{036} Ninomiya Exchange 2019
Jul. 26th, 2019 03:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rinoahyunaMarks Classified (The Ninomiya Chronicles) 3/3
Ohno/Nino, PG Teens, 6680 words
They were being monitored for a reason, and Nino, for one, didn’t plan to be executed for treason. But his best friend and roommate seemed hardly bothered, inviting strangers to their home when they both know he shouldn’t. Still, he trusted Aiba to know better.This was his first mistake.
For
ink_letters, for this year's Nino Exchange. (Crossposted to AO3)
Part 3 - Rescue
Sho and Aiba insisted this was a suicide mission disguised as a rescue plan.
As if he didn’t know already, and it wasn’t like he was disagreeing per se, and it was better for everyone involved that he just keep his mouth shut and follow the plan, at least the one he and Ohno agreed on, since arguing with his friends over this wasn’t going to help. He’d thought of telling them about the powers Ohno insisted he had, especially the ones he wasn’t classified with, but thought better of it.
He’d rather not complicate things further by talking, nor embarrass himself in the process if it turned out this was all just an elaborate scheme to prank him.
Still, despite his doubts, a huge part of him wanted to believe Ohno was telling the truth, about Jun, about the powers he had no idea he had, about saving them. Even here, now, with Ohno’s replicate tugging him forward, his doubts was still eating at him from the inside. And the only other thing that was prompting him to move forward was the sound of Ohno’s voice in his head, quiet and reassuring, telling him to be careful.
The place they were brought into was the building near the animal clinic Aiba was working at - certainly not the place one would imagine holding people against their will - but somehow made perfect sense why they have been taken there anyway.
Johnnys Pharmaceuticals and Laboratories was one of those known companies that manufactured pharmaceutical drugs, but was the very first among its peers to discover the existence of super-powered individuals through one of their government-backed researches. There were numerous rumors about the company doing more than manufacturing over-the-counter drugs for normal people and the gifted alike, but they were mostly being covered up if not ignored.
This was obviously the reason why and he wouldn’t be surprised to discover more as they went along.
And truthfully, Nino didn’t want to worry about it too much when his nerves were already on edge, and he still didn’t know what in hell he was doing. All he knew was that he was navigating through the semi-darkened hallways of Johnny’s Pharmaceuticals and Laboratories after Ohno’s copy had successfully managed to get them inside through the back door without much effort (it was locked, but his companion was able to open it easily, much to Nino’s surprise) with his heart pounding hard in his ribcage, breathing hard through his nose, albeit quietly despite the fact that it sure felt like the devil was after them. He had no idea where they were going either, but he trusted Ohno enough to follow his copy’s lead as his fingers gripping the man’s own tightly as if his life depended on it.
As an agreement, Aiba and Sho were to wait for them in the car, parked at the opposite side of the road and prepared to drive off at the very first sign of Nino running back out, hopefully with Ohno and Jun in tow. They were expected to just stay where they were, practically invisible; Nino hoped they’d just stay put and wouldn’t try anything stupid.
They were just rounding the corner when Ohno’s replicate stopped them, squeezing his hand and tugging him closer to the wall. He looked around, just in case the reason they were stopping was because of a nearby surveillance camera he hadn’t noticed yet, but found that there weren’t any.
This surprised him in its entirety. Because for an establishment this huge, and was obviously running questionable operations behind it’s supposedly legal ones, he’d expected the place would be overcrowded by CCTV cameras and crawling of security personnel.
That was obviously not the case here.
It’s because they don’t need the cameras, Ohno’s voice said, reminding him of the man’s presence even when he couldn’t actually see him. (Or, maybe he could; Ohno did say his replicate was a near perfect copy of himself after all.) They have their own PSD stationed on every floor.
What, like a team of super-powered security guards?
Something like that, yes.
I give up. We really are going to die here. Holy crap.
Not if you get to level four as quickly as you two could manage it, without being detected preferably, to find the room they are holding Yamada-kun and his friends.
Why? And who is that guy?
He’s a Jumper. Well, most of his friends are, but I heard there are Clippers and Screamers there too. Borrow their powers so you’ll have something to defend yourself with. The shell would do its best to take you to where you need to go, but I prefer it better if you have the powers you need to fight the buggers off if in case they got that replicate first.
You mean he could die? But - you didn’t mention this before!
He’s just a shell, Ninomiya-san. I can easily replace him with a new one, no problem, so long as I’m alive. So don’t worry about him.
Wow, that’s just comforting! Thank you very much!
I’d say it’s better for you to meet the original, but, that’s all up to you, of course.
God, why do I even like you? You’re just a grade A prick.
That’s really sweet, but do you mind moving along, Ninomiya-san? You’re wasting precious time arguing with me.
You started it!
Ohno simply laughed and told him to suck it up, before he felt he was being tugged into the opposite direction.
Nino supposed there was nothing else left to do but to move along.
