How Dare You! - Part 2
Oh man, he really wanted to punch his boss!
He was in shock when Ohno kissed his forehead and then introduced him as his boyfriend to the people sitting across him. People who were apparently Ohno’s family and just like him, they're also surprised with the news, judging from the frown they were giving him.
But, once he recovered from the shock, he realized punching Ohno would not be a good idea. Maybe, it’s better for him to play along with Ohno, to see what Ohno truly wanted to achieve by creating this ruse. If he played his part well, he could find out Ohno’s motive and then used it to threaten him in case he acted like a jerk again.
“Honey…” Urgh, he wanted to vomit when he heard his own voice calling Ohno that way. “You didn’t tell me we’re going to meet your parents today,”
"I want to surprise you,"
Ohno's lips curled upwards, forming a devilish smile dedicated to him. Urgh, what was this maou thinking about? Was he plotting something sinister? Geez, was the person standing next to him right now his boring and dull boss? He certainly looked different than before.
"Uhm…" He had no idea how to respond.
"Satoshi…" An angry female voice distracted the two of them. It was Ohno's sister, he assumed. She seemed grumpy. "... stop flirting! I'm hungry so just sit down and order your food,"
Ohno gave her a slight nod as he pulled the chair to let Nino sit. Nino looked at the family before he awkwardly took the seat. Once both of them were seated, Ohno leaned forward and gave him another kiss. This time, he kissed Nino's cheeks. It took a great deal of control to stop himself from swinging his hand at Ohno.
"What do you want to eat, Kazunari?" Ohno said, acting as if nothing had happened as he scanned the menu with interest. Nino glared at him. He was angry at Ohno for kissing his cheeks but he was even more angry for something else. How dare Ohno call him by his first name! Only his family was allowed to call him Kazunari!
"I know my cheeks look delicious…" Ohno said, his eyes were still on the menu. Nino looked at him with confusion. He had no idea why Ohno suddenly talked about his puffy cheeks. "... But, you don't have to stare at me like that. I'm not part of the menu so you cannot eat me," Hearing that, Nino almost scowled. Oh man, if it's not barbaric to eat people, he would love to skin Ohno alive. "I will allow you to do something else, babes. But… wait until we get home, okay?"
Ohno looked at him and then winked. Nino's face got warmed, realizing what Ohno had implied with his words. Seriously, what's wrong with his boss?
"So, before my grumpy sister becomes a tiger because of how hungry she is…" Ohno pointed at his sister. She was glaring at them, causing Ohno's mother to remind her to be polite. "... You better choose what you want to eat,"
Nino gave Ohno a slight smile, remembering that he should pretend to be Ohno's boyfriend. He scanned the menu and his eyes widened, seeing how expensive each meal was. What should he order then? Would Ohno pay for his meal or he had to pay for it with his own money?
"I'll have mushroom soup," He decided to settle for a side dish. It's the cheapest meal and his stomach didn't usually agree with fancy meals like the others on the menu.
"Are you sure, honey?" Ohno asked with concern. Nino tried hard not to narrow his eyes, knowing that Ohno didn't actually care. He was just feigning concern. "Would that be enough? What if you wake up in the middle of the night because you're hungry? I don't want you to eat instant ramen, my dear. It's not healthy,"
Okay, Nino, relax. It's okay, he can handle this. He glanced towards Ohno's family, realizing they were watching him with interest, including Ohno's cranky sister. She even gave him an amused smile. Urgh, both siblings were weird, he concluded.
"It will be enough. Did you forget? I'm on a diet. I don't eat much for dinner," Nino said, praying that thing will be in his favour for once.
"Of course, I remember!" Ohno smirked, shamelessly stroking his back. Nino didn't want to admit but it actually felt nice. "But… I've told you, right? There's no need to go on a diet, Kazunari. Your figure is awesome. If anything, you should eat more,"
Oh my…
"Yes, dearie," Ohno's mother suddenly joined the conversation. "I think you should eat more,"
"It's okay… I'm not really…"
"Don't be like this," Ohno's mother insisted. She looked genuinely concerned for Nino which made it hard for Nino to refuse her. So, he nodded his head. She gave him a soft smile. It was totally different from the way both her children had smiled at him. It made him wonder how an angel like her could have Ohno as her child.
"What do you recommend?" He inquired, looking at the menu once again. Ohno's mother asked for what he liked to eat and then recommended the dish based on his preference. In the end, he decided to eat spaghetti carbonara.
"So, how did you know each other?" Ohno's sister didn't waste any time to ask once the waiter left.
Nino decided to stay silent. He wanted to see how Ohno would provide details on their relationship. Maybe he could get the reason Ohno was doing this from the answer.
"I'm his manager," Ohno answered.
"How long have you been in a relationship with him?" Ohno's sister continued.
