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ninoexchange2020-06-19 11:36 pm
nino_mod) wrote in ninoexchange2020-06-19 11:36 pm
Entry tags:
fic for gomushroom!
For: gomushroom
From: :3.
Title: Babysitters’ Misadventure
Pairing/Focus: friendship NinoAi
Rating: PG
Word count: 4,749
Warnings: none
Summary: Actor Ninomiya Kazunari found himself babysitting his cousins’ baby at the last minute. He agreed, only because Sho and Jun left before he could protest. It wasn’t like he was that busy during his day off anyway… until his best friend (and somewhat industry rival) Aiba Masaki showed up telling him about a play directed by the famous Ohno Satoshi. So, what to do with the baby? Take her along, of course. What could go wrong? Famous last words.
Notes: Recipient-chan, I hope you like what I have to offer.
Based on a Friends episode when Chandler and Joey had to babysit.
Disclaimer: This goes without saying, but this is a work of fiction, and although I do some sort of fact-checking of things pertaining to whatever in my works, I do take creative liberties whenever I write.
Ninomiya Kazunari blinked in surprise when Sakurai Sho put the car seat baby carrier gently in his hands. The older man gave him a small smile and a nod. Nino looked at the baby girl sleeping soundlessly inside, all cozy in her lavender and pink blankie. Her soft light brown curls were decorated with purple flower clips that matched the purple flowers peppering her white onesie shirt under dark pink shorts. Her chest gently moved up and down.
“Um…”
“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,” Sho said. “I know it’s a last-minute thing, but Jun and I need to be at the shareholders’ meeting. The company is planning a merger, and they want to make sure all shareholders are on board. Thank you for agreeing to this.”
“Well, I didn’t say yes, exactly…” Nino said, sighing. “What happened to the 16-year-old neighbor who babysat for you guys?”
“See, that’s the thing. She had to back out last minute since her coach called her team for extra practice. They’re playing against their major rival tomorrow, so he asked them for extra practice.” Sho paused, seemingly hesitant. “We wouldn’t have asked you if we had someone else we could trust. Please, just this once, Kazu-kun?”
Nino groaned inwardly as Sho gave him that pitiful begging look, reminding Nino of a lost puppy. He looked at Rei-chan again, still sleeping, looking all cute. Sighing out loud, he said, “Fine.”
Sho lit up, then quickly hung the diaper bag around Nino’s neck. “Thanks, Kazu-kun. Jun and I owe you.” He turned to go.
“Say hi to J for me,” he called out. Rei squirmed a little, but didn’t wake up. Nino watched Sho head to the street to an awaiting car. He nodded at Jun in the driver seat, who smiled at him and waved. The couple drove off to their meeting. Nino took the heavy carrier inside his house, closing the door with his foot.
When Rei woke up a few minutes later, she cried a little, notifying Nino she was awake. Nino paused the game and looked at her for a moment. She stared at him and cried, this time a little bit louder. Nino took off his headset and put his controller down to attend to the baby.
“Rei-chan,” Nino gushed over as he picked her up out of the carrier. “It’s me, baby, Uncle Nino. Remember? Daddy Sho’s cousin?” He bounced her for a moment, then stopped. He sniffed the air, then wrinkled his nose at his niece. Good god. How come someone this cute could give off the foulest stench? He held her out at arm’s length as he rushed to the diaper bag. He looked around for a moment, wondering where he needed to lay her. Coffee table? Floor? Bean bag? Rei cried out louder, this time letting it all out.
“Forget it,” Nino groaned in defeat and set her gently down on the coffee table, writing down a mental note to throw it out later. With one hand, he rummaged inside the diaper bag and took out a diaper and a bag of wipes. A sticky-note was on the wipes bag. “Remember: wipe front to back. J,” Nino read out loud. He rolled his eyes. Guess Jun was the wife in that union. “Okay, Rei-chan. I’ll clean you up, okay? Bear with me.” Nino took a deep breath and held it, mentally bracing himself, then got to work changing the diapers.
A moment later, Rei was all changed and clean, happily chewing on her toy bunny. Nino had moved her onto the floor, lavender and pink blankie spread under her, throw pillows around her as a barrier. She seemed content after her change and she had quickly warmed up to him. Nino sighed with relief. He was about to restart his game, when his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Open the door.” It was his friend Aiba Masaki on the line.
“What?”
The doorbell rang. Nino got up to open it and found Masaki waiting for him. “Hurry up and change,” he said, entering without an invitation. “I heard there’s an audition at the Kitagawa Theater.”
“But it’s my day off. I asked my agent if I can stay home for the day and go to auditions tomorrow. I have a possible new drama to audition for, too.” Nino followed Masaki inside.
“Well, it’s Director Ohno who’s at the helm.”
That got Nino’s attention. He grabbed Masaki’s shoulder and twirled him around. “If you’re-”
“I’m not kidding. Hurry up. I don’t wanna miss out on working with Ohno-sensei.” Masaki grinned, shaking off Nino’s grasp, and continued to make his way to the living room. “Can you just imagine having it on your resume that you were in a play directed by THE Ohno Satoshi—who’s that?” Masaki stopped and pointed to Rei. “Is that Sakurai-Matsumoto’s baby they adopted?” Masaki rushed to the baby without waiting for an answer and sprawled on the floor next to her, cooing at her. Rei was now on her tummy, still chewing on the toy. When she saw Masaki, she handed it to him. Masaki pretended to eat it, and she giggled.
Nino shook his head, slightly amused at the two, and went to get changed. Sho didn’t say anything about staying home. Besides, it would be a quick audition and the day was still young. Company meetings take a long time anyway. He checked his watch. 11:30. Okay, not as early as he thought, but at least it was still before noon. If he and Masaki hurried, they would be back in time for Sho and Jun to come back and take Rei home. Nino quickly changed.
Masaki volunteered to carry Rei in her car seat carrier while Nino had the diaper bag with him. That worked out fine with Nino since the carrier plus the baby were heavy to lug anywhere, especially in the subway station with all those people jostling around. The two found empty seats on the train next to a woman. Masaki set the carrier on the floor between his legs to keep it from toppling over. Nino checked out the woman. She was pretty, with delicate features, looking about in her thirties, his age. Unfortunately, she sat on the other side of Masaki. Rei cooed, looking up at the woman, and that got the woman gushing over her, chatting it up with Masaki. Nino felt slightly envious about that. Maybe he could borrow Rei again next time to pick up women.
“How old is she?” the woman asked, smiling over Masaki.
“I’m not really sure,” Masaki said, then turned to Nino and asked, “How old is Rei-chan?”
“Six months,” Nino mumbled. Masaki turned to reply to the woman, who now looked puzzled. “What?” Aiba asked her.
“Oh, wait, now I see,” she said, pointing to Nino and to him. “You two are…” She tapped the tips of her index fingers together as she leaned back and gave Masaki a strange smile. “Congratulations.”
“Wait, what?” Masaki exclaimed, eyes wide as saucers. “Oh, no, no, no. Nino-chan and I are not together. Well, I mean we are together now, but he and I are--” By this time, the woman merely nodded and looked away, biting her lip.
