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ninoexchange2016-06-17 10:47 pm
nino-mod.livejournal.com) wrote in ninoexchange2016-06-17 10:47 pm
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fic for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
natsunonamae (1/10)
For: natsunonamae
From:sky_fish7
Title: You owe me 2.400 Yen and a Kiss
Pairing/Focus: Sakumiya, past Matsumiya, past Sho/Keiko, Aimiya friendship, Yama friendship, Aiba/Toma (mentioned), Ohno/Ishihara Satomi
Rating: PG-13 - NC-17
Warnings: heartbroken Nino (at times), drunk Nino (at times), misunderstandings, a bit family drama
Summary:
Spring has come and spring means change. When Nino's last relationship ends shattered in pieces, it needs an embarrassing incident, a misunderstanding and Sakurai Sho to get Nino's love life back on track. This is the story about a heartbroken high school teacher who falls in love with the father of one of his new students.
Notes:
Dear natsunonamae, unfortunately, I could not work with the book and TV show AU prompts I got from you since the only thing I know from your list is "Secret Garden" (and it's one of my favorite books so I didn't dare to touch the material). However, I tried my best to use some of your random prompts and got carried away by the inspiration. I hope you like the outcome!
Another note, this story isn't only nino-centric but also sho-centric at parts, because I needed both POVs to tell the whole story. Hope, that's OK (since rules say the story has to be nino-centric)! Special thanks to ninomod and to everyone who supported and inspired me during the writing process, among those people but not limited to, my dear beta, of course! <3
~ * Chapter 1 * ~
Sho checks the name on his order and the one on the doorplate again, as he has been taught, just to make sure. Ninomiya. Check. He adjusts his cap and takes a deep breath, putting on his friendly work smile for the last time tonight and reaches for the doorbell.
"Good evening, Ninomiya-san, this is Pizza Amici delivery service. I've your order. Thank you very much for waiting!"
He hears rummaging from inside shortly after; good, at least this means that his customer – whatever kind of guy he is, who order pizza at such a ridiculously late hour – didn't fall asleep after he placed his order with the delivery service. Already experienced that.
"Finally! I've been waitin' for ages! I'm starvin'."
A muffled voice, followed by something that sounds like a crash and some cursing from inside the apartment – what is that guy doing?! - and then finally the door swings open, revealing a man, who is probably just a few years younger than Sho, with messy black hair, thick framed glasses sitting slightly off on his nose and dressed in baggy comfortable clothes. He makes a lightly sheepish impression and doesn't really look at Sho, his eyes glued on the pizza logo on the bag Sho is holding with both hands.
Presenting his customer with his order, Sho repeats what's written on the bill that is stuck on the pizza carton and looks at the man called Ninomiya again, smiling. "One Pizza Calzone and a bottle of coke, that makes 2.400 Yen, please."
Slightly uncoordinated, the young man nods and reaches into his trousers' pockets to pull out his wallet but... Oh no...
"Hm… Wait… where's mah wallet?" he asks, patting his pockets. "… Did you see my wallet?"
"No, Mister, I didn't see your wallet," Sho answers, suppressing a sigh.
These are his favourite customers right after the "I didn't order that!"-ones, the "Wait, I don't have the money ready"-ones. But it can't be helped and Sho is trained to be patient and friendly, no matter what happens. Lucky for him this is his last errand for tonight so the time pressure to make other deliveries in time isn't there. However, he did plan to go back to Ohno's place to pick up Satsuki as soon as possible.
Ninomiya checks his pockets again, at least, it's definitely not like he's fooling around with Sho – already experienced that - then looks sidewards to the chest of drawers in his entrance area but even Sho does not see anything looking like a wallet. The apartment's inhabitant ruffles his messy hair, sighing deeply.
"Wait a sec...," he murmurs.
"I won't run away," Sho replies. It's not like he has a choice anyway.
"Shit…," Ninomiya stumbles back into his apartment, swaying dangerously. Shortly after, Sho can hear him searching for his money from the doorway but he doesn't seem to be successful. Suddenly, the young man yells through the corridor. "I'm sorry, I can't find it as quickly as it seems. Would you like waiting inside while I'm searching for it?"
"Uhm…," well, it's not the first time that a customer invites him inside for waiting, Sho thinks.
"I'll try to hurry, I promise," he hears Ninomiya, starting to rummage through his room. "Just come in, I'd feel horrible if I let ya stay outside."
The delivery boy sighs again shortly, but steps inside the apartment as asked, closing the door behind him and takes off his shoes. "Thank you very much, sorry for the intrusion," he murmurs when he sets his feet into the corridor.
When Sho enters the living room, spreading the scent of fresh pizza through the whole apartment, he sees his customer ruffling his hair again while still searching for his wallet, almost desperately. Somehow, it's an adorable gesture, even if it results in his black hair standing on end, which actually looks very cute, Sho has to admit, smirking slightly.
Pulling his attention from the cute slob, Sho automatically scans his surroundings and grins when he spots a glass and a bottle of whiskey on the low table in front of the couch. He knew it...
The place seems to be a single man's household, at least, nothing seems to hint on more than one person living here and the interior looks nice and simple, well, underneath the chaos consisting of paperwork, magazines, used dishes, numerous plastic wrappings and clothes. Definitely standing out is a piano covered with music sheets standing close to the window and a much too small CD shelf, which seems to be ready to burst if anyone tries to fit the next CD in there. The large TV screen next to the shelf is showing a musical that Sho recognizes shortly after as "Elisabeth", the music playing in the background from the speakers is set in a comfortable volume.
Sho's look falls back on the resident of the apartment. Probably, he's a musician, maybe even a professional? However, instead of searching for his money, the young man with the messy black hair is now staring at the delivery boy, frowning. Sho frowns back.
"Ah… yeah, take a seat," Ninomiya murmurs and takes off his smeared glasses to clean them with the edge of his shirt. When Sho doesn't move, he looks at him again, putting glasses back on. "Come on, don't be shy, take a seat. I swear, I put my wallet somewhere… How much did you say is it…," he leans a bit forward, trying to figure out the name tag on Sho's chest. "Sakurai-san?"
For the first time since he opened the door, Ninomiya is not only glancing at him, but looking at Sho properly, checking out his face. They even make eye contact and for some reason, Sho can't help but stare back into those dark, glassy eyes which are looking at him, trying to focus – something that may be a bit difficult for the young man, depending on the level of his drunkenness, probably. The young man's face is nothing extraordinary, but he's definitely cute, even handsome in his own way, his expression somehow reminds Sho of a Shiba Inu puppy.
He clears his throat. What is he even thinking?!
"2.400 Yen," Sho says to distract Ninomiya from staring at him so shamelessly.
For a moment, Ninomiya still stares at him, then he blinks. "Hm?" he asks, as if pulled out of his thoughts.
"It costs 2.400 Yen," Sho repeats.
