Cupid - Part 9
Ohno’s house was exactly as Nino had imagined. Hmm, how should he describe it? The house was simple and unique, just like how Ohno was. It wasn’t heavily decorated with fancy wallpaper. Instead, it was just a basic geometric wall design with a few paintings. Knowing that Ohno was talented in drawing, he wondered if the painting was done by the businessman.
“Did you draw this?” Nino asked, examining an abstract drawing that greeted him in the living room. Nino didn’t know much about arts but for him, the painting was beautiful. He had no idea what Ohno was trying to portray here but the colour combination made him feel calm.
“Uh-huh,” answered Ohno with a shy smile. “Do you like it?”
“It’s beautiful,” praised Nino. “Wow, you’re so talented,”
“Thank you,” Ohno looked bashful as Nino continued to look at the other drawings in the room. They were all pretty.
As he looked at the other paintings in the hall, Ohno went to the kitchen and then came back, holding a note and a wide smile on his face.
“Good news!” Ohno announced happily. Nino tilted his head, wondering what Ohno meant by that. “My housekeeper already did the groceries for me. So, I can cook curry for you tonight,”
Nino could only chuckle, remembering his request from earlier. He didn’t mean it when he asked Ohno to cook for him tonight. The businessman must be tired so it would be better to simply order for food delivery. However, Ohno seemed to take his joke seriously.
“You know, we could just order food,”
“Yes…” Ohno said with a pout. “But, I still want to cook for you,”
“You can do it another time. You just get back from LA, Ohchan. So, you must be tired. I should be the one cooking for you, not the other way around,”
“Don’t worry. I can still cook,” Ohno assured him. As Ohno was too stubborn to change his mind, Nino finally gave in under one condition. Ohno will let him help.
"Make yourself at home, ne," said Ohno, pulling him to sit on the couch. "I'm going to take a shower. If you're hungry, just take anything from the kitchen. Do you want to watch tv? I will switch it on for you. Hmm, but, where is the remote?"
Ohno stood up but Nino stopped him from going away. He wanted to laugh as he watched Ohno. Even though he may look calm, Nino could see how nervous Ohno was to have him in the house.
"Relax, okay," He told Ohno. “Just go and take a shower. Then we can cook and eat dinner together,”
"Okay. But, if you get bored while waiting…"
"I will watch tv while waiting for you," Nino pointed at the big tv across from him. From the moment he entered the living room, the television had caught his attention. It was huge. He hadn't seen a television this huge in someone's house. Ohno didn't strike him as someone who enjoyed watching television. That's why he was surprised. "Your television is huge!”
Ohno responded with a shy smile. He looked cuter when he was shy. “Let me switch it on for you,”
This time, Nino didn’t stop him. Ohno’s eyes darted around the room, looking for the remote. This was fun to look at and Nino wanted to laugh because he knew where the remote was. It was kept at Nino’s side of the couch, hanging from the organizer. Did Ohno forget where the remote usually was?
Ohno stood still for a few seconds, staring at the television in front of him. Nino tilted his head and watched the businessman, wondering why he suddenly went silent. But, Ohno didn’t move at all and it made him worry. So, Nino shook his body slightly to check if he’s okay. In response, Ohno blinked his eyes and scratched his head. He looked at Nino with twin spots of red on his cheeks.
“Are you okay, Ohchan?”
“Uh-huh,” Ohno smiled at him and then nodded his head. "This is normal, Little Cupid. I am just spacing out,"
"Spacing out?"
"I'm looking for the remote, right? But, when I looked at the television, I thought of the movie I want to watch later," explained Ohno. "If you want to know, I am easily distracted by the things around me. It's hard for me to focus during a meeting because my mind will start to drift off when I hear other people talk,"
Nino frowned. Truthfully, he was aware of the fact. During their date, Ohno would sometimes stay silent. At first, he thought something caught Ohno’s interest and he was focusing on it. However, upon closer inspection, he noticed that wasn’t the case because Ohno was miles away. But.. spacing out during a meeting? Wow, that was unbelievable!
"Wouldn't it be hard for you to do your work, then?"
"That's why I have Sho-chan as my assistant," answered Ohno.
Nino decided to drop the subject. Knowing how efficient Sho was as Ohno's assistant, that answer was sufficient.
"Okay, whatever. You better go and take a shower now," Nino said, playfully pushing Ohno away to a direction he assumed where the bathroom was. "If not, I will eat dinner elsewhere,"
"Okay, but the remote…"
Nino took the remote from its hiding place and waved it in front of Ohno. The businessman looked at the organizer and then tapped his head.
"Hahaha silly me,"
"Now, go!" Nino scrunched his nose, pushing Ohno away. "I cannot stand your smell,"
"Don't be like that," teased Ohno as he moved closer to Nino. "How about a hug before I take a shower?"
"In your dream, Ohchan!" Nino stuck out his tongue at Ohno. The businessman responded with a pout.