“Nino, tell her we’re not together,” Masaki whined in Nino’s ear.
“Too late, we’re here. Grab the baby,” Nino said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. Masaki groaned and followed him out, letting Nino drag him along. Nino couldn’t help but laugh at the misunderstanding.
---
The two friends managed to arrive at the theater a little after 12 o’clock and slipped through the doors of the auditorium. A teenage boy handed them each a stack of stapled papers as they entered. There were many people already in different seats for their chance to get up on stage to audition for various roles. Nino spotted Director Ohno in the third row whispering to someone next to him as they watched a group of 5 men acting out a scene. The profile of the man next to Ohno-sensei looked familiar.
“Oh, Ikuta Toma is the casting director,” Masaki whispered to Nino, reading out the information of the play they were auditioning for. “I didn’t know Ohno and Ikuta were friends. They seemed to be rivals at one point. Hmm. Maybe that was just a rumor.” Masaki shrugged.
Nino and Masaki sat in the back row, the carrier on the seat between them. Rei started murmuring and squirming while they filled out their audition forms. Masaki rocked the carrier, but that didn’t appease the now fussy baby, her mews getting louder.
“Shh, shh,” Nino said, patting her leg. That got her riled up, and people in the nearby rows were turning in their seats to glare at them.
“Sirs, would you please tend to the baby out in the foyer?” Someone from the staff had walked up to them, looking harried, her hair unkempt in a messy bun. She gestured with her arms to the sides, signaling to get up and out. Her tag said, “Minami Saito, AD.” Nino smiled up at her, turning up his charm to distract her from the task at hand, hoping she’d overlook this for now. She stared blankly at him, still holding her arms to the side, directing them to the doors. Nino sighed and signaled to Masaki that they needed to leave.
Once in the foyer, Nino rummaged through the diaper bag and found Rei’s bottle filled with water. He found another container of powdered milk and scooped some into the bottled water. Masaki had already taken Rei out of the carrier, rocking her side to side to console her, but she cried harder and louder. “Hurry up,” he told Nino.
“I am!” Nino furiously shook the bottle to mix the milk and finally handed it to Masaki. “You know, we’re gonna miss out on the audition. Why don’t I go in first, while you feed her, and I’ll come back out and take over so you can take your turn.”
“What? No way. I told you about this audition, so I should go first.” Masaki glared at him. “Besides, aren’t you the babysitter?”
“I’ll play you janken for it,” Nino said, his fist at a ready. Masaki shrugged, and held out his fist.
“Saisho wa guu, jankenpon!”
“The hell?” Nino exclaimed in dismay when Masaki’s scissors beat his paper. Masaki grinned and carefully gave Nino the baby. “Two out of three.”
“Hell no,” Masaki said. “Please take care of her.” He waved, ignoring the glare Nino gave, and walked back in through the door to the main theater. Nino clicked his tongue, annoyed, and looked down at the baby. Rei blinked up at him as she suckled on her bottle, and Nino just couldn’t resent her. It wasn’t really her fault. She needed to eat after all.
“Rei-chan, I haven’t had an acting role for two months already,” Nino said. “I mean, theater is fine, it’s something different. But, I’d rather act in TV and film, you know?” Rei blinked in reply. “I know, I know. What am I doing here? Well, I’m at the point where any acting job is okay for now. Need the money to pay the bills, so I need to get the main role. Now, your Uncle Masaki, well, theater is his forte. He loves acting in front of a live audience more than through a camera. I can’t lose the male leading role to him.”
“Guh,” Rei murmured, the bottle slipping out of her mouth. Nino slipped it back in.
“You’re right. I should find a way to get back in there.” Nino looked around, and an idea popped in his head. Rei seemed to be finished drinking, so he quickly put the bottle back in the bag, and picked up the carrier as he made his way backstage.
He looked around backstage for a crew member. He hadn’t acted in theater for a while, but he knew the crew members would sometimes work for film or television. He was hoping he would know someone who could do him a favor. The gods must have been reading his mind, because right there painting a background set was someone he knew from working on a movie.
“Kazama-kun,” Nino called out. The man turned, recognizing him, and lifted his hand holding a brush in greeting. Nino walked up. “Hisashiburi.”
“Ninomiya-san,” Kazama said. “You here for the play?” His eyes darted to Rei. “You have a baby! Congratulations!”
“No, no. She’s my cousin’s. I’m just babysitting. Hey, listen, can you do me a favor?”
“Depends. What?”
“Can you please hold her for a moment?”
Confused, Kazama frowned a little but set the brush and paint pallet down on the floor. He wiped his hands against his jeans first before taking the baby in his hands. “Why do you need--”
“Thanks, Kazama-kun. She’s not too heavy, right?”
“No.”
“Good,” Nino said, putting the carrier and bag on the floor. “I need to get back to the auditorium for the audition, so if you can just watch her for a moment? I really appreciate it. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He ran to the exit that led out to the front stage.
“Ninomiya!”
---
Nino found a seat just two rows behind Ohno, with Ikuta to Ohno’s left and another man he didn’t see earlier sitting on his other side. He stretched his neck a little, and from that angle, he could recognize the other man’s profile. The man was known for being one of the Shakespearian-esque actors of Japan, which made sense considering the production was by the famous English playwright. Nino couldn’t remember his name, though. He wasn’t too familiar with the theater world. With Ikuta, Nino was familiar. Another well-acclaimed director in both theater and film, he had worked under the direction of the man years back. Impressing those three men would be a feat, but somehow, Nino was confident he’d have no problem doing so. The three men were focused on the actors on the stage, with Masaki being one of them. The actors each had a turn acting as the main lead, most likely to give Ohno the feel for who fit the role best.
Ikuta called Masaki forward. Masaki stood closer to the edge of the stage, and spotted Nino sans baby. He looked puzzled, no doubt wondering what had happened to the baby. He gave a questioning look at Nino, but Ikuta barked at him to start. Masaki startled for a moment, then seemed to remember where he was. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and started the soliloquy of the lead character.
Nino was mesmerized. He knew his childhood friend was good, but he kept forgetting how Masaki truly shone on the stage. He darted his eyes to Ohno, who looked entranced himself. After the monologue, everyone clapped. Shyly, Masaki smiled and gave a bow to the audience. Nino watched Ohno, Ikuta, and the unnamed man whispering among themselves, most likely discussing his friend.
Masaki made his way down the aisle to where he sat. “Hey, where’s Rei-chan?” Before Nino could answer, an assistant called out Nino’s name. “Sorry,” he said, excusing himself past Masaki. “Gotta go.”
“Act 2, scene 2, from line 2-26,” Ikuta called out.
Nino cleared his throat, and in a clear voice started, “’But soft! What light through yonder window breaks…’”
Applause erupted throughout the theater the second time in a row when Nino finished the famous soliloquy. He bowed to the crowd as well. On his way down from the stage, he glanced at Ohno and Ikuta murmuring to each other, catching Ikuta’s eyes for a moment. The man gave a slight bow and small smile without breaking their conversation. A slight hope surged through Nino’s veins, but he tried to tamp it down, trying not to feel too confident yet.