"Ah yeah, right, 2.400 Yen…," the customer murmurs, turning around again, continuing the search for his wallet while Sho finally sits at the edge of the couch in order not to ignore Ninomiya's hospitality. Then suddenly, the young man turns around, looking at Sho with a serious look. "You know, that's pretty expensive for a pizza and coke. In Italy pizza is much much more cheaper."
Sho chuckles. Did that guy just say much much? How adorable.
"Well, we're far far away from Italy," he replies playfully. He just can't resist.
Ninomiya looks at him with a critical frown, probably noticing the slight mocking of the man, but he doesn't say anything about it and tilts his head instead.
"True, the further the distance between us and the origin of our food, the more expensive, right?"
"Possible." What is this conversation?
"Do you like pizza, Sakurai-san?"
"Uhm, yes, I do," Sho answers a bit confused. He really didn't expect the other to be so chatty.
"You can have a bite while waitin', if you want," Ninomiya murmurs, making a slightly awkward gesture at the pizza carton that the delivery boy is still holding, before he rubs his neck, slightly embarrassed.
Sho chuckles amused, this is seriously the funniest and cutest offer he ever received from a customer, but he shakes his head, feeling determined. "Ninomiya-san, this is your pizza and I'm the delivery boy. I will not eat your pizza, but thank you very much."
"You don't like Calzone?" Ninomiya frowns with a slight pout. A very cute pout...
"I do, but no, thanks," Sho answers.
Ninomiya sighs. "I'm sooo sorry, you have to wait a lil longer, I still can't find my wallet…"
"…It happens," Sho shrugs.
"Are you in a hurry? Do you get in trouble if I make you wait like this?" Ninomiya asks, looking at the other man desperately.
"Don't worry, you're my last client for tonight so I won't get in trouble, but I'd appreciate if I can go home soon, of course." But to be honest, somehow, Sho doesn't really care any longer if he has to spend some extra minutes with his customer. At least, the waiting time will be entertaining.
"I'm really sorry… I swear, I thought I put it here somewhere…," the young man continues to search through the stuff spread on the living room table.
"Next to the whiskey bottle?" Sho asks challenging, arching his eyebrows.
Ninomiya looks at his table before turning to Sho, pouting. "Don't judge me, just because there's a bottle of whiskey, it doesn't mean I'm... drunk."
Nooo, definitely not. Ninomiya's look returns to the whiskey bottle.
"I never assumed that," Sho purses his lips, amused.
Then, Ninomiya looks at him directly again, biting his lower lip, cutely. "To be honest… I am."
"What?"
"Drunk," the young man admits.
"Well, I kinda figured you might be a bit tipsy," the delivery boy replies, having a hard time trying not to burst into laughter. Adorable.
Ninomiya blushes slightly. "Sorry. Usually, I don't drink, I swear to you and to god and... all the other gods... I don't even like whiskey. It's a devil's drink…."
Indeed... but thanks to the devil's drink Sho is able to witness such pure cuteness at the moment. "Don't be sorry, you're an adult, it's Saturday evening, it happens."
"You are a very patient 'n' understanding man, Sakurai-san, really," Ninomiya nods, thankfully and sits down on top of his low table.
Sho tilts his head, playing along to keep the slightly odd conversation running. "Indeed, I'm often told that."
"No wonder," Ninomiya shrugs before spacing out for a moment.
"Uhm, do you need help to find your wallet, Ninomiya-san?" Sho finally offers when the other doesn't seem to be reminded of the task by himself; startling Ninomiya as he pulls him out of his thoughts.
"Ah, no, no, no, thanks," the young man answers earnestly. "Impossible, I cannot let you rummage through my chaos, it's embarrassing!" He makes an expansive gesture, almost toppling the whiskey bottle next to him, but impressively manages to grab it just in time before spilling its content. "Woops…"
Sho can't help but laugh. "I just want to help. I don't mind if it's-"
The young man in front of him blushes, placing back the bottle safely. "You see, I know it's chaotic here. I didn't really have the nerves to clean up, you see? Because, you see, fact is, I just got dumbed a few days ago."
"I'm… sorry to hear that," Sho replies. He suddenly has a bad feeling about this…
"Sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"It's OK, don't mind," the delivery boy says with a gentle smile.
For some reason, he thinks he can forgive that cute man for anything. Probably, he didn't expect that his customer seems to interpret his reply, which was supposed to be more a polite set phrase, as permission for spilling out even more of what must be weighing on his mind and heart. But it's too late, and Sho doesn't know if it's the alcohol, his own friendliness or whatever, that makes the other even more talkative.
"I-I thought we're meant to be together, you see?" Ninomiya voices softly, almost in a whisper.
Oh, so this is getting serious, Sho thinks, nodding slowly. "I see...," he doesn't really know what to say but he can't just ignore the other, can he?
Ninomiya takes a deep breath and brushes his hand over his face. His voice starts shaking dangerously and Sho feels his own heart cringing in sympathy when the other man continues his story. "He was the first I fell in love with after years, you see?"
"I see…," Sho nods again, seriously hoping the young man in front of him is not going to burst into tears.
Ninomiya doesn't start crying, thankfully, but he continues telling a stranger on his couch his whole misery, seemingly without thinking twice, bubbling out everything. "Then he said I shouldn't be mad at him and we're better off as friends than a couple, ca-can you imagine? He said, I wasn't even exactly his type anyway, can ya tell me why he wasted two years of his life then to be my boyfriend?"
"I don't know, Ninomiya-san…," Sho answers, watching the other reaching for his whiskey, taking a sip. If he would be friends with the man, he now would reach out to take that glass from him, it would definitely be better... But they are just perfect strangers and Sho can do nothing in this situation.
"You know...," and another sip. Ninomiya cringes. "When he said he wanted to talk, I thought he wanted to ask me to – to m-move in together, but noooo, he wanted to break up. Just like that, BAMM," – yeah, bamm, just like the uncoordinated move of Ninomiya's fist hitting the air right now, not very elegantly – "I didn't see it coming at all… I'm so, so stupid…"
"I'm really sorry to hear that, Ninomiya-san…," Sho starts, carefully. He feels that this is slowly but surely getting out of hand and a look at his watch tells him that it's high time to go home. He decides to try distraction tactics. "And I'm really sorry to disrupt you but… your wallet?"
Ninomiya blinks. "What's with my wallet?"
"You wanted to search for it. To pay the pizza and the coke."
"Oh…," he has forgotten. He really has forgotten. "You're right. I'm sorry." The young man gets up again, his knees weak.
"I guess, you're still confused, it's OK."
"Confused…," Ninomiya tilts his head thoughtfully. Oh, this isn't over yet. "More than that, I'm shocked, you see? I hoped that it will finally have 'n end… being rejected over and over again… And how am I supposed to go back to work after holidays? I'll meet him there, every fucking day… I won't be able to stand it…"
Poor guy, Sho thinks, he really must be hurting deeply. "And if you ask to get transferred?"
