It's hard to move on - Part 1
Summary: Nino cannot move on from his first love. But, someone was there to help him.
Pairing: OhMiya
Nino sighed in relief after he clicked the 'save' button. He had finished his report on the latest software he developed. He felt so happy, knowing that he will be able to spend his weekend playing games without thinking about the report.
"Nino?"
Nino turned around when he heard a soft voice calling him. It was the voice of the CEO of the company he currently worked at. His name is Ohno Satoshi. Ohno is only three years older than him. Yet, he had become a CEO at a young age, and Nino admired him for that. Granted he inherited the company from his father but he was still doing a good job.
"Ohchan," said Nino, smiling softly at his boss.
The boss always had a soft spot for him. Yes, he was kind to everyone else but only Nino was allowed to call him 'Ohchan'. It was a funny story of how he ended up calling his boss with the nickname.
They met about two years ago. Their meeting happened during the first month of Nino's employment at the company after he decided to change his job. On the day of their first meeting, he ended up going home late, trying to finish his work. As soon as he finished his work, he quickly packed his stuff. He was in hurry and it caused him to bump into a small guy, around his height with tanned skin and chubby cheek.
"I'm sorry," he immediately apologized.
"It's okay. I was at fault too," said the guy. "Why are you still here? It's almost 10 pm,"
"I have work to do. How about you?" Asked Nino. He felt at ease talking with the other guy even though he didn't know him.
"Same," answered the guy, looking awkward.
"I'm Ninomiya Kazunari. You can call me Nino. What's your name?"
"Ohno Satoshi," answered the guy. Nino couldn't control himself from laughing, believing the guy was lying to him. This guy cannot be Ohno Satoshi. He knew Ohno was the CEO of the company and he was pretty sure Ohno was an old grumpy man, unlike the young man standing in front of him.
"Why are you laughing?" Asked the man, looking bewildered with his sudden laugh.
"I never met our boss. But, I'm pretty sure he is an ojiichan. Not someone like you," he explained. Ohno was silent for a moment before he spoke again in a small voice.
"But I'm really him,"
"Yeah right. You don't get to be Ohno-sama. You're Ohchan,"
And that's what he had been calling Ohno each time they bumped into each other whenever he went home late. He was too ignorant to notice that he never see Ohno in the day even though he wondered which department he was working at. He knew the truth 3 months after their first encounter. He was instructed by the department head to make a presentation for their new software to the CEO. The head department warned him not to screw up because he was personally requested by the CEO.
When he entered the seminar room on the day of the presentation, he was surprised to see Ohno was among the participant. Even worse, he was sitting in the middle of the first row. Nino suddenly remembered what Ohno said in their first meeting and everything started to make sense. No wonder he never see Ohno during the day. Ohno's office is on the top floor and there's no way he will have his lunch in the cafeteria with other workers. All he wanted to do was hiding himself because of his ignorance. How could he be so ignorant that he didn't know his own boss?
But, he tried to get rid of his personal feeling and thankfully, managed to give a good presentation. Ohno looked impressed with his work and personally congratulated him when they met again a few days later. As always, it happened when he went home late. It was awkward because he started to act formally with Ohno but Ohno didn't like that and asked him to call him Ohchan like he always did. Though he knew it wasn't appropriate, he complied to the request.
"Going home late again? It's Friday night," said Ohno.
Nino chuckled to hear what his boss said. He asked Nino what he was doing in the office on a Friday night when he also did the same thing.
"You are right. Let's go home," he said to his boss, who nodded his head. He still needed to revise his report but decided to do it on Monday.
"Seeing that we both are lonely guys on a Friday night, why don't we have dinner together? It's only 9 pm," suggested his boss.
Nino thought for a while. It seemed like a good idea to celebrate the completion of his work. Hopefully, nobody will see them because he knew everyone in the office loves to gossip about them. Ever since they heard him calling Ohno, Ohchan.
"Sure, where should we go?"
"So, what are you working on just now?" Asked Ohno as they waited for their order to arrive.
Before Nino could answer his boss, his phone rang. Without looking at the caller ID, he answered the call, thinking it will be his best friend, Aiba.
"Moshi moshi," he greeted the caller.
"Brat," his expression immediately changed when he heard the voice. He hadn't talk to the guy on the other line for almost a year. Hearing the voice once again brought out mixed emotion for him. Sure, he missed the caller but he had been avoiding the caller for a reason.
