a single winner.
Nino sat at his desk, staring at his the blank email text box on his laptop screen. The cursor blinked at him mockingly.
What in the world was he going to say?
Dear Ohno, guess who.
Dear Ohno, don't go out with Gimmickgamer4, she's a fraud and I think I am being spied on, somehow, because how else could she read my mind.
Dear Ohno, am I experiencing multiple personality disorder? Have I been acting really strange lately? I guess I have, but that's because this stupid contest is driving me crazy.
Nino supposed that the traditional method to go about this would to write about his good qualities and what made him perfect date material. Maybe stick in a snapshot of some hot girl wearing a miniskirt. But Nino was sick of acting like a normal fangirl. Nino wasn't a normal fangirl, he was Ninomiya Kazunari, and he'd just gotten into a fight with his best friend. He hadn't meant to push so hard, he had just been freaked out that there was apparently someone else with Nino's brain in the world. And Ohno liked this person, and Ohno was mad at Nino, and fuck it, if this was the way things were going to turn out, Nino should have just let Chinen win.
Dear Ohno, I'm sorry.
He'd ended up typing up a short email, summarizing what their date would entail, should Ohno pick him. Consisting mostly of lies (after all, Nino really couldn't do any of those things with Ohno), it'd only been truthful in the sense that it was what Nino would have wanted to do on a date, if he could. Walking around town to find some sketchy-looking restaurant, ordering take-out, renting some movies, then going home and playing video games until they could no longer keep their eyes open. Ordinary. Comfortable. Uncomplicated.
But he hadn't pressed send right away. Nino's fingers began to move on their own, typing more words without Nino's conscious thought.
Ohno-kun, I wanted to take this chance to tell you that I don't think you should rush into things as important as love. I think, at the moment, you are surrounded by love from all of the members of Arashi and the staff you work with, and for now, it is enough for you. This is just a feeling that I have, however, of course -- but even if I worked with you, I wouldn't know everything about you, right? What I'm trying to say is, this is just a date. Even if things don't work out, there are people who will always love you and support you. And no matter what, I'd like Ohno-kun to be happy. This will never change. You deserve everything in the world.
Sincerely, RamenLuv
Nino backspaced.
Love, Rame
Nino backspaced.
-- RamenLuver9
Nino backspaced. He rubbed his eyes. He took a deep breath.
Yours, RamenLuver99
Nino hit send.
Nino went to work, subdued. He felt different, strange. He was up late, trying to hack into the website to extract Gimmickgamer4's personal data, but he hadn't had much luck; he'd given up easily and went to bed with a headache, feeling foolish. Sho, Aiba and Jun stared at him as he came in, and Nino wondered if it showed in his face, how tired he was. Ohno was engrossed with something on Sho's laptop and didn't bother to greet Nino. Nino didn't care anymore. He'd said what he'd wanted to say, even if Ohno had no idea it was him. Nino took a seat beside Sho and leaned onto Sho's shoulder, closing his eyes.
"You okay?" Sho asked.
"I'm okay," Nino said.
Sho didn’t push further, but he snuck his arm between Nino and the back of the couch, squeezing Nino’s shoulders comfortingly.
Aiba offered Nino a sip of his coffee, which Nino took gratefully. Even Jun looked a bit worried, peering at Nino surreptitiously overtop his most recent script.
"The contest is almost over, isn't it?" Aiba said gently, quietly, into Nino's ear.
"So?"
Aiba took Nino's hand. "When the winner is announced, you'll be able to relax. Pinky swear."
It almost sounded like an apology.
"What's up with that weird advice?" Nino griped. "And why would you think I gave a crap?"
"It's kind of really obvious," Aiba said. Sho smothered a laugh. Aiba looked over his shoulder at Jun, and Jun shrugged slightly, lowering his eyes back to his reading.
"We know it's been hard for you, these past few weeks," Aiba whispered, turning back to Nino. "But it's going to be okay."
Jun scoffed. "Weak."
"I am not!" Aiba protested, sitting up. "I'm trying to promote happy group dynamics! We wouldn't be in this situation at all if we'd just --"
"Ah ah ah!" Sho exclaimed, alarmed. “Careful!”
Nino sat up too, confused and suspicious. "What's this about?" he demanded.
No one answered him.
"I need some help," Ohno called.
They gathered around Ohno and the computer.
"This one for sure," Ohno said, pointing to Gimmickgamer4's answer, "but I don't know which next." He looked up to the four of them, motioning for a discussion.
Nino bit his lip, suddenly afraid of what he might say.
The others took turns reading the other four entries, voicing their opinions for each.
"I like this one," Aiba said, reading from the entry: "’If it's for Satoshi-kun, I will work my hardest! I want us to have lots of fun and create precious memories together.' Doesn't that seem nice, Leader?"
"Sounds like someone with no imagination," Jun countered. "Pick this one: 'I'm an extremely understanding person, Ohno-kun, and would have no trouble adjusting to your hectic schedule.' I think someone who is patient about the demands of our job is important."