"Impossible," Ninomiya shakes his head heavily, considering the movement a bad idea immediately and stops. He sits back on the table, facing Sho. "But… tell me, it's not too much asked for as an adult to want to find someone to settle with, is it?"
Those puppy eyes are heart breaking and damned, Sho's protective instinct is running wild. Why is he so weak with cute people?!
"No, I think, it's quite a common wish. I'm sure you did nothing wrong."
"Jun is a coward. He must have… how it's called? You know, when you're scared of… staying close to someone, becoming attached to someone?"
So the culprit who broke that adorable man's heart is named "Jun", Sho registers involuntarily. He feels the urge to have a serious word to this Jun-guy.
"You mean fear of commitment, I suppose," he answers.
"T-this! Exactly this. You're very smart, Sakurai-san," Ninomiya nods heavily before he considers the movement a bad idea for his head too and stops.
Sho shakes his head, smiling. "I'm just average."
"But you do understand people."
"It's just a normal thing, really."
"You, a perfect stranger, understand me," the drunk man repeats. "But my boyfriend, no, ex-boyfriend, doesn't. Isn't that sad?"
"I guess the situation is different, isn't it?"
"Like I said, you're very smart, Sakurai-san. You're a smart ass," Ninomiya points out, fishing for his whiskey next to him. Not the glass, the bottle this time. Oh oh...
"I don't know about that…"
"You are!" the customer repeats, takes a sip from his bottle and looks back at the delivery boy, eyeing him from head to toes. "You're a smart ass. Not that it's something bad. And you're a very handsome smart ass…"
Sho chuckles, fighting a blush. He should not feel flattered when a drunk man compliments him, he reminds himself. However, his heart jolts a little bit. "Well… Thank you very much, Ninomiya-san."
"You want a glass of whiskey too?" Ninomiya suddenly offers, pointing at the whiskey bottle in his hand.
Chuckling, Sho waives his hand. "No thanks, I can't drink, I'm on duty."
"Hm," there it is again, that cute pout. Dangerous... "But this is your last errand, you said so, isn't it?"
"Still, as long as I'm not paid, technically, I'm on duty," Sho refuses again. "And I have to drive."
"Right. How responsible of you. I didn't think about that, I'm sorry. It's nice talking to you, you see? It feels like talking to an old friend, you should keep me company…," Ninomiya bites his lips again.
"I'm just a delivery man waiting for his money," Sho hints again.
As amusing as the situation may be and as much as he wishes that he could comfort the young drunk man in his heartbroken misery, time is running late, for both of them. Probably, a good night rest and getting sober again will help Ninomiya more than anything else.
"Ah yes, the money..." Good, hint registered.
"You really don't need me to help you find your wallet?" Sho offers again, just in case.
"No, no! Just give me a second," the young man shakes his head while getting up again - well, again, trying to.
He sways dangerously and Sho just reacts quickly enough to push away the bag with the pizza carton placed on his lap, standing up and reaching out just in time to catch Ninomiya and prevent him from falling. Sho's red cap falls to the floor and when Ninomiya looks at his rescuer, he sighs in relief. The last thing he needs now is an injured heartbroken costumer.
"Gotcha!" he smiles at him.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry, thank you!" Ninomiya mutters. Is he embarrassed? Is he still able to become embarrassed in this drunken state?
"Please take care, Ninomiya-san."
"Why is it that you know my name, by the way? I never introduced myself to you…"
Sho chuckles. Seriously. "It's written on your order and your doorplate outside."
"Your point, Mr. Smartass. What happened to my brain?!" the young man replies with a chuckle too. His face is red and he brushes a few strands of hair from his forehead when he finds his balance. He's sweating a little. "By the way, is it only me or is it getting hot 'n here?"
"I think it's only you, maybe the alcohol…," Sho replies chuckling, before he stops abruptly. "Wait… What are you doing?!"
"What?" the young man arches his eyebrows, his hands already grabbing the edges of his shirtto pull it up. "I'm taking off mah shirt, it's hot in here, after all, isn't it? Ugh…," his movement stops, seemingly this turns out to be more difficult than expected and indeed - "Argh… I'm stuck… please, can you help me?"
Sho pulls in his lips, trying hard not to burst into laughter when he sees his customer struggling, his cute naked belly in front of him. He blushes, averting his eyes quickly. This guy can't be serious, undressing in front of a perfect stranger! What alcohol is able to make people do is really... fascinating sometimes.
"I don't think that I can do that, Ninomiya-san," the delivery boy replies to the other man's begging. "Please put down your shirt."
"Oh, you're not curious how I look like when I'm naked?" Ninomiya suddenly asks, swaying his body slightly, that is still caught somewhere within the fabric of his shirt. He must be joking.
Well, this is unexpected and it's enough to make Sho burst into laughing for real. "I cannot possibly answer to this…," he replies a bit helplessly.
"I get it, you're shy, aren't you? That's cute, the handsome smartass is actually shy..."
"Ninomiya-san, please…"
"Fine, fine, I'll do it by myself…," Ninomiya murmurs, trying to get his arms out of the mess of a shirt. "Somehow…"
"Ninomiya-san!"
Miraculously, the young man indeed manages to get rid of his shirt, but the piece of fabric is not the only thing he loses. More than that, he loses his balance again and trips over his own feet, stumbling forward, right into Sho's arms, who instinctively tries to catch the man, but instead gets pushed down with the other, until he finds himself flat on his back lying on the floor, the half-naked man on top of him.
"Whoops… I-I hope I'm not t-too heavy," Ninomiya stammers, blushing.
"Actually, you're light as a feather," the other man replies, blushing even more.
An even deeper blush stains Ninomiya's cheeks – if this is even possible. "Are you complimenting my slim figure?"
"Ninomiya-san…"
The young man drops his head on top of Sakurai's chest, seemingly not even thinking about getting off him. "I thought Jun likes my slim figure… not that I paid that much attention to it, but he used to hold me in his arms, just like this, and he used to say that I fit into his embrace perfectly, just like this… When he told me, I was never his type, it hurts, you know? It hurts so badly… am I that ugly?"
The heart-breaking puppy eyes again. Seriously, this is too much for Sho. What the hell is going on here? He sighs, not able to resist the urge to pat Ninomiya's messy hair slightly. "You're not ugly, Ninomiya-san..."
"Really? You just say that now to make me shut up," Cutie pouts.
"No, I mean it," Sho answers, surprised by himself, but he can't lie. "You're… quite cute."
"Really?"
"Really," he nods. "And if some stupid guy that dumped you doesn't see it, it's his loss, not yours."
"You're too nice, Sakurai-san," Ninomiya chuckles, his voice sounding a bit desperate and Sho has to pull himself together in order not to hug the other closer. "Stop saying such nice words to strangers or they will want to kiss you."
Sho's eyes widen. "Excuse me?"
