The Far Side of the Moon (Chapter 8)
Title : The Far Side of the Moon
Pairing : Juntoshi, Sakumiya, Sakuraiba
Length : chapter
Genre : angst, romance, drama
Rating : pg-13
Disclaimer : This story is just my imagination
Summary : L’art de La Vie museum is the place where Jun worked. Something in his past had led him there, giving him some space to be alone and pitied himself. It had been two years with the same old routine and he thought that his peaceful life would go on as long as it could be. He didn’t know that he was placed there on purpose - for redemption…
Betaed by keshichan ,,I can't thank you enough for helping me, I would never post this fic without you, thanks so much, girl
Jun was rechecking the data on his clipboard when Aiba knocked on the door, the guy entered and sat across from him; his face forming an unusual expression.
“Matsujun, I think I’m in love,” he said precisely.
Jun stopped his movement; pressing his pencil onto the clipboard to mark it. He lifted his head to look at Aiba. What made this guy think that he was the right person to run to with his personal matter? They probably talked between lunch times, but the topic was mostly about work; Jun avoided personal problems at the most and he was always the one who listened to Aiba’s blabbering.
Aiba waited for Jun to respond, but the latter kept on staring at the tall guy.
“I’m in love, with Sakurai san,” he stated.
Jun wanted to say ‘that is none of my damn business,’ but he gulped down his thought. He still felt uneasy with that Sakurai guy and from the look the director gave him; he could tell that Sakurai felt the same way about him.
“That’s news for me,” Jun smiled at his colleague and set the clipboard on his desk. “Tabe chan got a rival now,” he said, trying not to sound sarcastic.
“I heard that he will be working here from now on, this museum will be the main office,” Aiba said with a tone of happiness on his voice.
“That’s great,” Jun gave a brief comment. He remembered Ohno; they never crossed paths since the happening two weeks ago. Was Ohno alright? Did he move out? Did he have a serious illness and decide to leave for medication somewhere far away? He hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Nino, that kid must have known something about Ohno.
“I will talk to him at lunch time,” Aiba beamed. He glanced at his watch and stood up. “The students from Hamamatsu will be here in a moment, I gotta go,” he hurried towards the door and closed it.
Jun returned to the clipboard, signed it with his pencil, and as he finished the clock had pointed to 12. He rose, grabbing his lunch box and headed outside. He didn’t feel like eating inside the museum, so he went for a walk to the nearest park. Today must be one of the hottest days in summer; he walked through the main lobby and had to narrow his eyes as the sunlight blinded him.
He sat down on the grass under a big tree and opened his lunch box, the breeze seemed reluctant to blow. He took off his eyeglasses and set it on his pocket.
“May I join you?”
Jun tilted his head and saw Nino’s figure; the kid brought a plastic bag in his hand, a sign of Lawson convenient store decorated it.
“Sure,” Jun nodded.
“Your friend is a talk-active person,” Nino said as he slumped down beside him, “Aiba san,” he added.
“He’s that kind of person,” Jun answered.
“I thought that Sho kun is the worst,” Nino shrugged. He slid out a small box of onigiri from the plastic bag and took a bite.
“How you and Sakurai san got to know each other?” Jun asked without thinking further. He wanted to know because of the fact that Nino kept on addressing Sakurai as ‘Sho kun’ and his lack of respect that he always showed to the director.
“He has a crush on me,” Nino answered, even though it didn’t explain anything. “That’s how we got to know each other,” he continued.
Jun assumed that this kid was not telling him the whole truth; though, maybe the part of Sakurai had a crush on him wasn’t a lie.
“There’s someone who wants to meet you,” Nino said when Jun turned quite. “He’ll be here in a moment.”
As they continued eating in silence, Jun stole a glance once in a while at Nino. The boy was left-handed and his appearance was pleasant. Jun wasn’t sure that he looked that good when he was 17. If Sakurai had a crush on him, Jun couldn’t blame him for that. Nino’s look was the one to be blamed.
As they collected the trash after they finished their lunch, Nino looked afar and smiled broadly. “He’s here,” he told Jun.
Jun wore his eyeglasses and spotted Ohno; the man was walking towards them. He wore a nice white T-shirt above his jeans, and his usual baseball cap covered his head.
“He said that he wants to visit the museum,” Nino murmured, “I guess that you need to guide him.”
“That’s Aiba san’s task, not mine,” Jun said. Nino didn’t give any answers to that.
When Ohno reached the tree where both of them were having lunch, he first looked at Nino. Both of them said nothing, but Jun could see that they communicated through their eyes where words were no longer needed; somehow he envied the connection Nino had with this guy.
