You're Beautiful - Part 5
"Little princess,"
Nino turned when he heard a voice calling him. He wasn't doing anything, just watching the star from his room as he waited for the prince to come back. The prince had been gone for a week for a diplomatic visit. Nino was supposed to follow him. However, he wasn't feeling well. Therefore, Ohno advised him to rest and promised that he will be back as soon as he can.
"Oh, you two," said Nino as both Jun and Aiba walked towards him and took a seat next to him. He was glad that they still treated him as usual even though he was now married to a prince.
"Missing the prince?" Teased Jun.
Nino nodded his head without thinking. But, when he noticed the teasing look on Jun's and Aiba's face, he realized what he was doing.
"It doesn't mean anything. I just miss the prince because..."
"No need to deny, little princess. We know you both love each other. Though I am confused about why you haven't confessed yet. It's not good to make the prince wait for you," said Aiba.
Nino sighed. It had been two months since the wedding. But, they hadn't done anything intimate yet. Not even a kiss. Not even a hug. The prince didn't say anything except that he will wait until Nino was ready.
Nino was confused. He admitted that he was happy with the way the prince had been treating him. Satoshi showered him with love and respect. He showed how much he treasured Nino. But, it was complicated for Nino. It wasn't because of Ohno, he didn't forget him. However, spending time with the prince made him feel that what he was feeling for Ohno might have been infatuation. It wasn't true love. On the other hand, his feeling for the prince was more than that. He had to admit that he was in love with the prince. But...
"What if all of this is just a dream?" He found himself asking his two bodyguards. They looked at him confusedly.
"Ouch," He cried when Jun suddenly slapped him.
"You feel the pain, right? So, this is not a dream. You are married to the prince," said Jun, explaining himself for his earlier actions.
Nino stared at him. Of course, they didn't understand what he meant. They didn't know that this life was not real for Nino. He wasn't from this time but the future. He is not Ninomiya Kazumi. Instead, he is Ninomiya Kazunari. Though he didn't know how, he believed he will be back in the future, to his real life. He cannot commit to any relationship here, knowing that it will not be permanent. If he allowed himself to be pampered with love from the prince, what will happen to him once he gets back to his life? What will happen to the prince if he suddenly left? He didn't want to hurt the prince.
"Kazumi chan," Aiba called him softly. He never calls him like that because of their status. "Stop overthinking. If you think the prince is your happiness, then show him how much you care for him. He makes you happy, right? Don't you think that he deserved to be happy too?"
'Happy for now. But, if I get back to the future, Satoshi will get hurt' thought Nino. He cannot tell them that.
"Appreciate what you have now. Who knows you might lose it later. The decision is in your hand. So don't do something that you will regret later. I think someone said that people don't usually regret the things they do but regret the things they didn't do. I don't really remember where I heard it from," said Aiba. It was quite a good advice but what he said at the end as well as his expression looked comical that Nino couldn't help but laughed. He wasn't alone to think it was funny because Jun also burst into a laugh.
"What? I'm not making jokes," said Aiba, pouting. Jun stopped laughing and said that he cannot believe Aiba could give a piece of good advice like that.
Nino, on the other hand, smiled at Aiba. He remembered Aiba from his time. Both looked goofy. However, they understand people better than he did. Well, he indeed thought this life wasn't real. But, what happened right now was real. Maybe, he should just accept this fate. Perhaps he will not get back to the future. So, this is his life now. And if he welcomed this, he will be happy and make the prince happy too.
"Ah, when will the prince come back? I miss him so much," said Nino, not feeling shy to admit his feeling anymore.
"And I miss you too,"
Nino immediately turned to look at the door when he heard the familiar voice. His prince, Ohno Satoshi, was there, smiling softly at him. Cannot control himself, he ran to the prince and hugged him, not caring the look that Sho, who was behind Ohno, gave him.
"What? I cannot hug my own husband?" Said Nino to the prince's advisor as he remembered what Sho used to tell him before.
"No, this is not a disapproving look. This is my surprise look to see that you finally admit your feeling for the prince. Seems like being apart from the prince for too long finally made you realize,"
Nino found himself blushing to hear that from the advisor.
"Whatever. Satoshi, you cannot leave me alone anymore. You have to bring me wherever you go," said Nino.
"You called me Satoshi?" Said the prince, looking surprised.
"Ah, sorry. I should not call you that, your highness,"
The prince chuckled. "You are my wife. You can call me anything you want,"
"How about darling? Or honey? Or baby? Which one do you prefer?"