"It will be 24 hours by 3 PM tomorrow," Ohno answered with a straight face. "And I've only known him for two weeks,"
Nino was surprised by the answer. He thought that he had to pretend to be Ohno’s boyfriend because Ohno was forced by his family to get married or they would find someone for him. Perhaps they already had someone for him and he hated that person. That’s why he took a classic tactic by pretending to be gay and already had a boyfriend to make sure he would never marry that person. But, it didn't seem to be the case here. By declaring that their relationship was quite recent, it would obviously show that this relationship between the two of them was just a bluff to get his parents off his case. So, why did he lie to his parents about them?
"Isn't it too early to be in a relationship?" Ohno's sister asked. "You barely know him,"
"Does it matter?" Ohno questioned her back. The way he answered this time resembled the boss that Nino knew. "We like each other."
"But…" His sister wanted to continue but Ohno gave her a look that clearly said he didn't want to continue talking about their relationship.
And so she stopped.
And it was awkward.
Thankfully, Ohno's mother was quick to change the subject and asked Nino about his family. Nino shyly talked about his parents and sister. Ohno joined the conversation and started to tease him again. And things started to be lively again.
As they talked, he realized that he actually loved Ohno's parents, particularly Ohno's mother. They reminded him of his own parents. They were so pleasant to talk to and it’s unlikely for them to push Ohno to get married. There must be another reason for Ohno to do this, he thought, as he glanced at Ohno from time to time. And, that made him curious to know more about Ohno. Maybe Ohno wasn't as boring as he thought.
“Nino, you’re home!”
Aiba exclaimed when he returned home to their shared apartment that night. After the somewhat pleasant dinner with Ohno’s family that night, Ohno had called his driver to send both of them home. The drive home was peaceful with Ohno stayed silent. He seemed to be lost in his thought and didn’t tease him as he did during dinner. Even Nino couldn’t bring himself to ask anything because he was back to be his boring and dull boss. Okay, maybe not boring. After what happened tonight, he had started to think of Ohno as a mysterious person. Ohno could be fun around his family so why couldn’t he be like that in the office?
“No need to shout. I’m not deaf,” Nino snapped.
Aiba pouted because of his bitter response and it made Nino feel bad for acting like this. Aiba was just worried about him. He didn’t have to act like a jerk towards Aiba.
“I’m sorry, Aiba chan,” He quickly apologized. “I’m just tired,”
Then, as if he hadn’t just snapped at Aiba mere minutes before, Aiba beamed at him.
“It’s okay, Nino chan,” Aiba said, smiling brightly at him. Nino returned the smile. He had known Aiba for a while but it’s still amusing to know how kind and forgiving Aiba was. Sometimes, he wished he could be like that too. But, it’s too bad. He loved being snarky and bratty.
“How was the meeting with the client?” Aiba inquired. “Which client wants to meet after work?”
For a few seconds, Nino was lost. He couldn’t understand what Aiba was talking about. Then, he remembered how Ohno had tricked him into thinking that they’re going to meet a client tonight.
“Oh…” He scratched his head. “It wasn’t a client. Ohchan brought me to meet his parents,”
“Why?” Aiba looked bewildered because of what he said.
“To introduce me as his boy…” It was too late when Nino realized what he had just said. The look on Aiba’s face was too comical. His eyes widened and his mouth opened wide in surprise before he covered it with his hand.
“Are you dating Ohno san?” Aiba didn’t waste his time to probe.
“NO!” Nino quickly denied. Man, why did he realize what he had said when it’s too late? He knew Aiba could be trusted but seriously, he didn’t want anyone else to know. Not until he could figure out what Ohno was up to.
“Then, why did he introduce you to his family as his boyfriend?” Aiba tilted his head.
“No idea,” Nino answered honestly. He decided to confront Ohno tomorrow, to know why he did this.
Aiba stared at him, probably wondering whether he was telling him the truth. Suddenly, his eyes widened as if he had just realized something. Then, he smiled at Nino, which made Nino think that his idiot friend was thinking of something stupid. It was the same smile Aiba often gave him before he announced his dumb idea.
“Are you thinking of something stupid?”
“No... “ Aiba shook his head. “I know why Ohno san brought you to see his family,”
“Really? I doubt that” If someone as smart as him couldn’t figure out, how could Aiba figure it out? He didn’t mean to say Aiba was stupid. But, for things like this, Aiba usually had the most ridiculous idea. So… Nope… He wouldn’t trust Aiba’s judgement on this.
“Nino, you have to trust me!” Aiba tried to persuade him. “I’m sure he’s doing this because he likes you. He’s doing this to get your attention!”
Upon hearing what Aiba had said, Nino laughed hysterically. Yup, he wasn’t wrong. That’s the dumbest reason he could think of.
Poll
A/N: Thank you for particpating in the poll. The numbers of people responding to the poll was more than I could hope for. Seriously, I thought it would be less than five. So, I'm truly happy to see more than 10 people participate. As you can see in this part, Nino didn't punch Ohno.
Just wondering, do you want to keep the results of the poll a secret? Or do you want to view the results before I wrote the next part?
I really hope this part is okay. Thank you for the warm comments in the previous part :)