“Hi, Jun kun,” he greeted Jun awkwardly and Jun felt that his throat was constricted as if he had swollen his food without chewing it first. Ohno smiled at him. It was the first time for him to see him in broad daylight. Ohno’s skin was tanned, but it suited him well, and his gray left eye wasn’t clear behind the thick frame of his eyeglasses.
“Ohno san,” Jun returned the greeting, “I’m glad that you’re alright,” he faced down shyly as he heard his own voice. It sounded like a worrying mother and cursed himself that he couldn’t get a grip from saying so.
“Thanks,” Ohno said, “I’m sorry that I broke into your house just like that, right, Nino?” he turned his head at Nino.
“Yes,” the boy nodded, “I’m going back now before Sho kun complains,” Nino said, he walked further from them, leaving a weird silence in the air.
“I would love to visit the museum,” Ohno opened the conversation, “do you mind if I ask you to guide me around?”
“No, I’ll try my best,” Jun nodded, he didn’t know what would Sakurai say if he found him at the corridor, doing Aiba’s task without consulting it first with him.
He walked one step ahead of Ohno, feeling weird. Two weeks ago, Ohno had embraced him without any warning, but now the man behind him was no more than a stranger to him. He didn’t know what he exactly felt for this mysterious man, it was nearly like a crush. He rarely let his mind float like this. He was always careful with his feelings, but something in Ohno had weakened him.
***
When Ohno told him that he had something to do with Toma’s death, Sho felt like ice had slipped through his chest. Sho coincidently read Ohno’s old note where he wrote Toma’s name. The incident happened around six months after Sho moved to another school. He didn’t ask how Ohno did that, if Ohno killed Toma in an ordinary way, the guy must have been arrested immediately, regardless that he was underage when it happened.
‘I murdered him’ was written on the note.
Sho was sure that the word ‘him’ referred to Toma since he had heard about the accident on the news. They mentioned about a young school boy who drowned in a swimming pool.
“Sho, what are you doing?”
Sho threw the notebook away as Ohno entered the room and he felt his body stiffened, there was a kind of power which prevent him from moving. He looked at Ohno and saw a light in his left eye; it blinded him and kept him unmoving.
“I-I’m so-sorry,” Sho choked, trying to catch his breath.
Ohno took the notebook and Sho could breathe normally again. He looked at Ohno’s figure, feeling a pang in his chest. What was that? Was that just his imagination or Ohno really possessed some kind of power?
Ohno turned to him as if nothing happened, smiling slightly, “Let’s work,” he said casually.
Sho knew that he never looked at Ohno as the same person since that day; he was scared to be precise. Ohno had an ability to kill someone just by glancing at them, that was frightening and it sounded like a mystery novel storyline, but that was real, even though Sho tried to ignore that fact.
Nevertheless, what made Sho stayed loyal to Ohno wasn’t the fact that he was a murderer, but it was something else he couldn’t name.
***
Jun and Ohno sat across each other in a small restaurant near their apartment. Ohno stayed at the museum long enough until the closing time. Jun walked him around and explained the paintings and other artworks as best as he could, the only fact which disturbed him was Ohno chose to look at him instead of the paintings. He ensured himself that he wasn’t blushing; only that unpleasant sweat appeared.
“Thanks for today,” Ohno opened the conversation, placing his fingers on Jun.
“Don’t mention, it’s my job after all,” Jun said, he wanted to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t move a muscle.
“I love painting,” Ohno said. “I paint to entertain myself and I can create my own world, every time I cross my brush over the canvas.”
“Do you sell them?” Jun asked. He glanced at their intertwined hands; Ohno had squished his fingers harder than before.
“Sometimes,” Ohno said.
Silence fell between them; the dim light sent a pleasant atmosphere. Jun didn’t know who started first as they leaned to each other and their lips met. He felt warmth rush to his body; Ohno’s lips tasted the wine which they had just drunk. Jun placed his right hand on the back of Ohno’s head and pulled him closer as if it was the most natural thing to do.
They pulled away, starring at each other and without any word; Ohno gripped his wrist and dragged him outside, heading to their apartment. They stormed to Jun’s room, closing the door behind them and Jun felt his knees weaken as Ohno leaned to him, cornering him on the wall and started kissing all over his face. He never imagined that they would go this far, but he had no regrets. He let Ohno unbutton his shirt, caressing his exposed skin with care; his left hand found its way to Jun’s jeans and took it off slowly.
