fic for lotus (2/3)

[nino-mod.livejournal.com]

For: lotus
From: auburn_witch

Part 1


“What do you have in mind?” Sho wondered, his tone a bit uncertain.

“Him,” Jun said simply, inclining his head subtly towards Nino.

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that.”

“All right,” Jun said, pausing to think about it for a moment, before continuing. “How about this. First one who can get Nino to make a move on them, wins.”

“That’s still kind of vague,” Sho pointed out, yet he seemed to actually be considering it. “What counts as a move?”

“Let’s make it a kiss, then,” Jun quickly decided, watching Sho carefully. “That’s specific enough, I think?”

“Probably,” Sho allowed, still looking a bit weary. “And what does the winner get?”

“Besides from making out with Nino, you mean?”

“I don’t think it’s fair to make a person a prize,” Sho said, looking a bit flustered.

“Maybe not,” Jun said, shrugging. “How about we work that part out later?”

Sho stared at him.

“That’s definitely not the conventional way of making a bet.”

Jun grinned.

“I think you’ll find, Sho,” he said, leaning forwards just a little, his right hand brushing briefly yet deliberately against Sho’s on the table, “That I’m not a very conventional man.”

“That’s…” Sho swallowed, the color rising on his cheeks. “Good information to have.”

“So we’ve got the terms decided, then,” Jun continued, leaning back with a satisfied smile. “I’d wish you good luck, but to be honest I don’t think you’re going to need much if it.”

“You… Really?”

“Definitely,” Jun said, taking a moment to look Sho up and down without even trying to be discreet. “If I was a betting man, I’d put my money on you.”

“I don’t believe that,” Sho protested, still blushing furiously. “And we just made a bet, right now.”

“Why shouldn’t I mean it?” Jun asked, continuing before Sho even had the chance to answer. “I actually have to leave, now. Which means that you even get to give this a shot, first.”

“What? I can’t just… Not now, no,” Sho spluttered, his eyes wide. “That’s a bit soon.”

“No time like the present, I’d say,” Jun said, already getting up. “You wouldn’t happen to be stopping by here tomorrow, same time?”

“I… Yes, actually.”

“Good,” Jun said, nodding. “I’ll see you then. If that’s okay with you?”

“Sure.” Sho cleared his throat, still looking rather flustered. Sort of like he wasn’t entirely sure of what had just happened. “Sounds good.”

Jun nodded in return, offering Sho one last, cheerful smile. And then he was gone, striding out of the coffee shop with long, confident steps.

Sho’s heart was beating quickly in his chest as he watched him leave.

~*~*~

Nino took a deep breath, trying desperately to think clearly. To hold back all his accusations, all his anger for what had come to pass, for how he was now being blamed. To focus on what truly important, instead.

“What about Christmas?”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Shuji’s tone was furious. “You don’t care that I’m leaving you? That we’re actually over?”

“I just promised Sayumi and Minori I’d be back in time for Christmas.” Nino couldn’t keep his voice from trembling. He had never before been this afraid, of anything. “I don’t want to let them down.”

“I told you,” Shuji snapped, his eyes cold. “You can pick up your things when you get back. After that, I never want to see you again.”

“That’s not fair. I’ve been with you for so long, you can’t just-“

“I can and I will. I don’t love you anymore, Nino, and I won’t take you back. Just try to accept that.”

“You think I’m still in love with you?” Nino spat out, unable to keep himself from glaring at Shuji, now. “You think I still actually want to be with you?”

“No,” Shuji said, and for some reason he was smiling. “I don’t think you ever actually loved me, Nino. I think you were always just jealous of me. Of my wife. My children. Of the life I have, that you don’t.”

“Why would I be jealous of the family that you never actually cared about? You always put yourself before them. Everything is always about you, Shuji, and I’m fucking sick of it. I’m sick of you.”

“You don’t get to tell me how to deal with my own family,” Shuji said, his tone turning very dark. “In fact my family’s none of your business, from now on. You will never see my children again, Nino. I don’t want you near them anymore.”