"J, how are you?" He tried to sound normal.
"Fine. Hey, brat, can I meet you today?" Asked the other guy.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I have something to do today,"
"A date?" Asked the other guy with a chuckle.
Nino always love the way he chuckled. It was the best melody he ever heard.
"No. Just going out with a friend,"
"Okay. Anyway, I really want to tell you something today. Can I tell you over the phone? I want you to be the first person to know.
"Sure,"
To be honest, he didn't want to hear what the other guy was going to tell him. He had a hunch. His hunch told him that he will be sad to hear the news....
"I'm getting married," announced the other guy happily. Nino's heart almost stopped beating to hear that. Though he knew this was going to happen, he can never be prepared to accept the news.
"Congratulations," he tried to sound happy.
"Thanks, brat. Let's meet soon. I haven't meet you for a while. I miss you so much,"
"Sure. Let's schedule a meeting soon," he told the guy before he ended the call. He couldn't take it anymore. He was afraid that he was going to cry and the guy will know the secret that he had been keeping for so long.
"Nino...," another voice called him softly. He turned to look at Ohno and realized that his boss just watched how he handled the call. Crap! He might not know what is it about but he knew something was wrong.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. I just need to go to the toilet,"
He left immediately to the toilet, hiding himself in one of the stalls. He cannot stop tears from flowing. Why? Why did this happen to him? Why did he fall in love with his own friend?
He came out a few minutes after. The food was already served but Ohno hasn't eat yet. He looked worried and it made Nino feel bad.
"Hi," he tried to appear cheerful as he sat in his place again. Ohno was relieved to see him.
"Are you okay?" Once again, Ohno asked the same question. Nino could only smile. He didn't know what to tell the other person.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," said Ohno. "Just to let you know, I'm here if you need anybody,"
"I'm okay. Received a little bad news. Just need time to accept it," he explained. "Don't worry, okay,"
Ohno nodded his head and gave him a smile. He didn't ask any further and Nino was thankful for that. If someone else was with him when he received the news, they're probably going to push him to talk about it.
Nino woke up with a headache. Gosh! His head felt like spinning trying to remember what actually happened to him. The last thing he remembered was telling Ohno he wanted to go to the bar to drink. To forget his sorrow with drinks.
He opened his eyes widely when he noticed he was not sleeping in his own room. It was totally different. Instead of his plain white wall, he was in a room with blue wall and a few paintings on it. Oh, crap! Don't tell him, he went home with a stranger because he was drunk.
But, he didn't feel anything. There's only headache because of his hangover. He was still wearing his clothes, minus the coat, which he noticed was on the chair. He slowly stood up, trying to see where he actually was.
"Ouch!" He heard a voice outside. It was oddly familiar. He quickly went outside to see who it was.
He sighed in relief when he saw Ohno in the kitchen, putting a finger on his mouth. He approached the other guy and saw the reason for his little scream just now. He accidentally cut his own finger while cutting apples.
"Ohchan, let me see you hand," he asked, taking Ohno's hand without waiting for a reply. He examined the cut and saw it wasn't that bad.
"Let's clean the cut first. Then I will put a band-aid on it, okay? Where do you put your medical kit?" He asked the other guy. Ohno pointed to a drawer and he immediately go to take it.
"There. It's done now," said Nino once he finished the treatment.
"Thanks," said Ohno as he inspected his wounded fingers. Nino took the time to stare at him. He didn't notice it before but now, he realized Ohno's eyes... It is a beautiful shade of brown.
"Your eyes are beautiful," he blurted it out before he could stop himself. Ohno was momentarily froze to hear that before his face turned red.
"Thanks, I guess," was Ohno's awkward response.
"So, this is your house," said Nino, trying to change the topic. He scanned the house. It looked simple and organized, just like Ohno himself. "How did I get here?"
"You were drunk and I don't know where is your house. So, I brought you here," answered Ohno. Just like what he expected.
"Did I do anything stupid?" He asked worriedly. He had a tendency to do stupid things when he was drunk so that's why he avoided drinking.
"Nothiiiing," Ohno's voice was a bit squeaky as he answered. Nino looked at him suspiciously, knowing Ohno was lying.
"Spill it out! What did I do?" He asked once again. Ohno looked a bit reluctant to answer but when Nino looked at him intensely, he started talking about yesterday.
"You told me your personal story," answered Ohno in a soft voice. It was barely audible.