They moved to the couch where Ohno was on top of him. Jun could see that Ohno’s eyes were clouded and he was sure that he wasn’t even better. Their breaths united, just like their body, and Jun felt that he was flying. He didn’t know where it came from, but the memories of Toma rushed to his head like a sudden storm when he reached his peak. He could see Toma watching them making love on his couch from the corner of his eyes. He turned his head to make sure, but of course, Toma wasn’t there and never would be. He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment.
“Are you okay?” Ohno asked him.
“Yeah, sorry,” he looked at the man’s face, he had fallen in love with this man and nothing could pull him away from that feeling.
He took Ohno’s hand and squished it, “Do you love me?” he asked out of the blue, without even thinking what he said.
Ohno didn’t answer, but he kissed Jun’s lips softly and as he finished, Jun felt his lids were too heavy to open. He saw a light on Ohno’s left eye, the blind one, but maybe he was just imagining it. He drowned into a deep sleep, a dreamless sleep.
***
The air conditioner was too cold, but Sho didn’t bother to raise the temperature. He lacked sleep these few nights; dark circles under his eyes could be seen clearly. He didn’t know what was bothering him that much; the workload wasn’t that heavy, the opening of the new gallery went as planned and the visitors in the museum increased rapidly. He couldn’t tell what made him so insecure.
He flipped the pages of the report Aiba had written, he read them quickly and put it back on top of the other reports from the galleries. He took off his eyeglasses and rose off of the seat; he approached the abstract painting on his wall and looked at it intensely. Ohno gave this painting on the first day he started working here.
“A present,” the man said.
Sho closed his eyes and recalled that particular day; he didn’t understand what the meaning behind this painting was, but sometimes, he could see a man in this canvas - a man who was trapped between two high walls that he couldn’t climb nor escape.
“Sho kun, can I come in?”
Sho opened his eyes and turned towards the door where Nino’s head poked in.
“Sure,” Sho sat on the couch and gestured for Nino to sit down too. “Are you done?”
“Yeah,” Nino answered while taking the cushion onto his lap, he leaned his head to the couch and eyeing the ceiling.
“There are still two weeks before my summer holiday is over,” Nino mumbled.
“The new semester will begin,” Sho said, trying hard not to stare at Nino’s face. He missed this boy like crazy and having him work here in the museum, didn’t mean that he could crush him anytime he wanted. He had a lot of work to do and must admit that he had been waiting for Nino to appear on his doorstep, telling Sho that he wanted some ice cream.
“What will you do after high school?” Sho asked.
“I don’t know,” Nino shrugged. “Ohno san keeps on telling me to look for a nice university to study in as if I had enough money to afford it.”
Sho gulped, they hadn’t talked about Ohno since Nino was too angry when Sho said that he was only selling his ass to Ohno. Sho never knew the truth about what kind of work Nino used to do before agreeing to accept the part time job here in the museum. He glanced at the boy who played with the cushion on his lap; somehow it made his heart beat faster. The taste of Nino’s lips when Sho stole a kiss from him when he was asleep still remained; he wondered whether it was okay for him to kiss this kid for real? Would Nino hate him for that? But, if he didn’t do it now, Nino would leave within a short time and perhaps they wouldn’t meet each other again. The thoughts brought an unpleasant sensation into his stomach; he couldn’t imagine how it felt like if Nino wasn’t around anymore.
“Nino…” he said hesitantly.
The boy lifted his head to meet Sho’s gaze, Sho moved to the couch where Nino was sitting and without thinking further, he kissed the boy’s lips. It tasted as sweet as before, he felt the grip on his chest had been loosened when his lips touched Nino’s.
Nino froze, but he didn’t push Sho away. He let Sho kiss him deeper, let Sho feel that he was going to explode. But it didn’t last long as he heard the door slam shut (Nino forgot to close it). Both of them turned towards the door and Sho saw a silhouette of a man, walking further from the room.
“Aiba san,” Nino whispered.
Sho rose abruptly and massaged his temple; he was confused by what he had done. He didn’t know what to say to Nino.
“I know,” Nino said after some time. “Don’t say something if it’s too hard for you.”
“But…” Sho said. Nino walked towards the door and turned at him, his expression was unreadable. He left Sho inside the cold room, without knowing what to do. He sat down back and drowned his face onto his palms. It felt so wrong to love Nino, he had broken the unseen rules that Ohno made for them and Ohno would know it.
And Aiba…
What he had done to Aiba was wrong, he was confused that night and needed someone to unleash his stress. He didn’t know how to face that man again, he felt the worst. He grabbed the car key and dashed outside; he needed to see Ohno for whatever reason, even the silliest one.
