Titles:Attention, Proximity, Similarity, Accommodation, Illusion, Break, Closure
Pairing:OhnoxSho, OhnoxNino, AibaxNino, OhnoxAiba
Genre:Fluff, Angst, Romance
Rating:G
Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot
Word Count:12,372
Warning:Deathfic
Summary:Ohno cannot come up with any new ideas on his new painting project, that is, until he met someone he cannot stop thinking about.
A/N: A One-Shot containing One-Shots. Does that even make sense?

Attention -- Day 165

“Can you believe it?” Nino asked him excitedly for the fifth time after going through the ending of Bioshock Infinite. “Booker is actually Comstock. Mind blown!”

From where he was sitting, he could hear his friend imitating an explosion to illustrate how he felt. Ohno wished he knew what it felt like to be mind blown like Nino, but he doesn’t adequately play games like him. If maybe, he watched Nino play his games till the end, he might just be mind blown. Then again, he planned on watching Nino play, but grew quite sleepy in the beginning. Instead, he brought his blank canvas out with him, sat besides Nino and wondered what to paint next. His clients have been disappearing lately without a word because he hadn’t been able to paint for a month now.

“Yeah...” Ohno mumbled quietly as he tilted his head to the side, an image of a castle forming in his head. Maybe he could paint one of those castles in those travelling brochures Nino got for him last year. Nino told him once to put it somewhere he could easily find it, but he doesn’t really have this “somewhere” to keep it.

“Oi.”

Maybe it was under his bed? Where did he--

“Satoshi! Hello?! Are you still there?!”

He blinked three times before turning to his right; he had almost forgotten that Nino was in the same room. “Yes?”

“Did you hear what I said? I’ve already repeated it a lot of times, if you hadn’t noticed,” Nino hissed and stuck his tongue out at Ohno. For some reason, Nino reminded Ohno of a child.

Ohno titled his head to the side. “I heard you the first time, Nino.”

“Oh yeah? Then what’d I say?”

“Booker is Comstock and it’s mind blowing.”

Nino arched his eyebrow as if he was impressed with what he heard, but said nothing and walked off to his room. Ohno wanted to follow him to apologize, but knowing Nino, he let it go. He decided it was best to speak to Nino later when his temper was cool, or maybe after buying him a new game -- which always seemed to work; nevertheless, Ohno was broke this month, so there was no way of asking forgiveness from his roommate. Sighing, he decided today was a good day to take a walk and leave Nino to himself. Besides, he hasn’t been out of their apartment for almost a week. He’s missed the outside -- just a little.

As soon as he stepped out onto the concrete ground, he inhaled the ocean air until he could no longer hold all of it. The sun had barely risen, yet Ohno found it a beautiful sight: the huge orange-yellow sun in the sky hidden behind the ocean waves. He wished Nino could get off his temper and see this, but then again, Nino’s bedroom was facing the ocean, so he might have already seen it every waking moment. Ohno did, too, but the sight would never grow old on him.

Ohno’s definition of a walk, according to Nino, was only a walk from the front steps to the mailbox, a good ten feet away, then back again. He felt a little offended at Nino’s words, but it was somewhat true. He occasionally made little trips to the mailbox to see if he had mail, or a new issue of his favorite art magazine; but sometimes, he does walk further from the mailbox, like to the grocery store or the local fishery -- he liked to fish sometimes as a hobby. Today, he figured, would be a day to venture further from the mailbox. It was summer already and he needed to be elsewhere other than his and Nino’s small apartment home.

He produced a loud yawn, although he was not sleepy, as he took a right turn and began to walk aimlessly. He figured that he’ll let his feet take him anywhere since he knew the neighborhood pretty well (he painted it once when his next door neighbor with a huge wad of cash requested it), although Nino warned him he’ll get lost one day and suggested getting a tracking chip inserted in his body. Ohno took Nino’s words to mind although he had a feeling he wouldn’t get lost today because getting a chip sounds scary. Maybe a short walk for three to five blocks would do.

