How Dare You! - Part 9
Nino rubbed his eyes. His neck and shoulder felt stiff for staring too long at the computer. But, it was worth it when he saw the report in front of him. Well, it wasn’t completely done yet as he still needed to do a review but it felt good to know he would complete the work soon.
As he was moving his neck, someone came behind him and started to massage his shoulder, soothing the pain that he felt. He didn’t have to turn to know it was Ohno.
“Working hard, aren’t you, my love?” Ohno said. His hands had stopped working on Nino’s stiff muscle, much to Nino’s displeasure. He took Aiba’s chair and sat next to him. That’s when Nino realized they were alone in the office. Eh? Where was everyone else?
“Look at the time, Kazunari,” Ohno chuckled when he looked around the office in confusion. Nino glanced at the clock on his computer and realized he only had twenty minutes left before the lunch hour was over. “We tried to inform you but you dismissed us. You’re too engrossed doing your report,”
“Sorry. I want to finish the report quickly. It’s okay, I will just eat instant ramen,”
Ohno looked at him disapprovingly when he told him the plan. “I've already ordered delivery food for us. It’s in the pantry. Let’s go and eat now,”
“Okay,” Nino easily complied. He stood up and went to the pantry with Ohno trailing behind him. Ever since they became a couple, Ohno would make sure he ate properly.
Ah, yakisoba. Nino squealed with delight to see two sets of yakisoba on the table. Without wasting any second, he quickly sat down and devoured the meal. Ohno laughed looking at him as he poured a glass of water for Nino. He was lucky to have such a caring boyfriend like Ohno.
Ohno was about to sit down to eat when his phone rang. He seemed reluctant to answer the call as he looked at the caller ID but then he excused himself, bumping into Jun on his way out. Nino tilted his head watching him. It may not seem weird to other people but something about the way Ohno looked at his phone when he received the call made him uneasy. He wondered if the call was actually from Serina. Perhaps that bitch hadn’t learned her lesson yet and still bothered Ohno.
His thought was disrupted when he heard someone chuckling. He glanced at Jun who sat down next to him.
“Where are Aiba chan and Sho chan?” Nino asked before Jun could tease him.
“Queueing for a smoothie,” Jun answered. “The line is so long so I asked them to buy for me,”
“Lazy,”
Jun smacked his head. “You would do the same thing too, right?”
Nino only grinned. He took his phone to send a text to Aiba to buy mango smoothies for him and Ohno. Aiba sent a reply, saying he would only buy for Ohno. But, Nino knew better. He would definitely buy for Nino even without Nino asking for it.
He put his phone on the table, frowning when he noticed Jun was looking at him with an amused smile.
“The way you are looking at me right now is so creepy, you know,”
Jun only laughed to hear what he had said. “I cannot believe that I get to see you be in love with someone. I seriously thought you’re going to get married to your game,”
Nino laughed with Jun. He wasn’t offended. In fact, it was a joke between them when they first became friends. Nino was too obsessed with his game and he always used it as an excuse to not get into a relationship. Thank goodness, Ohno was okay with his obsession even though he would pout sometimes if he knew Nino sacrificed his sleep to play games.
“I’m happy for you, you know. Both of you are a cute couple,”
Nino flushed upon hearing that. He was sure his ears were red right now because of Jun’s compliment.
“I didn’t know you ship me and Ohchan,” As always, being snarky was the best way to hide how embarrassed he was.
“I’m not shipping you and Ohno san,” Jun rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying you guys are cute, that’s all,”
Nino laughed, glancing at the uneaten yakisoba. “Jun Kun, why don’t you be a dear and get my boyfriend here if he has finished his phone call? He hasn’t eaten yet,”
Jun pretended to be grumbling but stood up from the chair and did as he asked, leaving him alone in the pantry.
Ohno stopped himself from cursing when he saw the caller ID. It was from Serina. After their conversation in the middle of the night, Serina hadn't bothered him. But, she suddenly called him again today and he knew why. He hadn't done what he had promised.