“Great job, man,” Masaki said, clapping his back. Nino thanked him as he plopped down into his seat. “So, where’s Rei-chan?”
“Ah, someone from the crew is kindly watching over her,” Nino said. “Don’t worry. She’s fine.”
Masaki looked doubtful. “I think we should go get her while we wait for the results.”
Nino waved him off. “It’s fine, Masaki. I know the guy. He’ll take care of her.”
“But--”
“Shh!” Someone from the crew hushed them. They didn’t notice that another hopeful actor had started his turn on stage. Nino and Masaki grinned sheepishly and grew quiet while they watched.
“Attention everyone!” Ikuta’s voice rang out through the theater a few minutes later. Everyone hushed. “Thank you all for coming. We appreciate the fine turn out, and many of you had done an excellent job. Unfortunately, you all can’t play the lead. Ohno-sensei and I however have narrowed down our list to our top five choices. If I don’t call your name, please consider auditioning for other roles over the next two days.” Ikuta paused for a moment, glancing around the room, and referred to the paper in his hands. “If I call your name, please come forward and sit in the second row. Matsushima Shirota, Tanaka Yuu, Aiba Masaki, Nijishima Ryo, and Ninomiya Kazunari.” There were some disappointed groans sprinkled around the auditorium. Ikuta called out and politely asked the rest to come again tomorrow to audition for the other roles.
Nino and Masaki grinned, and excitedly made their way down to the second row. It seemed forever until the crowd had walked out the doors, and only a handful of people were in the auditorium. Ohno and Ikuta stood in front of them, and Nino couldn’t help but feel proud that he got to see Ohno in person, close enough to touch.
“Hello, everyone,” Ohno said. “Normally, we would have a callback the day after the audition, but our time schedule had been accelerated. Furthermore, Toma and I have actually found our lead among the five of you, and yes, we both are confident of that. Congratulations.” He clapped, and everyone followed along. “We also think that we may have our villain among you, too. So, this is what we’d like you to do. You will come up to the stage in pairs, one playing the villain and the other the male lead. It’s a long process, but I’m sure we’re all fine with that?”
“Excuse me,” one of the actors asked, his hand raised. “Hi, um, what if I have to leave early? Do I lose my chances for either role?”
Ohno shrugged a shoulder. “Depends if you haven’t had your turn for either one yet. If you leave before your turn, then yes, I’m sorry.” He looked around. “Anything else?”
Masaki leaned closer to Nino. “Don’t we need to get back to take Rei-chan home?” he whispered.
Nino gave it a thought. If he left now, he wouldn’t get his chance for either role. If he waited, Sho and Jun would have his head for being gone too long. He checked the time on his phone. There was a text message from Jun saying they’d be home by 7. It was already 6pm. He felt relieved. “Nah, there’s still time,” he reassured Masaki, just as Ikuta called the first pair up to the stage.
The last of the pairings had finally finished. Nino sighed. It was getting tedious having to watch and listen to the same few lines spoken multiple times, and he basically had the villain and the hero dialogue memorized at this point. Not all of the five had made it all the way to the end of the audition. A couple of them had calls from home or work and had to leave.
“Thank you all once again for coming,” Ohno said. “You will soon know if you get the role as soon as Ikuta and I have made our decisions. Have a good night.” He bowed his head to them and walked away. Ikuta and the Shakespearean actor said their thanks and followed the director out. Their assistants walked the actors out to the main doors of the theater to see them out, waving goodbyes and wishing good luck to them.
“So, what do you think?” Nino turned to Masaki, who spoke once the doors closed behind them.
Nino shook his head thoughtfully. “I think I did okay,” he said. “I have this feeling I’m getting the lead role.” Masaki threw back his head and gave a hearty laugh. Nino frowned at him. “What? You don’t think so? I will. Wanna bet?”
“Oh, please,” Masaki scoffed. “I’m totally getting the lead.” He smiled. “Didn’t you see how Ohno-sensei smiled at me after my turn? I could feel his good vibes toward me.”
“Ha! Good vibes, my ass,” Nino said. Masaki just grinned at him. Nino rolled his eyes and held out his arm to signal for a taxi. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
“So, we’re taking the taxi home?” Masaki looked at him incredulously. “You must be exhausted.”
“You’re paying, right?” Nino asked just as a taxi pulled over and the door to the backseat opened.
“Brat,” Masaki murmured, sliding in after Nino.
They were still arguing on the ride home when the taxi pulled up to Nino’s apartment. Just as the taxi sped away, Nino’s phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket to check the caller ID and froze in his tracks. Oh, shit!
“Rei-chan!” Nino cried out.
“Eh? Rei-chan called?” Masaki asked, trying to peek at Nino’s phone. Then, it must have dawned on him when he saw Jun’s name on the screen. His expression mirrored Nino’s look of horror. “Jun-kun’s gonna kill us!”
---
“Kazama-kun, you’d better not be lying to me,” Nino said on the phone. “I left Rei with you. How could you lose her? What? I think I saw her earlier. Do you have her number? What do you mean ‘no’? Dammit, Kazama-kun. Hello? Hello?” Nino cursed and took a deep breath to calm himself. In his head, he knew Kazama wasn’t solely to blame for the situation he was in. He did leave his niece with someone he barely knew and occasionally saw at work. He hung up with a defeated sigh and shook his head.
“How did he lose her? Why didn’t he call you?” Masaki said, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove. They had taken Nino’s car he only used for long distance trips or emergencies. This was definitely considered an emergency. The theater was empty and locked when they had reached it earlier, with no cars in the vicinity. That was when Nino thought of calling Kazama on their way back, hoping he still had the baby.
“He said he did watch Rei for a while when the set director caught him not working. So, he gave Rei to another crew member named Saito while he got back to work. He totally forgot about it.”
“So, let’s call Saito-san.”
“I don’t know her. She was the one who told us to take Rei out in the foyer, but I’ve never seen her before.”
They fell silent for a while before Masaki said out loud, “I have an idea.”
They pulled up to a lavish house just on the outskirts of Roppongi. Nino had never been here before and wondered whose house it was. Masaki seemed to know because he got out wordlessly. Nino followed him to the door.
Ikuta Toma was just as surprised to see them as Nino was. He swiveled his head to Masaki. “You know where he lives?” He’d never been to the director’s house before despite working under him a couple of times.
“I’ve been here a few times when I acted in Ikuta’s productions before.” Masaki shrugged, then turned to Ikuta. “Sorry we’re here late, but we have an emergency. I don’t have your number, or else I would’ve called.”
“Come in,” Ikuta stepped back to welcome them in, but they shook their heads.
“We’re kind of in a hurry,” Nino said. “Time is of the essence.” Ikuta gave him a puzzled look. Nino mentally rolled his eyes and scoffed at himself for being overly dramatic.
“We just want to know if you have a crew member’s phone number, a Saito Minami,” Masaki continued. “We need to ask her something.”
“Is this about the baby?”