As he walked, he wondered what product to paint next. He had an idea of painting a European castle earlier, but he felt that it was out of him to paint such scenery since he’s Japanese, not European. All he could ever paint were places he’s been to in his homeland, or simply nearby city landmarks. It was clear that he was out of inspiration juice. Usually, Nino would take him around their homeland, after days and days of begging, for something -- anything -- to paint about. But neither he nor Nino have enough money for the time being...

Sighing heavily, Ohno sulked. At this point of time, his parents’ harsh words would come back to him. If he went to college like he was supposed to, maybe he would have gotten a decent job with a good pay. Or maybe, he can be the next great businessman, something like that. If only he had the motivations to pursue the education career, he wouldn’t be where he was now, living his life like the way he wants, with his parents behind him. Still, it wasn’t too late to go back to college, he’s only 24. Except his parents already threw him away for being a worthless son and for wasting their money on him. Besides, he wasn't fit to run a company anyways.

Which is why he had Nino, Ohno smiled at the thought. He found Nino by chance one day after a strange meeting over coffee, just down the street from their current apartment, and was offered a room by the end of their conversation. Although Nino was aware of his occupation and the fact that he’s still a stranger, he was kind enough to offer himself as a roommate. It’s been two years since then, and not once had Nino tried to get rid of him for not helping him pay rent; he’s wondered since then, though, if Nino took him in out of pity.

In the end, Ohno ended up in front of the fishery store. On days he took a break in painting, he would come out here, buy a few baits before crossing the street to head towards the bridge, with his blue rod in hand. Maybe, today was a good day to go fishing too, but Ohno didn’t feel like it; he doesn’t even have his rod to begin with. He stepped inside, anyways, to see if they had his favorite baits up in stock. And as it turns out, there was. Ohno felt tempted to grab a few and buy them, but he was planning on saving what he had left for a new set of paint (in case Nino’s out of money), though it doesn’t hurt to look. Just as he was about to grab one, he was knocked slightly to his left. He almost fell if it weren’t for whoever it was grabbed his waist.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” The person quickly apologized and bowed. “I should be more careful next time...”

“It’s ok,” Ohno shook his head eyeing the mess of brown hair in front of him. Neither of them got hurt, so it was OK. Then he wondered if Nino were with him, he would probably be screaming at the person’s face right now. Ohno laughed. He knew Nino all too well. He began to walk away, wondering if Nino was OK by now, but stopped when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder.

“Uh... do you know which fishing rod is best to use for fishing out at the beach? I can’t seem--”

“Oh, I don’t...” Ohno paused momentarily after turning around and suddenly felt as if the wind was knocked out of him. “...work here...” He mumbled quietly as his eyes lingered on the man’s troubled face, but Ohno saw differently. What he saw was a man with a look of determination on his face. His eyebrows were of that a perfect arch above his friendly brown eyes. His nose was shaped unlike any other, and his lips were a perfect curve, each of them tinged brightly pink. The man gave him an image of a rich guy, but he shrugged it off when he noticed his casual clothing.

“Oh...” The man sighed heavily as if the reply was bad news.

“But I can help you,” Ohno offered anyways, not minding the fact that the man could have just went to the store owner for help. “I know all about fishing, and you’ll thank me for coming to the right guy.

The man then sighed in relief, the troubled look on his face replaced with a calmer expression. “Thank you.”

Proximity -- Day 166

Nino was giving him strange, quizzical looks and Ohno could feel it from the kitchen. Moments before he went home, he bought iced coffee with the man, he met at the fishery store days before, in the same coffee shop he met Nino. He’s never had iced coffee before, but since the man insisted on him to try it, he fell immediately in love with the drink. The man told him that it was best on days he felt hot, or some days he simply feels like having it.

“I can’t bear with your giggling anymore,” Nino announced from the doorway leading to the kitchen. “You sound like a little boy.”

Ohno shrugged over the fishes he and his newly found friend caught yesterday morning. He was meant to tell Nino about him, but the thought always seemed to disappear when he faced his friend. Well, at least now was the best time. “I met someone. He fishes too, but only because his father forced him.”