“No, you can’t just-“

“I can and I will. I’m their legal guardian, remember? I’m their father. And you? You’ll be nothing more than a stranger to them, someone they used to know. I wonder if they’ll even remember you, in a few years. How does that make you feel, Nino? Still not jealous?”

~*~*~

There was something decidedly strange about Sho, today.

Nino had noticed something different about the customer almost as soon as he walked through the door. His expression had been more tense than usual. And after he had ordered, he had looked sort of uncertainly at Nino. Almost as if he had wanted to say something else.

Or perhaps something more?

Maybe Sho was meeting Jun later, Nino thought bitterly as he carefully picked out two croissants. Maybe he’d been thinking about getting a coffee for Jun already, as a surprise. Maybe Sho was always thinking about Jun, these days. It wouldn’t be surprising, considering how much the two of them had started hanging out together at the bakery.

Not that Nino actually cared, or anything. After all, Nino reminded himself sternly, Sho was just a crush. And Jun was, well. Just another crush.

“The weather’s been great, this week.”

Nino paused, glancing unsurely towards Sho, who seemed to be watching him carefully.

“Yeah,” Nino said, handing Sho his bag of croissants before turning to take a paper cup. “I guess.”

“It’s going to be great over the weekend, too.”

“Really.”

“Yeah. Sunny all Saturday, and most of Sunday.”

“Huh.”

“So… You doing anything interesting? This weekend? Because actually, I-“

“Here’s your coffee,” Nino said briskly, pushing it into Sho’s hand. “You’re welcome.”

“Oh,” Sho said, and for some reason he looked a bit disappointed. “Great. Thanks, Nino.”

“Run along, now,” Nino told him, yet he was watching Sho carefully, feeling somehow curious. “Unless there was something else you wanted to say about weekends?”

“Well, that is…” Sho paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. And then he slowly shook his head. “No. Not really, actually. Thanks again.”

Sho turned around, his steps quicker than usually as he left. Nino watched him go, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in his chest.

Perhaps Sho was simply in a hurry to meet Jun.

For the rest of the day, all the coffee Nino brewed came out tasting much more bitter than usual. In the end, he couldn’t sell a single cup.

~*~*~

The next time Sho came into the bakery, he was practically shaking from determination.

This time, he was going to do it. For real. He was going to walk up to the counter, open his mouth and finally, finally ask Nino out. He knew exactly what he was going to say, had rehearsed his mini-speech over and over again, word for word. This was it. He was ready.

Sho took one step into bakery. And then he stopped.

There was a very pretty woman standing over by the counter. Or well, perhaps it was more like she was leaning across the counter. Towards Nino. Who was holding her hand…?

Well.

“It’s fine,” the woman was saying, her tone quiet. “Really. Things have calmed down, since then.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Nino said, yet his expression was still deeply concerned. “But what about Sayumi, and Minori? How are they?”

The woman smiled.

“Rowdy, as usual. They still miss you a lot.”

“But they’re all right?”

“Of course.”

“Good. That’s very good.”

Sho shuffled his feet, unsure of whether or not he should approach, or if he ought to just leave before they realized he was there. Before he had made up his mind, however, Nino had looked up, his eyes meeting Sho’s.

“Hi,” he said, quickly letting go of the woman’s hand. “The usual?”

“Yes, thank you,” Sho said, stepping forwards almost reluctantly.

“Oh, I’m so sorry for being in the way,” the woman interjected, stepping away from the counter and smiling graciously towards Sho. “I don’t want any customers driven away on my account.”

“I don’t think even you could drive Sho away, Yuriko-chan,” Nino said, and Sho was surprised to see him grin slightly. “He’s here so often, he’s practically part of the interior.”

“So he’s one of the regulars you just told me about?” Yuriko wanted to know, suddenly eyeing Sho with a lot more interest. “Your name is Sho? Pleased to meet you.”

“Nice meeting you, too. Yuriko, is it?”

“That would be me.”

“I see,” Sho said, glancing briefly at Nino. “So, how are you two acquainted…?”