"Fine! But, you owe me a hug," said Ohno, sulking. “I will claim it later,”
Nino only laughed as Ohno disappeared into his room.
Nino decided to play a game on his phone while waiting for Ohno. He was too absorbed in the game so he didn’t realize that it had been almost an hour since Ohno went to shower. If it’s not because of the phone call from Sho, maybe it would take longer for him to notice the time.
He was about to complete a challenging level when the sound of a ringing phone broke his concentration. Thanks to the call, he lost and had to replay the level.
The sound didn’t come from his phone. Instead, it was from Ohno’s phone that was left on the coffee table. At first, Nino ignored the call. He stood up and was about to walk towards Ohno’s room when glanced at the clock. His eyes widened to see it was almost 8 PM. Eh, how long did he play the game? Why didn’t Ohno get out of his room? He remembered seeing the businessman getting out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped his body. And, yes, he wouldn’t deny it. He eyed those perfect abs. Thank goodness, Ohno didn’t notice what he was doing.
But, how long ago was that? 30 minutes? Eh? What did Ohno do in his room? It wouldn’t take him that long to put on his clothes, right?
Once again, a ringing sound came from Ohno’s phone. He wanted to ignore the call again but when he saw the caller ID, he decided to answer. It was Sho who was calling Ohno.
“Satoshi!” said Sho before Nino could say anything. “Why do you call me? Is everything okay?”
“Oh, hello to you, Sakurai-san,” Nino greeted.
“Ninomiya?” Sho sounded confused. “Are you with Satoshi?”
“Yes and no,”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I’m at the same place as him but he’s not with me. He’s in his room,”
“Oh…” Sho let out a long ‘oh’. He didn’t try to hide the teasing tone in his voice. “I’m sorry for bothering, then. But, may I know why he called me?”
“We want to have dinner together. But, he is so lazy to bring his suitcase along. That’s why he called you. He wants you to send the suitcase home. But, because you didn’t answer the phone, I follow him home and we will cook dinner together,”
“Awh, that’s sweet. It’s a good thing I didn’t answer the phone, then,”
“Haha… That’s…”
“Sho-chan, what do you want to eat for dinner?”
Nino gasped when he heard another voice from the other end of the line. The voice was eerily familiar. If it was the person he was thinking about, why was he with Sho?
“Sakurai-san, are you with…”
“Sorry, Ninomiya-san. I have to go now!” Sho ended the call before Nino could confirm the identity of the other person. But, considering how panic Sho was, it’s enough to prove his suspicion. And based on the way the other person called Sho, it seemed like there’s something between the two of them. Oh my, when did this happen? Did Ohno know about it?
As the thought about Ohno crossed his mind, Nino decided to put aside the mystery about Sho and his companion. He had to make sure Ohno was fine first. So, he knocked on Ohno’s door but there’s no response. He tried again, louder this time. But, it was still to no avail. Hmm… should he just enter the room? Would Ohno be mad at him for doing that? Hopefully not!
So, he turned the doorknob. Thank goodness, Ohno didn’t lock the door. And when he pushed the door open, the sight that greeted him was something that he had expected. Ohno was sleeping on the bed.
Nino watched from the doorway with a fond smile. Judging from the angle and position Ohno was sleeping, he must be fell asleep because he was too tired. Nino could only chuckle, remembering how Ohno had denied it earlier.
After contemplating for a while, Nino entered the room to have a closer look at Ohno. The businessman looked like an angel because of how peaceful he seemed to be. Well, even when he wasn’t sleeping, Ohno was already an angel. A man as kind and understanding as Ohno… it would be too hard to find someone like him, right? Nino felt lucky to have someone like Ohno who loves him even though he didn’t deserve it.
Nino extended his hand, wanting to touch Ohno’s soft skin. However, when it was only mere inches from Ohno, he realized what he was about to do and quickly retract the hand. Ohno was tired from the long flight and deserved to rest. If Nino caressed the other man, it might wake him up and Nino didn’t want that to happen. He would wake Ohno up once their dinner is ready.
So, without wasting any more time, Nino quickly left the room and shut the door as slowly as he could. He went to the kitchen. Instead of Ohno preparing dinner for him, he should be the one doing so. He chuckled, thinking of how on their first date, he had promised to make breakfast for Ohno. However, it was reversed when Nino no longer had the mood to do so because Aiba appeared unannounced on his doorstep. Now, the same thing happened again.
Hmm… Ohno wouldn’t be mad at him, right, for using his kitchen? Hopefully not. But, what should he cook for Ohno? Looking at the time, he should make something simple. A chahan, perhaps? Yes, that would be perfect.
Nino started moving around the kitchen. He began by cooking the rice first. While waiting for the rice to be ready, he started searching for ingredients such as eggs, ham and scallion to put in his chahan. Once he found everything he was looking for, he started preparing them. By the time he finished chopping and slicing the ingredients, his rice was ready. So, all that was left to be done would be frying the rice with all the ingredients.