"If you think about it," Sho voiced, "wouldn't someone who's most similar to Ohno-kun be the best? This person wants to go fishing, Ohno-kun, I'm surprised you didn't pick her first. She even named the first she wants to catch!"
"I like them all, that's why I can't choose," Ohno explained. "And fishing is nice, but I can go fishing on my own, too. Besides, our date probably won't be spent fishing. It's -- it's only this one date."
"I see, I see," Aiba said. "Captain wants someone who recognizes that it's just this date, and not like the start of a serious relationship or anything, right? Someone who gets that this is just a promotional contest."
"Someone who isn't going to put any pressure on you," Sho added.
"Then, this one," Jun said, pointing to the last name on the list.
username: [RamenLuver99]
"Nino," Aiba asked. "What about you? What do you think?"
Nino had no clue what he was thinking.
"I..."
Ohno blinked at Nino, expression honest and hopeful. Like whatever Nino wanted would be the final say in the decision, even though the others had all just agreed on the same person. Like he wanted Nino's approval, before going through with this.
"I think Oh-chan should pick the one that made him feel the most loved," he murmured. "That way you know, it doesn't matter how you spend your date. If she loves you, then she'll do her best to make you happy."
Ohno stared at Nino for the longest time, silent.
"Okay," Ohno said. "Then it's probably this one." He clicked Nino's username.
While on stand-by for Shukudai filming, Nino bumped his shoulder into Ohno's.
"About yesterday," Nino started.
"Mmm," Ohno hummed, and nudged Nino back. Ohno smiled. "It was just Nino being Nino, wasn't it? It’s okay. Maybe I should have expected it?"
"Thanks," Nino said sarcastically. But secretly, he meant it.
Hello, RamenLuver99, this is Satoshi~
First of all, thank you for participating in this contest. I hope you've had an enjoyable time!! I feel like I've really gotten to know you very well. Thank you for a very nice email, I look forward to spending a nice date like that, honestly~
I also appreciated how understanding you are of the boundaries of this contest. It is just a promotion, but I do intend to make sure we have a fun time together, even if we end up only having that one date. Or maybe I should say, especially because we might only have one date? (laugh) I wonder if I would even live up to everyone's expectations as a good boyfriend? (laugh)
Ah, but you want to know right?? If you've won??
Congratulations!!!! You're in the last two!!! Please send me one more email, and I will decide from there! If you can, I would like for you to summarize yourself up in one single sentence. Please be honest!!! It might be difficult, but think of it as a building character exercise, yo!
Good luck, I am looking forward to your reply! Please continue to support me and Uta no Oniisan~
<3 Satoshi
Nino frowned at his computer. Why did Sho have to come up with this idea? Building character Nino's ass. "It's a difficult test," Sho had said, all up in education mode. "You have to have a firm understanding and confidence in yourself, right? You can tell a lot about a person, based on what they choose to write." Nino was pretty sure Ohno had only agreed to it because it meant he would have less reading to do.
Nino wondered what Gimmickgamer4 was going to write.
Well.
She'd write what Nino would write, wouldn't she?
But what would RamenLuver99 write, as someone who was Nino, but was not really Nino?
Nino let out a long breath. This was getting out of hand; things had gone too far. Nino didn't want to lose to Gimmickgamer4, but he no longer wanted to win. If he won, then Ohno would be mad at him for deceiving him for so long. However, if he lost, then Ohno would go out with -- with fake-Nino. Nino tried to reason with himself: it was only one date, and no matter how similar she was or wasn't to Nino, Ohno was still going to come into work the next day and greet Nino good morning. Their relationship wasn't going to change. Right? Right.
That actually made him feel worse. So maybe he wanted their relationship to change. But that -- Nino couldn't do that. It was Ohno, and Nino cared about him too much.
Nino cared about Ohno too much to let him know just how much.
Nino hated Gimmickgamer4. It wasn't fair; Nino had been Ohno's Nino first.
If he was being brutally honest, Nino could admit that he wanted that date. But he didn't want to get the date through some stupid television show promotion. He wanted Ohno to ask him out, voluntarily, because he felt the same way as Nino did. Nino wanted it to be something real.
Nino put his fingers to his keyboard, feeling something shift inside him. A door opened. Since he'd already come this far, shouldn't he keep on going? Try his hardest? He could be honest in spirit, if not in name. Nino could take advantage of the anonymity. He could say anything he wanted to, everything he wanted to. It didn't matter. Ohno already had a favourite and Nino wasn't going to win. But he could do his best, and maybe something would pass onto Ohno, so one day in the future, Nino would explain what he'd been trying to do, and Ohno would understand.
Coming to a conclusion, Nino knew with stunning clarity what he would type for his one sentence. Something that described Nino perfectly.
I think I might really be in love with you.
He pressed submit.