"Ok, I want to kiss you," Ninomiya admits and tried to move his body a bit, to bring their faces closer. "Will you blame me for that?" he whispers.
This is definitely not what Sho is thinking about.
"Ninomiya-san…," he mutters blushing, when the man on top of him leans forward, closing his glassy eyes. How did Sho end up in this kind of situation?! Slightly panicking, he tries to push the young man away, half-heartedly; he doesn't want to hurt him, after all. "Ninomiya-san!"
~ * ~
"Why are you grinning like a fool?" Sho gets greeted by his best friend Ohno Satoshi when the latter opens the door to his small but cute terrace house about half an hour later.
"It's good to see you too, Satoshi," the man replies, letting himself in when Ohno steps aside. "Hey Mina, Cutie!" he places his shoes next to a pair of purple chucks and pets the small Siamese cat that immediately strolls around his ankles to greet the regular guest. "Is Satsuki ready?"
Ohno steps forward, followed by his friend. "Seems that she fell asleep upstairs while watching TV. Come in for now."
"Thanks. Are Satomi and the kids in bed already?" Sho asks, Mina in his arms starting to purr and reaches her small head to meet Sho's chin who smiles in response, while petting the cat's head.
"Satomi is preparing Satsuki's lunch for tomorrow," Ohno replies, pointing at the lights coming from the kitchen before he guides Sho to the living room. "She'll take a few more minutes, I guess."
"I told her she doesn't have to! I can do it too!"
Ohno settles back on the couch and throws his friend a sceptical look. "It's almost midnight, Sho, do you really want to start cooking once you're home? You know that thing called sleep? Believe it or not, even Superdad Sakurai Sho needs it from time to time."
"Well... it's still holidays, she's old enough to either cook for herself or better, she can come over to the shop and we go eat out lunch together with her," Sho pouts but finally sits down on the couch too, next to Ohno, while Mina makes herself comfortable on Sho's lap, demanding more pats.
"Maybe she wants to spend a day alone at home, making use of her father's working schedule?" the other man grins mischievously. "Sorry, I didn't intend to hurt your feelings with that statement, just guessing what a teenage girl may be thinking about the situation."
Sho sighs. "I know what you mean… But you guys are spoiling us."
"Satomi loves cooking and she loves Satsuki. She said it's no problem for her."
"I have to thank her properly."
"You can," Ohno agrees, his smile then turning into a broad smirk. "But first, tell me why you were grinning like a fool just now. Something happened?"
Again, Sho chuckles, waiving his hand. "Nothing, I just had a very funny customer."
Ohno's grin gets broader and he pulls his legs up on the couch to cross them comfortably as he leans a bit towards his friend's direction. "Let me hear it, your stories are always worth a laugh."
And indeed, this time Sho doesn't fail to make his friend laugh either.
"What?!" Ohno presses out between laughter after hearing his friend's story. "Are you kidding me?"
"It's unbelievable, isn't it? I mean, already I had to deliver food to really strange places and I have also been asked to wait inside a couple of times, but something like that never happened to me before," Sho grins.
Ohno shakes his head, amused. "I can't believe that stranger tried to kiss you…"
"…and passed out!" Sho adds chuckling. "Thank goodness! He is really cute, but he was reeking from alcohol..."
"How can you even call him cute?" Ohno frowns. "He was a drunk stranger."
"You should have seen him, he is adorable. Well... maybe I just feel sorry for him, though. He got his heart broken, he said, he usually doesn't drink, he seemed desperate and… I don't know, it was just kind of funny."
"So you pitied him and laughed at him at the same time."
"No," Sho chuckled. "Well, OK, I laughed about his behaviour but I also feel sorry for him. His ex-boyfriend told him he wasn't even his type and that they would be better off as friends."
"Ouch. Poor guy, indeed," Ohno nods compassionately before sending Sho a darting look. "By the way, just for the records, don't think I didn't notice that you noticed that he had a boyfriend."
Sho chuckles. "I can’t hide anyhing from my best friend, right? But hey, he wasn't talking about anything else other than his ex, it's not my fault to notice."
"What about the money by the way?" Ohno asks.
"Well, since he passed out, in the end he didn't pay, of course. I'll pay instead in the meantime."
"You should go there again. Of course, only to get your money back," Ohno wiggles his eyebrows.
"Yeah, maybe…," Sho sighs.
Ohno frowns. "You don't plan to?"
Sho tilts his head. "I'm not sure…"
"Why not? He owes you money!" his friend points out. "Are you scared that he's drunk again?"
"Rather, that he's too cute again," Sho murmurs.
"Oooh…," Ohno grins widely. "I see..."
Sho looks at him, shocked when he realized what his friend hints on. "Uhm, wait, that's not what I meant."
"Too late, you already said it. You said, he's cute. Twice," the other man chuckles devilishly.
"Satoshi, I -," Sho wants to protest but the battle is already lost.
"You're allowed to find guys cute, don't worry," Ohno waives his hand, grinning. "Even if he's a drunk customer."
"Satoshi!" Sho wants to start his defence but suddenly gets interrupted by his best friend's wife.
"Sho-kun!"
He turns around, facing the usual lovely smile of a beautiful young woman wearing a cute self-made apron.
"Satomi-chan, thank you very much for taking care of Satsuki, as always!" Sho bows his head slightly and flashes the woman a grateful smile.
"You know it's my pleasure," she waives her hand. "I love spending time with your girl, it's a nice contrast to having to deal with my little monsters nonstop."
Sho chuckles. "Don't say that, your boys are adorable," he replies, thinking of the four year old twin boys he adores so much.
"They are. Adorable monsters."
"What did they do this time?" Sho asks silently, turned to Ohno again.
"They ruined the Chinese tea set from her grandmother," his friend replies with a serious frown.
"Ouch…"
"Oh well, I'll get over it," Satomi sighs but it's written on her face that she mourns the loss of the tea set probably more than she wants to admit. Well, Sho can understand, heirlooms bear a lot of emotions and seeing them getting ruined hurts. However, Satomi returns to her happy smile immediately. She quickly turns around to take some boxes, handing them to Sho. "Here's Satsuki's lunch for tomorrow and I made one for you too."
Sho takes the boxed lunches with shining eyes, overly happy to receive one too, even if he originally has intended to scold his friend's wife for doing extra work for him and his daughter. "You're an angel, you know that, right?"
"Angel Satomi at your service," the woman replies happily, saluting in front of her guest. "I'm going to wake her up."
"Thank you."
Sho smiles after Satomi as he watches her approaching the stairs. He can't help but notice how Ohno stares after his wife, his eyes filled with love and his face decorated with a silly cute smile. Sho chuckles and his friend snaps his head into his direction, frowning at him.
"What?"
"Nothing," Sho laughs heartfully, continuing to brush Mina's soft fur.
