It's hard to move on - Part 2
"So, where did you go on the weekend?" Asked Aiba, his neighbour. Aiba came to Nino's house for dinner. He had promised to eat dinner with Nino that day, as his boyfriend will be home late.
Aiba was his best friend since childhood. He practically spent his entire life with Aiba. Initially, Aiba was his roommate but after he has a boyfriend, he moved out to the house next to his. He will come to Nino's house almost everyday except weekend because he knew Nino will play his games and wouldn't want anyone to bother him.
"Nowhere," answered Nino. "What did you cook today?"
"Omurice," said Aiba. "Don't lie. I know you're not at home,"
"How do you know I'm not at home? Maybe I was just ignoring you,"
He wasn't in the mood to answer Aiba. His focus was on the game he played.
"Instinct," said Aiba. Nino paused his game, give Aiba a suspicious look then continue with his game.
"I heard you unlocked the door on Sunday," answered Aiba truthfully. "I want to ask you at that time but Sho chan said I shouldn't bother you yet,"
Nino didn't answer, which made Aiba a little annoyed at him.
"Nino," he heard Aiba called him.
"Let me finish this level first. Then I will stop," said Nino.
So, Aiba let him completed the level without any disturbance. It took him about 20 minutes to finish the level and when he did, he let out a cry of victory. Then he switched off his console before giving his attention to the plate of omurice in front of him.
"It smells nice," said Nino then he took a bite. The taste was as good as the smell.
"So, where did you go?" Asked Aiba once again.
"To a friend's house," answered Nino. He practically told Aiba almost everything about him. The only thing that Aiba didn't know was his feeling for Jun.
"Matsujun?" Asked Aiba. Nino shook his head, which made Aiba gave him a questioning look. Aiba knew he wasn't the type to have a lot of friends. In fact, Aiba and Jun are the only close friends he had. Now, Sho was added into his circle after he got together with Aiba. He didn't really interact personally with his colleague at work. The closest person to him in the office was Ohno, even before he spent the night at the other guy's house.
"A friend from work,"
"Ohchan?" Aiba asked. Nino nodded his head. He talked about Ohno with Aiba for a few times. They never met but he believed they will be best friend if they met.
"Where is Sho?" Asked Nino.
"Going out with his friend. Ne, do you like Ohchan?"
Nino looked at his friend sceptically, wondering why he asked a question like that.
"He is just my friend. Even if I like him, he is out of my reach. Didn't I tell you he is my boss? Why do you ask..."
Nino stopped his question. He was horrified with a sudden realization. For the past few weeks, Aiba kept telling him about Sho's friend. It was like he was trying to play matchmaker for him and Sho's friend.
"It's not going to work, okay. I don't want you to introduce me to Sho's friend. I don't even know his name,"
"But, you will look cute together. Because both of you are cute,"
"I can be cute by myself. I don't need someone else to be cute with me,"
"But.."
Aiba didn't dare to continue when Nino gave him a deadly glare. He kept his mouth shut and continued eating in silence...
For a few minutes.
"Matsujun is getting married!" Announced Aiba happily. Nino flinched for a second to be reminded of the happy news. Well, happy news for everyone else, not for him, though.
"I know. I am the first person he informed," said Nino, trying to look cheerful. But, Aiba looked at him with a sad smile, as if he knew what Nino really felt.
"Ne, Nino, it's okay if you're not happy with the news,"
"What do you mean? Of course, I am happy for him," Nino tried to deny.
"I am not stupid. I know you love him, more than just a friend,"
"No, I am not,"
"I know you more than you know yourself. You can deny it but only you know the truth. It's not good to live in denial. One day, you will have to face it and maybe that's the only way you can move on,"
Nino kept silent. He knew what Aiba said was right. But, he didn't want to face it. Because he already knew the answer.
"The choice is yours but, remember, I will always be here for you,"
"Except when your Sho chan needs you," said Nino. He tried to avoid talking about this by being bratty. It was the only way to hide his sadness.
"That's not true. I will try my best to be there for both of you. You and Sho chan are very precious for me," said Aiba, pouting.
"I know. Thank you, Aiba. For being my friend,"
Words alone cannot describe how thankful he was for having Aiba. He knew the real reason Aiba wanted to stay in this apartment though both he and Sho can get a better place. It was for him. He was worried for Nino. And Nino was always thankful for that. Without Aiba, he will be alone.
"Nino," called a voice. Nino turned his attention from the computer screen to the person sitting next to him. It was Miyake Ken, who had just arrived for work.
"Yes, Ken chan," he said to Miyake.
"I think your boyfriend is sick. He looked so pale and tired when I saw him in the elevator just now," informed Miyake.