"What?" Nino asked once again, hoping that he heard wrongly.
"Personal story. I know why you are sad," answered Ohno. Nino was panic to hear that. What exactly did he tell his boss?
"What... Really... Damn!" He found it hard to form a sentence. He didn't know what he was going to say. He had been telling Ohno something that he will never tell anyone else. Not even to his best friend.
"Relax. I won't tell anyone else. You can trust me," Ohno said to him. He looked at the other guy. He didn't know much about Ohno but something in his heart told him that he can trust his boss. Furthermore, it's already happened. There's nothing he can do to undo it.
"What did I tell you?" He asked his boss.
"Hmmm..." His boss began. "There is a guy. You called him J, sometimes you called him diva. You know him in college and then fall in love with him. He called you yesterday to tell you he's getting married,"
"That's all?" Asked Nino, though it was pretty much everything.
"Well, you talked in detail about how you met him, what makes you fall in love with him,"
Nino smacked his face. Crap! He talked too much. He bet Ohno was bored to hear him talking about his love.
"Ne, Nino, there's nothing to be ashamed about that. I know how painful unrequited love is. I don't know how to comfort you but I believe you will meet someone who will make you happy one day. Someone who will truly love you,"
"I have been trying to forget him for years," He didn't know what controlled him at the moment as he suddenly talked again about his love story. Sober this time. "Avoiding him doesn't seem to work cause I still love him. I know I should try to meet new people. But, I doubt anyone will like me. I mean, I don't have anything to be proud of. I'm short, I don't have a nice figure like you. In fact, my belly is very round. People will not like me because I'm bratty and... Well... A lot of shortcomings. I guess I will be alone forever,"
He ended up telling Ohno things that he was worried about. Once he started to express himself, he found it hard to stop. Ohno, on the other hand, simply listened to everything he said.
"Don't think of yourself that way. You might not notice it but maybe there is someone who loves you,"
"Hahaha. That's impossible,"
"You may think that you have nothing that will make people love you. But, you're wrong. You're smart, always make people feel comfortable around you and.... The cutest man I've ever seen,"
"Cute is for child. I want to be called handsome,"
"Okay then. The most handsome guy,"
Nino found himself smiling to hear that. He sounded childish but he was glad Ohno was willing to play along with his childishness.
"Okay enough about me. How about you? Are you dating anyone right now? Bet she is the luckiest person cause she gets the sexiest man I've ever met,"
It was the first time Nino saw Ohno wearing something else other than his suits. He was simply wearing a t-shirt with sweat pants but from the way the shirt clung to his body, he could see Ohno had quite a sexy figure.
"Sexy? That's the first time I heard someone said that about me,"
"Well, maybe because they never see you like this. So, are you going to answer me?"
Ohno smiled softly at him but what he said next surprised Nino. Because he said it with no hint of sadness at all.
"My love story ends before it could even start,"
It was weird to hear. So, Ohno also experience a sad love story like him. Nino was curious to know about it but judging from Ohno's tone of voice, he didn't want to talk about it. Nino suppressed the need to ask for more, knowing that there was an invisible boundary between them.
"I guess I better go home now," he told his boss. But, honestly, he was lazy to go out. He always spend his weekend indoor but it seemed that he had to go out today.
"It's raining outside," said his boss. "Maybe you can eat first. I make you breakfast,"
Ohno pointed at a plate of toast on the table. Nino was reluctant to stay at another person's house but he was even more lazy to go out. Furthermore, Ohno's house looked comfortable, making him even lazier to move. So, he decided to stay for a while, at least until the rain stops.
"I'll cook lunch for you for taking care of me yesterday. I hope you don't mind if I stay here for a while,"
"Of course I don't mind,"
Nino ended up spending the whole day in Ohno's house. He borrowed one of Ohno's t-shirt and pants before cooking lunch for both of them. The rain still didn't stop after they had their lunch so Ohno urged him to stay until it stopped. Nino gladly received the offer as he had his laptop with him so he can played games. Ohno, on the other hand, was doing some work with his laptop.
They didn't notice when the rain stopped because both are too absorbed in their own activity. When he noticed it wasn't raining anymore, he reluctantly started to pack his stuff but Ohno stopped him. He invited him to stay for the night as it was almost dinner time. Once again, Nino gladly accepted the offer. Yes, he missed his house but Ohno's house was equally comfortable.
