The New Neighbor - Birthday Party and A Confession Part 1
Come to my house tonight!
Aiba was shocked when he read the text from Nino. Yes, his best friend was quite bossy and always ordered him around. But, usually, despite the words he used, Nino would still show consideration. This time, however, there's no courtesy whatsoever, indicating that he won't take no as an answer.
Don't want 😝😝
That's how he answered the text. Aiba had no plan today so he would be free to meet Nino. But, he wouldn't give in as easily as his friend thought. Nino needed to be taught some manners!
There was no answer from Nino. Maybe, his friend was busy with Ohno. The two of them had gotten closer and whenever Aiba came to visit Nino, Ohno would be there too. It’s almost impossible to separate those two. Of course, Aiba was happy to see them together. And as he thought, they were perfect for each other. The way Nino took care of Ohno and the way Ohno allowed Nino to bother him… It was endearing to watch them. However, whether or not they’re in a serious relationship, he didn’t know. Nino refused to tell him anything.
But, maybe Nino was busy working at this time. Even though tomorrow is a holiday, there’s no way Nino would ask… Ah! That’s why Nino asked him to come over. Today is Aiba’s birthday. He must have something planned to celebrate it.
“Ah!” Aiba screamed when his phone suddenly rang. Thank goodness, he wasn’t in the office right now. Unlike Nino, he took an early leave to celebrate Christmas.
“Moshi Moshi, Nino-chan!” He greeted his best friend.
“Happy birthday, Aiba-chan!” Eh? Aiba was surprised when he heard Ohno’s soft voice greeted him. Nino was the one who called him, right? Pretty sure that was the name displayed on his caller ID earlier.
“Ohchan, are you with Nino?”
“Un!” Answered Ohno. “But he’s busy right now,”
Aiba could hear Nino in the background. He seemed to be in an argument. Aiba tried to listen to know what it was about. But, it wasn’t loud enough for him to catch the word.
“Is everything okay?” asked Aiba. “Did Nino get into trouble?”
A chuckle could be heard from the other end. “Don’t worry. He’s with Jun. You know how they are, right?”
Aiba nodded his head. That explained a lot. Whenever those two were together, there’s no hope for peace. Never-ending bickering for a trivial thing, that’s what they did most of the time.
Jun is Ohno’s business partner. Aiba had met him a few times. Once, Nino had asked him to join the baking class and that’s where he met Jun, who taught them how to bake. After that, whenever he’s free, Aiba would come to help Ohno and Jun with their bakery. It would be opened soon and truthfully, he was too excited about it. But, the reason for his excitement had nothing to do with…
“Aibaka, are you there?” Aiba gasped when he heard Nino’s voice, loud and clear this time, at the other end of the line. Eh, when did the caller change from Ohno to Nino?
“Where is Ohchan?” He asked in confusion.
“He follows J to the market,” answered Nino. J was what Nino usually called Jun and the other guy didn't like to hear it. That's why Nino kept calling him with that because making Jun annoyed is his hobby.
Aiba could sense a hint of jealousy from his tone. Ah, his friend would always be edgy when Ohno was alone with Jun. “What did Ohchan tell you?”
“Nothing,” answered Aiba. “He wishes me a happy birthday, Nino,”
“Damn!” cursed Nino. “He ruined the surprise,”
“But, you will forgive him because he is Ohchan,”
“Shut up!” Nino snapped back. Aiba could easily imagine Nino’s cheeks turn red because of what he said. “So, now that you know why I want you to come over, there’s no excuse for you to reject,”
“So, you’re making a birthday party for me… awh… that's so sweet of you,"
He meant it. Nino was universally known as being a cheapskate. Usually, for Aiba's birthday, he would treat him for dinner and he even set a limit. But, this time, he wanted to organize a birthday party for Aiba! This was unbelievable!