"Hello, Satoshi," Serina greeted him. "I went by your department earlier and I saw you with the murderer. Both of you look so happy,"
"Can you please stop calling him that?"
The murderer. That's what she had been calling Nino. And there's a reason she had been calling him that. Once upon a time, both Ohno and Serina had someone precious in their life. But, Nino had taken him away. Ohno wasn't aware that Nino was responsible for it, not until Serina came back into his life and told him the real reason she was back in Japan. She wanted Ohno to fulfil the promise he had made years ago.
It happened a few days before Nino came to his house for dinner with his parents. Serina had called him, begging him to meet her because she had something important to tell him about Nino. At first, Ohno refused her but she always knew how to persuade him. And she successfully piqued his interest by mentioning the name of his best friend that he had lost. And off he went to see Serina alone.
"What else should I call him?" Serina said, bringing him back to the present. "He killed my boyfriend, who was also your best friend! Did you forget what you had promised years ago?"
Ohno didn't answer her. He never forgot the promise. When he found out that his best friend had died in an accident caused by a drunk driver, he had sworn that he would punish the driver if he found him. It was just an accident but he was angry because the driver simply left after the accident without helping his friend, not even to call an ambulance. If he had called, his friend could be saved. Furthermore, he had sworn the promise out of anger as the accident robbed him the chance to reconcile with his friend. Thanks to Serina, he had a fight with his friend and they didn’t talk for a while. But, that was really petty of him to blame the driver for that.
Years passed and at some point in his life, he decided to forget the grudge. But, Serina came back into his life, reminding him to fulfil the promise. Using her skills, she had once again ignited the flame of hatred he had for the driver.
When Serina informed him that the driver was Nino, he was angry at himself. How could he let himself be in a relationship with his best friend’s killer? And Serina… She taunted him, telling him that he had forgotten his best friend because of Nino and he cannot think straight because of her words. Well, she was always skilful in manipulating others. Or maybe, he was too weak against her.
Out of anger and shame for not discovering it himself, he lied to Serina, telling her that he wasn’t really in love with Nino. He was pretending to be in love with Nino to hurt him later. That’s why he had asked Serina to come into his room, wanting to hurt Nino by making him see them together. But, he couldn’t do so. He couldn’t bring himself to hurt Nino.
“Are you still there, Satoshi?” Serina asked as he had stayed silent. “When are you going to tell me about your new plan?”
The new plan. He never thought of it. Even though he had decided to push away his feelings for Nino so that he could focus on his revenge, he couldn’t do so. Each time he looked at Nino’s face, all he wanted to do… he just wanted to pamper his little boyfriend. He loved to see Nino’s face when he smiled and he didn’t want the smile to disappear. Not because of him. That’s why he kept delaying his revenge. At this rate, he didn’t think he could do it at all. He was so in love with Nino and he didn’t want to hurt him. But, he was a man of his words. He never broke a promise before. So, what should he do?
“You’re miles away again, Satoshi. What are you thinking about?”
“None of your business,” He said. Sometimes, he was still surprised that he could talk back to Serina. This wasn’t something that he could do in the past. “I will tell you the plan when I want. I’m busy right now. Bye,”
He ended the call, noticing Jun was walking towards his office. Besides, he didn't have anything to talk about with Serina. Jun knocked on his door before entering his office.
"Ohno san, the brat asked me to check on you," Jun said. Ohno smiled because of the pet name that Jun had for Nino. If he was not mistaken, Nino sometimes would call Jun 'diva'. It's funny to see how the two of them interacted sometimes. "If you have finished your phone call, he asked you to eat,"
"Sure. I'm about to do that," Ohno responded. He left the room with Jun walking beside him "Do you always call him that?"
"Do you mean the brat? Of course! Since the first time we met,"
"Oh…" Ohno cocked his head. "How long have you known him?"
