Cupid - Part 4
“Hmm… sure!” Nino said without thinking.
“Great!” Ohno exclaimed. “What do you want to eat?”
Nino blinked his eyes, unsure of what had just happened. Did he just agree to have dinner with Ohno? Eh? Why did he do that? They will meet again tomorrow. So, why would he go out with Ohno tonight?
“Hmm…” Nino didn’t know what to say. Was Jun right? Was he flirting with Ohno and let him believe that Nino was interested in him? Nino thought of what he said before Ohno invited him to have dinner together.
“I’m waiting for a prince to feed me,”
He was just joking when he said that. But, now that he thought about it… hmmm… it did sound like he was asking Ohno to invite him for dinner. Oh my… why did he say that?
“Little Cupid?” Ohno said, tapping his shoulder. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” Nino quickly answered. Should he retract what he said earlier? It didn’t seem fair. And, Ohno looked happy so he didn’t have the heart to do so. Hmmm… what should he do?
“Should we go now?” Ohno asked again after Nino remained silent.
“Hmm… sure,” Nino finally said. So far, He was comfortable to be alone with Ohno. So, maybe it wasn’t a bad idea to have dinner with the businessman. Maybe, he could know more about Ohno. And, if this dinner turned out to be good, he could expect their real date tomorrow would also be okay. Otherwise, he would find an excuse to avoid the date then. “How about we eat in McDonald’s?”
“Okay… I haven’t had that for a while,” Ohno said as the two of them headed out of the bookstore and walked towards the direction of McDonald’s. “I want to eat their beef burger tonight,”
“Does a rich man like you eat fast food?” Nino asked curiously. It was just his impression… but, he didn’t think a wealthy person like Ohno would eat in a fast-food restaurant. It didn’t suit them.
“Of course! Sho-chan allows me to eat them once in a while,”
Nino rolled his eyes, thinking of the weird relationship between Ohno and his assistant. It was already strange to know Sakurai set the time for Ohno to go to bed. But, if Sakurai also decided what Ohno should eat every day… urgh, he didn’t know what to think about that.
"So, he decides what you eat every day?" Nino asked. "I'm confused… Which one of you is the boss?"
"It's not like that," Ohno laughed. "Of course, I decide what I want to eat. As he is my assistant, I will inform him so he will prepare it for me. But, fast food is not healthy so he didn't let me eat that,"
"He cooks for you?"
"No," Once again, the businessman laughed. Nino thought it was a beautiful melody and he loved to hear it. "I will not trust him to cook for me. Usually, he buys it for me,"
"Do you know how to cook?" Nino asked. Based on what he saw, he doubted Ohno would do any housework. He probably had a maid to do it.
But, the businessman smiled and then said the opposite of what he was thinking. "Yes! But, as I am busy with work, I usually cook on weekends,"
"Any speciality dish?"
"My curry," Ohno answered. "If you like, I could make it for you,"
Hmm… tempting…
"Sure, whenever you are free, make curry for me and then call me over to your house,"
Oops! Once again, the words were out before he could stop himself. Seriously, he should watch what he said. Why did Ohno keep on making him act like this?
"Really?"
"But whether I will come or not… it will depend on my mood," Nino deliberately said. He didn't want Ohno to be hopeful about their relationship.
After a short walk, they finally arrived at McDonald’s. Nino grimaced seeing the long queue. He didn’t like to line up. Hmm… he smirked as he looked at the guy standing beside him. How about asking Ohno to do it?
“Ohchan, why don’t you…”
However, before Nino could ask Ohno to line up, the businessman’s phone suddenly rang. He pouted but as it couldn’t be helped, he asked Ohno to find a place to sit while he went to buy the meals. Ohno nodded his head and then walked to one of the empty seats.
Nino took out his phone to browse the internet while waiting. Right on a cue, he received a message from Jun.
Oi, I saw you with Ohno-san. You two look so cute together 😝😝
Nino looked around, trying to find his friend. But, no… Jun was not in the restaurant. Then, where did he see Nino? As Nino thought about that, he received another message from Jun.
Don’t try to find me. I saw you when you left the bookstore. Enjoy your time with your new boyfriend, ne!
P/S: He’s not your boyfriend? Pfft… don’t try to fool me
Nino scrunched his nose as he read the messages. Urgh… Jun! If he's in front of Nino right now, he would smack his friend's head.
Nino put the phone back into his pocket as it was finally his turn to order. But, he scratched his head, not knowing what to order for Ohno. Did his so-called boyfriend mention what he wanted to eat?
“I want to eat their beef burger tonight"
Nino sighed in relief as he remembered what Ohno had said earlier. Even though he didn't know which beef burger that Ohno wanted, it didn't matter. He bought the beef burger that he preferred for the two of them. If Ohno didn't like that… well… let the businessman go and buy the new one.
