You're The Only One for Me
Ninomiya Kazunari woke up with a start at the sound of his alarm clock going off. He stared at the ceiling of his room for a few seconds, trying to get the bearing of his surroundings. Once he was truly awake, he groaned at the sound of the alarm. With a grunt, he turned slightly and reached over to the side table and slammed his hand down on the clock. The room was once again in silence. The hazel-eyed man dropped his body back heavily onto the mattress. It was a sin to wake up so early in the morning for work. He rested his left arm on his eyes, possibly hoping that it will create some miracle and that it was night again. He slowly lifted his arm and peeked with one eye. Nope. That was definitely sunlight shining through his yellow-mustard curtains. Ninomiya gave another groan before pushing himself up. He ruffled his own hair in annoyance before throwing off his covers and headed towards the shower.
-
Ninomiya had just finished putting on his tie when he heard the sound of his phone vibrating on the dining table. He looked at himself in the mirror one last time to adjust his tie before walking towards his phone. He picked up the item and looked at the screen. 'Jun-pon' it said.
"Hello, princess," Ninomiya answered the phone with a tiny mischievous grin.
"It's too early for this, you brat," Matsumoto Jun's voice was heard over the speaker.
"Awwww...Come on. You know you love it."
"Wipe that grin off your face," Matsumoto tried to sound annoyed. "Anyway, are you done yet? I'm reaching in five minutes."
"Yeah, I'm done. Just gotta put on my shoes and I'm going down."
"Alright. See you then."
"Okay, princess. Drive safe."
"Shut up."
-
In Matsumoto's car, they talked about grabbing a bite before heading to the office. The taller man took a left turned and stopped at the side walk, in front of a cafe. Ninomiya took off his seat belt and opened the door. Before he stepped out, he turned to Matsumoto.
"The usual?" Ninomiya asked.
"No, make it an espresso this time."
"Jeez," Ninomiya scrunched his nose slightly. "Stressed much?"
Matsumoto just gave a glare which the shorter man gave a tiny chuckled to. He stepped out, closed the passenger's door behind him and walked towards the cafe. Ninomiya opened the cafe door, making the door's bell jingle a tiny bit.
"Welcome!" came a voice from the counter.
"Oh-chan~!" Ninomiya greeted with a wide smile at the man who was wiping the counter top. The chubby man looked up and smiled when he saw Ninomiya.
"Hello, Nino," Ohno Satoshi greeted. He turned and placed the towel behind at the sink before looking at the younger man. "The usual? For Matsujun as well?"
"Ah, the usual for me. But Mr Grumpy Pants needs an espresso."
"Okay. Coming right up," Ohno gave a smile and started getting to work.
"You're alone today?" Ninomiya asked as he sat down on one of the chairs as he usually did when he grabbed a bite at the cafe.
"Oh, Cherry-chan went to the back to get some supplies."
As if on cue, a curly hair blond lady with a slim built and slightly shorter than Ninomiya walked out from the storeroom, her back facing them. As she turned around, Ninomiya saw that she was carrying two bags of coffee beans, which were completely blocking her view. The hazel-eyed man was quick on his feet to help the lady who seemed to be struggling under the weight. He grabbed one of the bags, which surprised the lady.
"Oh, no! It's okay! You don't hav-," Cherry stopped her ramblings once she saw who came to her aid. "Nino-kun!"
"Hello, Cherry-san," Ninomiya gave his charming smile.
"Ah, goodness. Thank you for your help, Nino-kun. But really, I can handle it," she gave a warm smile.
"I couldn't let a lady like yourself do all the hard work, now can I?" Ninomiya said teasingly before turning to Ohno who was busy brewing the coffee. He pretended to scold the owner of the cafe. "Oh-chan! You're the guy here! Why are you letting this sweet lady do all the lifting?!"
"Hmm? What is it, Nino?" Ohno seemed to not have heard Ninomiya.
"Oh, Nino-kun! Don't be like that, silly. I volunteered to go and grab these," Cherry led Ninomiya to the back of the counter where they placed the bags of coffee beans on the floor. Ninomiya walked back to the front of the counter and sat down.
"Here you go," Ohno placed two different colored cups and two small brown bags in front of Ninomiya. "One chocolate mocha, one espresso and two bagels."
"Thanks, Oh-chan!" Ninomiya paid for his orders and grabbed them in his hands. He said goodbyes to the owner and his helper before walking out the door. He walked out and saw Matsumoto leaning against the car, looking at his phone. "Jun?"