*
It was sensible to just use the stairs in this situation, so despite knowing his body wasn’t built for such vigorous activity, he swallowed back his complaints and followed the duplicate’s lead. It was an awful long journey up from the first level to the third - he honestly started to feel confident about the whole thing since they haven’t encountered anyone yet - until they got to level three and came face to face with a man twice his and the shell’s size, donning a suit.
For a moment, the guy looked surprised, then confused, when his gaze settled on the man standing next to him.
“What the hell, aren’t you supposed to be -” the guy said, or at least started to, holding his hand up in the air as he spoke. Nino felt the air around him sizzled, reaching down to find Ohno’s replicate doing the same.
Their fingers were barely intertwined when Ohno’s rang in his head, so loud he gasped at the sound of it.
Take his power and use it!
Too late, because then Nino felt the ground beneath him disappeared, as he and the shell were being lifted in the air. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over, Nino dropping on the ground with a loud thud, hand still clutching Ohno’s replicate’s own, at the same time they heard the sound of another body hitting the ground, followed by a familiar voice urging them to get up.
It was Aiba. Holding what looked like a golf club in one hand, and a bottled water in the other.
And unsurprisingly, Sho, empty-handed, was with him too.
God, his friends were just as weird as he was.
“What the actual hell - didn’t I tell you to stay put?!” he hissed, completely forgetting his manners as he sauntered toward his friends with a glare. Aiba didn’t even look the least bit apologetic.
“Well, thank goodness we didn’t, or you’d have your brain splattered onto the walls if we didn’t come to help you!”
“I told you we got this!”
“Well, it sure didn’t look that way to me!”
“Guys, that’s enough!” Sho stopped them both, getting in between them. “Nino, are you okay?”
“I’m splendid! What are you doing here?” he countered, pissed.
“Saving your ass, what’s it look like?” said Aiba, just as Sho pushed him aside to give Nino a look.
“We can’t just stay there and do nothing. We saw you use the back door so we went through that too. This place crawls, Nino. Don’t you think something really weird is going on here?”
“Well, that’s what I was here to find out, obviously.”
“Still planning on saving Jun and your imaginary friend?” asked Sho, which he answered with just a nod of his head. “How?”
He bit his lips. Should he tell them?
It’s okay, Ninomiya-san, said Ohno in his head. They’re your friends, and they’re there anyway. You could use all the help you could get. I’m - I’m sorry you’re all in this dangerous situation because of me.
Don’t say that. It’s not your fault, okay? It’s our decision to help our friends. None of this is your fault, you hear me?
I -
Shut up. I don’t want to hear any apologies, okay? Okay.
Nino -
He let go of the shell’s hand in favor of facing Sho.
“Help me get to level four. There are people I need to find first.”
Sho looked doubtful. “Why?”
Nino sauntered forward without looking back.
“I need to borrow their powers.”
*
There was no time for discussion, even though Aiba and Sho’s combined inner musings were as loud as their speaking voice. Following the shell as he led the way to level four without letting go of his hand, the sound of Ohno’s voice telling him to be careful was like an ever present reminder that he knew he couldn’t lose.
Thankfully, the room they were looking for was just right next to the corner of the fire exit, the door opposite the elevator that it had made their journey a hell of a lot easier.
“Quick, Nino, we’ll cover you.” Aiba said, urging them along. The shell tugged him forward and planted them in front of the room’s door, Nino watched as the shell held out his hand and touched the doorknob with ease.
Not even two seconds later, Nino definitely heard the sound of its lock turning.
Then the replicate was taking his hand back and stepping away, prompting Nino to do the opposite while he positioned himself behind Nino. Nino wasted no time in turning the knob as he was instructed and, upon finding it unlocked, pushed the door open and peeked inside.
The darkness that greeted him barely even surprised him, but more so the lack of the resounding alarm he’d expected to follow once they’d managed to open the door.
“We took care of it!” Aiba hollered from where he’d planted himself earlier, answering Nino’s unspoken question. “Now hurry up before any of them realized we’re here!”
Sounds of covers being tugged aside soon followed. Then there were sounds of shuffling feet, bodies bumping into each other and hushed voices, and Nino braved the consequences by stepping further into the room, arms raised in mid-air in a gesture of surrender.
“W-Who - Who’s there?” Someone croaked out from the lump of huddling bodies backed against the far wall. Then, suddenly, it was bright in the room and Nino finally had a clear view of who he was talking to.
“I’m Ninomiya, a friend of Matsumoto Jun and Ohno Satoshi. I’m here for Yamada-san.”
A good-looking, young fellow in his early twenties stepped forward slowly, carefully. “That’s me. What do you want from us?”
Ninomiya-san, you guys need to get out of there fast. They’re on to you now. They’re locking the place down and sending security to block all exit and entrance points. Please don’t let them catch you.
Tell me where you are so we could go straight to you.
Level nine. And Ninomiya-san?
Yeah?
Please hurry.
I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just hang in there.