As always, these people would roll their eyes whenever he mentioned a word they never heard before. Well, he didn't care much about that anymore since it was too troublesome. So, whenever he did that, he will just pretend to create his own secret language.
"You and your weird word," said Sho.
"Whatever. Okay, everyone, get out. The prince needs to rest," said Nino, pushing the other three away from his room. They didn't object. They just gave him a naughty look when he closed the door behind.
"Satoshi, let's go on a date,"
"What is that?"
"When two people who like each other go out together to have fun, it is called a date,"
"But... I don't like you,"
Nino looked at the prince confusedly. What did he mean that he did not like him? Did Nino misinterpret all his actions before?
Before he could process everything that happened, he was startled when the prince hugged him.
"I don't like you. I love you,"
Nino smiled as his favourite memory of Satoshi flashed in his mind again. That was the first time Satoshi admitted that he loves him. He always showed how much he cared about Nino but to finally hear it from him on that day was a refreshing feeling. Furthermore, it was the first time he was teased by Satoshi.
"Thinking about him?" he was surprised when he heard a familiar voice from his side. He just finished a strenuous operation a few minutes ago and decided to relax at the hospital park. The bench was empty when he sat on it. He noticed someone sitting next to him but didn't bother to check who he was.
"Ohchan," Nino tried to appear cheerful despite knowing how fake he sounded. "Are you here to visit Matsuoka san? I already discharged him yesterday,"
"You look beautiful when you're smiling. Though it was a sad smile," Ohno ignored him. Instead, he made a remark that Nino didn't know how to respond. So, he continued to stare at him while Ohno did the same to him.
He didn't know how long the stare continued. It stopped when Ohno scooted closer to him before holding his face. Nino was surprised that he cannot do anything.
"You're the most beautiful person I've met," said Ohno.
"I'm not a girl,"
"True. But that didn't stop me from thinking of you as a beautiful person," Ohno leaned in closer. He angled his mouth like he wanted to kiss Nino. Fortunately, Nino returned to his sense.
"Ohchan, stop. I'm not ready for this,"
Saying those words somehow made Ohno realized what he was doing. He immediately released Nino's face before suddenly hastening away. Nino could only watch, wondering what made Ohno act this way. Was it possible that Ohno was still in love with him? For God's sake, it had been 15 years!
Though, deep in his heart, a pleasant feeling started to form just by thinking of that.
Damn.
What did he think just now?
How could he lose control and almost kiss the person that he should hate?
If Nino didn't stop him, he wondered what he will do to the man.
Urgh, it's too bothersome. Wasn't Ohno supposed to be angry at Nino for breaking his heart and then leaving him without saying goodbye? So, please enlighten him. Why was he still in love with Nino?
And how did he spend the day after finding out where Nino worked? He had stalked the doctor in the hospital.
Using Matsuoka as an excuse to go to the hospital, he went there every day under the pretence to update Matsuka about his business. However, that isn't true. He went there just to look at Nino.
Nino didn't notice him at all. He was too busy with his work. Today, Ohno naturally came to the hospital to see what the doctor was doing. When he arrived, he noticed Nino was walking towards the hospital park and decided to follow him. Nino took a seat on an empty bench and Ohno continued to observe him. He was lost in thought like he was reminiscing about something. Ohno didn't know what prompted him to walk towards Nino and take a seat next to him, only to be disappointed to be ignored by Nino.
Nino suddenly smiled. It was the most beautiful thing he ever saw though he looked a little sad. Jealousy clouded Ohno, thinking that Nino must be remembering the other guy. Damn, it had been 15 years! Nino should have moved on from him and accept Ohno's love. But, who was he to judge Nino when he also did the same thing?
A knock on the door surprised him. Without thinking, he asked the other person to come inside his office. However, he was surprised to see Jun. Though they are working in the same firm, their work was not related. Jun was in criminal law while he worked for business law.
"Hello, Ohno-Kun," said Jun cheerfully. Too cheerful for Ohno's liking.
He had heard from other lawyers in the firm how annoying Jun was. He never thought of him that way. Back when they were still in school, Jun seemed to be cool. But, seeing the way he smiled right now, he could see why people kept telling him about his annoying personality.
"Do you need anything?" Asked Ohno.
"Yes. I want you to set a meeting for me with one of your clients," said Jun before proceeding to tell him how a client of his might be related to the case he was investigating.