"Finally," Matsumoto said as he kept his phone and took the brown bags from Ninomiya's hand. The perm-haired man walked around the car and got into the driver's seat.
"What's the rush? We're still kinda early, you know?" Ninomiya asked as he strapped himself in.
"I have some uncompleted documents to attend to. I need to get to the office as soon as possible."
"Well, we could have skipped this detour then."
"Yeah, and let you starve? You didn't even have breakfast, did you? At least I had some toasts this morning." At this, Ninomiya rolled his eyes.
"I won't die for skipping breakfast just this once, Jun."
Matsumoto said nothing. Ninomiya knew there was something more but he didn't want to pry. He respects his best friend's privacy as his best friend respects his. If there was something bothering the taller man, he will tell Ninomiya when the time comes. As for now, the quiet drive doesn't seem so bad.
-
Once they reached the building, they walked together towards the car park's elevator. Matsumoto pressed the buttons and sipped his coffee. It was hot and it burnt his throat but it was a good feeling. He was feeling more awake now. He turned to look at Ninomiya who was looking at his phone. One hand holding his chocolate mocha and his brown bag was stuffed under his arm. Matsumoto's eyes turned soft as he looked at his best friend. The shorted man seemed to be getting thinner and thinner as each day passed. Matsumoto decided that he should bring the older man out to eat tonight. Just to get some meat into that small body of Ninomiya's. Soon, the elevator doors opened and they stepped in together. Matsumoto pressed their floor button, even though Ninomiya was standing directly in front of it. His best friend was still distracted with his phone.
"Hey, Nino," Matsumoto started, as he peered at the screen of his friend's phone. Tetris. Go figure.
"Hmm?"
"Let's eat outside tonight."
"Eh? But I already spent my money on the coffee and bagels." Matsumoto rolled his eyes. Such a cheapskate, even after all these years.
"My treat, okay?"
"What's the occasion?" Ninomiya finally lost the game. He kept his phone back into his pocket and looked at the taller man.
"Nothing. I just feel like eating out. I think after today's paperwork, I'm too lazy to cook."
"Hmm...Okay then. Let's invite Aiba and Ohno too," the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Ninomiya stepped out first, followed by Matsumoto. "The more the merrier, right?"
"I'm not paying for their share," Matsumoto deadpanned. Ninomiya gave a hearty chuckle.
"Alright, I'll invite them and make it a note that it's at their own expense."
"Okay. I won't be going to lunch today, got a pile of paperwork to complete."
"Right. See you after work then."
"See you."
"See you later, princess~!" Ninomiya said in the most innocent tone. He ducked away from Matsumoto's abusive hand and ran away, leaving a pissed off perm-haired man behind.
-
NInomiya placed his head on his hand, looking at the computer screen with a bored face. He let out a quiet sigh and looked at the time at the bottom right of the screen. One more hour to end of work. Unfortunately for him, he was already done with all his paperwork. He sat up straight and turned his chair one whole round. He did it again. And again. And again. On his fifth turn, someone stopped his chair. He looked up at the person who had stopped his fun. It was his boss' secretary.
"Ninomiya-san?" Takashi Hideki asked in a low voice.
"Yes?" Ninomiya tried to put on his best innocent face, hoping that whatever trouble he was in would be lessen.
"Yamato-san would like to see you in his office."
"Now?"
"Yes. If you would follow me."
"Okay..."
-
"Come in," Yamato Fuji said as he heard the knocks on his office door.
"Yamato-san, I have brought Ninomiya-san as you've requested," Takashi said with a slight bow.
"Ah, yes. Ninomiya. Please, let him in. Close the door as you leave, Takashi." Takashi turned around and asked Ninomiya to step into the office. Ninomiya entered hesitantly as Takashi went out and closed the door. Ninomiya eyed his boss nervously.
"You called for me, sir?" Ninomiya asked as politely as he could.
"Yes, Ninomiya. Please, have a seat," Yamato gestured towards the leather chair in front of his work table. Ninomiya crossed the room and sat down, remembering to keep his back straight. Yamato smiled warmly as he spoke, "Would you like some tea?"
"No, thank you," Ninomiya returned the warm smile.
"Well, then. Let's get straight to the point, shall we?" Yamato said as he put on his glasses and looked through the papers in front of him. Ninomiya was beginning to feel his palms sweating. "Ninomiya. I have your work reports here in front of me and I must say, you are quite the worker."
"Thank you, sir."