Nino sighed, turning back to face the confused-looking Yamada. “I’m afraid I’m here for your powers, Yamada-san,” he announced to the room at large. “And not just yours,” he said, pointing to his terrified companions.
“Theirs too.”
*
It probably wasn’t the brightest idea he came up with, but it was the only thing he was able to think of at the time, just before he took off and started running for the stairs up to level nine. He’d just hoped Aiba and Sho are smart enough not to get caught while they guided Yamada-kun and his friends to safety, because he’d rather not go back for them once he got Jun and Ohno out.
He and Ohno’s replicate had another face to face encounter with a three-member security team just as they reached level seven, though fending them off was a lot easier now than it did several floors before. He shoved them away with a quick flick of his hand, confident at the way they hit the opposite wall, groaning in pain.
One of the three was quick to recover though, dodging out of the way as Nino pinned his two other companions to the wall, yelling Ohno’s name. He didn’t even saw what transpired, just that the next time he blinked, Ohno’s replicate had his knees against the back of the guy’s skull, pushing him down until his face was kissing the floor.
“Woah, dude!” he exclaimed, before knocking those two he’d kept pinned against the wall’s heads together, rendering them unconscious. “That was awesome!”
Ohno’s replicate didn’t even blink, slammed the guy’s head against the floor and stood as if nothing happened to grab Nino’s hand.
Ninomiya-san, are you okay?
Nino hid a smile and let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding as he followed the replicate’s lead.
Never better. Be ready, we’re almost there.
*
It didn’t occur to him to expect that they’d be facing more security people the moment they arrived on level nine, but somehow, they just did. The entire floor was crowded with people, probably a dozen or so blocking their way, before they were quickly being surrounded.
His fingers twitched inside the replicate’s grasp. Ninomiya-san?
Give me a minute, Ohno-san.
Something wrong?
Nope. We’re all good. Talk in a bit?
“Bold of you to think you could just barge in here and steal our people.” a guy to his left said, tilting his head to give Nino and the shell he was with a look.
“Your people?” he bit back, unaffected. “But I don’t think they like in here very much, seeing that you lunatics abducted them and kept them here against their will.”
There was collective murmurs from the men surrounding them as the man speaking to Nino waved his hand. The rest of his men took two steps forward, closing in on Nino and the shell in the process. Their thoughts were as confused as the expression they were wearing, and Nino did his best to hide his smile as he felt the replicate squeezed their hands together. The sensation he felt at the back of his head intensified, and he knew that it meant he was absorbing their powers without them even realizing it.
“So, what, you’re here to save them, is that it?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” he said. Then, “So, what if I am?”
Another guy stepped forward. “Funny. But do you really think we’re gonna simply let you? You won’t even get two steps away from us before we’re dragging you back to where you came from.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Do you feel threatened?” the same guy asked, grinning mischievously as he gestured to himself. “Come on, I’m actually being nice here.”
“Really now?”
“Yeah. In fact, I have a proposition for you. How about we settle this the nice way, where no one dies or gets hurt, how about it?”
“That’s an enticing invitation, thanks, but no thanks,” he answered. “But, maybe we could come into an even better arrangement. You let me walk out of here with two of my friends you’re keeping inside that room,” he pointed, “and we’ll call it even. If you do that, I promise not to break anything important, how’s that?”
That prompted the men to laugh. Nino raised an eyebrow at them in answer. “I take it the answer is no?”
“What do you think?” small guy answered.
Nino shook his head and flexed his hand, the one not holding the replicate’s own. He could feel the air around his hand - charged with energy no one could see - followed his fingers’ movements.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” was all the warning the men got before Nino was moving, the shell along with him to shield him, as he electrocuted half of the men till they were writhing on the floor, and then throwing the other half into a hole he created on the wall.
“Woah, Nino!” exclaimed Sho and Aiba, simultaneously. Nino didn’t notice them being there.
Nino ignored them in favor of sprinting towards the direction the shell was pulling him to, feeling entirely like his heart had lodged itself permanently in his throat.
Ohno-san? Are you okay? Where are you?
Here, Ninomiya-san. Still here. You okay? Are you hurt?
I’m good.
Thank goodness. I - Where are you?
On my way to you. Wait for me.
*
Unlocking the room wasn’t nearly as difficult as when he was finally standing in front of Jun, who looked no worse for wear despite being in lock up for years, and Ohno, awkwardly, because obviously, starting a conversation with anyone - not even with the person he supposed wasn’t exactly a stranger anymore, but still was, technically - wasn’t exactly his strongest suit.
So instead of ending up doing something he knew he would regret for the rest of his days, he turned to Jun, walked the short way towards him and hugged him, before whacking him upside the head.
“You could have told us you were abducted, you bastard! We thought you were dead!”
“And how was I supposed to do that, you idiot?!”
“Almost five years, J! Couldn’t you have figured something out like Ohno-san did?!”
“Well, I’m sorry I’m not as clever as he is!”
“Well then at least you know you are -” he grumbled, when he was interrupted by the sound of the door slamming against the wall and Aiba’s mental screams soon followed.