“Well,” Yuriko said, and for some reason she was grinning, too. “Do you want the short version, or the really long one?”

“He wants neither,” Nino quickly interrupted, shooting Yuriko a stern look as he placed Sho’s finished order on the counter. “Sho needs to pay for his things and be on his way. Preferably right now.”

“You’re no fun!” Yuriko whined, her tone teasing as she continued. “I think you’d better give Nino his money, Sho. He’s very particular about money.”

Sho paid dutifully and then picked up his coffee and croissants, but he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he chose to stroll over to Jun’s favourite table, sitting down and glancing back towards the counter. There, Yuriko and Nino had started talking again, their expressions once more quite serious.

Unfortunately, they were speaking too quietly for Sho to catch another word of their conversation.

~*~*~

“Sayumi keeps asking for you,” Yuriko said, not quite looking at Nino. “Ever since you left.”

“What did you tell her?”

“Just that you had to go. That you’re really busy, now, too busy to come see us. Shuji wanted it that way, he still doesn’t want them to know what was really going on between you two.”

“I see,” Nino said, struggling to keep his tone calm as he continued. “And how is the dear Shuji?”

“He’s probably had the easiest time, out of all of us,” Yuriko said, the resentment evident in her tone. “He’s been working a lot. Says he’s about to get promoted, soon.”

“Really,” Nino said, raising an eyebrow. “Let me guess, they’re making him manager of the new development project?”

“Yes, actually, how did you…? Oh.” Yuriko smiled a little sadly. “They were going to offer that to you, weren’t they?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Nino forced himself to take a deep breath. “I’m glad I quit. It was for the best.”

“I only wish things hadn’t turned out this way,” Yuriko said quietly. “Couldn’t you just come by to visit, sometimes? I could let you know an evening when Shuji’s not home. Sayumi and Minori would be so happy.”

“That’s…” Nino was tempted, so tempted, to just say yes. To give in. “Shuji would never approve.”

“He doesn’t need to know.”

“And Sayumi wouldn’t tell him all about it the moment he walked in the door?” Nino shook his head. “You can’t, Yuriko.”

They were both quiet for a moment. Then Yuriko took a deep breath, shaking her head.

“I should get going,” she said, offering Nino a small smile. “I might drop by some other time. I’d like for us to stay in touch, at least? You and I were always good friends.”

“That would actually be great,” Nino said earnestly. “Coffee’s on the house, whenever you want it.”

“That’s quite a privilege, coming from you,” Yuriko said, grinning slightly. “Especially considering that you’re still charging that guy Sho every single time, even though you’re absolutely crazy for him.”

“Keep it down, he’s still here,” Nino hissed. “Now go away. I need to work.”

“If you say so,” Yuriko said, offering him one last smile. “See you.”

~*~*~

As Yuriko left the bakery, Sho glanced back towards Nino, taking in his unusually tense expression. There was something anxious in the way Nino looked after Yuriko, and there was definitely a trace of regret reflected in his eyes. He looked bitter, Sho was beginning to realize. Angry, even.

Sho got up.

He walked over towards the counter slowly, not even really sure of why himself. At least not until he was standing by the register, right before Nino.

“Hey,” Sho said. “You all right?”

Nino looked at him, startled yet still fragile. Still broken.

“Do you have kids, Sho?”

“No,” Sho said, immensely surprised at the question. “Why?”

Nino’s expression changed at that. For some reason he looked surprised, too. And curious.

“Then I don’t think you’ll understand,” was the only thing he said. “But thanks, anyway.”

It was the closest Sho had ever come to having a real conversation with Nino. However, Sho didn’t feel particularly happy about it. As he walked out of the coffee shop, he was both relieved and disappointed that Yuriko hadn’t gotten the chance to tell him the longest version of exactly how she and Nino had come to know each other.

~*~*~

“What time do you get off, today?”

Nino looked up to meet Jun’s eyes, startled.