Nino was worried to hear that. Of course the person meant by Miyake is their own boss, Ohno. But, he didn't want to show his worry, knowing that Miyake will tease him even more for that. After all, Miyake was the first person to tease him with Ohno.
"I'm sure he can take care of himself," said Nino. Whatever Miyake said was ignored by him as he once again focused his attention on the screen in front of him.
But, he cannot focus on his work. So, without thinking, he went upstairs to make sure Ohno was okay. Before he left, he could hear Miyake laughed.
When he reached the floor where Ohno's office was, no one was around. Perhaps Ohno's secretary was in his office. He walked towards Ohno's office and knocked on the door. A soft voice asked him to enter.
When he entered the room, Ohno was sitting at his table, looking pale, just like what Miyake described. His secretary, Oshima, was sitting across him with a notepad.
"That would be all, Oshima san," said Ohno, dismissing his secretary from the office. The secretary walked passed him and it was obvious she was trying to stifle a giggle.
"What's wrong, Nino?" Asked Ohno once the secretary closed the door.
Nino turned his attention back to his boss. He walked closer to the boss to have a proper look at him. He looked really sick. Even his soft smile couldn't make his face looked lively.
"Are you okay?" Asked Nino.
"I'm okay. Why?" Asked his boss softly. Even his voice didn't seem okay at all.
"Miyake san said you are sick. So, I came here because I was worried for you,"
He didn't know why but he suddenly felt shy with his action. The way he rushed here to see Ohno seemed to indicate there was something between them, even though he was doing it because he was worried for his friend.
"Don't worry. I am just tired. I already see a doctor. He asked me to rest,"
"So, why are you still here? You should go home and rest,"
"I can still handle this. Don't worry, okay," said Ohno. He smiled reassuringly at Nino. Nino didn't say anything. He simply excused himself from the office.
"Thanks, Nino," said the boss before he left.
When he got back to his workstation, Miyake was smiling teasingly at him. He ignored the smile and continued with his work, knowing that he can focus more after seeing Ohno.
"Hi, brat,"
Nino froze at first. He couldn't believe what he heard. Was it just his imagination? Slowly, he lifted his head to confirm his fear. As expected, Jun stood in front of him, with Ohno by his side.
It was a relief to see that Ohno was better than before. He still looked tired but at least colours had returned to his face, making him looked livelier than before.
"Jun-pon," he responded. He avoided calling Jun with J or diva so that Ohno wouldn't know that Jun was the guy he loves.
"Urghhh... I hate that name," complained Jun.
"Nino," said his boss softly. Nino was glad to hear his voice, distracting him from focusing on Jun. To be honest, he didn't know how to face Jun without feeling bitter towards him. He didn't blame Jun. Jun wasn't responsible for making him fall in love with Jun but he still couldn't forget his feeling for Jun. That's why he can't help but feel totally awkward whenever Jun was around.
"Meet us at the front desk in 20 minutes," informed his boss. Nino nodded his head, though all he wanted to do was hiding from Jun. But, of course he cannot do that.
Soon after his boss left, Miyake, being nosy as he always was, asked him about Jun.
"Who is that?" Asked Miyake. "How do you know him?"
"He is my friend," answered Nino simply. "Know him from school,"
"Why is he here?" Asked Miyake again.
"Don't know," said Nino. "Don't bother me. I need to finish this and then meet our boss,"
"Okay okay. Later you will tell me what happened, okay,"
Nino ignored him. There's no way he is going to tell him anything.
20 minutes passed quickly. He saved his work first before standing up and trying to gather his courage to see Jun again. Why is he here? He found himself asking the question many times as he did his work just now. He turned to look at the guy next to him. Miyake was grinning idiotically at him and he ignored him. He walked faster than usual, afraid that if he delayed this, he would no longer have the courage to see Jun.
Jun and Ohno were already in the front desk, waiting for him. Jun was talking on the phone when he arrived and waved his hand when he saw Nino. Nino waved back. Seeing that Jun was busy on the phone, he approached Ohno first.
"Sorry," said Ohno when he stood next to him. It surprised him. Why did Ohno apologize to him? "For taking your precious time from work,"
Oh. For that.
"It's okay. You're my boss. Of course, I have to follow your order. As long as it is reasonable," said Nino. "What is this about?"
"Jun wants to use your expertise. He needs you to design a software for him. It's okay if you want to reject,"
Nino contemplated about that. He was tempted to reject. Working for a project with Jun as his client? It was totally opposite to what he wanted to do. But, he needed to be professional. So, reluctantly he agreed.
"Of course I want to do this! Though I know he is quite a fussy client,"
"That is not something you should say about your client," said Jun as he finished his call.
"Sorry," he said playfully. He tried his hardest to be like his usual self with Jun.