His actual voice took form not even two seconds later. “Matsujun! Holy shit, is it really you?”
“Aiba-san -”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. You two were supposed to help the others out, what the hell are you - OH MY GOD, SHO.” he squeaked, watching in horror as Sho shoved Aiba out of the way, him too, so he could grab Jun by the shoulders, hauling him up from the bed and kissing him.
“We should go!” Aiba was yelling, and Nino honestly couldn’t agree more. “Sho, damn it, that’s enough!”
“Break them up, break them up, oh my god, my eyes!”
He backed away, cringing, stumbling on his feet and almost losing his balance if not for the pair of hands that caught him before he accidentally brained himself on the nearest bed.
It was Ohno.
Their gazes catch for the second time, and for a moment there, Nino was certain everything stopped, saved from the two of them. The noises he supposed he should hear was muted, and he couldn’t hear beyond the sounds of his own heart beating unsteadily inside his chest. Ohno’s fingers came up to settle across his jaw, soft, chaste, like Ohno was afraid it’d hurt.
Nino wondered what it all meant, until it happened.
It felt just like it did the last time it happened. The images came like simultaneous strike of lightning hitting him from all sides he was almost drowning in them. His eyes were close but they were still there, coming at him and flooding his entire senses, making him remember things he was certain never happened yet. Ohno held him through it, could feel the warmth of his breath against the side of Nino’s temple, murmuring soft words on his skin and holding him steady as he tried to regain faculties on his limbs, waited until his knees were stable enough that he could finally stand on his own.
Evidently, the world, he realized, remained on pause.
“What the hell was that?”
Ohno gave a chuckle. “You really like asking questions you already know the answers of, do you?”
Confused, he shook his head. “But, that’s - does it mean we’re - like that? Supposedly?”
Ohno’s grin was so, so fond that it was hard to look away. “I guess so?”
“You’re not sure either!”
“Oh, but I am,” said Ohno, gingerly, almost shyly. “Between the two of us, someone has to be.”
“But I’m not - I mean, we’re not -”
“If you don’t want us to be, that’s fine,” said Ohno. “Well, for now. Because then you’ll find that it would be kind of difficult to get rid of me now that I have found you.”
To that, he honestly had no prepared comeback. So he just let Ohno pull him closer, felt him settled a hand across the small of his back while the other he used to caress Nino’s jaw. This closeness, it ought to scare Nino away before, but with Ohno, it just felt so natural, familiar, easy.
And maybe, he still wasn’t sure; the visions gave him just enough to know where to begin, where to look. But one thing remained the same, amidst all the chaos he saw.
In all of it, he was with Ohno.
“But I’m not sure -” he said, cutting himself halfway when Ohno caught his hand and brought it to his lips.
“I’ll be sure enough for the both of us, Kazu. How about that?” Ohno said.
Nino couldn’t help it, he smiled, letting Ohno hold him through his uncertainties knowing he wouldn’t be for long. He let his head tip forward till he could rest his forehead against Ohno’s shoulder, smiling at the vivid memory he saw of Ohno kissing him under a sky full of stars.
Something shifted then, could be the air around them or the powers holding the universe together because afterwards he could once again hear everyone’s thoughts, saved from Ohno’s, followed by the sound of Aiba’s voice prompting them to go.
“Save the romance for later and let’s fucking go!”
The door slammed against the wall as it abruptly opened. “They’re here! Get them! All of them!”
“Holy shit, we’re all gonna die!”
Nino pulled himself away from Ohno’s embrace, tugging Ohno aside when Ohno pulled him to stand behind Ohno. “Nino -”
“Shh, it’s okay,” he said, squeezing Ohno’s arm in reassurance. “It’s okay. I can do this.”
“But -”
“Trust me on this one, Oh-chan,” he said. “Now, step aside please.” he said, and Ohno did, albeit hesitantly. He gave Ohno a smile just as Ohno’s replicate appeared by Nino’s side.
“Be careful.”
“Always am.” he answered.
His future could wait. He obviously had this present trouble to take care of.
“Kill them!”
Nino grinned.
Epilogue (sort of)
Ohno liked to say it was fate - he was still gushing at the part where Nino shared his visions with him, at least the ones that literally sealed the deal and made him agree Ohno was the one - but he just always made it a point to ignore Ohno just to be a jerk.
Their friends thought it was romantic, in an epic kind of way, because, what else could it be? Ohno had seen Nino in his dreams, even before they’ve properly met, and Nino saw fragments of future with Ohno in it in turn. Jun, in particular, liked to remind Nino that his abduction started it all. That Nino wouldn’t get to experience (and in turn, enjoy) the perks of a blissful, married life if not for him.
Nino always told him to suck it up.
All in all, things were - nice. Even if they were now being hunted. It was nice to know that even when life was hard, and their situation even more so, they have each other. Their powers, to make a difference.
For Nino, that, in itself, was enough.