Moments earlier, when Jun had gotten up, Nino had assumed he was about to head home. It wouldn’t have been strange, considering that they bakery was closing in less than ten minutes. Yet apparently, Jun wasn’t thinking about leaving just yet.

“We’re about to close,” Nino told him, even though he was fairly certain that Jun already knew this.

“I was thinking of going out for a drink,” Jun said, his tone almost as smooth as Nino had heard it when Jun was speaking to Sho. “Wanna come along?”

Nino actually gaped at Jun in response. He definitely hadn’t expected that, never would have thought that Jun had ever considered looking at him the way Jun was actually looking at him, right now. There was determination in Jun’s eyes, Nino belatedly realized, determination and purpose and actual, undeniable interest.

“Are you serious?” Nino still couldn’t help but wonder. “You’re asking me… Really?”

“I’m asking you, yeah,” Jun said, his grin as confident as ever. “Although I’d be open to skipping right past the drink part, if you’d rather.”

Nino swallowed.

What about Sho, he didn’t ask, what about your perfect, amazing, ridiculously hot boyfriend?

“Give me three minutes to lock up.”

Soon, almost frighteningly soon, they were in a cab, Jun resting one hand casually on Nino’s thigh. Nino was fidgeting back and forth, his gaze fixed out the window. Yet out of the corner of his eye, he could still see Jun watching him carefully.

They rode the elevator in Jun’s building in silence. Jun only fumbled a bit with his keys, before getting the door open. And then, suddenly, they were already across the threshold. Past all pretense.

Before the door had even closed, Nino had taken two resolute steps forward, crowding Jun against the wall. Quickly, before he lost his nerve, Nino leaned in, kissing Jun fiercely, fervently. With as much courage as he could scrape together. His hands found their way to Jun’s hips, yet instead of pulling Jun closer Nino pressed himself against Jun, as close as he could get. Jun kept his hands to himself, at least for now, which might have been a good thing considering that Nino was all too preoccupied with keeping his head from spinning just from how incredibly, amazingly responsive Jun was. When Nino sucked lightly on Jun’s lower lip, gracing his teeth just so against the vulnerable skin, Jun let out a series of breathy moans that made Nino weak in the knees. And when Nino pulled back slightly, only to leave a trail of kisses along Jun’s jaw, and neck, down to his collarbone, Jun’s quiet “Yes, oh God yes,” had Nino shivering with anticipation.

Which was why it was surprising, to say the least, when Nino suddenly found himself… Distracted.

He paused for a moment, hesitating. Trying to decide if he could ignore it, this time, if he could forget about it and just think about Jun and enjoy this moment. Because it wasn’t like this could ever happen again, like Jun wouldn’t go right back to making googly eyes at his dear, darling Sho come morning. And yet… The low, whirring sound coming from the kitchen just kept getting louder.

After a moment, Nino sighed, forcing himself to pull back.

~*~*~

“Hey,” Jun said, touching Nino’s elbow lightly. “You all right?”

“I’m fine,” Nino said, yet for some reason he sounded rather irritated. “It’s just… Okay, this is going to sound a bit strange.”

“What is?”

“Your oven, Jun.”

“My… What?”

“Your oven,” Nino confirmed, his expression tense. “Or your oven rack, to be precise.”

“Oven rack?” Jun repeated, feeling incredibly confused.

“The grid-like thing inside your oven?” Nino said, pointing in the direction of Jun’s kitchenette. “Removable, can be adjusted in height like a shelf. You put pie-forms on it when you bake pie. Except you actually don’t bake a lot of pies, do you? Should have known.”

“I don’t follow,” Jun said, actually trying to understand. “Or well, I do know what an oven rack is.”

“Excellent,” Nino said, quickly continuing. “So would you mind terribly if I cleaned it? Right now?”

Jun raised both eyebrows in question.

“Right now?”

“It’s just, you haven’t done it in a while.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve cleaned it ever,” Jun told him honestly, still completely bewildered.

Nino actually frowned in response.

“This is a lot worse than I thought,” he muttered. “All right, what’ve you got? Ajax? Lysol?”