TBC
Part 2
natsunonamaeFrom:
sky_fish7Title: You owe me 2.400 Yen and a Kiss
Pairing/Focus: Sakumiya, past Matsumiya, past Sho/Keiko, Aimiya friendship, Yama friendship, Aiba/Toma (mentioned), Ohno/Ishihara Satomi
Rating: PG-13 - NC-17
Warnings: heartbroken Nino (at times), drunk Nino (at times), misunderstandings, a bit family drama
Summary:
Spring has come and spring means change. When Nino's last relationship ends shattered in pieces, it needs an embarrassing incident, a misunderstanding and Sakurai Sho to get Nino's love life back on track. This is the story about a heartbroken high school teacher who falls in love with the father of one of his new students.
Notes:
Dear natsunonamae, unfortunately, I could not work with the book and TV show AU prompts I got from you since the only thing I know from your list is "Secret Garden" (and it's one of my favorite books so I didn't dare to touch the material). However, I tried my best to use some of your random prompts and got carried away by the inspiration. I hope you like the outcome!
Another note, this story isn't only nino-centric but also sho-centric at parts, because I needed both POVs to tell the whole story. Hope, that's OK (since rules say the story has to be nino-centric)! Special thanks to ninomod and to everyone who supported and inspired me during the writing process, among those people but not limited to, my dear beta, of course! <3
~ * Chapter 1 * ~
Sho checks the name on his order and the one on the doorplate again, as he has been taught, just to make sure. Ninomiya. Check. He adjusts his cap and takes a deep breath, putting on his friendly work smile for the last time tonight and reaches for the doorbell.
"Good evening, Ninomiya-san, this is Pizza Amici delivery service. I've your order. Thank you very much for waiting!"
He hears rummaging from inside shortly after; good, at least this means that his customer – whatever kind of guy he is, who order pizza at such a ridiculously late hour – didn't fall asleep after he placed his order with the delivery service. Already experienced that.
"Finally! I've been waitin' for ages! I'm starvin'."
A muffled voice, followed by something that sounds like a crash and some cursing from inside the apartment – what is that guy doing?! - and then finally the door swings open, revealing a man, who is probably just a few years younger than Sho, with messy black hair, thick framed glasses sitting slightly off on his nose and dressed in baggy comfortable clothes. He makes a lightly sheepish impression and doesn't really look at Sho, his eyes glued on the pizza logo on the bag Sho is holding with both hands.
Presenting his customer with his order, Sho repeats what's written on the bill that is stuck on the pizza carton and looks at the man called Ninomiya again, smiling. "One Pizza Calzone and a bottle of coke, that makes 2.400 Yen, please."
Slightly uncoordinated, the young man nods and reaches into his trousers' pockets to pull out his wallet but... Oh no...
"Hm… Wait… where's mah wallet?" he asks, patting his pockets. "… Did you see my wallet?"
"No, Mister, I didn't see your wallet," Sho answers, suppressing a sigh.
These are his favourite customers right after the "I didn't order that!"-ones, the "Wait, I don't have the money ready"-ones. But it can't be helped and Sho is trained to be patient and friendly, no matter what happens. Lucky for him this is his last errand for tonight so the time pressure to make other deliveries in time isn't there. However, he did plan to go back to Ohno's place to pick up Satsuki as soon as possible.
Ninomiya checks his pockets again, at least, it's definitely not like he's fooling around with Sho – already experienced that - then looks sidewards to the chest of drawers in his entrance area but even Sho does not see anything looking like a wallet. The apartment's inhabitant ruffles his messy hair, sighing deeply.
"Wait a sec...," he murmurs.
"I won't run away," Sho replies. It's not like he has a choice anyway.
"Shit…," Ninomiya stumbles back into his apartment, swaying dangerously. Shortly after, Sho can hear him searching for his money from the doorway but he doesn't seem to be successful. Suddenly, the young man yells through the corridor. "I'm sorry, I can't find it as quickly as it seems. Would you like waiting inside while I'm searching for it?"
"Uhm…," well, it's not the first time that a customer invites him inside for waiting, Sho thinks.
"I'll try to hurry, I promise," he hears Ninomiya, starting to rummage through his room. "Just come in, I'd feel horrible if I let ya stay outside."
The delivery boy sighs again shortly, but steps inside the apartment as asked, closing the door behind him and takes off his shoes. "Thank you very much, sorry for the intrusion," he murmurs when he sets his feet into the corridor.
When Sho enters the living room, spreading the scent of fresh pizza through the whole apartment, he sees his customer ruffling his hair again while still searching for his wallet, almost desperately. Somehow, it's an adorable gesture, even if it results in his black hair standing on end, which actually looks very cute, Sho has to admit, smirking slightly.
Pulling his attention from the cute slob, Sho automatically scans his surroundings and grins when he spots a glass and a bottle of whiskey on the low table in front of the couch. He knew it...
The place seems to be a single man's household, at least, nothing seems to hint on more than one person living here and the interior looks nice and simple, well, underneath the chaos consisting of paperwork, magazines, used dishes, numerous plastic wrappings and clothes. Definitely standing out is a piano covered with music sheets standing close to the window and a much too small CD shelf, which seems to be ready to burst if anyone tries to fit the next CD in there. The large TV screen next to the shelf is showing a musical that Sho recognizes shortly after as "Elisabeth", the music playing in the background from the speakers is set in a comfortable volume.
Sho's look falls back on the resident of the apartment. Probably, he's a musician, maybe even a professional? However, instead of searching for his money, the young man with the messy black hair is now staring at the delivery boy, frowning. Sho frowns back.
"Ah… yeah, take a seat," Ninomiya murmurs and takes off his smeared glasses to clean them with the edge of his shirt. When Sho doesn't move, he looks at him again, putting glasses back on. "Come on, don't be shy, take a seat. I swear, I put my wallet somewhere… How much did you say is it…," he leans a bit forward, trying to figure out the name tag on Sho's chest. "Sakurai-san?"
For the first time since he opened the door, Ninomiya is not only glancing at him, but looking at Sho properly, checking out his face. They even make eye contact and for some reason, Sho can't help but stare back into those dark, glassy eyes which are looking at him, trying to focus – something that may be a bit difficult for the young man, depending on the level of his drunkenness, probably. The young man's face is nothing extraordinary, but he's definitely cute, even handsome in his own way, his expression somehow reminds Sho of a Shiba Inu puppy.
He clears his throat. What is he even thinking?!
"2.400 Yen," Sho says to distract Ninomiya from staring at him so shamelessly.
For a moment, Ninomiya still stares at him, then he blinks. "Hm?" he asks, as if pulled out of his thoughts.
"It costs 2.400 Yen," Sho repeats.
"Ah yeah, right, 2.400 Yen…," the customer murmurs, turning around again, continuing the search for his wallet while Sho finally sits at the edge of the couch in order not to ignore Ninomiya's hospitality. Then suddenly, the young man turns around, looking at Sho with a serious look. "You know, that's pretty expensive for a pizza and coke. In Italy pizza is much much more cheaper."