The next day, Nino was on pins and needles. He couldn't concentrate on anything, he snapped at Aiba more than usual, and it got to the point where Sho lectured him to at least act like a decent human being, if he refused to be mature. Nino spent their entire break lying on the couch, earphones in and volume turned up, listening to his most emo playlist on repeat until he fell asleep. He was woken up when his battery died, and snippets of Ohno's voice floated into his ear. Nino kept his eyes closed and breath even, hoping that Ohno wouldn't notice that he was awake.
He was talking to Jun about the contest.
"She seems really nice," Jun was saying.
"Sometimes," Ohno said. "She's kind of blunt. They're both kind of blunt and straightforward, aren't they?"
"Seems like you have a type," Jun teased.
Ohno was quiet.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Jun asked.
"I feel bad," Ohno murmured.
"Because she's in love with you? Plenty of people are in love with you. All the girls who entered this contest were in love with you."
"But she really sounds honest about it!"
Jun sighed. "This is an email, Leader. You can't convey emotion like that over written word, not very well. She can say what she wants, but you still wouldn't know for sure. Besides, even if those are her true feelings, would it change your mind? Only one person can win. Didn't you agree to do this whole thing for a reason?"
"I just ..."
"Ask yourself this: who's more important?"
"Well, after all, it's got to be that person."
"Exactly."
Nino opened his eyes to see Ohno staring at him.
part three
This is how it escalated: with the challenger.
"Why the hell did you pass his answers??" Nino yelled.
Ohno looked up at him, eyes wide. "Because -- he answered correctly, didn't he?"
"When did you figure out who he was? Why didn't you disqualify him the moment you knew it was him?!"
Ohno shrugged helplessly.
Nino let out an extremely exasperated grunt and stormed out of the room.
Jun, Sho and Aiba stared at the door, then back at Ohno.
"Did anyone else just have a déjà vu?" Aiba asked. Jun and Sho raised their hands.
Nino was furious. What right did Chinen have to try to win a date with Ohno, if Nino himself wasn't allowed to? That wasn't fair. That wasn't right. Nino had thought Ohno going a date with a strange girl would be bad enough, but going on a date with that bright-eyed, snot-nosed Chinen Yuuri was a million fucking times worse. Nino was not going to stand for this bullshit. If Chinen thought he was going to win that date, then he had another thing coming.
Change of plans. Nino was staying in the game.
Nino was covertly peering around the corner of Hey!Say!Jump's dressing room when a pair of arms grabbed him from behind.
"Hey!"
Ohno put a hand over Nino's mouth and pulled him into an empty hallway.
"What is it," Nino said irritably, once Ohno had let him go. "I was kind of in the middle of something."
"Satisfying your bloodlust?"
"Cleaning up your mess," Nino retorted.
Ohno frowned. "Can't you leave Chinen-kun alone? He's not doing anything wrong."
Nino gaped. "Don't tell me you want that baby-faced demon spawn to win! Don't pretend you don't know what he's up to! He's going to drug you and tie you up and stick you in his closet to keep forever like some kind of collectible doll. A collectible doll, Oh-chan."
"I really don't think it'll come to that," Ohno said calmly.
"But are you willing to risk it?"
"Nino," Ohno said, in that rare tone of voice that meant he was getting fed up.
Nino looked away. "What."
Ohno let out a tiny sigh. He reached for Nino's hand and laced their fingers together. "You're being stupid. Stop it, okay? Let's stop."
"I don't want you to date that kid," Nino sulked.
Ohno smiled. "You know, even if Chinen-kun wins, it'll only be one date, right? Besides, I don't think he's going to win."
"Does this mean you're going to disqualify him?" Nino asked hopefully. "You can do it on the grounds that he's an annoying twerp."
"I can't do that," Ohno laughed. "And me, I guess I don't really mind annoying twerps." His fingers tightened briefly on Nino's, and for a brief instant, Nino was afraid his heart would leap out of his chest. They were in a secluded area together and Ohno was holding Nino's hand and was standing two breaths too close; it occurred to Nino that now would probably be a good time to lean in and kiss him. Nino could too easily imagine it in his mind: Ohno's face getting closer, his eyelashes dipping, the soft press of his lips -- Nino had kissed Ohno before, many times, so why was it that just thinking about it still made his body react like it was aching for something it had only ever dreamed of? Why was it that Ohno was looking at Nino like he knew exactly what Nino was thinking?
Nino forced himself to speak. "You're really okay with this contest? And don't lie."
Ohno shrugged. "It'll give me something to do on Valentine's, right?"
"If that's all you wanted --" Nino started.
"It's not," Ohno said abruptly. "Of course it's not." He looked right into Nino's eyes as he said it and Nino swallowed, hard. Ohno said softly, "Anyway, Nino always tries to take care of me, but it's -- you know, I can take care of myself. Okay?"
Not really, was Nino's first thought. It's not okay, I want you to need me too. Nino wanted to say that. Nino couldn't say that.