And so it happened that Jun spent the next half-hour watching Nino clean his oven rack. Which wasn’t unpleasant, not exactly, although it certainly wasn’t how Jun had imagined this evening would go. Nino was very meticulous about the whole process, first filling the sink with water to let the rack soak, then scrubbing every inch of it, several times. He kept muttering to himself as he worked, keeping up a low stream of chatter. Almost as though he was actually talking to someone.

Once the rack was impeccably clean and back inside the oven, Nino turned awkwardly towards Jun.

“I’ll see myself out,” he said, his tone quieter than before. “Goodnight, Jun.”

“Do you have to go?” Jun was quick to ask.

Nino looked rather surprised, at that.

“Not exactly. I just figured you wouldn’t…” Nino cleared his throat, not quite looking at Jun. “I clearly haven’t met your expectations, tonight.”

“We could… We should talk,” Jun said firmly, with a quick glance towards his oven. “I could get you a cup of coffee?”

Nino stared at him.

“You, make me coffee,” he said, raising both eyebrows. “That’s new.”

“I have an espresso machine,” Jun said.

“It has a led display, doesn’t it?” Nino said, and for some reason he grimaced. Yet he still nodded. “All right. As long as I don’t have to touch it.”

Jun quickly prepared two cups of espresso, trying not to think too much about the fact that it probably wouldn’t even begin to compare to the completely amazing coffee Nino made for him every day at the bakery. He set them down on the kitchen table, where they took seats opposite each other. Nino took a sip of his espresso, and for some reason he actually smiled a little into his cup.

If Jun hadn’t had other, more important questions to ask Nino, he might have tried to find out what Nino thought of the flavor.

“You said I hadn’t cleaned the oven rack in a while,” Jun begun, watching Nino closely. “Lucky guess?”

Nino looked up to face Jun again, his expression very calm. However, his grip on his cup of coffee seemed to have tightened just a bit.

“If I say no,” he said, something very careful in his tone. “You’ll think I’m crazy, won’t you?”

“That… That depends,” Jun said, for once deciding against a direct approach.

“Depends on what?”

“Well, if it wasn’t a guess... What was it?”

Nino hesitated for a moment, watching Jun with an uncertain expression.

“I haven’t… I don’t talk to a lot of people, about this,” he said eventually.

“I get the feeling you don’t talk to a lot of people, period,” Jun sad, trying to keep his tone gentle. “You don’t trust that many people, do you?”

“That’s none of your business.” Nino’s tone was almost cold as he continued. “You don’t even know me.”

What if I want to, Jun didn’t ask. What if I want to know absolutely everything about you?

“Try me,” he said instead, making it a challenge, this time. “Try telling me. I can handle it, Nino.”

Nino still hesitated for a moment. Jun tried to keep his expression calm, to just meet Nino’s eyes steadily. Encouragingly. And apparently, it was enough. Because after a moment, Nino started talking. Rapidly.

“Your oven is six years old,” he begun, matter-of-factly. “Manufactured in Taiwan and then shipped to a warehouse in Japan, where it was confined for about a month before it was finally sold at the AEON mall in Shinagawa. It likes you and your kitchen well enough, but it kind of wishes you’d use it more. Feels a bit underappreciated. Which is why it gets jealous of the espresso machine at times, because you use that thing every single morning even though it’s nothing but an overpriced, narcissistic box of garbage that no appliance with any self-respect would ever hang out with. Also, it’d be nice if you’d consider baking a pie, every now and then. Your oven loves pie more than anything.”

Nino paused, his expression weary as he watched Jun carefully. Jun, meanwhile, was frowning.

“That’s…” He took a deep breath, trying to think clearly. “I do make espresso every morning. And I actually never bake pie. But the rest...”

“Your morning alarm clock is set to 05:57,” Nino quickly continued. “Although you always snooze until at least 06:38. And your washing machine would really appreciate it if you’d stop singing Gackt songs in the shower every single night. It’s more into American music, apparently. Do you know anything by Taylor Swift?”