"It's not my idea," Nino clarified. "It's Ohchan's idea. He even asked J to cook for the party and that thick eyebrow agrees,"
"Eh, that's nice! Matsujun is good at cooking. His dish is the best,"
"I can cook better than him," snorted Nino. "But, whatever. Come tonight at around 7 PM. I have a special gift for you,"
Aiba didn't like the tone. They had known each other for a long time. He knew his friend was up for something.
"What is it?" Aiba asked.
"It's a gift. You will know when you get here. Don't worry, you're going to love it,"
Even though he couldn't see Nino, there's no doubt that his naughty friend must be smirking right now.
"Good… ah, it's you," Nino's mood dampened upon seeing Jun at the door and not Ohno. What was this thick eyebrow guy doing in Ohno's house early in the morning? "Why are you here, J?"
"I should ask you the same question," retorted Jun. "Shouldn't you be at work?"
"Two words," Nino showed two fingers at Jun, shoving the man aside to get in. "Applied leave,"
Usually, he wouldn't apply for leave a day before Christmas. He would rather go to work during this time because his office would be nearly empty. But, this year, unexpectedly, he wanted a day off from work. This surprised everyone in the office.
As for the reason he did so… well… he didn't know. He just felt like doing it.
"Good morning, Ohchan!" Nino greeted his neighbour when he saw the man. Ohno was sitting on the table, frowning at the paper he was reading. But, when he heard Nino's voice, he put the paper away. A smile was on his face as he stood up and hugged Nino, earning a scoff from Jun.
"Satoshi should be working so don't bother him," said Jun.
"I'm not here to bother him," Nino snapped back. He looked away from Jun and gave his attention to Ohno again. "Ohchan, let’s have dinner together tonight,”
"Is there a need to ask him? You guys always have dinner together," Jun chipped in, earning a glare from Nino.
“It’s different this time!” Nino clarified. “We will go out because I want to celebrate Aiba-chan’s birthday today!”
“Oh… it’s his birthday?” Ohno asked for confirmation.
“Un!” Nino nodded his head. “Do you have any restaurant to recommend?”
Ohno tapped his chin, looking thoughtful for a while. Jun, on the other hand, took the paper that Ohno put away. Admittedly, Jun knew more about a restaurant than Ohno, but, there’s no way Nino would ask for his opinion.
“Ah! I know what we can do for his party!” Exclaimed Ohno. “Matsujun can prepare the meals!”
“Huh?” Both Nino and Jun said at the same time, dumbfounded by Ohno’s idea. He was not serious, right?
“Matsujun will cook for Aiba-chan,” Repeated Ohno.
“Yes, we hear you the first time,” said Nino. “But, are you serious?”
“Of course! Aiba-chan loves Jun’s cooking,”
Nino grunted, refusing to admit it was true. Indeed, Aiba had confessed how much he loved Jun’s cooking. And if Jun cooked for him, Aiba would definitely be happy. Admittedly, it was delicious but Nino wouldn’t acknowledge it. At least, not in front of the thick eyebrow guy.
“Satoshi, you want me to cook for Aiba-chan’s party?” asked Jun. Judging from his expression, he didn’t seem to be thrilled to do so, which was fine for Nino.
“Un!” Ohno nodded. “You will do it, right?”
Nino watched the two of them. Ohno was adorable, using his puppy eyes to persuade Jun. Of course, the thick eyebrow would say yes.
“Sure,” said Jun after contemplating for a while. “I don’t mind cooking for Aiba-chan,”
Nino tried to keep his expression neutral. He didn’t want Ohno to know that he wasn’t happy to know Jun would be joining them. But, Jun is his friend now. Despite their constant bickering, he actually enjoyed being his friend. He would be annoyed by Jun only when he tried to come between Ohno and him.