Ohno was still on his phone when Nino put the meals on their table. Hmm… that was long. His nosy side wanted to know if it's for work.
"Okay, Sho-chan," Ohno said. "You can pick me up in 30 minutes. Just let me have my dinner in peace, okay?"
Nino heard murmuring from the other end of the line. Then, Ohno ended the call. He gave his attention to the food on the table.
"Wah!" Ohno exclaimed. Good, he didn’t complain about the food. "Thank you for buying it for me,"
"Sure…" Nino said as he took his first bite. "It's not free. Don't forget to pay me,"
"But…" Ohno scratched his head. "I don't have cash,"
"It's okay. You can pay me tomorrow," assured Nino. "Who calls you just now? Is it your boss?"
It took Ohno a while to understand what Nino meant by that. Once he understood, he grinned at Nino.
"Sho-chan was worried because I'm not home,"
"Oh, you went out without telling your boss?"
“Not my fault. He doesn’t tell me he wants to come over to bring my suit,”
“Suits? Don’t tell me you’re planning to wear a suit for our date. If you wear that, I’m not going anywhere with you,”
Nino just wanted to tease the short businessman. He loved to see how flustered the man was because of his tease. And, each time he teased, he felt more and more comfortable being with the man. Maybe, it was not a bad idea to date Ohno.
Eh? No, don’t think about that yet…
“Of course not,” Ohno said, bringing him back to the conversation. “The suit is for my birthday,”
“Birthday?” Nino was curious. He knew Ohno was three years older than him but he didn't know the date. "When is your birthday?"
"Soon," answered Ohno, suddenly focusing on the burger he was eating as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Nino could sense that Ohno wasn’t comfortable talking about his birthday. So, he decided to change the subject.
"The book from just now…" Nino said, remembering that he didn't get to read the synopsis. If he remembered, he would try to find the information about the book from the internet later. "Do you want to buy it?"
"Ah… no," Ohno shook his head. "I just want to look at the cover. It's beautiful,"
Nino hummed in agreement. The cover was indeed beautiful, which was also the reason he grabbed the book.
Ah… he suddenly remembered something. Ohno enjoyed drawing. That made Nino wonder what kind of things Ohno drew. Usually, he didn’t care much about arts but not this time. He wanted to see Ohno's creative works.
"You like to draw, right?" Nino asked in which Ohno answered with a nod. "Will you let me see your works?"
Ohno was surprised by his sudden request. And Nino could see how happy Ohno was because of it, judging from his wide grin and glint in his eyes.
"Sure…" Ohno said eagerly. "But, I don't have… ah!"
Nino stared at Ohno, feeling confused to see the businessman put down the burger he was eating and frantically grabbed his bag, searching for something in it. But, Nino finally understood what Ohno was doing when the businessman handed a drawing book to him.
Nino took the book from Ohno. However, before he could open the first page, he suddenly heard Ohno gasping. Nino tilted his head, looking at Ohno confusedly. The businessman fidgeted on his seat and his slightly dark complexion suddenly paled.
"Maybe you shouldn't look at the book. I will bring another one for you to see tomorrow,"
"Why?" Nino asked. This gave him another opportunity to tease Ohno. He smiled mischievously at Ohno before he flipped open the book at a random page. “Do you draw something naughty? Aw, don’t be…”
Nino trailed off, not knowing what to say about what he saw. It was a drawing of cupid, he assumed, based on the bow and the love arrow that the character was holding. The face, on the other hand… Nino narrowed his eyes to make sure he wasn't wrong. But, no matter how hard he looked at the face, the image didn't change. Indeed, it was his face that Ohno drew. His eyes then trailed off, looking at the fancy writing below the drawing.
"Little Cupid…" Nino whispered as he traced the words on the picture. Wow, it's an amazing drawing. The way Ohno drew him… it felt like he was looking at a picture taken by a camera because of how lifelike it seemed to be.
"I'm sorry," Ohno mumbled. Nino had to take his eyes off the drawing and looked at the man sitting in front of him. He smiled seeing how bashful Ohno was. Never would he imagine seeing Ohno's face being red like this. "I… hmm… I was too excited to show you my works. I forget about the drawing," The businessman pouted. "You must be thinking I am creepy,"
Ohno lowered his face, trying to avoid meeting his eyes. As for Nino… he didn't know how to react. Was Ohno creepy for drawing him like this? Maybe… But, rather than being scared or disgusted, Nino felt honoured to be drawn by a talented artist like Ohno.
It's cute, Nino thought, to see how embarrassed Ohno was. With a smile, he reached out and put his hand on top of the businessman's hand. His action caused Ohno to raise his face and look at their hands with shock evident in his expression.
"I like the drawing," Nino said softly. "Can I keep it?"
"Err… sure," Ohno responded with a shy smile. Nino couldn't stop chuckling. Ohno was so cute.