Nino felt his heart jumping up his throat. “You know about the baby? How? Did you see her? Do you know where she is? Who took her? Where is she?”
Ikuta held up a palm. “Whoa, slow down,” he said with a chuckled. “I know you’re worried. Anyway, I didn’t see the baby after the audition. The set director told me about a baby being passed among the set crew, but I hadn’t seen any babies. I don’t know who had her last. I’m sorry.”
Nino murmured a thanks and headed back to the car, shoulders slumped. He heard Masaki saying his goodbye to the casting director, reaching the car the same time as Nino. The silent ominous gloom in the car could be cut with a knife.
“Ah! We’re so dead!” Masaki cried out, startling Nino out of his thoughts. “Jun-kun will scold our ears off, and Sho-chan will call all the directors and lawyers and politicians he knows and we’ll never work in Tokyo, or Japan, or even the whole world ever again!”
Nino sighed. “You’re exaggerating. Sho will just watch Jun cut us into pieces and then will gladly dispose our bodies after. Then he’ll call my mom about my demise and let her cry on his shoulder.” Nino could picture Sho’s blank face at his funeral offering an incense in front of his framed photo on the altar. Nino shuddered. He jumped once again when his phone rang. He had been ignoring it since Jun called an hour ago, and he saw 26 missed calls between Sho and Jun. There was no point of stalling. He had to face his cousin and his husband.
“Let’s go to the Sakurai-Matsumoto residence,” he said. Without a word, Masaki turned on the engine and they drove off.
---
When they got there, Sho answered the door. Nino was relieved it wasn’t Jun, but Papa Sho wasn’t smiling. Instead he stared at the two, and Nino couldn’t tell if he was angry, disappointed, or plotting their deaths. Sho stood back to let them in, but neither wanted to cross the threshold. Sho waited, his eyes narrowed, and Nino thought he’d never seen the man so angry with rage in spite of his calm exterior. The calm before the storm. Yabai! The two quickly entered, making up excuses why they don’t have the baby carrier with them. Sho closed the door, and to Nino, the sound of the soft click of the knob was a death knell. Footsteps were heard coming to the genkan, and Masaki and Nino gripped each other’s hands as if their lives depended on it. Jun stood looming over the entrance steps, eyes narrowed.
“Uh, Jun, we can explain,” Nino said. Masaki nodded beside him, clutching Nino’s hand tightly.
“Come inside,” Jun barked and turned back to the living room. Sho motioned with his head for them to follow his husband. Nino and Masaki looked at each other.
“Aiba-shi.” Nino turned to Masaki. “You’re the best friend I ever had. I’m sorry for being such an ass with you today, and almost everyday. Just wanted you to know that I love you, man! If I die, please know that you can have my gaming equipment.”
“Nino,” Masaki said. “It’s been great knowing you. I forgive you, man. Love you, my brother.”
They hugged.
“Oh, for the love of God, just get inside the house,” Sho grumbled. They quickly let go of each other and went in. “Actors,” Sho added under his breath as he followed them in.
“Jun, as I said, I can ex-” Nino stopped in his tracks. Masaki also stopped and stared when they entered the living room.
There Rei was on the floor, lying on her stomach on the blankie, chewing her toy bunny. Jun had his arms folded in front of him, and when Nino turned to look at Sho, he mirrored him as well. The couple stared at the two.
“H-h-how…?” Nino started to ask but his words trailed off when Ohno Satoshi came around the hallway, most likely from the bathroom.
“Oh, Ninomiya-san, Aiba-san, good evening,” he said. “I came to bring Rei-chan home. One of the crew members was holding her, but didn’t know what to do. I told her to call Ninomiya-san. Didn’t you get her message?” Nino and Aiba shook their heads. “Oh. Hm... that’s weird. Anyway, I was already on my way home. Thank you, Jun-kun and Sho-san, for dinner.” With that, Ohno left the house.
“Uh, how…?” Nino asked sheepishly after he heard the front door shut softly.
“You left our baby with Kazama-kun?” Jun said. “Are you out of your mind? Everyone of the set crew wanted to carry her, but you forgot to take her back. Luckily, Satoshi recognized Rei and took her home.”
“How did you know Ohno-san?” Nino asked. As far Nino knew, he’d never seen his cousins in the entertainment industry before, and based on Jun’s red cheeks and Sho’s scowl, there was a story to that. Nino wanted to ask, but now was not the time to press his luck.
“Never mind that,” Sho snapped. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”
“I’m sorry I was irresponsible and let both of you down,” Nino said. “I’ll make it up to you both, I swear.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too,” Masaki added. “Please forgive us. We’ll do whatever you guys say to make it up to you.”
Jun and Sho looked at each other and smirked. They turned back to face them, smirks still on. Nino gulped. It didn’t look good for him and Masaki, but he was sorry.
“Ohno-san agreed to this,” Sho said. “You both will be in the play.”
“How is that our punishment?” Nino said, relief flooding over him somewhat, but the couple still looked suspicious.
“You both will play the leads… as Romeo and Juliet.” Jun gave a Cheshire Cat grin when he told him. “Good luck with the kissing scenes.” The couple cackled, then ignored the two who were slightly shocked, and poured their attention on their baby.
“Who’s going to play Juliet?” Masaki asked Nino.
Nino narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Does it matter? We’ll be kissing each other. Ugh.”
“Yeah, it matters. I’m not gonna wear a dress.”
Nino paused at that and stared at him. As if on cue, they held out their fists and exclaimed, “Saisho wa guu, jankenpon!”
FIN
gomushroomFrom: :3.
Title: Babysitters’ Misadventure
Pairing/Focus: friendship NinoAi
Rating: PG
Word count: 4,749
Warnings: none
Summary: Actor Ninomiya Kazunari found himself babysitting his cousins’ baby at the last minute. He agreed, only because Sho and Jun left before he could protest. It wasn’t like he was that busy during his day off anyway… until his best friend (and somewhat industry rival) Aiba Masaki showed up telling him about a play directed by the famous Ohno Satoshi. So, what to do with the baby? Take her along, of course. What could go wrong? Famous last words.
Notes: Recipient-chan, I hope you like what I have to offer.
Based on a Friends episode when Chandler and Joey had to babysit.
Disclaimer: This goes without saying, but this is a work of fiction, and although I do some sort of fact-checking of things pertaining to whatever in my works, I do take creative liberties whenever I write.
Ninomiya Kazunari blinked in surprise when Sakurai Sho put the car seat baby carrier gently in his hands. The older man gave him a small smile and a nod. Nino looked at the baby girl sleeping soundlessly inside, all cozy in her lavender and pink blankie. Her soft light brown curls were decorated with purple flower clips that matched the purple flowers peppering her white onesie shirt under dark pink shorts. Her chest gently moved up and down.
“Um…”
“Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,” Sho said. “I know it’s a last-minute thing, but Jun and I need to be at the shareholders’ meeting. The company is planning a merger, and they want to make sure all shareholders are on board. Thank you for agreeing to this.”
“Well, I didn’t say yes, exactly…” Nino said, sighing. “What happened to the 16-year-old neighbor who babysat for you guys?”