"However," Yamato paused as he looked Ninomiya in the eye, "Even though you are a fast worker, I am afraid I have to let you go."
"W-What...?" Ninomiya stammered, trying to make sense of the situation.
"I'm terribly sorry, Ninomiya. It's just that, this company needs to cut down on the man power because of the slow business. I am really regretful to let you go as you are one of the most efficient and fast worker in your section. However, it seems that with how we are doing, we do not need as many workers in your section as we did in the past. Thus, I have to make this hard decision of letting some of you go."
"I-I understand. H-How soon do I h-have to go?" Ninomiya was trying hard to keep his emotions in check. He could not and should not have a breakdown now. He lowered his gaze. His fists were cletched tightly.
"You should pack your stuff now. It'll be your last day today. I'll bank in your pay end of this week with two months worth of bonus. I am really sorry I have to do this, but it is for the sake of the company," Yamato said sincerely as he looked at the young man before him.
"I...understand. Is that all, sir?"
"Yes, that is all. Thank you for your contribution to this company. Ninomiya-san. It was an honor to have you working for us these past few years."
"Yes, sir," Ninomiya stood up. He couldn't look Yamato-san in the eyes. He gave a bow and turned to leave.
-
Matsumoto smiled as he shut off his computer. Finally, all his paperwork was done and he had five more minutes to spare. He packed his belongings and decided to go meet Ninomiya at his work table. He slung his bag over his shoulders, said goodbyes to his colleagues and made his way over to Ninomiya's work table. He was under the marketing section while Ninomiya was under the administrative and accounts section. He was at one end of the work office while his best friend was at the other end. As Matsumoto walked, there seemed to be a slight bounce in each step he took. He smiled at people as he walked pass them. Soon, Matsumoto reached Ninomiya's table. However, the sight he saw was not a pleasant one. A frown was on his face as he saw two boxes on Ninomiya's table. The table was cleared of every personal items that belonged to the shorted man.
"Nino. What's all this?" Matsumoto asked as he saw his best friend slouching on the seat, head bowed down.
When Ninomiya didn't answer, he felt a growing concern in his heart. He bend down slightly, cupped Ninomiya's chin gently in his right hand and pushed the smaller man's head up to look him in the eyes. What he saw broke his heart. Ninomiya eyes had tears in them which were threatening to fall any second. Matsumoto's frown became deeper.
"Kazu," Matsumoto said gently and resorted to using his best friend's first name. "Kazu. What happened?"
"Jun?" Ninomiya spoke for the first time since Matsumoto reached his table. He sounded so lost.
"Yeah, it's me. What's wrong? Why did you packed your things?"
"B-Boss," Ninomiya stammered. "Y-Yamato-san. H-He had to l-let me go...H-He said...The company d-didn't need as much workers as t-they did in the past. I'm f-fired, Jun. I'm fired from my job!" Ninomiya finally broke down and the tears rolled down his pale cheeks. His sudden outburst brought attention from the colleagues all around. Matsumoto looked around and decided this was not the best place for an explanation. He wiped away Ninomiya's tears with his thumb.
"Shhhh....Shhhh...Come on, Kazu. Let's go home. Okay? We'll discuss more at home," the tall man gently dragged his best friend up from the seat. They each took a box in their arms and walked towards the office elevator.
-
It wasa silent car ride to Ninomiya's home, except for the occasional sniffs from the older man. Matsumoto kept sneaking glances at his best friend while driving. He wanted to know more about what had happened but he thought it would be best to talk about it at home rather than in the car. As they drove along the road, Matsumoto heard a vibration coming from Ninomiya's pocket. The smaller man took out his phone and looked at it. Matsumoto glanced at Ninomiya as the latter turned to him.
"Are we still eating out?"
"Do you still want to eat out?" Matsumoto asked as he turned his eyes back on the road, knowing clearly from that tone that his best friend was in no mood for anything right now.
"I'm sorry, Jun...But I don't feel like eating out anymore...," Ninomiya apologized.
"Then we'll just order some food."
"Alright, I'll tell Aiba-chan and Oh-chan that today's cancelled," Ninomiya said as he began typing back a message.
"Why not ask them over?"
"I...don't feel like having company over today."
And Matsumoto left it at that.
-
Matsumoto parked in front of Ninomiya's apartment building. They sat in silence. Matsumoto grew worried when Ninomiya made no move to get out off the car, thinking that perhaps the man was too lost in his thoughts to notice that they had already reached.