And it was kind of perfect, really.
Ohno/Nino, PG Teens, 6680 words
They were being monitored for a reason, and Nino, for one, didn’t plan to be executed for treason. But his best friend and roommate seemed hardly bothered, inviting strangers to their home when they both know he shouldn’t. Still, he trusted Aiba to know better.This was his first mistake.
For
ink_letters, for this year's Nino Exchange. (Crossposted to AO3)Part 3 - Rescue
Sho and Aiba insisted this was a suicide mission disguised as a rescue plan.
As if he didn’t know already, and it wasn’t like he was disagreeing per se, and it was better for everyone involved that he just keep his mouth shut and follow the plan, at least the one he and Ohno agreed on, since arguing with his friends over this wasn’t going to help. He’d thought of telling them about the powers Ohno insisted he had, especially the ones he wasn’t classified with, but thought better of it.
He’d rather not complicate things further by talking, nor embarrass himself in the process if it turned out this was all just an elaborate scheme to prank him.
Still, despite his doubts, a huge part of him wanted to believe Ohno was telling the truth, about Jun, about the powers he had no idea he had, about saving them. Even here, now, with Ohno’s replicate tugging him forward, his doubts was still eating at him from the inside. And the only other thing that was prompting him to move forward was the sound of Ohno’s voice in his head, quiet and reassuring, telling him to be careful.
The place they were brought into was the building near the animal clinic Aiba was working at - certainly not the place one would imagine holding people against their will - but somehow made perfect sense why they have been taken there anyway.
Johnnys Pharmaceuticals and Laboratories was one of those known companies that manufactured pharmaceutical drugs, but was the very first among its peers to discover the existence of super-powered individuals through one of their government-backed researches. There were numerous rumors about the company doing more than manufacturing over-the-counter drugs for normal people and the gifted alike, but they were mostly being covered up if not ignored.
This was obviously the reason why and he wouldn’t be surprised to discover more as they went along.
And truthfully, Nino didn’t want to worry about it too much when his nerves were already on edge, and he still didn’t know what in hell he was doing. All he knew was that he was navigating through the semi-darkened hallways of Johnny’s Pharmaceuticals and Laboratories after Ohno’s copy had successfully managed to get them inside through the back door without much effort (it was locked, but his companion was able to open it easily, much to Nino’s surprise) with his heart pounding hard in his ribcage, breathing hard through his nose, albeit quietly despite the fact that it sure felt like the devil was after them. He had no idea where they were going either, but he trusted Ohno enough to follow his copy’s lead as his fingers gripping the man’s own tightly as if his life depended on it.
As an agreement, Aiba and Sho were to wait for them in the car, parked at the opposite side of the road and prepared to drive off at the very first sign of Nino running back out, hopefully with Ohno and Jun in tow. They were expected to just stay where they were, practically invisible; Nino hoped they’d just stay put and wouldn’t try anything stupid.
They were just rounding the corner when Ohno’s replicate stopped them, squeezing his hand and tugging him closer to the wall. He looked around, just in case the reason they were stopping was because of a nearby surveillance camera he hadn’t noticed yet, but found that there weren’t any.
This surprised him in its entirety. Because for an establishment this huge, and was obviously running questionable operations behind it’s supposedly legal ones, he’d expected the place would be overcrowded by CCTV cameras and crawling of security personnel.
That was obviously not the case here.
It’s because they don’t need the cameras, Ohno’s voice said, reminding him of the man’s presence even when he couldn’t actually see him. (Or, maybe he could; Ohno did say his replicate was a near perfect copy of himself after all.) They have their own PSD stationed on every floor.
What, like a team of super-powered security guards?
Something like that, yes.
I give up. We really are going to die here. Holy crap.
Not if you get to level four as quickly as you two could manage it, without being detected preferably, to find the room they are holding Yamada-kun and his friends.
Why? And who is that guy?
He’s a Jumper. Well, most of his friends are, but I heard there are Clippers and Screamers there too. Borrow their powers so you’ll have something to defend yourself with. The shell would do its best to take you to where you need to go, but I prefer it better if you have the powers you need to fight the buggers off if in case they got that replicate first.
You mean he could die? But - you didn’t mention this before!
He’s just a shell, Ninomiya-san. I can easily replace him with a new one, no problem, so long as I’m alive. So don’t worry about him.
Wow, that’s just comforting! Thank you very much!
I’d say it’s better for you to meet the original, but, that’s all up to you, of course.
God, why do I even like you? You’re just a grade A prick.
That’s really sweet, but do you mind moving along, Ninomiya-san? You’re wasting precious time arguing with me.
You started it!
Ohno simply laughed and told him to suck it up, before he felt he was being tugged into the opposite direction.
Nino supposed there was nothing else left to do but to move along.
*
It was sensible to just use the stairs in this situation, so despite knowing his body wasn’t built for such vigorous activity, he swallowed back his complaints and followed the duplicate’s lead. It was an awful long journey up from the first level to the third - he honestly started to feel confident about the whole thing since they haven’t encountered anyone yet - until they got to level three and came face to face with a man twice his and the shell’s size, donning a suit.