"Okay," Nino breathed. "But you'd better end up with someone hot." Ohno smiled and stepped a bit closer to press his cheek to Nino's as thanks. Nino could feel Ohno's lips on the fine hairs on his neck.
"I promise."
Alright.
Alright, so Nino had resolved to leave Ohno to it. If Ohno was looking for true love forever and ever, then fine, Nino would let him. So what if it made Nino's stomach squirm with green eyed snakes wearing Chinen Yuuri masks? The point was that Ohno might be happy, would be happy, and Nino had no right to take that opportunity away from him. Nino knew this.
But Nino wanted Ohno to be happy with hi--them, Arashi. Like it was, right now. Why did he have to go and mess with a good thing? Why did he have to try for something more?
And Chinen posed another problem. As long as Chinen continued to participate, Ohno would continue to get lovey-dovey-barf-worthy emails from him. And Nino couldn't just let thoughts of Chinen gallivant through Ohno's head willy-nilly, who knew what might happen. Ohno might develop a tolerance. Ohno couldn't develop a tolerance to something Nino was allergic to -- the fact that Ohno liked being on open water was already bad enough, but Chinen lived on land. If he could accomplish nothing else, Nino at least wanted Chinen out of the game.
Unfortunately, the rest of Arashi were now watching Nino's movements like a family of aggressive, "well-meaning" hawks, so Nino actually couldn't sabotage Chinen physically. He couldn't sabotage him electronically either, because only Ohno and the web team of the Uta no Oniisan site had administrative access. Nino might be able to steal Ohno's cell phone if he really tried, but again -- aggressive, petty minded hawks that lived off of Nino's pain.
That left Nino with the sole option of staying in the competition to keep Chinen from winning by winning himself.
The problem with that was that Nino had essentially just given his word that he wouldn't mess with Ohno's suitors. Nino supposed he could just leave it to Chinen to lose on his own, but that brat knew a bit too much about Ohno for Nino's comfort. No one believed Nino when he told them Chinen was timing his washroom trips to coincide with Ohno's, but Nino actually had video evidence to prove it -- or at least he did, until Ohno got mad at him for always following him to the toilet with a camera and made Nino delete everything he'd recorded. But the kid really did stalk every aspect of Ohno's life to an unhealthy degree and Ohno didn't need someone else like that in his life -- he already had Nino.
There was some sick manifestation of pride and resentment taking hold of Nino's body: Nino couldn't bring himself to step back and allow Chinen the freedom to try for something that was barred against Nino. Maybe Nino could just stay in as long as Chinen remained, if only to lessen Ohno's exposure to the boy. Plus, if Nino felt like being asinine, he only really agreed to leave Chinen alone, and if Nino did his best to win the date, then technically he wasn't messing with Chinen.
It was a lame justification for his actions, and were Nino a lesser man, he'd be overcome by the shame of it all. Good thing Nino gave up on experiencing shame when he joined Johnny's.
The days passed and much to Nino's incredible frustration, Ohnosan_no1fan continued to pass each of the daily questions. Aiba wouldn't stop making fun of Nino for it ("Chinen and Captain, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-N-G-- wait, how did you spell it again Sho-chan?") while Ohno sat back and acted like everything was going accord to some master plan, which was plainly ridiculous: in all the years Nino had known him, Ohno had only ever planned for two types of events: his next meal and his next fishing trip. The whole situation was turning out like the see through plot of some kind of B-grade low-budget movie, and Nino hated clichés. If it hadn't been for the fact that RamenLuver99 was also still in the race, Nino probably would have resorted to something drastic days ago, possibly involving hidden cameras and underwear and fire.
True to his word, however, Nino had so far completely left Chinen alone to do whatever his squeaky little heart desired; still, Nino couldn't help giving Chinen his best evil smile whenever they crossed paths in the Jimusho office. It was getting to the point where Chinen gave a full-body twitch and fled in the opposite direction as soon as he saw Nino approaching, and even Jun admitted that it was pretty funny.
Fortunately, by the end of the second week, it turned out that Ohno had kept his word too.
The day that Chinen was kicked out of the competition was one of the best in Nino's recent memory. For about ten seconds.
"Your biggest weakness, huh," Jun read. "Pretty mature of you, Leader. What did Chinen answer again?"
Nino nonchalantly paused his game. Aiba was sitting beside him and caught the movement; he grinned.
"Yeah Leader, why did you have to eliminate Chinen-kun? He was doing so well!"
Nino pushed his elbow into Aiba's stomach. Aiba bit his lip, but manfully did not cry out.
"He wrote..." Ohno clicked a few buttons on his phone. "I wouldn't want to improve anything about Ohno-kun, Ohno-kun is great, just as he is, Ohno-kun, if you're reading this, I think you're perfect, it's my dream to live up to Ohno-san's example, I love your singing and dancing, Ohno-kun; smiley face, heart mark, heart mark, heart mark, peace sign."
"You don't need to be so literal!" Sho laughed.
"So, what," Nino demanded impatiently. "What was the right answer?"