“Okay, that’s more specific,” Jun admitted, glancing sort of unsurely towards his bathroom. “But, it’s still…”

Nino sighed, shaking his head. Yet he didn’t look surprised.

“You still don’t believe me,” he said, not making it a question.

“It just doesn’t make any sense,” Jun told him honestly. “It’s… How does that work?”

“I’d tell you if I knew, myself,” Nino said, shrugging. “I’ve always been really good with technology. And a few years ago, I sort of just… Got even better. I don’t know why.”

“Did anything happen, at that time? Anything significant?”

“Well,” Nino said, something shifting in his expression. “I fell in love, for the first time.”

Jun blinked, surprised.

“You think that was relevant?”

“I didn’t, at first,” Nino said, thinking for a moment. “But the more I felt, for him, the more I started understanding different kinds of machines and appliances.”

“So, you and that guy…” Jun cleared his throat, not sure how to ask. “You two were together?”

“For three years. Until he broke up with me.”

Nino didn’t sound sad, not exactly. Yet there was still something dark in his undertone.

“That’s clearly his loss,” Jun still said, thinking back on the kiss they’d shared earlier that night.

Nino shrugged, yet Jun didn’t miss how his cheeks colored slightly.

“I’d actually stopped loving him over a year, before that,” he told Jun.

“Then why did you stay with him?”

“For two reasons,” Nino said, yet he didn’t elaborate. “Anyway, even after I was over him, I still had this strong connection with electrical things. It didn’t go away.”

“So is it anything electrical?” Jun wanted to know, filing away his questions about Nino’s romantic history for another time. “Like, a cable?”

“No. And no light bulbs, or anything.”

“But washing machines, apparently? What about cars? Or phones? Can you read my text messages just by listening to my mobile phone?”

“No, because smartphones in particular are actually really fucking stupid,” Nino said, grinning slightly. “They can’t even read, at all. And they’re very annoying – they’ve got nothing to say, but they never shut up.”

“Really,” Jun said, fascinated. “And, the espresso machine…?”

“Is a bit of an asshole, yeah,” Nino said, actually rolling his eyes. “It’s got a led display, and a good rule of thumb is, anything with a led display tends to think it’s ten times better than everything else.”

“Right,” Jun said, making a mental note to move his espresso machine away from, well, everything. Just in case. “Did you ever try to figure out how all this works, though? I mean, the theory behind it?”

“I’m not a scientist, so no.”

“I’m a scientist, actually,” Jun admitted. “But this isn’t my field, not exactly. I’m a PHD student in physical chemistry.”

“Oh,” Nino said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re a wannabe scientist.”

“I’m the next big thing,” Jun said, not losing his confidence even for a second. “I’m going to invent a new generation of solar cells.”

“Of course you are,” Nino said, his grin infuriating. “Good luck with that.”

“What’s your goal in life, anyway?” Jun wanted to know, trying to ignore just how cute Nino was when he was actually smiling, for once. “Creating the perfect cup of coffee?”

“Well,” Nino said, and there was something different about his tone, now. “Anything for my favourite customer.”

Jun paused, surprised and decidedly pleased. Yet after a moment, Nino’s grin widened again.

“It’s not you, by the way,” he told Jun, sounding almost casual. “Although I have to say, you’re very all right.”

“It’s Sho, isn’t it?” Jun said, raising an eyebrow. “I can relate. I mean, he’s gorgeous.”

Suddenly, Nino got up.

“It’s getting late,” he said briskly, already making his way over towards the door. “I should go.”

“You can’t stay?” Jun wondered, quickly following him. “I wouldn’t mind, if you stayed.”

Nino paused, glancing back at Jun briefly. Yet he quickly shook his head.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” was the only thing he said. “You coming by at the usual time?”

“Yeah,” Jun confirmed, leaning in before Nino could take another step.

He kissed Nino on the cheek, this time, just a light touch of lips against soft skin. When he pulled back, Nino was blushing faintly, once more.

Yet he still didn’t smile.