“See, that’s the thing. She had to back out last minute since her coach called her team for extra practice. They’re playing against their major rival tomorrow, so he asked them for extra practice.” Sho paused, seemingly hesitant. “We wouldn’t have asked you if we had someone else we could trust. Please, just this once, Kazu-kun?”
Nino groaned inwardly as Sho gave him that pitiful begging look, reminding Nino of a lost puppy. He looked at Rei-chan again, still sleeping, looking all cute. Sighing out loud, he said, “Fine.”
Sho lit up, then quickly hung the diaper bag around Nino’s neck. “Thanks, Kazu-kun. Jun and I owe you.” He turned to go.
“Say hi to J for me,” he called out. Rei squirmed a little, but didn’t wake up. Nino watched Sho head to the street to an awaiting car. He nodded at Jun in the driver seat, who smiled at him and waved. The couple drove off to their meeting. Nino took the heavy carrier inside his house, closing the door with his foot.
When Rei woke up a few minutes later, she cried a little, notifying Nino she was awake. Nino paused the game and looked at her for a moment. She stared at him and cried, this time a little bit louder. Nino took off his headset and put his controller down to attend to the baby.
“Rei-chan,” Nino gushed over as he picked her up out of the carrier. “It’s me, baby, Uncle Nino. Remember? Daddy Sho’s cousin?” He bounced her for a moment, then stopped. He sniffed the air, then wrinkled his nose at his niece. Good god. How come someone this cute could give off the foulest stench? He held her out at arm’s length as he rushed to the diaper bag. He looked around for a moment, wondering where he needed to lay her. Coffee table? Floor? Bean bag? Rei cried out louder, this time letting it all out.
“Forget it,” Nino groaned in defeat and set her gently down on the coffee table, writing down a mental note to throw it out later. With one hand, he rummaged inside the diaper bag and took out a diaper and a bag of wipes. A sticky-note was on the wipes bag. “Remember: wipe front to back. J,” Nino read out loud. He rolled his eyes. Guess Jun was the wife in that union. “Okay, Rei-chan. I’ll clean you up, okay? Bear with me.” Nino took a deep breath and held it, mentally bracing himself, then got to work changing the diapers.
A moment later, Rei was all changed and clean, happily chewing on her toy bunny. Nino had moved her onto the floor, lavender and pink blankie spread under her, throw pillows around her as a barrier. She seemed content after her change and she had quickly warmed up to him. Nino sighed with relief. He was about to restart his game, when his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Open the door.” It was his friend Aiba Masaki on the line.
“What?”
The doorbell rang. Nino got up to open it and found Masaki waiting for him. “Hurry up and change,” he said, entering without an invitation. “I heard there’s an audition at the Kitagawa Theater.”
“But it’s my day off. I asked my agent if I can stay home for the day and go to auditions tomorrow. I have a possible new drama to audition for, too.” Nino followed Masaki inside.
“Well, it’s Director Ohno who’s at the helm.”
That got Nino’s attention. He grabbed Masaki’s shoulder and twirled him around. “If you’re-”
“I’m not kidding. Hurry up. I don’t wanna miss out on working with Ohno-sensei.” Masaki grinned, shaking off Nino’s grasp, and continued to make his way to the living room. “Can you just imagine having it on your resume that you were in a play directed by THE Ohno Satoshi—who’s that?” Masaki stopped and pointed to Rei. “Is that Sakurai-Matsumoto’s baby they adopted?” Masaki rushed to the baby without waiting for an answer and sprawled on the floor next to her, cooing at her. Rei was now on her tummy, still chewing on the toy. When she saw Masaki, she handed it to him. Masaki pretended to eat it, and she giggled.
Nino shook his head, slightly amused at the two, and went to get changed. Sho didn’t say anything about staying home. Besides, it would be a quick audition and the day was still young. Company meetings take a long time anyway. He checked his watch. 11:30. Okay, not as early as he thought, but at least it was still before noon. If he and Masaki hurried, they would be back in time for Sho and Jun to come back and take Rei home. Nino quickly changed.
Masaki volunteered to carry Rei in her car seat carrier while Nino had the diaper bag with him. That worked out fine with Nino since the carrier plus the baby were heavy to lug anywhere, especially in the subway station with all those people jostling around. The two found empty seats on the train next to a woman. Masaki set the carrier on the floor between his legs to keep it from toppling over. Nino checked out the woman. She was pretty, with delicate features, looking about in her thirties, his age. Unfortunately, she sat on the other side of Masaki. Rei cooed, looking up at the woman, and that got the woman gushing over her, chatting it up with Masaki. Nino felt slightly envious about that. Maybe he could borrow Rei again next time to pick up women.
“How old is she?” the woman asked, smiling over Masaki.
“I’m not really sure,” Masaki said, then turned to Nino and asked, “How old is Rei-chan?”
“Six months,” Nino mumbled. Masaki turned to reply to the woman, who now looked puzzled. “What?” Aiba asked her.
“Oh, wait, now I see,” she said, pointing to Nino and to him. “You two are…” She tapped the tips of her index fingers together as she leaned back and gave Masaki a strange smile. “Congratulations.”
“Wait, what?” Masaki exclaimed, eyes wide as saucers. “Oh, no, no, no. Nino-chan and I are not together. Well, I mean we are together now, but he and I are--” By this time, the woman merely nodded and looked away, biting her lip.
“Nino, tell her we’re not together,” Masaki whined in Nino’s ear.
“Too late, we’re here. Grab the baby,” Nino said, grabbing his hand and pulling him up. Masaki groaned and followed him out, letting Nino drag him along. Nino couldn’t help but laugh at the misunderstanding.
---
The two friends managed to arrive at the theater a little after 12 o’clock and slipped through the doors of the auditorium. A teenage boy handed them each a stack of stapled papers as they entered. There were many people already in different seats for their chance to get up on stage to audition for various roles. Nino spotted Director Ohno in the third row whispering to someone next to him as they watched a group of 5 men acting out a scene. The profile of the man next to Ohno-sensei looked familiar.
“Oh, Ikuta Toma is the casting director,” Masaki whispered to Nino, reading out the information of the play they were auditioning for. “I didn’t know Ohno and Ikuta were friends. They seemed to be rivals at one point. Hmm. Maybe that was just a rumor.” Masaki shrugged.
Nino and Masaki sat in the back row, the carrier on the seat between them. Rei started murmuring and squirming while they filled out their audition forms. Masaki rocked the carrier, but that didn’t appease the now fussy baby, her mews getting louder.
“Shh, shh,” Nino said, patting her leg. That got her riled up, and people in the nearby rows were turning in their seats to glare at them.
“Sirs, would you please tend to the baby out in the foyer?” Someone from the staff had walked up to them, looking harried, her hair unkempt in a messy bun. She gestured with her arms to the sides, signaling to get up and out. Her tag said, “Minami Saito, AD.” Nino smiled up at her, turning up his charm to distract her from the task at hand, hoping she’d overlook this for now. She stared blankly at him, still holding her arms to the side, directing them to the doors. Nino sighed and signaled to Masaki that they needed to leave.