“Hmm…” Ohno said suddenly, clasping his hands together. “Can I invite Sho to the party? Whenever I meet him, he always asks about Aiba-chan. I’m sure he will be happy to join the party,”
Wow, that was an excellent idea. This would be the best birthday gift for Aiba! Why didn’t he think of it? He can’t wait to see Aiba’s reaction upon seeing Sho later. His best friend must be shocked to see Sho. Hopefully, it will go well this time. Nino grimaced thinking of how the breakfast date that he arranged between Sho and Aiba didn’t go well. Sho was too busy and they barely talked. Then, they only met once when Sho visited the shelter where Aiba volunteers to adopt a puppy for his sister. Pretty sure they hadn’t seen each other after that.
“Sure!” said Nino excitedly. “That would be great,”
Ohno smiled at him before he took his phone to send a text to Sho. As he did that, Nino made a silent prayer, hoping the lawyer would agree to join them. The lawyer seemed to be busy, so maybe, he wouldn’t have time to come. If he couldn’t, perhaps Nino should come up with a new plan to help Aiba with his love life.
“He said yes,”
“What?” Nino asked his neighbour, not quite understand what Ohno meant by that. Did he mean Sho said yes to coming to the party? Eh, didn’t the response come too quickly?
“I asked Sho if he wants to join Aiba’s birthday party,” Ohno offered a longer explanation. “He said yes,”
Nino tried to hide his smirk. Great! Hopefully, it would go as he planned. All that was left to be done would be to tell Aiba about the party. But, he wouldn’t tell his friend about the special guest for the party. Let it be a surprise.
Because he was too excited for the reunion between Sho and Aiba, he failed to notice the demanding tone he used in the text. It was something he noticed only after he received a response from his friend. He sounded bossy in the text. No wonder Aiba playfully rejected the invitation.
“What should we make for the party?”
The question from Jun distracted him from quickly replying to the text. Ohno gave a few ideas, listing all the things that Aiba loved. His friend wasn’t picky when it came to food so it was easy to decide. So, after debating on which meal would be easy to prepare, they finally agreed to have barbecue chicken and pizza as the main dish.
"Satoshi, let's go to the market,"
As Nino was waiting for Aiba to answer his call, he was once again distracted by what Jun told Ohno. Feeling uneasy to let Ohno go alone with Jun, he interrupted their conversation. He didn't notice the call was already connected when he subconsciously handed the phone to Ohno.
"Why do you have to bring Ohchan? You can go to the market alone, right?"
Jun rolled his eyes, an indicator that Nino had just said something stupid.
"I need Satoshi to help me carry the stuff, obviously,"
"The trolley will help you do that. So, don't bully Ohchan to carry the stuff. You are bigger than him. You can carry it on your own," countered Nino. "Besides, I need Ohchan here. He will help me with…" He paused to think of an excuse. "... cleaning the house,"
"Oh, I cannot bully him…" mocked Jun. "But, you can bully him to clean your house,"
"We will also decorate it for the party,"
"Aiba-chan is not six. He doesn't need childish decoration. You can do it on your own, so Ohchan will go to the market with me,"
"I need…"
Nino trailed off when he noticed that Ohno was talking on his phone. Oh my, what if his neighbour told Aiba about Sho? That would ruin the surprise.
"Ohchan, give me the phone," He urged. Ohno happily handed the device. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a smirk on Jun's face before the thick eyebrow left the house and Ohno followed him. Nino grunted, unhappy that he cannot stop them.
“Aiba-chan, what did Ohchan tell you?” He asked. But, Aiba didn’t answer him. He knew Aiba was still on the line because he could hear some sounds from the other end of the line. As a result, he’s getting grumpier.
“Aibaka, are you there?” He shouted at the man. This time, Aiba made a startled sound and then asked about Ohno. Being reminded of how Ohno had left with Jun, he didn’t bother to hide how annoyed he was before asking Aiba once again about what Ohno told him. Thank goodness, Ohno didn’t tell Aiba about Sho coming to the party. So, Nino simply pretended that he was angry at Ohno for ruining the not so surprised party.
After making sure Aiba would come to a party and hinting about the special guest, he ended the call. Now, it's time to plan his revenge on Jun!
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