***
Nino always considered him as his savior, even though Ohno didn’t want the kid to think about him that way. He wasn’t a savior to anyone; he was just a person with an empty heart; a murderer.
Ohno was daydreaming at his veranda when Nino stormed into his apartment. He looked like he was lost. He ran to Ohno and stood before him, biting his lower lip.
“Did he do something to you?” Ohno asked.
Nino knelt and laid his head on Ohno’s lap, crying silently. Ohno brushed the boy’s head, calming him down. He knew that Sho would fall in love with Nino sooner or later, he had read it, but he didn’t try to prevent it from happening. He never told Sho the truth about Nino’s work; he wanted Sho to think that Nino was a prostitute in order to make him hesitate to put a liking on the boy.
He remembered the day when he offered Nino a job in the museum.
“I can only work at night,” Nino shrugged.
With that condition, the only job Nino could get was in a cheap hotel which provided massage service. He would go from door to door, giving massage to the guests. The hotel owner was Ohno’s friend, and he had guaranteed that nobody would lay a hand on that kid. He loved Nino as his own sibling; even though he knew that Nino expected something else between them.
The naked photos which Nino cherished were taken at a hot spring inn. He insisted Ohno to take them on his birthday and he had requested to have sex with him, but the boy fell asleep as soon as the clock pointed to 11 pm.
He felt guilty that he never revealed the truth to Sho; his most loyal person. He didn’t know how Sho saw him now, a cold heartless man, a liar, or even a murderer since he was the only one who knew what he had done to Toma ten years ago. But, he didn’t know that Ohno had kept an endless love towards Jun, Toma’s boyfriend back then.
“It’s okay, Nino,” Ohno said, lifting the kid’s head on his chin.
“He’s not the person I can trust, unlike you,” Nino said.
“He will never hurt you, I’ll guarantee that.”
Both of them didn’t say anything for the time being. The sounds that can only be heard were from the birds that chirped from the surrounding trees.
“I need to sleep,” Nino murmured from his lap.
“It’s daylight,” Ohno said.
“Make me sleep,” he requested.
Ohno hesitated, he had just discovered that he could control the mysterious power within him and Nino knew it. What he had done to Jun was the perfect example; but he was afraid that if he did it wrongly, he could kill this boy.
Nino rose from his kneeling position and stood before Ohno, waiting for him to do something. Ohno put his hands on Nino’s shoulder and looked through his eyes, slowly but surely, Nino’s lids closed and he collapsed to the floor, right when Ohno felt a hard punch on his jaw, he stumbled and fell to the floor beside Nino.
***
Sho rushed to the floor where Ohno’s room located and stormed into the room. He found Ohno and Nino stood face to face and it seemed that Ohno was doing something to the boy, as he saw Nino collapsing to the ground, he couldn’t think any further before landing a hard punch on Ohno’s jaw, making him fall to the floor.
Sho panted, he felt blood gathering in his head, his eyes focused on Ohno whose face was as plain as usual. He looked at Nino on the ground, sleeping peacefully.
“Nino,” he touched the boy’s shoulder.
“Don’t wake him up,” Ohno said, rising up from the floor. “He’s seeing a beautiful dream now.”
Ohno’s hand reached Sho’s jaw and he lifted it so their gazes met. Sho’s muscles stiffened and he found it was hard to breathe. Ohno let go of his jaw and he fell to the floor, struggling to catch his breath, but the room had turned into vacuum, oxygen no longer existing.
“You can choose,” Ohno said, squatting beside him. “Believe me or leave, I’ll never bother you again,” his right hand caressed Nino’s head softly, “I can see he’s so precious to you, more than what I anticipated. He’s precious to me as well, you don’t even know a half about him, yet, you already think you’re superior and judge him negatively. You have to learn more about Nino if you want him that much. But, I have to warn you, that he would go somewhere far from here once he graduates.”
Sho’s lungs burnt, he would die like Toma in this room because of his own stupidity. Ohno was right that he didn’t know a thing about Nino and he never tried to find out. Perhaps what made him breathless wasn’t Ohno, but the doubt in his heart.
“I’m sorry,” Sho said with so much effort. “I made a mistake.”
Ohno moved his hand to Sho’s neck, running his fingers through his veins and he smiled.
“We made mistakes,” he said and with that he released Sho. He caught his breath and coughed. He sat down and looked at Nino’s face.
“Can’t I love him?” he asked Ohno.
“That’s your choice,” Ohno answered.