~*~*~

“Hey,” Jun said, sliding into the seat opposite Sho at the bakery. “I’ve got news.”

“Me, too,” Sho said, closing his paper and glancing wearily towards Jun. “Can I go first?”

“Sure,” Jun agreed, his tone just a little bit impatient.

“Okay,” Sho said, taking a deep breath. “So, here’s the thing. Nino’s actually straight.”

Jun raised both eyebrows.

“Interesting,” he said, quickly continuing. “My turn?”

“Go ahead.”

“You’ve lost the bet.”

“What?” Sho exclaimed loudly, glancing over towards Nino. “No. When?”

“Last night,” Jun said, his tone a lot quieter. “Although, we didn’t… We just kissed. Which was really great, but nothing more happened, in the end.”

“But that’s…” Sho sighed, looking rather confused and perhaps just a bit annoyed. “There was a woman here to see Nino, yesterday morning. They looked pretty intimate to me.”

“He could be bi, though,” Jun said, thinking about it. “And anyway, Nino has definitely dated a man.”

“How do you know?”

“He said so, last night.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Jun said, quickly continuing. “More importantly, though, he also told me something that I think could explain why the coffee here is so damn addictive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Jun said, glancing over towards the counter, where Nino was busy refilling beans into the coffee machine. “Although I think it’s better if he tells you about that himself. It’s a little hard to explain.”

“Is that so,” Sho said, something curious in his tone. “But you’ve got to tell me about the kiss, at least?”

“Sure,” Jun agreed easily. “How about I give you all the details over dinner, tonight?”

“That’s… You mean, like a date?”

“Why not?” Jun wondered, his tone light yet his smile warm. “You still owe me a prize for winning the bet, after all.”

“I guess,” Sho said, yet he still looked a bit hesitant. “You and Nino, though.”

“What about me and Nino?”

“You really like him,” Sho said, speaking slowly. “And apparently, he really likes kissing you.”

“True,” Jun said calmly, yet he was watching Sho very carefully as he continued. “But I have a theory about you, Sho. I think you really like imagining Nino and me, kissing. Among other things.”

Sho immediately averted his gaze, clearing his throat. Jun smiled knowingly.

“Nino’s amazing,” he told Sho, his tone earnest, now. “And so are you. So I don’t see why I should have to choose. Especially not if we’re all on the same page, here.”

“That doesn’t sound entirely conventional,” Sho told him. Yet there was no trace of hesitance in his tone as he continued. “I wouldn’t be opposed, though. I would be anything but opposed. If we all… If it’s what Nino wants, too.”

“We’ll need to figure that out,” Jun agreed, offering Sho his most charming smile. “How about we talk strategy over dinner, tonight? There’s a very decent-looking pasta place down the street from here. See you there, at six?”

~*~*~

It had been an unusually slow afternoon at the bakery. None of the usual customers had stopped by, not even the strawberry shortcake guy, and certainly not Jun, or Sho. In fact Nino hadn’t seen either of his favourite regulars since this morning.

Nino had spent the afternoon trying not to think about a lot of things. The kiss from last night, first and foremost, but also the way Sho had been looking at Jun that day, when they’d met up at the bakery. And definitely the fact that Jun and Sho had left at the exact same time. Together.

About an hour before closing time, when Ohno came out from the back, Nino was already counting the minutes before he could head home.

“You don’t look so good,” Ohno told him, sounding very concerned. “Did something happen with your crushes?”

“Sort of,” Nino admitted reluctantly, because Ohno would never have believed him if he’d said no. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Do you want to go home?”

“We’re open for another 58 minutes.”

“You can go, if you want to,” Ohno told him, his tone gentle. “I’m sure I can handle this place on my own for just an hour.”

Nino raised both eyebrows.

“You do know you’ll actually need to deal with the register, right?”

“Shit. I forgot.” Ohno sighed, shaking his head towards the old, entirely mechanical cash register. “Why did we have to get an older than ancient cash register that is practically impossible to use, again?”

“I told you. All the newer ones have led displays.”