Neither of them retracted their hands on the table. Not until a shadow loomed over their table. The two of them looked up. It was Sakurai. Like Ohno, he was also dressed casually in jeans and t-shirt. Sho had an amused smile on his face. Nino frowned at first but when he noticed his hand was still on top of Ohno's, the two of them simultaneously drew their hands back.
"I assume you haven't finished your meal yet, Satoshi," Sakurai said, taking a seat next to Ohno. He also ate some fries from Ohno's meal, causing Ohno to pout.
"Don't eat my fries," Ohno slapped Sho's hand away when he tried to take more fries. "I haven't eaten them yet,"
Sakurai didn't say anything. He only smiled at his boss. Nino tilted his head, looking at Sakurai with interest. Hmm… the assistant seemed different. He didn't look as serious as before. He seemed to be more easygoing.
“Why are you here, Sho chan?” Ohno asked as he munched his burger. “I told you to pick me up in 30 minutes, right? It’s not 30 minutes yet, right?”
Ohno pointed at his watch and then shoved to Sakurai’s face. Sakurai lightly pushed him away.
“Don’t be angry at me, Nii-san,” Sakurai said. Nino furrowed his eyebrow upon hearing that. Nii-san? All this time, Sakurai had been addressing Ohno as Ohno-sama. Why did he suddenly change it to Nii-san? “I want to let you be alone with Ninomiya-san. But, when I saw the two of you staring at each other, I don’t think you will finish on time. That’s why I have to come in. You know that we have…”
“Who are you?” Nino asked, cutting off Sakurai. It was weird seeing Sakurai acting like this. Well… this Sakurai still adhered to his schedule. But, he didn’t expect Sakurai to talk casually to Ohno like this. “Why are you so different?”
Both Ohno and Sakurai were surprised at first because of his interruption. Then, they laughed. Ohno, especially, laughed too hard. It wasn’t that funny, right?
“I’m not working right now, Ninomiya-san,” Sakurai explained. “That’s why I am different,”
“Yes,” Ohno chipped in. “He will only call me Nii-san outside of working hours,”
“And you should also do the same,” Sakurai retorted. “It’s not professional to call me Sho-chan when you’re working,”
“But, I am already used to it. You have been my Sho-chan since we were kids,” Ohno hugged his assistant and Sakurai playfully pushed him away. Nino watched this with a smile. He loved to see the way these two interacted outside of office hours. They looked normal. They were not as weird as he initially thought.
“Satoshi, finish your meal quickly,” Sakurai scolded his boss when Ohno kept trying to hug him. “We have things to do after this. If not, I might have to cancel your date tomorrow,”
“Oh… okay,” Ohno quickly obliged as he quietly ate his burger. Nino had already finished his meal when he watched them.
“Ah…” Sho smirked, giving Nino a knowing smile. “I know how to control him now,”
“What do you mean?” Nino asked curiously.
But, Sho didn’t answer him. His attention was on his boss. When Ohno almost finished his meal, he looked at Nino and then asked. “Do you want me to send you home?”
“Sure, why not?” Nino said. He was too tired to reject the offer. So, after Ohno finished eating, the three of them headed out together.
Nino woke up early the next morning. Was he excited to go on a date with Ohno? Maybe… Nino smiled to himself as he got ready to make breakfast.
Initially, they planned to go to the aquarium separately. However, before they parted away yesterday, Ohno had proposed to pick him up so that they could go to the aquarium together. Unexpectedly, Nino agreed with the suggestion. And, to make it even weirder, he also volunteered to make breakfast for Ohno before the two of them headed to the aquarium. Was he in love with Ohno? Hahaha… It’s still early for that. The only thing he could admit right now… he was comfortable with Ohno, and if everything went well… hmm... he might fall in love with the businessman.
Nino had just put on his apron when the doorbell rang. He glanced at the clock, noticing it was almost 9 AM. It must be Ohno, then.
Nino smiled widely as he headed to the door. However, when he opened the door, his smile died. It wasn’t Ohno at the door.
“Good morning, Kazu-chan,” Aiba greeted him cheerfully. “Wah, you are up early!”
“Masaki…”
“Hey, let’s go and have breakfast together,” Aiba suggested but Nino couldn’t register what his ex-boyfriend was saying. His attention was on something else as he looked past Aiba and saw Ohno walking towards them with a wide smile.
Oh my… what should he do now?
Poll
A/N: Sorry if this was weird. I hope it's okay. What do you think about the pace of their relationship? Are they moving too fast or too slow? Is Ohno creepy for drawing Nino as a cupid? And now that Aiba had appeared, what will happen to them?
Btw, the poll will be closed on Tuesday, Nov 10th, 2020
Who watched Arafes on 3/11? It was wonderful, right? I'm so happy to see Ohmiya SK join the party! I love their skit.
As always, let me know what you think of this, ne? I really hope you enjoy reading this story :)