To be continued
a/n: two chapters left ^^
Pairing : Juntoshi, Sakumiya, Sakuraiba
Length : chapter
Genre : angst, romance, drama
Rating : pg-13
Disclaimer : This story is just my imagination
Summary : L’art de La Vie museum is the place where Jun worked. Something in his past had led him there, giving him some space to be alone and pitied himself. It had been two years with the same old routine and he thought that his peaceful life would go on as long as it could be. He didn’t know that he was placed there on purpose - for redemption…
Betaed by keshichan ,,I can't thank you enough for helping me, I would never post this fic without you, thanks so much, girl
Jun was rechecking the data on his clipboard when Aiba knocked on the door, the guy entered and sat across from him; his face forming an unusual expression.
“Matsujun, I think I’m in love,” he said precisely.
Jun stopped his movement; pressing his pencil onto the clipboard to mark it. He lifted his head to look at Aiba. What made this guy think that he was the right person to run to with his personal matter? They probably talked between lunch times, but the topic was mostly about work; Jun avoided personal problems at the most and he was always the one who listened to Aiba’s blabbering.
Aiba waited for Jun to respond, but the latter kept on staring at the tall guy.
“I’m in love, with Sakurai san,” he stated.
Jun wanted to say ‘that is none of my damn business,’ but he gulped down his thought. He still felt uneasy with that Sakurai guy and from the look the director gave him; he could tell that Sakurai felt the same way about him.
“That’s news for me,” Jun smiled at his colleague and set the clipboard on his desk. “Tabe chan got a rival now,” he said, trying not to sound sarcastic.
“I heard that he will be working here from now on, this museum will be the main office,” Aiba said with a tone of happiness on his voice.
“That’s great,” Jun gave a brief comment. He remembered Ohno; they never crossed paths since the happening two weeks ago. Was Ohno alright? Did he move out? Did he have a serious illness and decide to leave for medication somewhere far away? He hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Nino, that kid must have known something about Ohno.
“I will talk to him at lunch time,” Aiba beamed. He glanced at his watch and stood up. “The students from Hamamatsu will be here in a moment, I gotta go,” he hurried towards the door and closed it.
Jun returned to the clipboard, signed it with his pencil, and as he finished the clock had pointed to 12. He rose, grabbing his lunch box and headed outside. He didn’t feel like eating inside the museum, so he went for a walk to the nearest park. Today must be one of the hottest days in summer; he walked through the main lobby and had to narrow his eyes as the sunlight blinded him.
He sat down on the grass under a big tree and opened his lunch box, the breeze seemed reluctant to blow. He took off his eyeglasses and set it on his pocket.
“May I join you?”
Jun tilted his head and saw Nino’s figure; the kid brought a plastic bag in his hand, a sign of Lawson convenient store decorated it.
“Sure,” Jun nodded.
“Your friend is a talk-active person,” Nino said as he slumped down beside him, “Aiba san,” he added.
“He’s that kind of person,” Jun answered.
“I thought that Sho kun is the worst,” Nino shrugged. He slid out a small box of onigiri from the plastic bag and took a bite.
“How you and Sakurai san got to know each other?” Jun asked without thinking further. He wanted to know because of the fact that Nino kept on addressing Sakurai as ‘Sho kun’ and his lack of respect that he always showed to the director.
“He has a crush on me,” Nino answered, even though it didn’t explain anything. “That’s how we got to know each other,” he continued.
Jun assumed that this kid was not telling him the whole truth; though, maybe the part of Sakurai had a crush on him wasn’t a lie.
“There’s someone who wants to meet you,” Nino said when Jun turned quite. “He’ll be here in a moment.”
As they continued eating in silence, Jun stole a glance once in a while at Nino. The boy was left-handed and his appearance was pleasant. Jun wasn’t sure that he looked that good when he was 17. If Sakurai had a crush on him, Jun couldn’t blame him for that. Nino’s look was the one to be blamed.
As they collected the trash after they finished their lunch, Nino looked afar and smiled broadly. “He’s here,” he told Jun.
Jun wore his eyeglasses and spotted Ohno; the man was walking towards them. He wore a nice white T-shirt above his jeans, and his usual baseball cap covered his head.
“He said that he wants to visit the museum,” Nino murmured, “I guess that you need to guide him.”
“That’s Aiba san’s task, not mine,” Jun said. Nino didn’t give any answers to that.
When Ohno reached the tree where both of them were having lunch, he first looked at Nino. Both of them said nothing, but Jun could see that they communicated through their eyes where words were no longer needed; somehow he envied the connection Nino had with this guy.