Once in the foyer, Nino rummaged through the diaper bag and found Rei’s bottle filled with water. He found another container of powdered milk and scooped some into the bottled water. Masaki had already taken Rei out of the carrier, rocking her side to side to console her, but she cried harder and louder. “Hurry up,” he told Nino.
“I am!” Nino furiously shook the bottle to mix the milk and finally handed it to Masaki. “You know, we’re gonna miss out on the audition. Why don’t I go in first, while you feed her, and I’ll come back out and take over so you can take your turn.”
“What? No way. I told you about this audition, so I should go first.” Masaki glared at him. “Besides, aren’t you the babysitter?”
“I’ll play you janken for it,” Nino said, his fist at a ready. Masaki shrugged, and held out his fist.
“Saisho wa guu, jankenpon!”
“The hell?” Nino exclaimed in dismay when Masaki’s scissors beat his paper. Masaki grinned and carefully gave Nino the baby. “Two out of three.”
“Hell no,” Masaki said. “Please take care of her.” He waved, ignoring the glare Nino gave, and walked back in through the door to the main theater. Nino clicked his tongue, annoyed, and looked down at the baby. Rei blinked up at him as she suckled on her bottle, and Nino just couldn’t resent her. It wasn’t really her fault. She needed to eat after all.
“Rei-chan, I haven’t had an acting role for two months already,” Nino said. “I mean, theater is fine, it’s something different. But, I’d rather act in TV and film, you know?” Rei blinked in reply. “I know, I know. What am I doing here? Well, I’m at the point where any acting job is okay for now. Need the money to pay the bills, so I need to get the main role. Now, your Uncle Masaki, well, theater is his forte. He loves acting in front of a live audience more than through a camera. I can’t lose the male leading role to him.”
“Guh,” Rei murmured, the bottle slipping out of her mouth. Nino slipped it back in.
“You’re right. I should find a way to get back in there.” Nino looked around, and an idea popped in his head. Rei seemed to be finished drinking, so he quickly put the bottle back in the bag, and picked up the carrier as he made his way backstage.
He looked around backstage for a crew member. He hadn’t acted in theater for a while, but he knew the crew members would sometimes work for film or television. He was hoping he would know someone who could do him a favor. The gods must have been reading his mind, because right there painting a background set was someone he knew from working on a movie.
“Kazama-kun,” Nino called out. The man turned, recognizing him, and lifted his hand holding a brush in greeting. Nino walked up. “Hisashiburi.”
“Ninomiya-san,” Kazama said. “You here for the play?” His eyes darted to Rei. “You have a baby! Congratulations!”
“No, no. She’s my cousin’s. I’m just babysitting. Hey, listen, can you do me a favor?”
“Depends. What?”
“Can you please hold her for a moment?”
Confused, Kazama frowned a little but set the brush and paint pallet down on the floor. He wiped his hands against his jeans first before taking the baby in his hands. “Why do you need--”
“Thanks, Kazama-kun. She’s not too heavy, right?”
“No.”
“Good,” Nino said, putting the carrier and bag on the floor. “I need to get back to the auditorium for the audition, so if you can just watch her for a moment? I really appreciate it. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He ran to the exit that led out to the front stage.
“Ninomiya!”
---
Nino found a seat just two rows behind Ohno, with Ikuta to Ohno’s left and another man he didn’t see earlier sitting on his other side. He stretched his neck a little, and from that angle, he could recognize the other man’s profile. The man was known for being one of the Shakespearian-esque actors of Japan, which made sense considering the production was by the famous English playwright. Nino couldn’t remember his name, though. He wasn’t too familiar with the theater world. With Ikuta, Nino was familiar. Another well-acclaimed director in both theater and film, he had worked under the direction of the man years back. Impressing those three men would be a feat, but somehow, Nino was confident he’d have no problem doing so. The three men were focused on the actors on the stage, with Masaki being one of them. The actors each had a turn acting as the main lead, most likely to give Ohno the feel for who fit the role best.
Ikuta called Masaki forward. Masaki stood closer to the edge of the stage, and spotted Nino sans baby. He looked puzzled, no doubt wondering what had happened to the baby. He gave a questioning look at Nino, but Ikuta barked at him to start. Masaki startled for a moment, then seemed to remember where he was. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and started the soliloquy of the lead character.
Nino was mesmerized. He knew his childhood friend was good, but he kept forgetting how Masaki truly shone on the stage. He darted his eyes to Ohno, who looked entranced himself. After the monologue, everyone clapped. Shyly, Masaki smiled and gave a bow to the audience. Nino watched Ohno, Ikuta, and the unnamed man whispering among themselves, most likely discussing his friend.
Masaki made his way down the aisle to where he sat. “Hey, where’s Rei-chan?” Before Nino could answer, an assistant called out Nino’s name. “Sorry,” he said, excusing himself past Masaki. “Gotta go.”
“Act 2, scene 2, from line 2-26,” Ikuta called out.
Nino cleared his throat, and in a clear voice started, “’But soft! What light through yonder window breaks…’”
Applause erupted throughout the theater the second time in a row when Nino finished the famous soliloquy. He bowed to the crowd as well. On his way down from the stage, he glanced at Ohno and Ikuta murmuring to each other, catching Ikuta’s eyes for a moment. The man gave a slight bow and small smile without breaking their conversation. A slight hope surged through Nino’s veins, but he tried to tamp it down, trying not to feel too confident yet.
“Great job, man,” Masaki said, clapping his back. Nino thanked him as he plopped down into his seat. “So, where’s Rei-chan?”
“Ah, someone from the crew is kindly watching over her,” Nino said. “Don’t worry. She’s fine.”
Masaki looked doubtful. “I think we should go get her while we wait for the results.”
Nino waved him off. “It’s fine, Masaki. I know the guy. He’ll take care of her.”
“But--”
“Shh!” Someone from the crew hushed them. They didn’t notice that another hopeful actor had started his turn on stage. Nino and Masaki grinned sheepishly and grew quiet while they watched.
“Attention everyone!” Ikuta’s voice rang out through the theater a few minutes later. Everyone hushed. “Thank you all for coming. We appreciate the fine turn out, and many of you had done an excellent job. Unfortunately, you all can’t play the lead. Ohno-sensei and I however have narrowed down our list to our top five choices. If I don’t call your name, please consider auditioning for other roles over the next two days.” Ikuta paused for a moment, glancing around the room, and referred to the paper in his hands. “If I call your name, please come forward and sit in the second row. Matsushima Shirota, Tanaka Yuu, Aiba Masaki, Nijishima Ryo, and Ninomiya Kazunari.” There were some disappointed groans sprinkled around the auditorium. Ikuta called out and politely asked the rest to come again tomorrow to audition for the other roles.
Nino and Masaki grinned, and excitedly made their way down to the second row. It seemed forever until the crowd had walked out the doors, and only a handful of people were in the auditorium. Ohno and Ikuta stood in front of them, and Nino couldn’t help but feel proud that he got to see Ohno in person, close enough to touch.