"Apologies accepted. Let's discuss about this during lunch,"
The meeting went smoothly. Maybe because it was for work, it wasn't as awkward as he thought it's going to be. They were serious so neither of them joke around like they usually did. The only problem was....
It made Nino fall deeper in love with Jun. He just loves this kind of responsible Jun so much. The way he cared about his work, the attitude he had towards his work.... It was like Jun was casting a love spell towards him each time he saw this kind of Jun.
"Well, Nino, let's see if you're as brilliant as what your boss claimed you to be," said Jun once they wrapped up their meeting. Nino turned to look at Ohno who blinked in surprise to hear what Jun had said.
"He brags about you all the time," said Jun, mouthing the word instead of saying it out loud and pointed at Ohno, whose face turned red.
"He kept talking about his amazing software developer. I don't know it was you at that time," said Jun, louder this time. "Okay, guys, I have to go now. See you later,"
Jun left almost immediately, leaving both of them in silence.
"Thank you for your trust in me," said Nino. He wondered why Ohno thought so highly of him. He didn't think he was that good to be complimented by Ohno. "Let's go back to the office,"
Nino looked at the watch and noticed it was almost 4:30. To be honest, he wasn't in the mood to go back to the office, knowing that Miyake will bother him.
"Shall we ditch work early today?" Said Ohno suddenly. Nino looked at him in surprise. It was as if Ohno read his mind.
"You can. I can't. I'm just an employee,"
"If your employer allows you to do so?"
"Still... It is very irresponsible,"
"Okay, then. How about this? You have your laptop with you, right? Do your work here then let's go to the aquarium after office hour,"
Nino was... He didn't know how to describe his feeling when his boss gave him that suggestion. But, he was even more surprised to find himself... Attracted to the idea. Going to the aquarium, ha? Sounds interesting. Furthermore, time will be wasted as he travelled back to the office so maybe it is better to say here and finished his work first.
"You really want to go to aquarium? Shouldn't you rest at home? You still look sick,"
Asked Nino once again for confirmation. However, he didn't expect Ohno to pout.
"I want to look at fish. They are my happy pills. I don't need rest. I need fish," said Ohno in a childish manner. Nino was stunned to see his boss like this. He was no longer the charismatic boss he always looks up to. He was like a little child begging his parents to fulfil his desire. Without realizing it, he laughed at his boss, who in return realized what he was doing.
"Ah, I'm sorry. That was a little embarrassing," said Ohno. He tried to avoid eye contact with Nino as he apologized.
"You are so cute," said Nino. "Okay, let me finish my work first. Then we will go to the aquarium,"
And he couldn't think of anything cuter when Ohno beamed with happiness when he agreed to go out with him.
"You like fish so much," remarked Nino.
They had just finished their aquarium tour. As they were both hungry, they decided to walk towards the nearby McDonald's for dinner.
"They are cute," said Ohno.
Nino never knows Ohno loves fish. From their visit to the aquarium, he found out that Ohno has a lot of hobbies and one of them was fishing. However, he didn't have time to go fishing nowadays because he was busy. That is why he wanted to go to the aquarium to look at the fish. And as he said before, fish is indeed his happy pill as he became brighter as they toured the aquarium together, throwing facts about various kinds of fish to Nino. Nino himself was surprised to know that he enjoyed their aquarium visit though he always thought it was kinda boring and waste of money to visit an aquarium before.
"Ah, my friend is here," said Ohno when they entered the restaurant. As Nino was still scanning the place to look for an empty seat, he didn't notice Ohno was dragging him.
"Aiba chan!" Said Ohno.
Hearing that, Nino immediately looked at Ohno's friend only to be surprised to see his own friend there, sitting with Sho. Aiba and Sho were equally surprised to see him.
"Both of you know each other?" Asked Aiba.
"Of course they know each other. They work in the same place. But, I was surprised to see how close they are," said Sho. He pointed at their hands and both of them immediately released the other's hand when they noticed it.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked both of them, taking a seat next to Aiba. Ohno followed suit by sitting next to Sho. "Isn't it far from our apartment?"
"I have an appointment around here. Aiba wants to eat outside today so I asked him to come here," explained Sho.
"Ohchan," said Aiba softly. Ohno turned to face him and it made Nino wondered how close they are. In the first place, how do they know each other? "Have you seen the video I sent you?"
"The puppies? I've watched it! They are so cute," said Ohno.
"Very cute," Aiba laughed merrily. Nino watched the way he laughed. Aiba made an eye contact with him and it made him realize something. Sho's friend that Aiba wanted to introduce to him is Ohno. He pretended asking whether Ohno and Nino knew each other just now. Because he knew the answer already. That's why he grinned stupidly at Nino right now.