“Hi, Jun kun,” he greeted Jun awkwardly and Jun felt that his throat was constricted as if he had swollen his food without chewing it first. Ohno smiled at him. It was the first time for him to see him in broad daylight. Ohno’s skin was tanned, but it suited him well, and his gray left eye wasn’t clear behind the thick frame of his eyeglasses.
“Ohno san,” Jun returned the greeting, “I’m glad that you’re alright,” he faced down shyly as he heard his own voice. It sounded like a worrying mother and cursed himself that he couldn’t get a grip from saying so.
“Thanks,” Ohno said, “I’m sorry that I broke into your house just like that, right, Nino?” he turned his head at Nino.
“Yes,” the boy nodded, “I’m going back now before Sho kun complains,” Nino said, he walked further from them, leaving a weird silence in the air.
“I would love to visit the museum,” Ohno opened the conversation, “do you mind if I ask you to guide me around?”
“No, I’ll try my best,” Jun nodded, he didn’t know what would Sakurai say if he found him at the corridor, doing Aiba’s task without consulting it first with him.
He walked one step ahead of Ohno, feeling weird. Two weeks ago, Ohno had embraced him without any warning, but now the man behind him was no more than a stranger to him. He didn’t know what he exactly felt for this mysterious man, it was nearly like a crush. He rarely let his mind float like this. He was always careful with his feelings, but something in Ohno had weakened him.
***
When Ohno told him that he had something to do with Toma’s death, Sho felt like ice had slipped through his chest. Sho coincidently read Ohno’s old note where he wrote Toma’s name. The incident happened around six months after Sho moved to another school. He didn’t ask how Ohno did that, if Ohno killed Toma in an ordinary way, the guy must have been arrested immediately, regardless that he was underage when it happened.
‘I murdered him’ was written on the note.
Sho was sure that the word ‘him’ referred to Toma since he had heard about the accident on the news. They mentioned about a young school boy who drowned in a swimming pool.
“Sho, what are you doing?”
Sho threw the notebook away as Ohno entered the room and he felt his body stiffened, there was a kind of power which prevent him from moving. He looked at Ohno and saw a light in his left eye; it blinded him and kept him unmoving.
“I-I’m so-sorry,” Sho choked, trying to catch his breath.
Ohno took the notebook and Sho could breathe normally again. He looked at Ohno’s figure, feeling a pang in his chest. What was that? Was that just his imagination or Ohno really possessed some kind of power?
Ohno turned to him as if nothing happened, smiling slightly, “Let’s work,” he said casually.
Sho knew that he never looked at Ohno as the same person since that day; he was scared to be precise. Ohno had an ability to kill someone just by glancing at them, that was frightening and it sounded like a mystery novel storyline, but that was real, even though Sho tried to ignore that fact.
Nevertheless, what made Sho stayed loyal to Ohno wasn’t the fact that he was a murderer, but it was something else he couldn’t name.
***
Jun and Ohno sat across each other in a small restaurant near their apartment. Ohno stayed at the museum long enough until the closing time. Jun walked him around and explained the paintings and other artworks as best as he could, the only fact which disturbed him was Ohno chose to look at him instead of the paintings. He ensured himself that he wasn’t blushing; only that unpleasant sweat appeared.
“Thanks for today,” Ohno opened the conversation, placing his fingers on Jun.
“Don’t mention, it’s my job after all,” Jun said, he wanted to pull his hand away, but he couldn’t move a muscle.
“I love painting,” Ohno said. “I paint to entertain myself and I can create my own world, every time I cross my brush over the canvas.”
“Do you sell them?” Jun asked. He glanced at their intertwined hands; Ohno had squished his fingers harder than before.
“Sometimes,” Ohno said.
Silence fell between them; the dim light sent a pleasant atmosphere. Jun didn’t know who started first as they leaned to each other and their lips met. He felt warmth rush to his body; Ohno’s lips tasted the wine which they had just drunk. Jun placed his right hand on the back of Ohno’s head and pulled him closer as if it was the most natural thing to do.
They pulled away, starring at each other and without any word; Ohno gripped his wrist and dragged him outside, heading to their apartment. They stormed to Jun’s room, closing the door behind them and Jun felt his knees weaken as Ohno leaned to him, cornering him on the wall and started kissing all over his face. He never imagined that they would go this far, but he had no regrets. He let Ohno unbutton his shirt, caressing his exposed skin with care; his left hand found its way to Jun’s jeans and took it off slowly.