“Hello, everyone,” Ohno said. “Normally, we would have a callback the day after the audition, but our time schedule had been accelerated. Furthermore, Toma and I have actually found our lead among the five of you, and yes, we both are confident of that. Congratulations.” He clapped, and everyone followed along. “We also think that we may have our villain among you, too. So, this is what we’d like you to do. You will come up to the stage in pairs, one playing the villain and the other the male lead. It’s a long process, but I’m sure we’re all fine with that?”
“Excuse me,” one of the actors asked, his hand raised. “Hi, um, what if I have to leave early? Do I lose my chances for either role?”
Ohno shrugged a shoulder. “Depends if you haven’t had your turn for either one yet. If you leave before your turn, then yes, I’m sorry.” He looked around. “Anything else?”
Masaki leaned closer to Nino. “Don’t we need to get back to take Rei-chan home?” he whispered.
Nino gave it a thought. If he left now, he wouldn’t get his chance for either role. If he waited, Sho and Jun would have his head for being gone too long. He checked the time on his phone. There was a text message from Jun saying they’d be home by 7. It was already 6pm. He felt relieved. “Nah, there’s still time,” he reassured Masaki, just as Ikuta called the first pair up to the stage.
The last of the pairings had finally finished. Nino sighed. It was getting tedious having to watch and listen to the same few lines spoken multiple times, and he basically had the villain and the hero dialogue memorized at this point. Not all of the five had made it all the way to the end of the audition. A couple of them had calls from home or work and had to leave.
“Thank you all once again for coming,” Ohno said. “You will soon know if you get the role as soon as Ikuta and I have made our decisions. Have a good night.” He bowed his head to them and walked away. Ikuta and the Shakespearean actor said their thanks and followed the director out. Their assistants walked the actors out to the main doors of the theater to see them out, waving goodbyes and wishing good luck to them.
“So, what do you think?” Nino turned to Masaki, who spoke once the doors closed behind them.
Nino shook his head thoughtfully. “I think I did okay,” he said. “I have this feeling I’m getting the lead role.” Masaki threw back his head and gave a hearty laugh. Nino frowned at him. “What? You don’t think so? I will. Wanna bet?”
“Oh, please,” Masaki scoffed. “I’m totally getting the lead.” He smiled. “Didn’t you see how Ohno-sensei smiled at me after my turn? I could feel his good vibes toward me.”
“Ha! Good vibes, my ass,” Nino said. Masaki just grinned at him. Nino rolled his eyes and held out his arm to signal for a taxi. “I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted.”
“So, we’re taking the taxi home?” Masaki looked at him incredulously. “You must be exhausted.”
“You’re paying, right?” Nino asked just as a taxi pulled over and the door to the backseat opened.
“Brat,” Masaki murmured, sliding in after Nino.
They were still arguing on the ride home when the taxi pulled up to Nino’s apartment. Just as the taxi sped away, Nino’s phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket to check the caller ID and froze in his tracks. Oh, shit!
“Rei-chan!” Nino cried out.
“Eh? Rei-chan called?” Masaki asked, trying to peek at Nino’s phone. Then, it must have dawned on him when he saw Jun’s name on the screen. His expression mirrored Nino’s look of horror. “Jun-kun’s gonna kill us!”
---
“Kazama-kun, you’d better not be lying to me,” Nino said on the phone. “I left Rei with you. How could you lose her? What? I think I saw her earlier. Do you have her number? What do you mean ‘no’? Dammit, Kazama-kun. Hello? Hello?” Nino cursed and took a deep breath to calm himself. In his head, he knew Kazama wasn’t solely to blame for the situation he was in. He did leave his niece with someone he barely knew and occasionally saw at work. He hung up with a defeated sigh and shook his head.
“How did he lose her? Why didn’t he call you?” Masaki said, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove. They had taken Nino’s car he only used for long distance trips or emergencies. This was definitely considered an emergency. The theater was empty and locked when they had reached it earlier, with no cars in the vicinity. That was when Nino thought of calling Kazama on their way back, hoping he still had the baby.
“He said he did watch Rei for a while when the set director caught him not working. So, he gave Rei to another crew member named Saito while he got back to work. He totally forgot about it.”
“So, let’s call Saito-san.”
“I don’t know her. She was the one who told us to take Rei out in the foyer, but I’ve never seen her before.”
They fell silent for a while before Masaki said out loud, “I have an idea.”
They pulled up to a lavish house just on the outskirts of Roppongi. Nino had never been here before and wondered whose house it was. Masaki seemed to know because he got out wordlessly. Nino followed him to the door.
Ikuta Toma was just as surprised to see them as Nino was. He swiveled his head to Masaki. “You know where he lives?” He’d never been to the director’s house before despite working under him a couple of times.
“I’ve been here a few times when I acted in Ikuta’s productions before.” Masaki shrugged, then turned to Ikuta. “Sorry we’re here late, but we have an emergency. I don’t have your number, or else I would’ve called.”
“Come in,” Ikuta stepped back to welcome them in, but they shook their heads.
“We’re kind of in a hurry,” Nino said. “Time is of the essence.” Ikuta gave him a puzzled look. Nino mentally rolled his eyes and scoffed at himself for being overly dramatic.
“We just want to know if you have a crew member’s phone number, a Saito Minami,” Masaki continued. “We need to ask her something.”
“Is this about the baby?”
Nino felt his heart jumping up his throat. “You know about the baby? How? Did you see her? Do you know where she is? Who took her? Where is she?”
Ikuta held up a palm. “Whoa, slow down,” he said with a chuckled. “I know you’re worried. Anyway, I didn’t see the baby after the audition. The set director told me about a baby being passed among the set crew, but I hadn’t seen any babies. I don’t know who had her last. I’m sorry.”
Nino murmured a thanks and headed back to the car, shoulders slumped. He heard Masaki saying his goodbye to the casting director, reaching the car the same time as Nino. The silent ominous gloom in the car could be cut with a knife.
“Ah! We’re so dead!” Masaki cried out, startling Nino out of his thoughts. “Jun-kun will scold our ears off, and Sho-chan will call all the directors and lawyers and politicians he knows and we’ll never work in Tokyo, or Japan, or even the whole world ever again!”
Nino sighed. “You’re exaggerating. Sho will just watch Jun cut us into pieces and then will gladly dispose our bodies after. Then he’ll call my mom about my demise and let her cry on his shoulder.” Nino could picture Sho’s blank face at his funeral offering an incense in front of his framed photo on the altar. Nino shuddered. He jumped once again when his phone rang. He had been ignoring it since Jun called an hour ago, and he saw 26 missed calls between Sho and Jun. There was no point of stalling. He had to face his cousin and his husband.
“Let’s go to the Sakurai-Matsumoto residence,” he said. Without a word, Masaki turned on the engine and they drove off.
