Yet more fic for the internet!

[ciircee]

For aegistheia who requested Arashi with the prompt 'crutches'.

They all had something they leaned on at some time or another and all of them leaned on some of the same things (cigarettes, sex) and it's one of those human things even idols were allowed, that leaning.

And then Nino came to work with a cane.

They all hated it on sight.

With the exception of Nino.

"Don't call my buddy ugly," he said in response to Jun's initial outburst.

"…why?" croaked Sho. Their managers hadn't breathed a word about this development.

"I prefer the word 'sturdy'," Nino told him. "It has a working-man's charm."

And Sho, who had known Nino for as long as any of them, didn't ask again.

Nino sighed. "Look, it's my buddy here for a year or surgery that'll have me flat on my back for six months plus physical therapy time."

"You never said it was so bad," Ohno murmured, his fingers light against Nino's back through the thin fabric of his shirt, bumping along the bumps of his spine.

"It's not that bad," Nino said with a roll of his eyes. "If it was that bad I wouldn't have a choice, would I?"

Aiba put his chin in his hands. "The fans aren't going to like this," he predicted. "They're gonna go all scary about us working so much."

"Like they don't snap up everything we do and still ask for more," Jun muttered.

"You love it," the others chorused.

"Did I say I didn't?" Jun asked with an expressive flick of one hand. "I just think that Masaki had a point; we're going to have to think about this carefully because word is definitely going to get out and we're going to have an angry mob to answer to if we don't do this right."

They were all silent for a moment, letting the truth sink in.

"Let's do it as an A no Arashi," Aiba said.

"Let's make it a new game on VS Arashi," Ohno offered.

"Let's let the agency handle it," said Sho, "since that's what they're paid for."

"Let's get to set," said the AD who had come to fetch them for filming.

Still tossing out ideas, they got up to follow the staffer to the stage.

Jun stopped Nino at the door. "Kazunari," he said, his hand gentle on Nino's arm. It was an offer to lean and they both knew it. They didn't often lean together quietly or peacefully but it was there.

Nino looked at him and then smiled crookedly. "You're such a girl," Nino bitched tenderly, even as he moved to Jun's other side and linked his free hand with Jun's.

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[pink-tofu.livejournal.com]

You heartbreaker, you. ;;