"Oh, um..." Ohno thought about it for a second. "Maybe something like, too dependent on others, or needs a lot of support, like that."
Nino gave an internal sigh of relief. He'd suspected as much, and had written Ohno's greatest weakness as his inability to fit in with any other group except Arashi. Although Nino didn't see this as a weakness. Far from it. But he couldn't put down what he'd really wanted: obliviousness of others' feelings towards him.
"So he's out definitely?” Sho asked.
Ohno nodded. "Out."
"And that leaves how many people left?"
"Five."
"Oooh!" Aiba said, sitting up. "It's getting exciting now! Any favourites, Leader?"
Nino held his breath. RamenLuver99 RamenLuver99 RamenLuver99. Come on.
Ohno smiled widely, giggling, like he was recalling some secret joke. "Yeah. This one." He held up his phone for them to read. Nino squinted at the screen, heart beating wildly in anticipation.
username: [Gimmickgamer4]
What -- the -- fuck.
Nino scrolled through Gimmickgamer4's answers madly, with a mounting sense of horror. Shock and horror. Shock, horror, and insurmountable disbelief.
This person answered like Nino. Or, like Nino would have answered, had he been answering as himself and not as a girl-with-Nino's-thoughts.
Question 5 (added 02/04/2009): If we were to get married, when would be the best time to do so?
Question 5 answer (submitted 02/05/2009): When life allows it, and then, only if we want to. Marriage should be a matter of love, not career.
Question 6 (added 02/05/2009): What is it that you like best about me?
Question 6 answer (submitted 02/06/2009): That Oh-chan never tries to be someone he's not.
Question 7 (added 02/06/2009): What meal would you cook for me, on my birthday?
Question 7 answer (submitted 02/07/2009): If you wanted something special, we'd have to cook it together. Otherwise, just ramen and a store-bought cake.
WHAT. THE. FUCK.
This person was Nino. She (or he?!) had mirrored Nino's initial thoughts, when presented with those questions, almost to a tee. Nino had answered similarly himself, but when he had to put down more than one phrase, he tried to write it from the hands of an extremely sane and mellow girl. He'd put a lot of effort into characterizing his answers, and this thief just went and stole Nino's personality and ended up passing just as easily? Nino felt cheated. Swindled. He couldn't believe this person existed.
Nino glanced around him frantically. Everyone was busy with other things; no one had mentioned the resemblance at all. Maybe they didn't see it? But that was impossible; they'd known Nino too well and for too long to miss out something as stark as this. Or maybe Nino was just being paranoid; maybe Gimmickgamer4 didn't resemble Nino that much. Ohno certainly was okay with it, had picked Gimmickgamer4 as his favourite.
Was that good or bad? Nino didn't know. It was good, very good, that Ohno had apparently liked someone who resembled Nino to an amazing degree, but it was bad, extremely, extremely bad, that it wasn't Nino. It was some punk identity counterfeiter acting as Nino and as soon as Nino tracked him or her down, sparks were going to fly.
“Tell me Leader asked you to get something for him,” Jun said, lifting his eyebrow when Nino plopped down beside him on the couch, rifling through Ohno’s bag. “Tell me you remember what the word respect means.”
“Anything you want to hear,” Nino said sweetly. He pushed past manga, a banana, a tiny fishing lure in plastic wrap, Ohno’s mp3 player – darn, where was his cell?
“This isn’t subtle at all, you realize,” Jun told him.
“What isn’t?” Nino asked, feigning ignorance.
“Has it ever occurred to you to leave Ohno to it? I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”
Nino shot Jun a mean look. “If you’re not going to tell me where Ohno’s cell phone is, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
Jun rolled his eyes. “It’s truly beyond me why people like you.”
“All the girls be lovin’ me,” Nino sang. “All the boys be hatin’ me. Seriously, where is it? I know Captain doesn’t have it, I just searched him.”
“I’m not getting into this, thank you,” Jun said firmly.
Nino went to look in Aiba’s bag. Lost items had a habit of migrating to Aiba’s bag, while Aiba’s own things, for some reason, always made their way to the fridge. “Ah! Here it is!” he exclaimed, picking out Ohno’s phone.
“When did you lose your dignity, I wonder?” Jun asked.
“Are you telling me you don’t remember that night we made love?” Nino puckered his lips at Jun. Jun’s resulting expression of disgust was incredibly satisfying.
“I have to go vomit now,” Jun said, taking his leave.
“Love you too, poodle-kins!” Nino called after him.
"Nino? What are you doing?"
Nino froze. He was so intent on his current activity that he hadn't heard Ohno come into the room. Shit! Jun, that squealer! He ratted Nino out.
"Is that my cell phone?"
Nino didn't respond, trying to stay focused on his task. If Ohno just walked a bit slower than normal, then maybe Nino would have enough time to--
"That is mine! Hey!"
Nino darted away before Ohno could grab the phone. He ran around the room with his eyes still glued to the screen, Ohno in pursuit, both of them bumping into every piece of furniture available because Nino wasn't watching where he was going and Ohno was following.
