The New Neighbor - First Meeting
Nino was playing Super Mario when his doorbell was rung. Grunting, he paused his game and went to answer the door, not surprised to see it was Aiba, his childhood friend. It was normal to see Aiba come to his house on weekends as they often play games together. Or, he played the games and Aiba watched.
“You have a new neighbour,” Aiba said when he opened the door. His friend pointed to the mover behind him who was carrying a few boxes into the house across him. Nino just shrugged him off because he didn’t really care about it.
“Aren’t you interested to know your new neighbour?” Aiba continued as Nino took a seat in front of the television to resume his game. “I talked to him just now. He is so cute,”
“Don’t care,” Nino dismissed him. He was more interested in his game.
"You should," Aiba continued blabbering. "Who knows you might need his help someday,"
Nino ignored his friend as his game deserved his attention. He didn't really like to socialize with other people. Living in this apartment complex for almost a year, he had never talked to anyone else. Usually, he would just greet them with a smile. He can do everything by himself so he didn't think he would need their help.
“Nino, did you listen to what I said?” Aiba said, a little louder this time, distracting him from his game. So, he had to pause the game again. Urgh!
“I heard what you said,” Nino defended himself even though he actually heard nothing.
“Really? What did I say?” Aiba challenged him.
Nino sighed. His quick mind couldn’t think of anything right now because the game was the only thing in his mind right now.
“See…” Aiba said, sounding disappointed. “I know you didn’t listen to what I said,”
“But, I have something interesting to tell you, Aiba chan,” Finally! He finally remembered he had something important to tell Aiba. Ah, how could he forget about it!
“Huh? Really?” Aiba sneered, clearly didn’t believe him. But, he was sure that Aiba would be surprised when he told him about it. Or about someone. “What do you want to tell me?”
“I saw Sakurai Sho a few days ago,” Nino said with a wide smile.
There. Aiba went stiff to hear his announcement. Sakurai Sho was their classmate in high school. Aiba had a crush on the guy but he was not confident to confess. Sho was the most popular student in school. So, Aiba thought it would be impossible for Sho to even notice him.
After they finished high school, Sho went to Boston to study law. From the rumours he heard, Sho had decided to stay in Boston for good. That’s why Nino was surprised to see Sho in the building where he worked yesterday. Sho didn’t notice him, though. They never talked in school despite being in the same class.
“Are you sure it’s him?” Aiba asked.
“Yes,” Nino assured him. “I saw him in my office. I’m sure that person is him. I recognized his sloping shoulder and chipmunk teeth. He is definitely Sakurai Sho,”
“But…” Aiba sounded confused. “He is in Boston, right?”
“I don’t know. Maybe, he decided to come back to Japan,” Nino answered. “Aiba chan, I’m hungry. Why don’t you cook for me?”
He gave the sweetest smile at Aiba, who glared at him in return. Despite his protest, Aiba still went to the kitchen to cook for him.
Turned out, Sho was in the building because he worked at the law firm which was on the same building as Nino's office. He knew about it from Ikuta Toma, the gossiper in the company he worked at. Toma told him about a new lawyer and when he looked at the picture that Toma secretly took, he realized it was Sho.
He didn’t waste any seconds and quickly told Aiba about it. However, Aiba pretended not to be thrilled, acting as if he had gotten over the crush he had for Sho. Yeah, right. As if Nino’s going to believe him.
He put aside everything about Aiba and Sho as he had more important things to do. It’s finally Friday. So, it meant that he could sleep late to play games. Yeah!
Once he finished his work, he went to buy groceries first. To be honest, he really wished he could skip it but he had no choice. He didn’t have anything at home, not even instant noodles.
Not wanting to buy groceries again in the near future, Nino ended up buying a lot of stuff. As a result, he couldn’t even open the door to his apartment building because both of his hands were full of stuff he carried. Thankfully, there was another guy who entered the building at the same time he arrived home. He opened the door for Nino.
“Thank you,” He thanked the guy. He had never seen this person before in the building. For Nino, the guy was quite handsome despite his sleepy look. He was short, just like Nino.