"I cannot do that," said Ohno. "It has nothing to do with me,"
"Oh, pleaseeeeee, Ohno Kun," Ohno was startled when Jun started whining. "I really need to talk with him so that I can understand my case better,"
"Nope. It's a one-sided relationship. I don't gain anything from helping you,"
All Jun did in return was giving him a smirk. His smirk sent chills down Ohno's spine. It seemed like Jun already expected that.
"Not even if I help you with Nino?"
Nino sighed for umpteenth times. He had been reading a lot of case study. However, none was similar to the case the doctor was facing right now. He was worried. If he cannot figure out the way to save his patient, what will the hospital do to the patient?
There was a beep sound from his phone. Hearing that, Nino decided to take a break. Maybe he will be able to think after a short break. The doctor took the phone from the table to see there was a text message from an unknown number. Wondering who it was from, he took a look at the text.
From: Unknown
Hi
Nino stared at the message. He had tonnes of thought looking at the text. Who sent this? Why did he send this message? Did he deliver to a wrong number?
He decided to ignore the message, thinking that maybe it was a wrong number or a prank from one of his friends to see if he will reply to the text. Somehow, he thought of Jun as his prime suspect.
There weren't many unread messages. In fact, there was only one message from Aiba asking him when he is free. Apparently, he wanted to introduce someone to Nino. A boyfriend, perhaps? He suspected Aiba already had someone because he wouldn't let Nino came to his house. Maybe he's already living together with his boyfriend.
Nino replied the message, telling Aiba that he will be free tomorrow night if he wants to meet. He received a reply shortly after sending his message.
From: Aiba
Good. I'll see you tomorrow night. This is my address.
Then Nino decided to watch a few funny videos in youtube before deciding to continue his work. However, when he was about to put the phone away, another message came in from the same unknown.
From: Unknown
Still working?
Usually, he will definitely ignore the message. However, he was intrigued to know the identity of the person who texted him. So, he gave the other person a short text.
Who are you?
Shortly after, a new message came. Nino was eager to read the reply. He wanted to know if the other person would tell him his identity.
From: Unknown
Why don't you guess?
He typed his response quickly.
I don't want to guess. I'm busy working. If you don't tell me who are you, I will ignore all your messages.
He waited a few minutes for a reply. But, there was no response. Well, maybe the other person had already lost interest in him. So, he decided to put the phone away and continue working. However, his phone suddenly rang. The other person called him!
Should he take the call? He debated with himself. Against his better judgement, he answered the call.
"Moshi Moshi," said Nino carefully.
"Hmmm. Hi,"
Nino was surprised. He knew the voice very well. Is it really him? Or was it his imagination? Without thinking, he ended the call.
He tried to continue his work. But, he cannot focus. He kept on thinking about the mysterious guy who texted him earlier. He was probably going to regret this but, he took his phone and dialled the unknown number. As he waited for the other guy to pick up the phone, he kept hoping the voice he heard just now wasn't his imagination.
The guy picked the call almost immediately, much to Nino's delight, surprisingly. He didn't say anything, same goes with Nino. Nino was anxious, thinking of what to say if it was indeed...
"Ohchan?" He asked hesitantly.
"Sorry to bother you," said Ohno. He seemed to be equally anxious like Nino. "I'm also sorry about the other day,"
Nino was glad that they were talking on the phone. If Ohno was in front of him, he would definitely see the blush on Nino's face as he mentioned about the day he almost kissed Nino.
"It's 2 AM! Why are you still awake?" Nino decided to change the topic.
"How about you? On duty?"
"No. I'm just reading case study to see if there is any similar case with the one I have right now," said Nino. Then, he paused for a while, thinking whether he should end the conversation or continue. "Hey, I think I owe you an apology,"
"For what?"
Nino stayed quiet for a while. He didn't know how to put his feeling into words.
"Well... We used to be friends. But things get awkward between us because of me. So, I apologized for that,"
"It's okay. I'm equally guilty. That's the reason why I'm calling you actually. I want to start fresh with you. So, friends?"
"Un," For now. Nino added in his thought without realizing. "By the way, where did you get my number?"
"From Matsujun," answered Ohno. Nino ended up laughing, which caused Ohno to ask him why he laughed.
"It's nothing. When I received your message just now, I thought it was a prank from J," said Nino, remembering his earlier thought. "It's late. I'm going to sleep now,"
"Okay. Good night,"
They ended the conversation. Nino hasn't feel relieved for a long time, not since he was back in the present. But, talking to Ohno just now made him feel lighter and somehow, his impression on Ohno had changed.
Ohno smiled happily. He didn't remember the last time he smiled genuinely like this. Even his assistant was looking at him weirdly to see him smiling. Well, it was all thanks to Jun. If he didn't give him Nino's number, maybe he will not be like this.