Sho chuckles. Did that guy just say much much? How adorable.
"Well, we're far far away from Italy," he replies playfully. He just can't resist.
Ninomiya looks at him with a critical frown, probably noticing the slight mocking of the man, but he doesn't say anything about it and tilts his head instead.
"True, the further the distance between us and the origin of our food, the more expensive, right?"
"Possible." What is this conversation?
"Do you like pizza, Sakurai-san?"
"Uhm, yes, I do," Sho answers a bit confused. He really didn't expect the other to be so chatty.
"You can have a bite while waitin', if you want," Ninomiya murmurs, making a slightly awkward gesture at the pizza carton that the delivery boy is still holding, before he rubs his neck, slightly embarrassed.
Sho chuckles amused, this is seriously the funniest and cutest offer he ever received from a customer, but he shakes his head, feeling determined. "Ninomiya-san, this is your pizza and I'm the delivery boy. I will not eat your pizza, but thank you very much."
"You don't like Calzone?" Ninomiya frowns with a slight pout. A very cute pout...
"I do, but no, thanks," Sho answers.
Ninomiya sighs. "I'm sooo sorry, you have to wait a lil longer, I still can't find my wallet…"
"…It happens," Sho shrugs.
"Are you in a hurry? Do you get in trouble if I make you wait like this?" Ninomiya asks, looking at the other man desperately.
"Don't worry, you're my last client for tonight so I won't get in trouble, but I'd appreciate if I can go home soon, of course." But to be honest, somehow, Sho doesn't really care any longer if he has to spend some extra minutes with his customer. At least, the waiting time will be entertaining.
"I'm really sorry… I swear, I thought I put it here somewhere…," the young man continues to search through the stuff spread on the living room table.
"Next to the whiskey bottle?" Sho asks challenging, arching his eyebrows.
Ninomiya looks at his table before turning to Sho, pouting. "Don't judge me, just because there's a bottle of whiskey, it doesn't mean I'm... drunk."
Nooo, definitely not. Ninomiya's look returns to the whiskey bottle.
"I never assumed that," Sho purses his lips, amused.
Then, Ninomiya looks at him directly again, biting his lower lip, cutely. "To be honest… I am."
"What?"
"Drunk," the young man admits.
"Well, I kinda figured you might be a bit tipsy," the delivery boy replies, having a hard time trying not to burst into laughter. Adorable.
Ninomiya blushes slightly. "Sorry. Usually, I don't drink, I swear to you and to god and... all the other gods... I don't even like whiskey. It's a devil's drink…."
Indeed... but thanks to the devil's drink Sho is able to witness such pure cuteness at the moment. "Don't be sorry, you're an adult, it's Saturday evening, it happens."
"You are a very patient 'n' understanding man, Sakurai-san, really," Ninomiya nods, thankfully and sits down on top of his low table.
Sho tilts his head, playing along to keep the slightly odd conversation running. "Indeed, I'm often told that."
"No wonder," Ninomiya shrugs before spacing out for a moment.
"Uhm, do you need help to find your wallet, Ninomiya-san?" Sho finally offers when the other doesn't seem to be reminded of the task by himself; startling Ninomiya as he pulls him out of his thoughts.
"Ah, no, no, no, thanks," the young man answers earnestly. "Impossible, I cannot let you rummage through my chaos, it's embarrassing!" He makes an expansive gesture, almost toppling the whiskey bottle next to him, but impressively manages to grab it just in time before spilling its content. "Woops…"
Sho can't help but laugh. "I just want to help. I don't mind if it's-"
The young man in front of him blushes, placing back the bottle safely. "You see, I know it's chaotic here. I didn't really have the nerves to clean up, you see? Because, you see, fact is, I just got dumbed a few days ago."
"I'm… sorry to hear that," Sho replies. He suddenly has a bad feeling about this…
"Sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"It's OK, don't mind," the delivery boy says with a gentle smile.
For some reason, he thinks he can forgive that cute man for anything. Probably, he didn't expect that his customer seems to interpret his reply, which was supposed to be more a polite set phrase, as permission for spilling out even more of what must be weighing on his mind and heart. But it's too late, and Sho doesn't know if it's the alcohol, his own friendliness or whatever, that makes the other even more talkative.
"I-I thought we're meant to be together, you see?" Ninomiya voices softly, almost in a whisper.
Oh, so this is getting serious, Sho thinks, nodding slowly. "I see...," he doesn't really know what to say but he can't just ignore the other, can he?
Ninomiya takes a deep breath and brushes his hand over his face. His voice starts shaking dangerously and Sho feels his own heart cringing in sympathy when the other man continues his story. "He was the first I fell in love with after years, you see?"
"I see…," Sho nods again, seriously hoping the young man in front of him is not going to burst into tears.
Ninomiya doesn't start crying, thankfully, but he continues telling a stranger on his couch his whole misery, seemingly without thinking twice, bubbling out everything. "Then he said I shouldn't be mad at him and we're better off as friends than a couple, ca-can you imagine? He said, I wasn't even exactly his type anyway, can ya tell me why he wasted two years of his life then to be my boyfriend?"
"I don't know, Ninomiya-san…," Sho answers, watching the other reaching for his whiskey, taking a sip. If he would be friends with the man, he now would reach out to take that glass from him, it would definitely be better... But they are just perfect strangers and Sho can do nothing in this situation.
"You know...," and another sip. Ninomiya cringes. "When he said he wanted to talk, I thought he wanted to ask me to – to m-move in together, but noooo, he wanted to break up. Just like that, BAMM," – yeah, bamm, just like the uncoordinated move of Ninomiya's fist hitting the air right now, not very elegantly – "I didn't see it coming at all… I'm so, so stupid…"
"I'm really sorry to hear that, Ninomiya-san…," Sho starts, carefully. He feels that this is slowly but surely getting out of hand and a look at his watch tells him that it's high time to go home. He decides to try distraction tactics. "And I'm really sorry to disrupt you but… your wallet?"
Ninomiya blinks. "What's with my wallet?"
"You wanted to search for it. To pay the pizza and the coke."
"Oh…," he has forgotten. He really has forgotten. "You're right. I'm sorry." The young man gets up again, his knees weak.
"I guess, you're still confused, it's OK."
"Confused…," Ninomiya tilts his head thoughtfully. Oh, this isn't over yet. "More than that, I'm shocked, you see? I hoped that it will finally have 'n end… being rejected over and over again… And how am I supposed to go back to work after holidays? I'll meet him there, every fucking day… I won't be able to stand it…"
Poor guy, Sho thinks, he really must be hurting deeply. "And if you ask to get transferred?"
"Impossible," Ninomiya shakes his head heavily, considering the movement a bad idea immediately and stops. He sits back on the table, facing Sho. "But… tell me, it's not too much asked for as an adult to want to find someone to settle with, is it?"