“You’re welcome,” The guy smiled at him. “Do you need help to carry those things?”
“Nah, it’s okay,” He rejected the offer. He didn’t really like to receive help from people he barely knew.
However, he almost screamed in frustration when he noticed the ‘out of order’ sign on the elevator. Damn! He lived on the fifth floor. Even without his stuff, it would be too much to climb those stairs to get to his floor.
“Do you want me to help?” The sleepy guy asked again. Reluctantly, Nino nodded his head and handed a few bags to him.
“Say…” The guy said as the two of them went up the stairs together. “Are you Nino?”
Nino stared at the guy in suspicion when he said his name. How did the guy he never met before know his name? Was he a stalker, perhaps? He may look harmless but who knows what he was capable of. And they’re in an isolated area right now! What would this guy do to him?
“Ah, I could explain,” The guy said quickly, noticing the way Nino looked at him. “I’m Ohno. I live across your house. I know you from Aiba chan,”
Nino still glared at the guy even though he remembered the conversation he had with Aiba about the new neighbour. How long ago was it? A month, he thought. He had never seen the new neighbour face to face before. Usually, he saw him from behind and when he thought of it carefully, Ohno had the same physical attribute as his neighbour.
“What did Aiba chan tell you about me?”
“Not much,” Ohno answered. “We went to eat cakes last week and he asked if I’ve met you. I told him no. Then, he told me you’re the small guy with a big head. But, he forgot to mention that you’re cute,”
Nino blinked his eyes upon hearing what Ohno had said. Did Ohno just say he’s cute? Oh my, why did his heart flutter to hear that?
He looked at Ohno, noticing that Ohno’s face had turned red, probably because he didn’t mean to say the last part. Ah, this was awkward. He should probably do something to get over this awkwardness.
“Aiba said my head is big?” He complained. “How dare he!”
Ohno responded with a chuckle. Truthfully, Nino had to admit, it was pleasant to hear his chuckle.
“So, you went to eat cakes with Aiba?” Nino asked, changing the subject. “Did he drag you there or you went voluntarily?”
Aiba loved to eat desserts and sweet food. He used to bring them when he came to visit Nino. However, since Nino wasn’t fond of them, he stopped doing so.
“I’m the one who suggested the cake shop to him,” Ohno explained. Ah, good for Aiba. He finally found a friend who enjoyed sweets like him. “When I first moved in… well, we talked about random things. He was talking about a cake shop. He said it was delicious. I already tried the shop so I asked him to try my favourite shop. So, that’s how we ended up eating cakes,”
“Yeah... Aiba chan loves cakes,”
Ohno hummed in agreement. “Have you had your dinner, Nino?”
Nino shook his head, a bit surprised that Ohno had changed the subject of their conversation.
“Great,” Ohno said. “I’ve cooked curry. But, it is too much to eat alone. Would you like to have dinner with me, Nino?”
Ohno gave him the sweetest smile and his heart skipped a beat.
"Sure, I would love that," Nino said, trying not to sound too excited. What was wrong with him? He felt weird right now. But, it was also a pleasant feeling. Ah, it confused him!
"Are you serious? You worked there?" Nino asked as they ate together. Even though Ohno had been the one who invited him for dinner, they ended up eating in Nino’s house. Ohno had shyly asked if it’s okay to eat at Nino’s house as his house was still a mess because of the move. He was too busy with his personal affair to sort his things. Hearing that, Nino happily agreed with the request.
So far, dinner had been a pleasant affair with them getting to know more about each other. They talked about their self as well as Aiba. It was weird for Nino to do this because he wasn’t the type to talk about his personal life with someone else. However, Ohno made him feel comfortable to talk about it.
From the conversation, he found out that Ohno had just quit his boring office job to open his own bakery. And much to Nino's surprise, Ohno actually worked at the law firm in his office's building. The same firm that had employed Sakurai Sho now. Wow, this was unbelievable. And it was even harder to believe that he never bumped into Ohno before despite working in the same building.