For a moment, the guy looked surprised, then confused, when his gaze settled on the man standing next to him.
“What the hell, aren’t you supposed to be -” the guy said, or at least started to, holding his hand up in the air as he spoke. Nino felt the air around him sizzled, reaching down to find Ohno’s replicate doing the same.
Their fingers were barely intertwined when Ohno’s rang in his head, so loud he gasped at the sound of it.
Take his power and use it!
Too late, because then Nino felt the ground beneath him disappeared, as he and the shell were being lifted in the air. Then, as quickly as it started, it was over, Nino dropping on the ground with a loud thud, hand still clutching Ohno’s replicate’s own, at the same time they heard the sound of another body hitting the ground, followed by a familiar voice urging them to get up.
It was Aiba. Holding what looked like a golf club in one hand, and a bottled water in the other.
And unsurprisingly, Sho, empty-handed, was with him too.
God, his friends were just as weird as he was.
“What the actual hell - didn’t I tell you to stay put?!” he hissed, completely forgetting his manners as he sauntered toward his friends with a glare. Aiba didn’t even look the least bit apologetic.
“Well, thank goodness we didn’t, or you’d have your brain splattered onto the walls if we didn’t come to help you!”
“I told you we got this!”
“Well, it sure didn’t look that way to me!”
“Guys, that’s enough!” Sho stopped them both, getting in between them. “Nino, are you okay?”
“I’m splendid! What are you doing here?” he countered, pissed.
“Saving your ass, what’s it look like?” said Aiba, just as Sho pushed him aside to give Nino a look.
“We can’t just stay there and do nothing. We saw you use the back door so we went through that too. This place crawls, Nino. Don’t you think something really weird is going on here?”
“Well, that’s what I was here to find out, obviously.”
“Still planning on saving Jun and your imaginary friend?” asked Sho, which he answered with just a nod of his head. “How?”
He bit his lips. Should he tell them?
It’s okay, Ninomiya-san, said Ohno in his head. They’re your friends, and they’re there anyway. You could use all the help you could get. I’m - I’m sorry you’re all in this dangerous situation because of me.
Don’t say that. It’s not your fault, okay? It’s our decision to help our friends. None of this is your fault, you hear me?
I -
Shut up. I don’t want to hear any apologies, okay? Okay.
Nino -
He let go of the shell’s hand in favor of facing Sho.
“Help me get to level four. There are people I need to find first.”
Sho looked doubtful. “Why?”
Nino sauntered forward without looking back.
“I need to borrow their powers.”
*
There was no time for discussion, even though Aiba and Sho’s combined inner musings were as loud as their speaking voice. Following the shell as he led the way to level four without letting go of his hand, the sound of Ohno’s voice telling him to be careful was like an ever present reminder that he knew he couldn’t lose.
Thankfully, the room they were looking for was just right next to the corner of the fire exit, the door opposite the elevator that it had made their journey a hell of a lot easier.
“Quick, Nino, we’ll cover you.” Aiba said, urging them along. The shell tugged him forward and planted them in front of the room’s door, Nino watched as the shell held out his hand and touched the doorknob with ease.
Not even two seconds later, Nino definitely heard the sound of its lock turning.
Then the replicate was taking his hand back and stepping away, prompting Nino to do the opposite while he positioned himself behind Nino. Nino wasted no time in turning the knob as he was instructed and, upon finding it unlocked, pushed the door open and peeked inside.
The darkness that greeted him barely even surprised him, but more so the lack of the resounding alarm he’d expected to follow once they’d managed to open the door.
“We took care of it!” Aiba hollered from where he’d planted himself earlier, answering Nino’s unspoken question. “Now hurry up before any of them realized we’re here!”
Sounds of covers being tugged aside soon followed. Then there were sounds of shuffling feet, bodies bumping into each other and hushed voices, and Nino braved the consequences by stepping further into the room, arms raised in mid-air in a gesture of surrender.
“W-Who - Who’s there?” Someone croaked out from the lump of huddling bodies backed against the far wall. Then, suddenly, it was bright in the room and Nino finally had a clear view of who he was talking to.
“I’m Ninomiya, a friend of Matsumoto Jun and Ohno Satoshi. I’m here for Yamada-san.”
A good-looking, young fellow in his early twenties stepped forward slowly, carefully. “That’s me. What do you want from us?”
Ninomiya-san, you guys need to get out of there fast. They’re on to you now. They’re locking the place down and sending security to block all exit and entrance points. Please don’t let them catch you.
Tell me where you are so we could go straight to you.
Level nine. And Ninomiya-san?
Yeah?
Please hurry.
I’ll be there as soon as I can. Just hang in there.
Nino sighed, turning back to face the confused-looking Yamada. “I’m afraid I’m here for your powers, Yamada-san,” he announced to the room at large. “And not just yours,” he said, pointing to his terrified companions.