"What are you doing?" Ohno cried. "I need that!"
Nino whipped around and tossed a cushion at him. Ohno caught it deftly. "If you're hacking into the website, I'm going to hurt you."
"I'm not hacking into the website," Nino said. He was hacking into Ohno's password manager program.
"Then give it back," Ohno said, holding out his hand. There was that fed up tone again, accompanied by the tiniest little wrinkle of frustration between Ohno's eyebrows. Nino scowled and returned the phone.
"I was just conducting some research," Nino reasoned. "I didn't change anything."
"Still, I don't like you doing it," Ohno said, putting his phone into his pocket.
"Fiiiine then." There were other methods to get Gimmickgamer4's IP address. There had to be. Otherwise Nino was screwed.
"I thought you were going to relax about this," Ohno said, giving Nino a wary look.
"I am."
"No you're not."
Nino’s mouth was dry. If you knew, he thought, would you understand?
"Why do you like that person so much, anyway?" Nino heard himself say. Damn. There went his chance to play the mature card for once. But he couldn’t help it, Nino really wanted to know. He'd already lost enough sleep for this stupid contest.
Ohno seemed surprised by the sudden question. "Huh?"
Nino huffed. "That Gimmick person -- that's my song title, by the way, isn't that some kind of copyright infringement? Why do you like that person so much?"
"Oh." Ohno stood awkwardly, staring blankly for a long while. "I just do," he said finally.
"Because?" Nino harangued.
"Because I just do," Ohno said again, the wrinkle appearing on his forehead once again, more pronounced this time.
"But why?" Nino pressed.
Ohno glared at him, like he couldn't believe Nino was making him talk about this. His voice became low and defensive. "She's funny and stuff, isn't she? You read her answers. She's level-headed. And she seems to be the type to give me some space, to know when to back off," he emphasized.
"Are you sure?" Nino asked. "I don't see that quality in her at all."
Ohno's eyelids dipped. "Maybe you're too blind," he said flatly, and left the room.
This was not going according to plan.
Nino was beginning to regret ever going down this road. At first, it'd just been a stupid impulse, to make sure that Ohno would end up okay, but Ohno seemed to be handling it fine. Then Chinen came into the picture and of course Nino had to defend against that. But now Chinen was gone, and a new threat had taken his place.
Let's get one thing straight: Nino wasn't against the concept of Ohno going out with other people. That would be unreasonable. Nino wasn't Ohno's keeper. Nino just thought, if Ohno had to be with someone, he had to choose someone worth his time. Ohno could be with anyone he wanted, so long as Nino judged her good enough for Ohno, wasn’t Chinen Yuuri, and definitely was not some half-baked imitation of Nino himself. That would just be insulting. But since Ohno had, in fact, seemed to have chosen to be with some half-baked version of Nino, Nino felt he was being spurred into action to avenge his own reputation: there was only one Nino in the world, and if Ohno wanted to be with some rip-off of Nino, he might as well be with the real one.
This was retarded, Nino thought, more than a little disgusted at how things had spun out of his control, including his own now convoluted feelings. And it wasn't like Nino wanted to do all this; he was just being backed into a corner here. It was Ohno's fault, the whole thing. So regardless of how the contest turned out, Nino looked forward to holding it over Ohno's head for the rest of his life.
It didn't change the fact that he felt like an ass.
Nino had made it to the last five. Rules changed now. Contestants were allowed to send Ohno a personal email, pleading their case for why Ohno should go on a date with them. From there, Ohno would pick two finalists. And then, from one last email submission each, a single winner.
Nino sat at his desk, staring at his the blank email text box on his laptop screen. The cursor blinked at him mockingly.
What in the world was he going to say?
Dear Ohno, guess who.
Dear Ohno, don't go out with Gimmickgamer4, she's a fraud and I think I am being spied on, somehow, because how else could she read my mind.
Dear Ohno, am I experiencing multiple personality disorder? Have I been acting really strange lately? I guess I have, but that's because this stupid contest is driving me crazy.
Nino supposed that the traditional method to go about this would to write about his good qualities and what made him perfect date material. Maybe stick in a snapshot of some hot girl wearing a miniskirt. But Nino was sick of acting like a normal fangirl. Nino wasn't a normal fangirl, he was Ninomiya Kazunari, and he'd just gotten into a fight with his best friend. He hadn't meant to push so hard, he had just been freaked out that there was apparently someone else with Nino's brain in the world. And Ohno liked this person, and Ohno was mad at Nino, and fuck it, if this was the way things were going to turn out, Nino should have just let Chinen win.
Dear Ohno, I'm sorry.
He'd ended up typing up a short email, summarizing what their date would entail, should Ohno pick him. Consisting mostly of lies (after all, Nino really couldn't do any of those things with Ohno), it'd only been truthful in the sense that it was what Nino would have wanted to do on a date, if he could. Walking around town to find some sketchy-looking restaurant, ordering take-out, renting some movies, then going home and playing video games until they could no longer keep their eyes open. Ordinary. Comfortable. Uncomplicated.