"Since I work here. We're recruited at the same time,"
They halted their conversation once they were in the pantry. Nino was almost done with his yakisoba. As Ohno was about to sit down, Aiba and Sho entered the pantry, bringing smoothies with them. Sho gave one to Jun and then the two of them left the pantry to continue their work.
"Here you go," Aiba said, giving Ohno a smoothie. He still had two smoothies with him which, Ohno assumed, were his and Nino's.
"My smoothie, Aiba," Nino said, holding out his hand.
"Nope. No smoothie for you,"
"But, you have an extra smoothie with you. It's for me, right?"
"Nope. I bought two for myself,"
"Fine…" Nino pouted. Ohno smiled at Nino fondly. Nino being so childish like this was one of the reasons he loved to pamper him.
"Let's share my smoothie, then," He said, handing his smoothie at Nino who smiled brightly. He took a sip from Ohno's.
"Refreshing!" Nino exclaimed. Once again, Ohno smiled seeing Nino like that.
"Awh…" Aiba cooed. "I shouldn't buy it for you. It's cute to see you and Ohno san sharing the smoothie. Here… " Aiba handed a straw to Nino who took it in confusion. "I will give you a straw so both of you can drink together at the same time. It will be more romantic,"
Nino smacked his head. "Give me my smoothie!"
Aiba only laughed before handing the extra smoothie to Nino. The two of them continued their silly squabbles. Watching them, Ohno once again thought about his revenge. Being with Nino had been the best time of his life. Was it worth losing Nino for the sake of his revenge? It was just an accident. Nino might be at fault but…
Eh? His eyes widened as he realized… How did Serina know it was Nino? She wasn't at the crime scene.
When Serina revealed Nino was the one responsible for the accident, he was too emotional to think straight. Serina didn't even give him proof and he blindly trusted her. Now that he could think properly, this could be one of her tricks to separate the two of them.
Shit! How could he allow Serina to manipulate him again? He was so stupid! Ah, thank goodness, he didn't go through with the previous plan. If he did… ah, he didn't want to think about it. He could lose Nino.
“Satoshi!” He jerked in surprise when Nino suddenly shouted. He looked at his boyfriend, frowning when Nino looked at him with concern. “Are you okay? I’ve been calling you but…”
“I’m fine. I’m just admiring your cute face,” He teased Nino, loving the way Nino’s face turned red because of him. Aiba, as usual, cheered them before Nino chased him out of the pantry.
“Stop teasing me and eat your yakisoba,” Nino said with his face still flushing. “I will leave you alone to eat,”
Ohno only smiled before putting a kiss on Nino’s lips. It was just a short kiss. But, it was enough to make him realize how much he loved Nino and he didn’t want to lose him. Serina, be damn! He would find a way to deal with her later. How dare she tried to sabotage their relationship again.
Ohno had left the office after lunch for an appointment with a client. Aiba and Jun went with him, leaving Nino alone with Sho. Ah, this was going to be boring.
He had finished reviewing his report and now, he wanted to take a short break. And what’s the best way to take a break? By bothering his friends. But, Aiba wasn’t here for him to bother. He would even settle for Jun because he loved the way Jun responded each time he disturbs him. But, Sho? Hmm… Sho rarely responded to anything he said when he worked.
“What’s wrong with you, Nino?” Sho suddenly asked even though his eyes were still focusing on the computer screen. “Do you miss your boyfriend? He will be back shortly,”
“I know and…”
Nino trailed off when Serina entered their department. She had dyed her black hair blond and Nino almost didn’t recognize her because of the new hair. She looked even uglier. And what’s she doing here? She’s supposed to be working.
“Yes, miss, do you need help with anything?” He tried to remain professional. Maybe she was really here because of work even though he doubted that.
“Satoshi is not here?” She asked. Nino shook his head, trying to look unaffected. The incident at Ohno’s house was a few weeks ago and he hadn’t seen her face since then. Seriously, he thought she had learned her lesson. But, she was still as shameless as before. Perhaps the call Ohno had received during the break was indeed from her.