“Theirs too.”
*
It probably wasn’t the brightest idea he came up with, but it was the only thing he was able to think of at the time, just before he took off and started running for the stairs up to level nine. He’d just hoped Aiba and Sho are smart enough not to get caught while they guided Yamada-kun and his friends to safety, because he’d rather not go back for them once he got Jun and Ohno out.
He and Ohno’s replicate had another face to face encounter with a three-member security team just as they reached level seven, though fending them off was a lot easier now than it did several floors before. He shoved them away with a quick flick of his hand, confident at the way they hit the opposite wall, groaning in pain.
One of the three was quick to recover though, dodging out of the way as Nino pinned his two other companions to the wall, yelling Ohno’s name. He didn’t even saw what transpired, just that the next time he blinked, Ohno’s replicate had his knees against the back of the guy’s skull, pushing him down until his face was kissing the floor.
“Woah, dude!” he exclaimed, before knocking those two he’d kept pinned against the wall’s heads together, rendering them unconscious. “That was awesome!”
Ohno’s replicate didn’t even blink, slammed the guy’s head against the floor and stood as if nothing happened to grab Nino’s hand.
Ninomiya-san, are you okay?
Nino hid a smile and let go of the breath he didn’t know he was holding as he followed the replicate’s lead.
Never better. Be ready, we’re almost there.
*
It didn’t occur to him to expect that they’d be facing more security people the moment they arrived on level nine, but somehow, they just did. The entire floor was crowded with people, probably a dozen or so blocking their way, before they were quickly being surrounded.
His fingers twitched inside the replicate’s grasp. Ninomiya-san?
Give me a minute, Ohno-san.
Something wrong?
Nope. We’re all good. Talk in a bit?
“Bold of you to think you could just barge in here and steal our people.” a guy to his left said, tilting his head to give Nino and the shell he was with a look.
“Your people?” he bit back, unaffected. “But I don’t think they like in here very much, seeing that you lunatics abducted them and kept them here against their will.”
There was collective murmurs from the men surrounding them as the man speaking to Nino waved his hand. The rest of his men took two steps forward, closing in on Nino and the shell in the process. Their thoughts were as confused as the expression they were wearing, and Nino did his best to hide his smile as he felt the replicate squeezed their hands together. The sensation he felt at the back of his head intensified, and he knew that it meant he was absorbing their powers without them even realizing it.
“So, what, you’re here to save them, is that it?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” he said. Then, “So, what if I am?”
Another guy stepped forward. “Funny. But do you really think we’re gonna simply let you? You won’t even get two steps away from us before we’re dragging you back to where you came from.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Do you feel threatened?” the same guy asked, grinning mischievously as he gestured to himself. “Come on, I’m actually being nice here.”
“Really now?”
“Yeah. In fact, I have a proposition for you. How about we settle this the nice way, where no one dies or gets hurt, how about it?”
“That’s an enticing invitation, thanks, but no thanks,” he answered. “But, maybe we could come into an even better arrangement. You let me walk out of here with two of my friends you’re keeping inside that room,” he pointed, “and we’ll call it even. If you do that, I promise not to break anything important, how’s that?”
That prompted the men to laugh. Nino raised an eyebrow at them in answer. “I take it the answer is no?”
“What do you think?” small guy answered.
Nino shook his head and flexed his hand, the one not holding the replicate’s own. He could feel the air around his hand - charged with energy no one could see - followed his fingers’ movements.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” was all the warning the men got before Nino was moving, the shell along with him to shield him, as he electrocuted half of the men till they were writhing on the floor, and then throwing the other half into a hole he created on the wall.
“Woah, Nino!” exclaimed Sho and Aiba, simultaneously. Nino didn’t notice them being there.
Nino ignored them in favor of sprinting towards the direction the shell was pulling him to, feeling entirely like his heart had lodged itself permanently in his throat.
Ohno-san? Are you okay? Where are you?
Here, Ninomiya-san. Still here. You okay? Are you hurt?
I’m good.
Thank goodness. I - Where are you?
On my way to you. Wait for me.
*
Unlocking the room wasn’t nearly as difficult as when he was finally standing in front of Jun, who looked no worse for wear despite being in lock up for years, and Ohno, awkwardly, because obviously, starting a conversation with anyone - not even with the person he supposed wasn’t exactly a stranger anymore, but still was, technically - wasn’t exactly his strongest suit.
So instead of ending up doing something he knew he would regret for the rest of his days, he turned to Jun, walked the short way towards him and hugged him, before whacking him upside the head.
“You could have told us you were abducted, you bastard! We thought you were dead!”
“And how was I supposed to do that, you idiot?!”
“Almost five years, J! Couldn’t you have figured something out like Ohno-san did?!”
“Well, I’m sorry I’m not as clever as he is!”
“Well then at least you know you are -” he grumbled, when he was interrupted by the sound of the door slamming against the wall and Aiba’s mental screams soon followed.