They moved to the couch where Ohno was on top of him. Jun could see that Ohno’s eyes were clouded and he was sure that he wasn’t even better. Their breaths united, just like their body, and Jun felt that he was flying. He didn’t know where it came from, but the memories of Toma rushed to his head like a sudden storm when he reached his peak. He could see Toma watching them making love on his couch from the corner of his eyes. He turned his head to make sure, but of course, Toma wasn’t there and never would be. He shook his head and closed his eyes for a moment.
“Are you okay?” Ohno asked him.
“Yeah, sorry,” he looked at the man’s face, he had fallen in love with this man and nothing could pull him away from that feeling.
He took Ohno’s hand and squished it, “Do you love me?” he asked out of the blue, without even thinking what he said.
Ohno didn’t answer, but he kissed Jun’s lips softly and as he finished, Jun felt his lids were too heavy to open. He saw a light on Ohno’s left eye, the blind one, but maybe he was just imagining it. He drowned into a deep sleep, a dreamless sleep.
***
The air conditioner was too cold, but Sho didn’t bother to raise the temperature. He lacked sleep these few nights; dark circles under his eyes could be seen clearly. He didn’t know what was bothering him that much; the workload wasn’t that heavy, the opening of the new gallery went as planned and the visitors in the museum increased rapidly. He couldn’t tell what made him so insecure.
He flipped the pages of the report Aiba had written, he read them quickly and put it back on top of the other reports from the galleries. He took off his eyeglasses and rose off of the seat; he approached the abstract painting on his wall and looked at it intensely. Ohno gave this painting on the first day he started working here.
“A present,” the man said.
Sho closed his eyes and recalled that particular day; he didn’t understand what the meaning behind this painting was, but sometimes, he could see a man in this canvas - a man who was trapped between two high walls that he couldn’t climb nor escape.
“Sho kun, can I come in?”
Sho opened his eyes and turned towards the door where Nino’s head poked in.
“Sure,” Sho sat on the couch and gestured for Nino to sit down too. “Are you done?”
“Yeah,” Nino answered while taking the cushion onto his lap, he leaned his head to the couch and eyeing the ceiling.
“There are still two weeks before my summer holiday is over,” Nino mumbled.
“The new semester will begin,” Sho said, trying hard not to stare at Nino’s face. He missed this boy like crazy and having him work here in the museum, didn’t mean that he could crush him anytime he wanted. He had a lot of work to do and must admit that he had been waiting for Nino to appear on his doorstep, telling Sho that he wanted some ice cream.
“What will you do after high school?” Sho asked.
“I don’t know,” Nino shrugged. “Ohno san keeps on telling me to look for a nice university to study in as if I had enough money to afford it.”
Sho gulped, they hadn’t talked about Ohno since Nino was too angry when Sho said that he was only selling his ass to Ohno. Sho never knew the truth about what kind of work Nino used to do before agreeing to accept the part time job here in the museum. He glanced at the boy who played with the cushion on his lap; somehow it made his heart beat faster. The taste of Nino’s lips when Sho stole a kiss from him when he was asleep still remained; he wondered whether it was okay for him to kiss this kid for real? Would Nino hate him for that? But, if he didn’t do it now, Nino would leave within a short time and perhaps they wouldn’t meet each other again. The thoughts brought an unpleasant sensation into his stomach; he couldn’t imagine how it felt like if Nino wasn’t around anymore.
“Nino…” he said hesitantly.
The boy lifted his head to meet Sho’s gaze, Sho moved to the couch where Nino was sitting and without thinking further, he kissed the boy’s lips. It tasted as sweet as before, he felt the grip on his chest had been loosened when his lips touched Nino’s.
Nino froze, but he didn’t push Sho away. He let Sho kiss him deeper, let Sho feel that he was going to explode. But it didn’t last long as he heard the door slam shut (Nino forgot to close it). Both of them turned towards the door and Sho saw a silhouette of a man, walking further from the room.
“Aiba san,” Nino whispered.
Sho rose abruptly and massaged his temple; he was confused by what he had done. He didn’t know what to say to Nino.
“I know,” Nino said after some time. “Don’t say something if it’s too hard for you.”
“But…” Sho said. Nino walked towards the door and turned at him, his expression was unreadable. He left Sho inside the cold room, without knowing what to do. He sat down back and drowned his face onto his palms. It felt so wrong to love Nino, he had broken the unseen rules that Ohno made for them and Ohno would know it.
And Aiba…
What he had done to Aiba was wrong, he was confused that night and needed someone to unleash his stress. He didn’t know how to face that man again, he felt the worst. He grabbed the car key and dashed outside; he needed to see Ohno for whatever reason, even the silliest one.
