"So...does a person have to be dying to be turned into a vampire?" Nino asked, feigning nonchalance as he got another six kills in high-definition surround-sound. The Matsumoto family seriously had the most amazing theater system - perfect for gaming.
Ohno seemed barely aware of the question, let alone the fact that Nino was practically sitting in his lap, Nino's intense controller movements bringing him closer and closer; Ohno was caught up in something on his phone.
"Oh-chan, seriously," Nino griped.
"What? Oh, that's just Jun-kun. He says people should always have a chance to live," Ohno said, sounding like he was reciting something he'd heard often - which, knowing Jun, Nino bet he had.
Nino leveled up, and killed fourteen more zombies in six seconds. "What are you even looking at?" He wasn't really complaining about Ohno not paying his full attention to Nino, but Nino knew enough of himself and Ohno to know that while he was perfectly capable of playing a game and carrying on a conversation, Ohno was very - tunnel-vision. Nino would like a little bit of his attention, at least.
"Looking up the tides for next week. Sho-kun said we're skipping school because it's supposed to be sunny."
"So you're going to glitter some fish to death," Nino grumbled. Why did Ohno have to love the one hobby that Nino could definitely, positively not enjoy.
He played without comment for a few more minutes, the air filled with the sounds of zombie grunts and machinegun fire. Ohno's leg was cold against him, even through their layers.
He paused, the sudden silence startling Ohno into looking up.
"So why did he turn you?" Nino asked. "What the hell happened to you that - that Matsumoto-san would turn you?"
Ohno stared at him, and blinked, his face unmoving, his mouth open just a bit. He lifted his hand to Nino's cheek, then pushed Nino's hair behind his ear. He looked down, spotted Nino's hand resting on his leg, and put his hand around it, his fingers pressing between Nino's on the controller. "I was sick," he said, "and Jun-kun saved me. He - he can resist feeding where most of us can't, so he saved me."
Ohno was dying, he knew he was. He knew it more than he had ever known anything, which may not mean much; all he'd ever known was singing, dancing, and clay. But as his stomach rejected everything the nurses offered him, yet he continued to sweat and shiver, to ache in every way - he knew he was dying.
A nurse offered him water, and he let her pour it slowly into his mouth; he hoped he could keep it down.
He slept, fitfully, and with strange fever-dreams: his mother begging him to run the family business - what business? - his sister scolding him for getting his feet dirty, so dirty in clay, but his feet were made of clay, his whole body was turning into clay -
Someone shook him awake, gently, and said his name. "Ohno-san," they said, "Ohno-san, I'm going to save you. This will - it will hurt, but. It will save you, in its way."
He sounded like they were crying. Ohno wanted to tell him not to cry, because he always cried when someone cried around him, he couldn't help it, it was like some weird reaction to growing up with a sister who knew that two children crying would definitely get them out of chores long enough to buy candy.
Ohno didn't get a chance to say anything, though, before he was held down, held down and something sliding into his neck, the pressure sudden and intense, the pain concentrated and bright and then blooming outwards, out into everything in his body, changing him, twisting him up inside and then out. It lasted forever, it would never end - but then it did, his heart racing, his skin already losing heat, and the doctor - Matsumoto - was there, holding out his hand. "Come with me, Ohno-san," the doctor said. "We'll figure this out together."
"Oh-chan," Nino said, his voice soft, and Ohno shook his head. Nino flexed his hand under Ohno's but couldn't break free enough to let go of the controller. "Oh-chan, let go for a minute."
Ohno shook his head again, this time as if he were waking up. He released of Nino's hand, but Nino just took Ohno's back. He held Ohno's cold hand tightly in both of his, and curled up around Ohno's side, and didn't let go.
oh gosh, what is my life, what are my choices.
Ohno seemed barely aware of the question, let alone the fact that Nino was practically sitting in his lap, Nino's intense controller movements bringing him closer and closer; Ohno was caught up in something on his phone.
"Oh-chan, seriously," Nino griped.
"What? Oh, that's just Jun-kun. He says people should always have a chance to live," Ohno said, sounding like he was reciting something he'd heard often - which, knowing Jun, Nino bet he had.
Nino leveled up, and killed fourteen more zombies in six seconds. "What are you even looking at?" He wasn't really complaining about Ohno not paying his full attention to Nino, but Nino knew enough of himself and Ohno to know that while he was perfectly capable of playing a game and carrying on a conversation, Ohno was very - tunnel-vision. Nino would like a little bit of his attention, at least.
"Looking up the tides for next week. Sho-kun said we're skipping school because it's supposed to be sunny."
"So you're going to glitter some fish to death," Nino grumbled. Why did Ohno have to love the one hobby that Nino could definitely, positively not enjoy.
He played without comment for a few more minutes, the air filled with the sounds of zombie grunts and machinegun fire. Ohno's leg was cold against him, even through their layers.
He paused, the sudden silence startling Ohno into looking up.
"So why did he turn you?" Nino asked. "What the hell happened to you that - that Matsumoto-san would turn you?"
Ohno stared at him, and blinked, his face unmoving, his mouth open just a bit. He lifted his hand to Nino's cheek, then pushed Nino's hair behind his ear. He looked down, spotted Nino's hand resting on his leg, and put his hand around it, his fingers pressing between Nino's on the controller. "I was sick," he said, "and Jun-kun saved me. He - he can resist feeding where most of us can't, so he saved me."
Ohno was dying, he knew he was. He knew it more than he had ever known anything, which may not mean much; all he'd ever known was singing, dancing, and clay. But as his stomach rejected everything the nurses offered him, yet he continued to sweat and shiver, to ache in every way - he knew he was dying.
A nurse offered him water, and he let her pour it slowly into his mouth; he hoped he could keep it down.
He slept, fitfully, and with strange fever-dreams: his mother begging him to run the family business - what business? - his sister scolding him for getting his feet dirty, so dirty in clay, but his feet were made of clay, his whole body was turning into clay -
Someone shook him awake, gently, and said his name. "Ohno-san," they said, "Ohno-san, I'm going to save you. This will - it will hurt, but. It will save you, in its way."
He sounded like they were crying. Ohno wanted to tell him not to cry, because he always cried when someone cried around him, he couldn't help it, it was like some weird reaction to growing up with a sister who knew that two children crying would definitely get them out of chores long enough to buy candy.
Ohno didn't get a chance to say anything, though, before he was held down, held down and something sliding into his neck, the pressure sudden and intense, the pain concentrated and bright and then blooming outwards, out into everything in his body, changing him, twisting him up inside and then out. It lasted forever, it would never end - but then it did, his heart racing, his skin already losing heat, and the doctor - Matsumoto - was there, holding out his hand. "Come with me, Ohno-san," the doctor said. "We'll figure this out together."
"Oh-chan," Nino said, his voice soft, and Ohno shook his head. Nino flexed his hand under Ohno's but couldn't break free enough to let go of the controller. "Oh-chan, let go for a minute."
Ohno shook his head again, this time as if he were waking up. He released of Nino's hand, but Nino just took Ohno's back. He held Ohno's cold hand tightly in both of his, and curled up around Ohno's side, and didn't let go.