But he hadn't pressed send right away. Nino's fingers began to move on their own, typing more words without Nino's conscious thought.
Ohno-kun, I wanted to take this chance to tell you that I don't think you should rush into things as important as love. I think, at the moment, you are surrounded by love from all of the members of Arashi and the staff you work with, and for now, it is enough for you. This is just a feeling that I have, however, of course -- but even if I worked with you, I wouldn't know everything about you, right? What I'm trying to say is, this is just a date. Even if things don't work out, there are people who will always love you and support you. And no matter what, I'd like Ohno-kun to be happy. This will never change. You deserve everything in the world.
Sincerely, RamenLuv
Nino backspaced.
Love, Rame
Nino backspaced.
-- RamenLuver9
Nino backspaced. He rubbed his eyes. He took a deep breath.
Yours, RamenLuver99
Nino hit send.
Nino went to work, subdued. He felt different, strange. He was up late, trying to hack into the website to extract Gimmickgamer4's personal data, but he hadn't had much luck; he'd given up easily and went to bed with a headache, feeling foolish. Sho, Aiba and Jun stared at him as he came in, and Nino wondered if it showed in his face, how tired he was. Ohno was engrossed with something on Sho's laptop and didn't bother to greet Nino. Nino didn't care anymore. He'd said what he'd wanted to say, even if Ohno had no idea it was him. Nino took a seat beside Sho and leaned onto Sho's shoulder, closing his eyes.
"You okay?" Sho asked.
"I'm okay," Nino said.
Sho didn’t push further, but he snuck his arm between Nino and the back of the couch, squeezing Nino’s shoulders comfortingly.
Aiba offered Nino a sip of his coffee, which Nino took gratefully. Even Jun looked a bit worried, peering at Nino surreptitiously overtop his most recent script.
"The contest is almost over, isn't it?" Aiba said gently, quietly, into Nino's ear.
"So?"
Aiba took Nino's hand. "When the winner is announced, you'll be able to relax. Pinky swear."
It almost sounded like an apology.
"What's up with that weird advice?" Nino griped. "And why would you think I gave a crap?"
"It's kind of really obvious," Aiba said. Sho smothered a laugh. Aiba looked over his shoulder at Jun, and Jun shrugged slightly, lowering his eyes back to his reading.
"We know it's been hard for you, these past few weeks," Aiba whispered, turning back to Nino. "But it's going to be okay."
Jun scoffed. "Weak."
"I am not!" Aiba protested, sitting up. "I'm trying to promote happy group dynamics! We wouldn't be in this situation at all if we'd just --"
"Ah ah ah!" Sho exclaimed, alarmed. “Careful!”
Nino sat up too, confused and suspicious. "What's this about?" he demanded.
No one answered him.
"I need some help," Ohno called.
They gathered around Ohno and the computer.
"This one for sure," Ohno said, pointing to Gimmickgamer4's answer, "but I don't know which next." He looked up to the four of them, motioning for a discussion.
Nino bit his lip, suddenly afraid of what he might say.
The others took turns reading the other four entries, voicing their opinions for each.
"I like this one," Aiba said, reading from the entry: "’If it's for Satoshi-kun, I will work my hardest! I want us to have lots of fun and create precious memories together.' Doesn't that seem nice, Leader?"
"Sounds like someone with no imagination," Jun countered. "Pick this one: 'I'm an extremely understanding person, Ohno-kun, and would have no trouble adjusting to your hectic schedule.' I think someone who is patient about the demands of our job is important."
"If you think about it," Sho voiced, "wouldn't someone who's most similar to Ohno-kun be the best? This person wants to go fishing, Ohno-kun, I'm surprised you didn't pick her first. She even named the first she wants to catch!"
"I like them all, that's why I can't choose," Ohno explained. "And fishing is nice, but I can go fishing on my own, too. Besides, our date probably won't be spent fishing. It's -- it's only this one date."
"I see, I see," Aiba said. "Captain wants someone who recognizes that it's just this date, and not like the start of a serious relationship or anything, right? Someone who gets that this is just a promotional contest."
"Someone who isn't going to put any pressure on you," Sho added.
"Then, this one," Jun said, pointing to the last name on the list.
username: [RamenLuver99]
"Nino," Aiba asked. "What about you? What do you think?"
Nino had no clue what he was thinking.
"I..."
Ohno blinked at Nino, expression honest and hopeful. Like whatever Nino wanted would be the final say in the decision, even though the others had all just agreed on the same person. Like he wanted Nino's approval, before going through with this.
"I think Oh-chan should pick the one that made him feel the most loved," he murmured. "That way you know, it doesn't matter how you spend your date. If she loves you, then she'll do her best to make you happy."
Ohno stared at Nino for the longest time, silent.
"Okay," Ohno said. "Then it's probably this one." He clicked Nino's username.