“Right,” Ohno said, checking his watch again. “How about we just close up, right now?”

“Is that okay?”

“Noone’s coming in, anyway,” Ohno said, shrugging. “Let’s call it a day.”

Five minutes later, Nino was quickly making his way down the street, his steps light. Soon, he’d finally be back home. He should make rice tonight, if only because his rice boiler had been feeling a bit lonely after sitting in a box for so long. And after dinner, he could perhaps try to spend some quality time with his 3DS. If he waited any longer, it’d probably get really mad at him for ignoring it, and then he’d never be able to level up in any of his games.

Most importantly, though, cooking and playing games could hopefully distract Nino from thinking about everything else that was going on in his life. Which would be a very good outcome, all things considered.

Yet before Nino had even made it to the corner of the street, he stopped.

Across the street, inside some European restaurant that Nino had never even noticed before, were Sho and Jun. They were sitting together at a table right by a window, with plates of food and what had to be a bottle of wine between them. Jun seemed to be the one speaking at the moment, most likely telling Sho about something. He was gesturing eagerly as he talked, and his wide, excited smile was nothing short of captivating. Sho was smiling, too, as he listened. Yet his expression was softer, almost fond. More gentle than Nino had seen it before.

For a long moment, Nino ended up standing frozen on the street, watching the two of them. He couldn’t seem to look away, couldn’t even make himself try. Because there was just something about Jun and Sho, together, that looked so… Right. They looked like they truly fit, with each other. Like they belonged.

The two of them were simply beautiful together, Nino thought bitterly. So beautiful that Nino actually wasn’t sure if even he truly wanted them to be apart.

Suddenly, it was as if something had snapped within Nino. Something had finally broken.

Quickly, he started walking again, yet this time he didn’t even look where he was going. He only cared that his feet carried him as far away from there as possible.

When Nino finally turned the corner, he was too angry to even notice that every single light along the street had suddenly gone out.

~*~*~

When Jun and Sho arrived at the bakery the next afternoon, it was closed.

“Strange,” Jun said, peering in through the shop window. “This has never happened before, I think?”

“Not that I know, no.”

“Think they’ve closed early?”

“No,” a calm voice said behind them. “We actually never got around to opening, today.

The two of them turned around, and Sho immediately smiled in recognition.

“Ohno-san,” he greeted, bowing slightly. “Good to see you. Did something happen, with the bakery?”

“There’s been a power outage, since yesterday,” Ohno told them, making an awkward gesture along the street. “In the whole neighborhood, actually. I think pretty much everything’s closed.”

“They still didn’t fix that?” Sho said, surprised. “We were actually here in the area when it happened, just having dinner when all the lights went out in the restaurant. And then we couldn’t get dessert because nothing was working in their kitchen. I’d never have thought the power still wouldn’t be back a whole day later, though. That’s very unusual.”

“Did you by any chance see Nino today?” Jun asked Ohno, something rather quizzical in his tone. “Is he… Do you know how he is?”

“Nino’s called in sick,” Ohno said, eyeing Jun curiously. “Oh. You must be the second guy.”

“The second… Who’s the first guy?” Sho wondered, evidently trying to connect the dots. “Does Nino have a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend, for that matter?”

“Nino’s single,” Ohno said, shrugging. “Has been for a few months, now. And I think you should ask him about the rest, yourself.”

“Do you know where he is, right now?” Jun wanted to know.

“At home, probably.”

“And where is that?”

Ohno paused, eyeing Jun sort of cautiously.

“I’m not sure if I should say.”

“We’re not stalkers,” Sho was quick to reassure him. “Or serial killers, or anything bad. We just want to talk to Nino, is all.”

“Just talk, huh,” Ohno repeated, something meaningful in his tone as he glanced towards Sho. “Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”

“Well,” Sho said, sounding mildly offended yet also looking rather embarrassed. “Whatever else happens wouldn’t be any of your business, I’d say.”

Ohno shook his head, slowly.

Yet he was also starting to grin.


Part 3