Those puppy eyes are heart breaking and damned, Sho's protective instinct is running wild. Why is he so weak with cute people?!
"No, I think, it's quite a common wish. I'm sure you did nothing wrong."
"Jun is a coward. He must have… how it's called? You know, when you're scared of… staying close to someone, becoming attached to someone?"
So the culprit who broke that adorable man's heart is named "Jun", Sho registers involuntarily. He feels the urge to have a serious word to this Jun-guy.
"You mean fear of commitment, I suppose," he answers.
"T-this! Exactly this. You're very smart, Sakurai-san," Ninomiya nods heavily before he considers the movement a bad idea for his head too and stops.
Sho shakes his head, smiling. "I'm just average."
"But you do understand people."
"It's just a normal thing, really."
"You, a perfect stranger, understand me," the drunk man repeats. "But my boyfriend, no, ex-boyfriend, doesn't. Isn't that sad?"
"I guess the situation is different, isn't it?"
"Like I said, you're very smart, Sakurai-san. You're a smart ass," Ninomiya points out, fishing for his whiskey next to him. Not the glass, the bottle this time. Oh oh...
"I don't know about that…"
"You are!" the customer repeats, takes a sip from his bottle and looks back at the delivery boy, eyeing him from head to toes. "You're a smart ass. Not that it's something bad. And you're a very handsome smart ass…"
Sho chuckles, fighting a blush. He should not feel flattered when a drunk man compliments him, he reminds himself. However, his heart jolts a little bit. "Well… Thank you very much, Ninomiya-san."
"You want a glass of whiskey too?" Ninomiya suddenly offers, pointing at the whiskey bottle in his hand.
Chuckling, Sho waives his hand. "No thanks, I can't drink, I'm on duty."
"Hm," there it is again, that cute pout. Dangerous... "But this is your last errand, you said so, isn't it?"
"Still, as long as I'm not paid, technically, I'm on duty," Sho refuses again. "And I have to drive."
"Right. How responsible of you. I didn't think about that, I'm sorry. It's nice talking to you, you see? It feels like talking to an old friend, you should keep me company…," Ninomiya bites his lips again.
"I'm just a delivery man waiting for his money," Sho hints again.
As amusing as the situation may be and as much as he wishes that he could comfort the young drunk man in his heartbroken misery, time is running late, for both of them. Probably, a good night rest and getting sober again will help Ninomiya more than anything else.
"Ah yes, the money..." Good, hint registered.
"You really don't need me to help you find your wallet?" Sho offers again, just in case.
"No, no! Just give me a second," the young man shakes his head while getting up again - well, again, trying to.
He sways dangerously and Sho just reacts quickly enough to push away the bag with the pizza carton placed on his lap, standing up and reaching out just in time to catch Ninomiya and prevent him from falling. Sho's red cap falls to the floor and when Ninomiya looks at his rescuer, he sighs in relief. The last thing he needs now is an injured heartbroken costumer.
"Gotcha!" he smiles at him.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry, thank you!" Ninomiya mutters. Is he embarrassed? Is he still able to become embarrassed in this drunken state?
"Please take care, Ninomiya-san."
"Why is it that you know my name, by the way? I never introduced myself to you…"
Sho chuckles. Seriously. "It's written on your order and your doorplate outside."
"Your point, Mr. Smartass. What happened to my brain?!" the young man replies with a chuckle too. His face is red and he brushes a few strands of hair from his forehead when he finds his balance. He's sweating a little. "By the way, is it only me or is it getting hot 'n here?"
"I think it's only you, maybe the alcohol…," Sho replies chuckling, before he stops abruptly. "Wait… What are you doing?!"
"What?" the young man arches his eyebrows, his hands already grabbing the edges of his shirtto pull it up. "I'm taking off mah shirt, it's hot in here, after all, isn't it? Ugh…," his movement stops, seemingly this turns out to be more difficult than expected and indeed - "Argh… I'm stuck… please, can you help me?"
Sho pulls in his lips, trying hard not to burst into laughter when he sees his customer struggling, his cute naked belly in front of him. He blushes, averting his eyes quickly. This guy can't be serious, undressing in front of a perfect stranger! What alcohol is able to make people do is really... fascinating sometimes.
"I don't think that I can do that, Ninomiya-san," the delivery boy replies to the other man's begging. "Please put down your shirt."
"Oh, you're not curious how I look like when I'm naked?" Ninomiya suddenly asks, swaying his body slightly, that is still caught somewhere within the fabric of his shirt. He must be joking.
Well, this is unexpected and it's enough to make Sho burst into laughing for real. "I cannot possibly answer to this…," he replies a bit helplessly.
"I get it, you're shy, aren't you? That's cute, the handsome smartass is actually shy..."
"Ninomiya-san, please…"
"Fine, fine, I'll do it by myself…," Ninomiya murmurs, trying to get his arms out of the mess of a shirt. "Somehow…"
"Ninomiya-san!"
Miraculously, the young man indeed manages to get rid of his shirt, but the piece of fabric is not the only thing he loses. More than that, he loses his balance again and trips over his own feet, stumbling forward, right into Sho's arms, who instinctively tries to catch the man, but instead gets pushed down with the other, until he finds himself flat on his back lying on the floor, the half-naked man on top of him.
"Whoops… I-I hope I'm not t-too heavy," Ninomiya stammers, blushing.
"Actually, you're light as a feather," the other man replies, blushing even more.
An even deeper blush stains Ninomiya's cheeks – if this is even possible. "Are you complimenting my slim figure?"
"Ninomiya-san…"
The young man drops his head on top of Sakurai's chest, seemingly not even thinking about getting off him. "I thought Jun likes my slim figure… not that I paid that much attention to it, but he used to hold me in his arms, just like this, and he used to say that I fit into his embrace perfectly, just like this… When he told me, I was never his type, it hurts, you know? It hurts so badly… am I that ugly?"
The heart-breaking puppy eyes again. Seriously, this is too much for Sho. What the hell is going on here? He sighs, not able to resist the urge to pat Ninomiya's messy hair slightly. "You're not ugly, Ninomiya-san..."
"Really? You just say that now to make me shut up," Cutie pouts.
"No, I mean it," Sho answers, surprised by himself, but he can't lie. "You're… quite cute."
"Really?"
"Really," he nods. "And if some stupid guy that dumped you doesn't see it, it's his loss, not yours."
"You're too nice, Sakurai-san," Ninomiya chuckles, his voice sounding a bit desperate and Sho has to pull himself together in order not to hug the other closer. "Stop saying such nice words to strangers or they will want to kiss you."
Sho's eyes widen. "Excuse me?"
"Ok, I want to kiss you," Ninomiya admits and tried to move his body a bit, to bring their faces closer. "Will you blame me for that?" he whispers.
This is definitely not what Sho is thinking about.