While on stand-by for Shukudai filming, Nino bumped his shoulder into Ohno's.
"About yesterday," Nino started.
"Mmm," Ohno hummed, and nudged Nino back. Ohno smiled. "It was just Nino being Nino, wasn't it? It’s okay. Maybe I should have expected it?"
"Thanks," Nino said sarcastically. But secretly, he meant it.
Hello, RamenLuver99, this is Satoshi~
First of all, thank you for participating in this contest. I hope you've had an enjoyable time!! I feel like I've really gotten to know you very well. Thank you for a very nice email, I look forward to spending a nice date like that, honestly~
I also appreciated how understanding you are of the boundaries of this contest. It is just a promotion, but I do intend to make sure we have a fun time together, even if we end up only having that one date. Or maybe I should say, especially because we might only have one date? (laugh) I wonder if I would even live up to everyone's expectations as a good boyfriend? (laugh)
Ah, but you want to know right?? If you've won??
Congratulations!!!! You're in the last two!!! Please send me one more email, and I will decide from there! If you can, I would like for you to summarize yourself up in one single sentence. Please be honest!!! It might be difficult, but think of it as a building character exercise, yo!
Good luck, I am looking forward to your reply! Please continue to support me and Uta no Oniisan~
<3 Satoshi
Nino frowned at his computer. Why did Sho have to come up with this idea? Building character Nino's ass. "It's a difficult test," Sho had said, all up in education mode. "You have to have a firm understanding and confidence in yourself, right? You can tell a lot about a person, based on what they choose to write." Nino was pretty sure Ohno had only agreed to it because it meant he would have less reading to do.
Nino wondered what Gimmickgamer4 was going to write.
Well.
She'd write what Nino would write, wouldn't she?
But what would RamenLuver99 write, as someone who was Nino, but was not really Nino?
Nino let out a long breath. This was getting out of hand; things had gone too far. Nino didn't want to lose to Gimmickgamer4, but he no longer wanted to win. If he won, then Ohno would be mad at him for deceiving him for so long. However, if he lost, then Ohno would go out with -- with fake-Nino. Nino tried to reason with himself: it was only one date, and no matter how similar she was or wasn't to Nino, Ohno was still going to come into work the next day and greet Nino good morning. Their relationship wasn't going to change. Right? Right.
That actually made him feel worse. So maybe he wanted their relationship to change. But that -- Nino couldn't do that. It was Ohno, and Nino cared about him too much.
Nino cared about Ohno too much to let him know just how much.
Nino hated Gimmickgamer4. It wasn't fair; Nino had been Ohno's Nino first.
If he was being brutally honest, Nino could admit that he wanted that date. But he didn't want to get the date through some stupid television show promotion. He wanted Ohno to ask him out, voluntarily, because he felt the same way as Nino did. Nino wanted it to be something real.
Nino put his fingers to his keyboard, feeling something shift inside him. A door opened. Since he'd already come this far, shouldn't he keep on going? Try his hardest? He could be honest in spirit, if not in name. Nino could take advantage of the anonymity. He could say anything he wanted to, everything he wanted to. It didn't matter. Ohno already had a favourite and Nino wasn't going to win. But he could do his best, and maybe something would pass onto Ohno, so one day in the future, Nino would explain what he'd been trying to do, and Ohno would understand.
Coming to a conclusion, Nino knew with stunning clarity what he would type for his one sentence. Something that described Nino perfectly.
I think I might really be in love with you.
He pressed submit.
The next day, Nino was on pins and needles. He couldn't concentrate on anything, he snapped at Aiba more than usual, and it got to the point where Sho lectured him to at least act like a decent human being, if he refused to be mature. Nino spent their entire break lying on the couch, earphones in and volume turned up, listening to his most emo playlist on repeat until he fell asleep. He was woken up when his battery died, and snippets of Ohno's voice floated into his ear. Nino kept his eyes closed and breath even, hoping that Ohno wouldn't notice that he was awake.
He was talking to Jun about the contest.
"She seems really nice," Jun was saying.
"Sometimes," Ohno said. "She's kind of blunt. They're both kind of blunt and straightforward, aren't they?"
"Seems like you have a type," Jun teased.
Ohno was quiet.
"Are you having second thoughts?" Jun asked.
"I feel bad," Ohno murmured.
"Because she's in love with you? Plenty of people are in love with you. All the girls who entered this contest were in love with you."
"But she really sounds honest about it!"
Jun sighed. "This is an email, Leader. You can't convey emotion like that over written word, not very well. She can say what she wants, but you still wouldn't know for sure. Besides, even if those are her true feelings, would it change your mind? Only one person can win. Didn't you agree to do this whole thing for a reason?"
"I just ..."
"Ask yourself this: who's more important?"
"Well, after all, it's got to be that person."
"Exactly."
Nino opened his eyes to see Ohno staring at him.
part three
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Date: 2009-03-06 02:48 pm (UTC)