His actual voice took form not even two seconds later. “Matsujun! Holy shit, is it really you?”
“Aiba-san -”
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. You two were supposed to help the others out, what the hell are you - OH MY GOD, SHO.” he squeaked, watching in horror as Sho shoved Aiba out of the way, him too, so he could grab Jun by the shoulders, hauling him up from the bed and kissing him.
“We should go!” Aiba was yelling, and Nino honestly couldn’t agree more. “Sho, damn it, that’s enough!”
“Break them up, break them up, oh my god, my eyes!”
He backed away, cringing, stumbling on his feet and almost losing his balance if not for the pair of hands that caught him before he accidentally brained himself on the nearest bed.
It was Ohno.
Their gazes catch for the second time, and for a moment there, Nino was certain everything stopped, saved from the two of them. The noises he supposed he should hear was muted, and he couldn’t hear beyond the sounds of his own heart beating unsteadily inside his chest. Ohno’s fingers came up to settle across his jaw, soft, chaste, like Ohno was afraid it’d hurt.
Nino wondered what it all meant, until it happened.
It felt just like it did the last time it happened. The images came like simultaneous strike of lightning hitting him from all sides he was almost drowning in them. His eyes were close but they were still there, coming at him and flooding his entire senses, making him remember things he was certain never happened yet. Ohno held him through it, could feel the warmth of his breath against the side of Nino’s temple, murmuring soft words on his skin and holding him steady as he tried to regain faculties on his limbs, waited until his knees were stable enough that he could finally stand on his own.
Evidently, the world, he realized, remained on pause.
“What the hell was that?”
Ohno gave a chuckle. “You really like asking questions you already know the answers of, do you?”
Confused, he shook his head. “But, that’s - does it mean we’re - like that? Supposedly?”
Ohno’s grin was so, so fond that it was hard to look away. “I guess so?”
“You’re not sure either!”
“Oh, but I am,” said Ohno, gingerly, almost shyly. “Between the two of us, someone has to be.”
“But I’m not - I mean, we’re not -”
“If you don’t want us to be, that’s fine,” said Ohno. “Well, for now. Because then you’ll find that it would be kind of difficult to get rid of me now that I have found you.”
To that, he honestly had no prepared comeback. So he just let Ohno pull him closer, felt him settled a hand across the small of his back while the other he used to caress Nino’s jaw. This closeness, it ought to scare Nino away before, but with Ohno, it just felt so natural, familiar, easy.
And maybe, he still wasn’t sure; the visions gave him just enough to know where to begin, where to look. But one thing remained the same, amidst all the chaos he saw.
In all of it, he was with Ohno.
“But I’m not sure -” he said, cutting himself halfway when Ohno caught his hand and brought it to his lips.
“I’ll be sure enough for the both of us, Kazu. How about that?” Ohno said.
Nino couldn’t help it, he smiled, letting Ohno hold him through his uncertainties knowing he wouldn’t be for long. He let his head tip forward till he could rest his forehead against Ohno’s shoulder, smiling at the vivid memory he saw of Ohno kissing him under a sky full of stars.
Something shifted then, could be the air around them or the powers holding the universe together because afterwards he could once again hear everyone’s thoughts, saved from Ohno’s, followed by the sound of Aiba’s voice prompting them to go.
“Save the romance for later and let’s fucking go!”
The door slammed against the wall as it abruptly opened. “They’re here! Get them! All of them!”
“Holy shit, we’re all gonna die!”
Nino pulled himself away from Ohno’s embrace, tugging Ohno aside when Ohno pulled him to stand behind Ohno. “Nino -”
“Shh, it’s okay,” he said, squeezing Ohno’s arm in reassurance. “It’s okay. I can do this.”
“But -”
“Trust me on this one, Oh-chan,” he said. “Now, step aside please.” he said, and Ohno did, albeit hesitantly. He gave Ohno a smile just as Ohno’s replicate appeared by Nino’s side.
“Be careful.”
“Always am.” he answered.
His future could wait. He obviously had this present trouble to take care of.
“Kill them!”
Nino grinned.
Epilogue (sort of)
Ohno liked to say it was fate - he was still gushing at the part where Nino shared his visions with him, at least the ones that literally sealed the deal and made him agree Ohno was the one - but he just always made it a point to ignore Ohno just to be a jerk.
Their friends thought it was romantic, in an epic kind of way, because, what else could it be? Ohno had seen Nino in his dreams, even before they’ve properly met, and Nino saw fragments of future with Ohno in it in turn. Jun, in particular, liked to remind Nino that his abduction started it all. That Nino wouldn’t get to experience (and in turn, enjoy) the perks of a blissful, married life if not for him.
Nino always told him to suck it up.
All in all, things were - nice. Even if they were now being hunted. It was nice to know that even when life was hard, and their situation even more so, they have each other. Their powers, to make a difference.
For Nino, that, in itself, was enough.
And it was kind of perfect, really.