"Ninomiya-san…," he mutters blushing, when the man on top of him leans forward, closing his glassy eyes. How did Sho end up in this kind of situation?! Slightly panicking, he tries to push the young man away, half-heartedly; he doesn't want to hurt him, after all. "Ninomiya-san!"
~ * ~
"Why are you grinning like a fool?" Sho gets greeted by his best friend Ohno Satoshi when the latter opens the door to his small but cute terrace house about half an hour later.
"It's good to see you too, Satoshi," the man replies, letting himself in when Ohno steps aside. "Hey Mina, Cutie!" he places his shoes next to a pair of purple chucks and pets the small Siamese cat that immediately strolls around his ankles to greet the regular guest. "Is Satsuki ready?"
Ohno steps forward, followed by his friend. "Seems that she fell asleep upstairs while watching TV. Come in for now."
"Thanks. Are Satomi and the kids in bed already?" Sho asks, Mina in his arms starting to purr and reaches her small head to meet Sho's chin who smiles in response, while petting the cat's head.
"Satomi is preparing Satsuki's lunch for tomorrow," Ohno replies, pointing at the lights coming from the kitchen before he guides Sho to the living room. "She'll take a few more minutes, I guess."
"I told her she doesn't have to! I can do it too!"
Ohno settles back on the couch and throws his friend a sceptical look. "It's almost midnight, Sho, do you really want to start cooking once you're home? You know that thing called sleep? Believe it or not, even Superdad Sakurai Sho needs it from time to time."
"Well... it's still holidays, she's old enough to either cook for herself or better, she can come over to the shop and we go eat out lunch together with her," Sho pouts but finally sits down on the couch too, next to Ohno, while Mina makes herself comfortable on Sho's lap, demanding more pats.
"Maybe she wants to spend a day alone at home, making use of her father's working schedule?" the other man grins mischievously. "Sorry, I didn't intend to hurt your feelings with that statement, just guessing what a teenage girl may be thinking about the situation."
Sho sighs. "I know what you mean… But you guys are spoiling us."
"Satomi loves cooking and she loves Satsuki. She said it's no problem for her."
"I have to thank her properly."
"You can," Ohno agrees, his smile then turning into a broad smirk. "But first, tell me why you were grinning like a fool just now. Something happened?"
Again, Sho chuckles, waiving his hand. "Nothing, I just had a very funny customer."
Ohno's grin gets broader and he pulls his legs up on the couch to cross them comfortably as he leans a bit towards his friend's direction. "Let me hear it, your stories are always worth a laugh."
And indeed, this time Sho doesn't fail to make his friend laugh either.
"What?!" Ohno presses out between laughter after hearing his friend's story. "Are you kidding me?"
"It's unbelievable, isn't it? I mean, already I had to deliver food to really strange places and I have also been asked to wait inside a couple of times, but something like that never happened to me before," Sho grins.
Ohno shakes his head, amused. "I can't believe that stranger tried to kiss you…"
"…and passed out!" Sho adds chuckling. "Thank goodness! He is really cute, but he was reeking from alcohol..."
"How can you even call him cute?" Ohno frowns. "He was a drunk stranger."
"You should have seen him, he is adorable. Well... maybe I just feel sorry for him, though. He got his heart broken, he said, he usually doesn't drink, he seemed desperate and… I don't know, it was just kind of funny."
"So you pitied him and laughed at him at the same time."
"No," Sho chuckled. "Well, OK, I laughed about his behaviour but I also feel sorry for him. His ex-boyfriend told him he wasn't even his type and that they would be better off as friends."
"Ouch. Poor guy, indeed," Ohno nods compassionately before sending Sho a darting look. "By the way, just for the records, don't think I didn't notice that you noticed that he had a boyfriend."
Sho chuckles. "I can’t hide anyhing from my best friend, right? But hey, he wasn't talking about anything else other than his ex, it's not my fault to notice."
"What about the money by the way?" Ohno asks.
"Well, since he passed out, in the end he didn't pay, of course. I'll pay instead in the meantime."
"You should go there again. Of course, only to get your money back," Ohno wiggles his eyebrows.
"Yeah, maybe…," Sho sighs.
Ohno frowns. "You don't plan to?"
Sho tilts his head. "I'm not sure…"
"Why not? He owes you money!" his friend points out. "Are you scared that he's drunk again?"
"Rather, that he's too cute again," Sho murmurs.
"Oooh…," Ohno grins widely. "I see..."
Sho looks at him, shocked when he realized what his friend hints on. "Uhm, wait, that's not what I meant."
"Too late, you already said it. You said, he's cute. Twice," the other man chuckles devilishly.
"Satoshi, I -," Sho wants to protest but the battle is already lost.
"You're allowed to find guys cute, don't worry," Ohno waives his hand, grinning. "Even if he's a drunk customer."
"Satoshi!" Sho wants to start his defence but suddenly gets interrupted by his best friend's wife.
"Sho-kun!"
He turns around, facing the usual lovely smile of a beautiful young woman wearing a cute self-made apron.
"Satomi-chan, thank you very much for taking care of Satsuki, as always!" Sho bows his head slightly and flashes the woman a grateful smile.
"You know it's my pleasure," she waives her hand. "I love spending time with your girl, it's a nice contrast to having to deal with my little monsters nonstop."
Sho chuckles. "Don't say that, your boys are adorable," he replies, thinking of the four year old twin boys he adores so much.
"They are. Adorable monsters."
"What did they do this time?" Sho asks silently, turned to Ohno again.
"They ruined the Chinese tea set from her grandmother," his friend replies with a serious frown.
"Ouch…"
"Oh well, I'll get over it," Satomi sighs but it's written on her face that she mourns the loss of the tea set probably more than she wants to admit. Well, Sho can understand, heirlooms bear a lot of emotions and seeing them getting ruined hurts. However, Satomi returns to her happy smile immediately. She quickly turns around to take some boxes, handing them to Sho. "Here's Satsuki's lunch for tomorrow and I made one for you too."
Sho takes the boxed lunches with shining eyes, overly happy to receive one too, even if he originally has intended to scold his friend's wife for doing extra work for him and his daughter. "You're an angel, you know that, right?"
"Angel Satomi at your service," the woman replies happily, saluting in front of her guest. "I'm going to wake her up."
"Thank you."
Sho smiles after Satomi as he watches her approaching the stairs. He can't help but notice how Ohno stares after his wife, his eyes filled with love and his face decorated with a silly cute smile. Sho chuckles and his friend snaps his head into his direction, frowning at him.
"What?"
"Nothing," Sho laughs heartfully, continuing to brush Mina's soft fur.
TBC
Part 2
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Please know that I'm already freaking out at your summary (you already have my heart tbh) and I can't wait to r e a d it! Just a heads-up that it will probably take me a while to get back to you--I have a few hectic days ahead where I will have to abstain from Nino fic in sheer agony--but rest assured, I'm already ;____; at all of this. Thank you! :DDD
♥
no subject
It's interesting. I love it.
Thanks for sharing.