"I'll buy food. What do you want, Nino?" Volunteered Ohno. Nino simply told him to buy cheese burger for him.
"You know that my boss is Sho's friend, right?" Asked Nino once Ohno was far from them.
"Of course! I love seeing both of you. It proves that you and him look cute together,"
"Are you trying to be a matchmaker, Masaki?" Asked Sho. "No wonder you asked me about Satoshi kun's workplace,"
"I love hanging out with Ohchan. Then, I thought he will look cute with Nino. But, Nino keeps talking about his boss. It was a miracle when I suddenly thought his boss is the same person as your friend," explained Aiba. "I was excited to know that and even more excited to see them on a date today,"
"What?" Said Nino in a loud voice. Everyone near him looked at his direction. He apologized and then said in a low voice to Aiba. "We're not dating,"
Aiba was about to counter his statement. But, before he could even say anything, Sho interrupted them.
"Don't force their relationship, Masaki," said Sho. He sounded stern, which caused Aiba to pout. Nino was thankful for that. For having Sho to control Aiba. He knew his friend could be quite stubborn.
"Satoshi kun already..." Sho stopped talking quite immediately. He frowned his face, as if he was thinking about something before glanced quickly at Ohno. Then he stared at Nino for a moment before he opened his eyes widely. He nodded his head a few times, like he finally realized something before he continue what he was about to say.
"Satoshi kun has someone that he likes,"
Almost immediately, Nino remembered what Ohno told him the other day. About his love story though it was very brief. It seemed that Sho knew about the story. Maybe he can dig the story from Sho later. It wasn't appropriate to do so but he was curious to know. Well, let's hope he won't be tempted to pry into Ohno's personal matter.
"Why are you looking at me like that just now?" Asked Nino as he remembered Sho's weird action before.
"Just thinking if it could be you," answered Sho.
The answer offended Nino. It was like Sho dismissed the idea that Ohno might like him. He wasn't offended because he liked Ohno but he was offended because Sho thought Ohno won't like him. But, who was he to complain? He knew himself that he wasn't the kind of person that people will like, in a romantic way.
"Here you go," said Ohno when he came back with two sets of cheeseburger.
"I thought you're going to get fillet o' fish," teased Nino. Ohno only smiled shyly at him while mumbling something that sounded like enough fish for today.
"Ohchan, there is a new dessert cafe near my house. Let's go and try it tonight," said Aiba. Upon hearing that, Ohno's face brightened up and he immediately agreed.
"Nino, Sho chan, let's go together,"
Aiba invited both of them to go along. Nino wanted to refuse but looking at Ohno's puppy eyes, he grudgingly agreed. Urghhh, he hated himself when he cannot refuse other people. Usually, he was immune to most people. Only Aiba and Jun can make him do something he dislike. But, today, Ohno also had a way to make him unable to refuse and he hated that. He hated it even more when Aiba looked at him triumphantly, showing that whatever Sho told him before had no effect on Aiba. He was still going to be a matchmaker.
They finished their dinner and headed to the dessert cafe Aiba was talking about earlier. They talked even more in the cafe and from the conversation, he discovered that Ohno was Sho's friend from school. Aiba and Ohno were close because of their love for sweets and sometimes they went out together just to eat dessert.
"You're not jealous?" Asked Nino to Sho.
"Is there anything to be jealous of? I know Aiba loves me. Furthermore, I joined them sometimes," answered Sho.
"We also go to the gym together. We eat a lot of sweets so we also need to train our body. Do you want to join us? Do you want to be the member of sweets club and muscle club?" Asked Aiba. It seemed like an innocent question but Nino knew his real reason. He just wanted to create more chances for Nino to spend time with Ohno.
"No thanks. I am busy with my games club," he turned down the offer. Hearing his answer, Aiba narrowed his eyes at him to protest. Ohno, on the other hand, looked indifferent as he looked at his own watch.
"Well, I have to go first," said Ohno, finishing his coffee. "It's getting late,"
"Are you going to be okay to go home alone?" Asked Nino. Ohno looked healthier than this morning but he was still worried.
"Yes, don't worry," answered Ohno.
"Maybe you can stay at my house tonight. I can look after you," said Nino before he could stop himself. "You can borrow my clothes to go to work tomorrow. But, it wasn't expensive suits like yours,"
He wondered if he would regret the decision as he thought of the way Miyake would tease him if he saw they come to the office together on the next day.
"It's okay. I don't want to bother you," said Ohno. "Also, I have to leave early tomorrow. I need to go to Osaka,"
"Hmm... Okay," said Nino. He felt a bit disappointed to see Ohno's retreating figure and he didn't even know why.
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