---
When they got there, Sho answered the door. Nino was relieved it wasn’t Jun, but Papa Sho wasn’t smiling. Instead he stared at the two, and Nino couldn’t tell if he was angry, disappointed, or plotting their deaths. Sho stood back to let them in, but neither wanted to cross the threshold. Sho waited, his eyes narrowed, and Nino thought he’d never seen the man so angry with rage in spite of his calm exterior. The calm before the storm. Yabai! The two quickly entered, making up excuses why they don’t have the baby carrier with them. Sho closed the door, and to Nino, the sound of the soft click of the knob was a death knell. Footsteps were heard coming to the genkan, and Masaki and Nino gripped each other’s hands as if their lives depended on it. Jun stood looming over the entrance steps, eyes narrowed.
“Uh, Jun, we can explain,” Nino said. Masaki nodded beside him, clutching Nino’s hand tightly.
“Come inside,” Jun barked and turned back to the living room. Sho motioned with his head for them to follow his husband. Nino and Masaki looked at each other.
“Aiba-shi.” Nino turned to Masaki. “You’re the best friend I ever had. I’m sorry for being such an ass with you today, and almost everyday. Just wanted you to know that I love you, man! If I die, please know that you can have my gaming equipment.”
“Nino,” Masaki said. “It’s been great knowing you. I forgive you, man. Love you, my brother.”
They hugged.
“Oh, for the love of God, just get inside the house,” Sho grumbled. They quickly let go of each other and went in. “Actors,” Sho added under his breath as he followed them in.
“Jun, as I said, I can ex-” Nino stopped in his tracks. Masaki also stopped and stared when they entered the living room.
There Rei was on the floor, lying on her stomach on the blankie, chewing her toy bunny. Jun had his arms folded in front of him, and when Nino turned to look at Sho, he mirrored him as well. The couple stared at the two.
“H-h-how…?” Nino started to ask but his words trailed off when Ohno Satoshi came around the hallway, most likely from the bathroom.
“Oh, Ninomiya-san, Aiba-san, good evening,” he said. “I came to bring Rei-chan home. One of the crew members was holding her, but didn’t know what to do. I told her to call Ninomiya-san. Didn’t you get her message?” Nino and Aiba shook their heads. “Oh. Hm... that’s weird. Anyway, I was already on my way home. Thank you, Jun-kun and Sho-san, for dinner.” With that, Ohno left the house.
“Uh, how…?” Nino asked sheepishly after he heard the front door shut softly.
“You left our baby with Kazama-kun?” Jun said. “Are you out of your mind? Everyone of the set crew wanted to carry her, but you forgot to take her back. Luckily, Satoshi recognized Rei and took her home.”
“How did you know Ohno-san?” Nino asked. As far Nino knew, he’d never seen his cousins in the entertainment industry before, and based on Jun’s red cheeks and Sho’s scowl, there was a story to that. Nino wanted to ask, but now was not the time to press his luck.
“Never mind that,” Sho snapped. “What do you have to say for yourselves?”
“I’m sorry I was irresponsible and let both of you down,” Nino said. “I’ll make it up to you both, I swear.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry, too,” Masaki added. “Please forgive us. We’ll do whatever you guys say to make it up to you.”
Jun and Sho looked at each other and smirked. They turned back to face them, smirks still on. Nino gulped. It didn’t look good for him and Masaki, but he was sorry.
“Ohno-san agreed to this,” Sho said. “You both will be in the play.”
“How is that our punishment?” Nino said, relief flooding over him somewhat, but the couple still looked suspicious.
“You both will play the leads… as Romeo and Juliet.” Jun gave a Cheshire Cat grin when he told him. “Good luck with the kissing scenes.” The couple cackled, then ignored the two who were slightly shocked, and poured their attention on their baby.
“Who’s going to play Juliet?” Masaki asked Nino.
Nino narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Does it matter? We’ll be kissing each other. Ugh.”
“Yeah, it matters. I’m not gonna wear a dress.”
Nino paused at that and stared at him. As if on cue, they held out their fists and exclaimed, “Saisho wa guu, jankenpon!”
FIN
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I really love that this surprised me (I never thought I would get Aimiya) and it surprised me gooood I had reread this a couple times already! :D
I love how you opened this straight with Sho dropping a baby into Nino’s hand askldjaslk—and from then the details of how it’s his and Jun’s baby (!!!) and they trust Nino to baby sit (hahaha) and Nino seemed to fumble a bit in the beginning but he could handle her just fine. I love how fast the pace of the story and then we have Aiba who came over and just took Nino (and Rei) along hahaha! Also Ohno-Sensei A+++++ I love director!Ohno ahhhhh <3 And I also have to say your choice of going wit actor!Nino really made my day!
Oh theatre production setting yessss! I love the setting you set up so much! And hello Toma the casting director. Really the image made me cackle in glee, because yes! I love that they do janken, oh these two <3! The entire one-way dialogue with Rei is amazing! And poor Kazama!!!!! Lol, Nino was really desperate for this role! I like how you also give how great Aiba is on stage because he is! And hahahahaha Romeo and Juliet?!!! I have to be honest with you I actually went to google that line laskdjaslk and it’s even funnier. So, they’re auditioning for the balcony scene? :D :D :D
And they totally forget about Rei? Oh, no hahahaha! Yeah, Jun is probably going to kill them. :D :D I love how you wrote them backtracking and still ended up with nothing. And more and more surprises as we get to the end. Aiba knows where Toma lives? I have questions! :D :D And lolllll Sho is scary mad, and Aimiya is being Aimiya! And Jun knows Ohno? I have more questions!! From the look of it, there’s a backstory right there but it was also fun to just let it all flow and wrap up nicely as a story. I really like what you do here! And yayy they got double lead. And more yayyy they are going to kiss lolll! I laughed out loud when their concern was about wearing a dress, because yeah kissing they can totally do. Lovely ending, with the janken because of course they need to janken <3333!
Ahhhh this was a total fun! I really enjoyed the story! Thank you for incorporating so many things from my random prompts, and to have a great dynamic for Arashi (with amazing bonus of Toma and Kazapon <3!!) Thank you so much for writing this 💛!
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Oh, yes. Romeo and Juliet is my go-to Shakespearean play whenever I write. If you have a chance, watch the movie (there are many versions, but I'm partial to the one with Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo).
Ohno-Ikuta combi has to happen. I missed their interaction from Maou. The hint of Juntoshi in the backstory (with Sho being jealous about that) is, well, as Nino had put it, another story to itself. Maybe you can write it! haha
Anyway, I'm glad it was fun to read as it was fun to write. I'll see you around the fandom.
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How they lost a little girl and all and then it seems that Ohno knows Jun and Sho without Nino knowing and took her home XDD Haha I would probably have moved somewhere else if I lost their child
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Ah, you like Friends, too. Awesome. Have you seen that episode where they lost the baby. It's been a while, so I forget whose baby it was. I'd like to think it was Ben, then they'd have to deal with Ross. haha.
Romeo and Juliet is my go-to play whenever I write, and wouldn't it be great for Nino and Aiba to play either role? hahaha. Who would wear the dress better?
Anyway, I'm glad you like this, and thanks for reading.
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Personally, I'm not too much into Romeo and Juliet but it's always fun to imagine two guys playing the main roles in that play. I think Nino looks good in skirts, so I'm sure the dress would fit him well. But it would also be fun to see Aiba as Juliet haha