***
Nino always considered him as his savior, even though Ohno didn’t want the kid to think about him that way. He wasn’t a savior to anyone; he was just a person with an empty heart; a murderer.
Ohno was daydreaming at his veranda when Nino stormed into his apartment. He looked like he was lost. He ran to Ohno and stood before him, biting his lower lip.
“Did he do something to you?” Ohno asked.
Nino knelt and laid his head on Ohno’s lap, crying silently. Ohno brushed the boy’s head, calming him down. He knew that Sho would fall in love with Nino sooner or later, he had read it, but he didn’t try to prevent it from happening. He never told Sho the truth about Nino’s work; he wanted Sho to think that Nino was a prostitute in order to make him hesitate to put a liking on the boy.
He remembered the day when he offered Nino a job in the museum.
“I can only work at night,” Nino shrugged.
With that condition, the only job Nino could get was in a cheap hotel which provided massage service. He would go from door to door, giving massage to the guests. The hotel owner was Ohno’s friend, and he had guaranteed that nobody would lay a hand on that kid. He loved Nino as his own sibling; even though he knew that Nino expected something else between them.
The naked photos which Nino cherished were taken at a hot spring inn. He insisted Ohno to take them on his birthday and he had requested to have sex with him, but the boy fell asleep as soon as the clock pointed to 11 pm.
He felt guilty that he never revealed the truth to Sho; his most loyal person. He didn’t know how Sho saw him now, a cold heartless man, a liar, or even a murderer since he was the only one who knew what he had done to Toma ten years ago. But, he didn’t know that Ohno had kept an endless love towards Jun, Toma’s boyfriend back then.
“It’s okay, Nino,” Ohno said, lifting the kid’s head on his chin.
“He’s not the person I can trust, unlike you,” Nino said.
“He will never hurt you, I’ll guarantee that.”
Both of them didn’t say anything for the time being. The sounds that can only be heard were from the birds that chirped from the surrounding trees.
“I need to sleep,” Nino murmured from his lap.
“It’s daylight,” Ohno said.
“Make me sleep,” he requested.
Ohno hesitated, he had just discovered that he could control the mysterious power within him and Nino knew it. What he had done to Jun was the perfect example; but he was afraid that if he did it wrongly, he could kill this boy.
Nino rose from his kneeling position and stood before Ohno, waiting for him to do something. Ohno put his hands on Nino’s shoulder and looked through his eyes, slowly but surely, Nino’s lids closed and he collapsed to the floor, right when Ohno felt a hard punch on his jaw, he stumbled and fell to the floor beside Nino.
***
Sho rushed to the floor where Ohno’s room located and stormed into the room. He found Ohno and Nino stood face to face and it seemed that Ohno was doing something to the boy, as he saw Nino collapsing to the ground, he couldn’t think any further before landing a hard punch on Ohno’s jaw, making him fall to the floor.
Sho panted, he felt blood gathering in his head, his eyes focused on Ohno whose face was as plain as usual. He looked at Nino on the ground, sleeping peacefully.
“Nino,” he touched the boy’s shoulder.
“Don’t wake him up,” Ohno said, rising up from the floor. “He’s seeing a beautiful dream now.”
Ohno’s hand reached Sho’s jaw and he lifted it so their gazes met. Sho’s muscles stiffened and he found it was hard to breathe. Ohno let go of his jaw and he fell to the floor, struggling to catch his breath, but the room had turned into vacuum, oxygen no longer existing.
“You can choose,” Ohno said, squatting beside him. “Believe me or leave, I’ll never bother you again,” his right hand caressed Nino’s head softly, “I can see he’s so precious to you, more than what I anticipated. He’s precious to me as well, you don’t even know a half about him, yet, you already think you’re superior and judge him negatively. You have to learn more about Nino if you want him that much. But, I have to warn you, that he would go somewhere far from here once he graduates.”
Sho’s lungs burnt, he would die like Toma in this room because of his own stupidity. Ohno was right that he didn’t know a thing about Nino and he never tried to find out. Perhaps what made him breathless wasn’t Ohno, but the doubt in his heart.
“I’m sorry,” Sho said with so much effort. “I made a mistake.”
Ohno moved his hand to Sho’s neck, running his fingers through his veins and he smiled.
“We made mistakes,” he said and with that he released Sho. He caught his breath and coughed. He sat down and looked at Nino’s face.
“Can’t I love him?” he asked Ohno.
“That’s your choice,” Ohno answered.
To be continued
a/n: two chapters left ^^