“Great!” Much to Nino’s surprise, she was beaming with happiness to know Ohno wasn’t here. “I have something to show you. I thought of sending it to your phone. But, I think it would be better to deliver it myself. I want to see your reaction,”
Nino looked at her warily. What was she up to this time?
“Come here,” Serina beckoned to Sho when she noticed Sho was watching them. Much to his surprise, Sho stood up and approached them. She smirked and then took out her phone from her bag. She handed the phone to Nino. What was on display was a video and she asked him to play it. He became even more anxious as it was Ohno in the video. He seemed to be in a restaurant and from what Nino could see in the frame, his eyes were full of hatred. Taking a deep breath, Nino played the video.
“You’re wrong. I’m not with him because I love him. I do this because I want to punish him. I want to make him fall in love with me and then I will break his heart,”
Nino’s heart almost stopped beating when he heard what Ohno said in the video. What did he mean? Who was he talking about? Was he talking about Nino?
“We will have dinner with my parents on Saturday. Come to the house. Come into my room. I want Kazunari to find us together on the bed. It will be the best way to break his heart,”
What? So, what happened during dinner with his parents was a set-up. But… Ohno wasn't with her on the bed. He had humiliated her. So, what did that mean then?
Serina took the phone from him as he tried to sort his thought.
“There’s a reason why he didn’t do what he said,” Serina smirked. She clearly knew what was on Nino’s mind. She pressed something on her phone and then handed it back to Nino. This time, it was a voice memo. He played it and wasn’t surprised to hear Ohno’s voice.
“I change the plan because I have got a better plan to make him suffer. It would be gruesome. And don’t you ever think I’m in love with him. That would never ever happen,”
Serina took the phone from him. Nino lifted his face, hoping Serina would explain to him what had just happened. Was it exactly what he thought? If it was… everything Ohno had told him was a lie. And he was a fool to believe him.
“I have to go now,” Serina said. She sounded happy. “The video and the voice memo are genuine. If you don’t believe me, you can ask your beloved boyfriend,”
She skipped out of the office. But, she stopped at the door, looking back at Nino with her sly smile.
"Your boyfriend is here!" She announced happily as Ohno entered the office with Aiba and Jun. It was hard for him to keep his emotion in check when he saw Ohno. But, Sho tried to calm him.
"Why are you here?" Ohno asked. He looked at Nino with worry evident in his eyes. But, what was he worried about? Worried that Serina might do something to Nino… or… was he worried that Nino had found out his true intention?
"Delivering something important to Ninomiya san just like we planned," Serina answered with a bright smile. While Aiba and Jun seemed to be clueless with what she said, Ohno's face went pale and for Nino, it was enough to prove that the video and the voice memo were real.
"What do you mean?" Ohno asked.
"Hmm… I think you know what I mean," She approached Ohno and touched Ohno's cheeks before she left.
"Nino…" Ohno tried to get closer to him but Nino put a distance between the two of them.
"So… you make me love you so that you could break my heart?" Nino snarled at Ohno. He clapped his hands. "Congratulations! It works!"
"Nino…" Sho called him. "We don't know if it's true. It could be…"
"No!" Nino cut him off. He didn't want to hear anything right now. "See! He didn't deny it. So, it must be true!"
His heart ached so much. And, it was even more painful when he pictured the hatred in Ohno's eyes from the video. Why? Why did Ohno hate him?
"Kazunari… I could explain," Ohno tried to persuade him. But, he didn't need any explanation. Whatever Ohno said was a lie and he didn't want to be tricked again. What did he ever do to Ohno? Why did Ohno do this to him? How could he…
"Don't call me Kazunari," He shook his head. "It's over between us!"
"But…"
"I hate you. And I will never forgive you,"
Poll
A/N: Was this okay? I hope so. So, the so-called revenge was another manipulation from Serina and somehow Ohno had realized her intention before he did something stupid. But, Serina already prepared a backup plan in case Ohno changed his mind. I'm sorry if the story is weird. Let me know what you think of it, ne...