Done! In less than an hour, he had finished preparing their dinner. He put the dish on the dining table. Then, he returned to the kitchen to clean the utensils he used. Once he was done cleaning, it’s finally time to wake the sleeping prince.
Nino took a deep breath as he walked towards Ohno’s room. However, before he could turn the knob, the door was opened from inside. Ohno appeared at the doorway with a sleepy look. His eyes widened when he saw Nino standing in front of his room.
"Little Cupid, I'm sorry! I fell asleep after shower" Ohno quickly apologized. "What time is it? You must be hungry, right? I'm so sorry, okay,"
At first, Nino wanted to tease the other man. However, he changed his mind when he realized Ohno was still exhausted. Well, he only slept for a while. Of course, it wouldn't be enough.
So, Nino smiled softly at Ohno and dragged him to the dining table. Ohno looked at the meals on the table with his eyes wide open.
"You cook this?" Asked Ohno. Nino answered with a simple nod, pushing Ohno to sit before he sat down across the businessman.
"I'm sorry," Ohno said with a pout. He looked guilty. "I promise to cook for you. But I ended up sleeping and now, you're the one who cooked for me,"
Nino squeezed Ohno's hand, trying to assure him that he was okay with it.
"Don't worry about it, okay? You can cook for me later," said Nino. "Now, eat. Then, you can go to sleep,"
"Okay…" said Ohno. Seemed like there's more he wanted to say, judging from the way he blushed. But, he looked unsure to continue.
"What is it, Ohchan?"
"Hmm… do you mind staying here tonight?"
What followed next was an awkward silence before Nino laughed out loud, which startled Ohno. Truthfully, he had the same thought.
"Why are you laughing, Little Cupid?" Asked Ohno, confused to see his reaction. "You don't want to stay? It's okay, I understand,"
Nino shook his head. "Nah, I will stay. I'm just laughing because I want to do the same thing. It's late and I'm too lazy to go home. So, thanks for the offer,"
Ohno responded with a wide smile. "Let's watch Netflix later, ne? Have you finished your Korean drama?"
Nino nodded his head, thinking of the drama that he had just finished watching. The drama was so-so for him. The conclusion was unsettling for him even though he understood why it ended like that.
"How is it?" Asked Ohno.
"Hmm… okay, I guess," answered Nino. "Come on. Let's eat. I'm starving,"
He didn't wait for Ohno. He took the first bite and smiled because the chahan wasn't that bad.
"Umai!" Exclaimed Ohno after taking the first bite. Nino's heart fluttered to hear it. Even though it was only a simple compliment, the way Ohno said the word showed his sincerity. It didn't sound like lip service at all. "Thank you, Little Cupid,"
"Sorry, it wasn't anything fancy,"
"It's okay. I love it! It reminds me of my mother's chahan," said Ohno. "Ah, I better call her later,"
"Oh… I almost forgot," What Ohno said reminded him of the call from Sho when Ohno was sleeping. "Sakurai-san called you just now. Sorry for answering your call without permission,"
"It's okay," Ohno shrugged him off. "Why did he call?"
"Nothing important, I guess," answered Nino. "He wants to know why you call him,"
Ohno paused eating, looking thoughtful for a while. "Sho-chan seems different. I think… hmm… maybe he is dating someone. He kept texting someone when we were in LA. And when we're back, he was so eager to go home as if someone is waiting for him there. That’s why he forgot about my suitcase. If not, he will remember to bring home the suitcase for me,”
“It’s your suitcase. Why should he bring it home for you?”
“Because he’s my assistant,” stated Ohno, rolling his eyes as if Nino had just said something stupid. “Hmm… I wonder who that person is,”
“Sakurai-san didn’t tell you about him?”
Ohno shook his head and then, he frowned. He looked intently at Nino. “Him? How do you know he is dating a guy?”
Oops…
“Do you know something, Little Cupid?” Ohno pushed him for information. And, Nino didn’t know what he should do. It felt wrong to tell Ohno what he heard from the phone conversation. What if he was wrong?
“Tell me, pleaseeeeeee,” Okay, this was getting worse. Ohno was using his cuteness to get the information out from Nino. And, he found it difficult to resist Ohno when he was acting cute like this. But...
Poll
A/N: Sorry for taking my time in updating this fic for this week. Truthfully, I have no idea how to continue as in I don't know what kind of conflict I should make between them. Can I just write a fic without a conflict? Just the two of them spending time together and when Nino is ready, he will finally say the phrase that Ohno wants to hear the most. But, maybe Nino also needs a little push to admit he's in love with Ohno, right? The Cupid had always push people to admit their feeling, but when he's the one who has those feelings, he seemed to be taking his time to realize.
I hope you will enjoy reading this fic. Let me know what u think of it, ne? It will be very much appreciated :)