They were preparing dinner together when the bell was rung. Seeing Ohno was busy cooking his stew, Nino offered to check the door for him. He opened the door only to be surprised to see the person he was trying to avoid standing in front of him, equally surprised to see him.
"J," he called the name softly as the other guy, whose name was actually Jun, checked the surrounding.
"What are you doing here, Nino?" Asked Jun. "This is Ohno kun's house, right?"
He checked the house number repeatedly to make sure he was in the right place. Nino was saved from answering when Ohno stood next to him.
"Matsujun, I didn't know you are coming," said Ohno. Nino scooted a bit from the door to allow Jun to enter the house.
"I call you many times. But, you didn't answer. So, I decided to come visit you as I was nearby," answered Jun once he was inside. He looked at both of them suspiciously.
"I was busy with work," was Ohno's short reply. Jun shrugged him off, like he already used to the excuse.
"I'll bring a drink for you," said Nino, trying to get away from his current situation. As he left for the kitchen, he could hear Jun asked Ohno how they know each other but he didn't hear the answer from Ohno.
"Brat, you didn't tell me you work in Ohno Corporation. I thought you are still working at your old place,"
"I didn't?" Was Nino's silly reply. Of course he knew he didn't tell Jun about it. When he decided to resign from his old company, he decided to put everything behind, including Jun. He wanted to start a new life, without thinking so much about Jun. But, of course he failed. Because he still cannot forget Jun.
"So, why are you here?" Asked Ohno. Nino was thankful for that. It reminded Jun of the real reason he came here.
"Ah," Jun took out a card from his bag. Without looking at its content, Nino knew what it was. "I'm getting married, Ohno kun,"
"Congratulations," said Ohno as he received the card from Jun. It sounded sincere, unlike the way Nino said it yesterday.
"Thank you. Your card is not with me, Nino. If I know you will be here, I will bring the card with me,"
"It's okay. You can give me another time,"
"Would you like to join us for dinner?" Invited Ohno. Jun shook his head as a response.
"Nope. I don't want to bother you on your date,"
Hearing that, both Nino and Ohno looked at each other in confusion while Jun laughed at them.
"Date? We're not dating," denied Nino.
"Oh, really?" Answered Jun. "You guys look like a sweet domestic couple, wearing matching apron and preparing dinner together,"
"Eh... But, we're just..." Nino was at loss for words. Because he also didn't know why he was staying at Ohno's house for too long.
"We're just doing our work," answered Ohno. His face was crimson red and Nino guessed his face was similar. He wondered how Ohno felt to be gossiped with him. In the office, he was the only one being teased by other workers cause no one dared to say it to Ohno. So, he assumed Ohno wasn't aware about the gossip in the office.
"Okay, okay," said Jun, giving them a soft smile. The same smile that made Nino love him even more each day. "Sorry to jump into conclusion. But, I think you guys look cute together. Don't take it seriously, okay,"
Nino and Ohno stayed silent.
"But if you guys end up dating, don't forget to thank me," said Jun teasingly. "Well, I better go now,"
After he left, both Nino and Ohno stared at each other in awkward silence. No one dared to say anything.
"Sorry," Nino said it first and it made Ohno shook his head.
"What are you sorry for?"
"I don't know. For making J thought of us as something we're not," He let out the name before he could notice. But, when he looked at Ohno's face, he thought maybe Ohno didn't think Jun was the person he was talking about when he was drunk yesterday.
"It's okay. It's not the first time people thought we're together," said Ohno. Nino's eyes was wide in surprise.
"Do you mean... You know about the gossip?"
"Of course. I overheard it sometimes. People said you are my favourite and maybe it's because we're together. But, I think your work and attitude shows why you are my favourite,"
Nino didn't know how to respond to that. Indirectly, Ohno had complimented his work.
"You're not mad at them?"
"Not really. Maybe because I hope it is true," said Ohno. He looked serious. Nino looked at him in disbelief. But, after a while, he started to laugh.
"You're so funny," he said. His boss must be joking. There's no way he was interested with Nino. Not after what he told Nino about his love story. He was proven correct when his boss laughed along.
"I better get back to my stew," said Ohno. "You're still staying tonight, right?"
"Yes. You promised to keep me company to watch that horror movie I've been dreading to watch,"
"Who knows. Maybe you're the one who is uncomfortable with the gossip,"
Nino didn't say anything. To be honest, he wasn't sure how he felt about the gossip. But, he tried not to think too much about it.
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