"Yes… " Ohno laughed. "People are always surprised to know that I'm a lawyer. More so at a famous law firm such as that,"
Nino tilted his head, a little confused at first by Ohno's response. However, as he looked at Ohno carefully, he realized that most people would find it hard to believe that Ohno was a lawyer. He didn’t look like one with the way he dressed.
"I'm sure you're a good lawyer. But, it isn't the reason I am surprised," Nino explained, earning a frown from Ohno. "I am surprised because I work in the same building as yours,"
"Eh?" Ohno was as surprised as he was when he revealed it. "You work there? How come we never see each other?"
"Yeah, it baffled me too," Nino agreed. “So, you quit your job as a lawyer to do your dream job. Wow… that’s bold. I wish I could do the same thing too,”
Ohno looked down as he lamented. “If only my parents think of the same thing. They’re not happy when I told them I want to resign,”
Nino felt sorry to hear that Ohno’s parents were against his decision to resign as a lawyer. But, it’s understandable. As parents, they must be worried about Ohno’s future.
Another sigh from Ohno. “I wish it’s that simple, Nino. But, the truth is… they have been controlling my life since I was small. I didn’t become a lawyer because I want to. I became a lawyer because of them. All my life, I have been doing what my parents planned for me. But, I’ve had enough of it and decided to live my own life,”
This was something that Nino couldn’t relate to. He knew that there were still overprotective parents in this world. But, his parents weren’t like that. They had always supported his decision and let him choose what he wanted to do.
“What made you decide to finally speak up against them?” He asked curiously.
“Oh…” Ohno looked a bit reluctant to answer.
“I’m sorry if I’m crossing the boundary here,” Nino quickly apologized. He knew he shouldn’t ask the question but he couldn’t stop himself from asking. “You don’t have to answer,”
“It’s okay,” Ohno smiled reassuringly. “My parents… well… They want me to get married. And they already chose the person for me. I know her. She is my friend’s sister. We aren’t close but I know she already has a boyfriend. So… well… she deserves to be happy with the person she loves. That’s why I told them I don’t want to marry her. And… as expected, they were furious. We argued. I've told them that I'm sick of doing what they want and it includes being a lawyer. So, long story short, I left the house because of the argument,"
"Don't you think… well…" Nino tried to think of what to say without sounding rude. They just knew each other but they already talked about a heavy topic.
Ohno gave him a small smile. "I know it seems like I might have been acting without thinking. But, quitting my job has been something that I've been thinking about for a while. I already made a plan to open my bakery before the argument. But, I never have the courage to tell my parents about it. The whole arranged marriage thing… it helped me… I finally have the courage to speak up. So, once I let it out, I think it's the right time to do it,"
“Well, as long as you’re happy… I believe it’s the best decision for you,” Nino said. Without thinking, he reached out to touch Ohno’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Ohno blinked his eyes and stared at their hands. Realizing what he had done, Nino shyly retracted his hands.
“Thanks,” Ohno said. “I feel better talking about it with you. Of course, a part of me was worried that I might act rashly and I don’t know who to turn to for advice. But, after talking with you, I feel better,”
“Glad that I could help even though I don’t really do anything,”
“You did. I never talk about my worry with anyone. But, even though we just met, you make me comfortable to talk about it,”
Nino smiled as a response. “Well, how about we watch a movie together after this?” He suggested. His initial plan to play games all night was forgotten. For some reason, he didn’t want the time he spent with Ohno to end. He wanted to do more with Ohno.
“Sure,” Ohno agreed with a bright smile. And, once again, when he saw Ohno’s smile, the weird pleasant feeling struck him again.
A/N: I'm sorry for not updating Little Fox yet. I want to focus on what to write for Nino's birthday first. And, at first, this was what I want to write for his birthday. But, a friend gave me a more suitable idea so I decided to go with that one. It was already completed and I will post the fic on Nino's birthday.
Anyway, I hope this isn't weird. I've been wanting to write OhMIya as neighbors since forever because of The Big Bang Theory. Maybe I could use a few scenes from the series in this fic. In this, OhMiya seemed to be getting along well, ne? Wonder what kind of trouble they will get into this time.
Oh, any guess on what kind of role Jun will play in this one? And, please let me know what you think of it, okay?