Jun told him to try to talk with Nino as a secret admirer. Try to text him without telling him he was Ohno. But, Ohno thought that way was too childish as well as there was a possibility Nino will ignore him. He kept writing and erasing his message to Nino and accidentally sent a message with only Hi. As he expected, Nino didn't reply to the text.
Then, he sent another text. He didn't expect Nino will respond, asking him who he is. He tried to be playful by making Nino guessed who he was. As expected, Nino didn't like that. He debated with himself what he should do before deciding to give Nino a call. They weren't teenagers anymore. They're already 30 years old. So, he should be frank instead of playing around as they did in school before.
He was happy when Nino answered the call almost immediately. But, the happiness didn't last long when Nino ended the call after hearing his voice. He was frustrated. But, to his surprise, Nino called him again not long after. Though they didn't talk much, he was happy that their friendship has been renewed. Ohno will put away the thought of making Nino his, only focusing on making Nino comfortable around him first. He wanted to show his sincerity. Whether or not Nino will be interested in him is a different story.
Sho will definitely tease him if he saw how happy Ohno is. He hadn't seen his best friend for a long time. Both of them were too busy with work. The last time they met was 5 months ago. But, they're going to meet tonight as Sho invited him to his housewarming party. That was a surprise. He didn't know Sho had been staying in a new house for 2 months.
"Ah, wait," screamed someone from outside the elevator when it almost closed and Ohno immediately pushed the open button. He knew the voice. When the door opened again, he was surprised to see Nino, who was also surprised to see him.
"Thank you, Ohchan,"
"You're welcome. Which floor?"
"Fifth floor," answered Nino. It was the same floor as where he was going to. A thought crossed his mind. Are they going to the same place?
"You live here?" Asked Nino. Ohno shook his head.
"Sho invited me to his house. How about you?"
"Visiting Aiba. He said he's going to... Eh, what is the number of Sho's apartment?"
"5-5. Aiba?"
Nino didn't answer him.
"Do you think...," Nino didn't finish his question as they arrived at the fifth floor. When the door was opened, they saw Jun waited outside a house. Giving each other a confused look, they walked towards him.
"Did you guys come together?" Said Jun teasingly when he noticed them going out of the elevator.
"We met downstairs," answered Nino. "And Jun, please don't give my number to anyone,"
Jun only chuckled.
"But, you're happy I gave it to Ohno Kun, right?"
Nino didn't answer. There was only a small blush on his face and somehow seeing that made Ohno's heart fluttered.
"Have you ring the bell?" Asked Nino instead as he rang the bell.
"Twice. Been waiting here for ten minutes. I think they are..."
"Hi, guys!" The door was suddenly opened to reveal a happy Sho.
"Sho Sho naughty Sho. Don't invite people if you're going to do that," said Jun as he walked in. Ohno turned to look at Sho whose face was crimson red. He couldn't stop himself from laughing as he looked at how embarrassed Sho seemed to be.
"Hi, thank you for coming!" Said Aiba, coming out from a room.
"You're dating Sakurai Sho! I do not see that coming," exclaimed Nino in a loud voice, making both Sho and Aiba blushed. Ohno also didn't expect that to happen either. As far as he remembered, Sho often criticized Aiba because of his clumsiness. Aiba, on the other hand, kept on saying Sho was too dull. How did they end up together?
"It just happened, okay. The school I'm working at organized a pet adoption program and Aiba was the veterinarian in charge. We exchanged number after that. Then, one thing leads to another,"
Nino made a whistling sound. He smiled happily, making Ohno realized that he liked this kind of smile better on the doctor. Nino continued to push both Sho and Aiba to talk about their relationship. As expected, Sho confessed first. They started their relationship about four months ago. Apparently, Jun already knew about them after accidentally met them during their date.
"And you don't even tell me about it," said Nino, pouting at Jun.
"It's their news, not mine!" Jun was quick to defend.
"We want to tell you sooner. But, we're afraid to invite both of you here. We don't want things to be awkward," explained Sho truthfully. "But, Jun said he will handle it. So... Is everything okay between you?"
Instead of answering, Nino went to Aiba and gave him a hug.
"You always worried too much about me. I'm okay. And I'm so happy for you," said Nino. "As for you, Mr Sakurai Sho, don't you dare to hurt my friend,"
He showed his fist to Sho to indicate what he's going to do to Sho if he hurt Aiba. The gesture was too cute to watch, causing everyone to end up laughing.
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