“And does he have a name?” Nino asked, sounding a bit hostile to Ohno’s liking. He hasn’t heard Nino speak that way before, but probably it must be because he hadn’t told him any sooner.

“It’s Sakurai Sho,” Ohno answered nonchalantly as he remembered the name being mentioned perfectly in the man’s mouth.

Nino hummed. “If you needed a fishing buddy, you could have just asked me.”

“I know. But whenever I ask you, you always reject me, Nino.”

“Then ask me next time, I promise I won’t refuse.”

Ohno was surprised at his friend’s reply. What if they suddenly went out on a boat to fish and he brought Nino along? He learned of Nino’s seasickness just last year when he kept urging his friend to go whale watching with him -- it was not a good idea to place Nino, a boat, and water together. But it wasn’t that bad of a thought since Nino once told him he never fished before. Maybe, they could bond through fishing together, along with Sakurai, of course. Just as he was about to nod in agreement, however, Nino was already gone. Probably back in his room, or getting ready for his afternoon shift. Shrugging, Ohno went back to tending the fishes. It was his and Nino’s dinner for tonight, and probably the following nights since they caught so many yesterday.



Ohno still didn’t have anything to paint on his canvas. It has been blank for almost a week now, and there was nothing else he could use as an inspiration to paint. He found the travelling brochures though, as it turned out to be in Nino’s bedroom “for easier find,” he says. He grabbed one from the armchair where Nino threw it, and flipped through all of them till he was finished with the last brochure.

After skimming through them, though, Ohno was tempted to travel; his mind immediately went back to Sakurai. He remembered Sakurai talking about how he’s travelled a couple of times around the world last year, and talked about how fascinating everything was. But the way Sakurai talked about it, it seemed like a  experience for him rather than an exciting one. Ohno was secretly jealous when Sakurai told him one of his adventures, but he decided to say nothing then. He felt as if through Sakurai’s tales, that he was there himself.

Still, that didn’t give him enough inspirations to paint. There were a ton of things he could paint, such as the sunset outside, but he felt it wasn’t enough. Of all the paintings he produced, each of them had different feelings to it, and real purpose. For instance, when his rich neighbor received the painting, he cried, thanking Ohno for the best present for his ill grandmother (Ohno couldn’t help but cry, too, after learning that his neighbor’s grandmother only had a week left to live).

Ohno scrunched his nose as he poked a finger in one of his nostrils. There was an itch was supposed to take care of earlier, but he didn’t have the time to until now. Once the itching sensation was gone, Ohno pulled his finger from his nose and pressed it on his lip in thought. Maybe, he could just paint a scenery, sell it at local art shops that would take it. Or maybe--

He jolted from his seat when his phone went off. It was loud as heck and Ohno wasn’t ready for it. He quickly grabbed for his phone, glad for once that his fingers weren’t occupied with wet paint, afraid that the longer it’ll go on, his heart won’t stop racing so fast.

“Hello?” He answered as soon as he clicked the answer button.

“Hello? Ohno-san?” A familiar voice replied. It didn’t take long for Ohno to figure out who it was.

“This is he,” He grinned widely into the phone. It’s the second time Sakurai called him on the phone, the first being the call to confirm that it was his number.

The latter laughed on the other end. “Cool. I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Uh… did you say your apartment was across the beach? Near the bridge where we fish, I mean.”

“Yep.”

“Oh, then do you mind offering me a hand?”

“With?”

“My things.”

“O--” There was a soft click a second later and Ohno feared that Sakurai might have hung up; turns out he did. All he could hear was the blaring sound of the other end announcing the call was over. He flipped his phone closed and stared at it, wondering what Sakurai meant. A second later, however, he peeled his eyes away when he heard the door bell ring it’s happy tune throughout the apartment. “Coming!” Ohno announced in a sing song voice as he put the phone back in his pocket and strode towards the door. He didn’t bother to look through the peep hole, thinking that it might just be another one of those annoying door-to-door salesman. As soon as the door opened, however, he was not greeted by a salesman. It was none other than Sakurai with a sheepish grin on his face. Ohno looked at him, the boxes besides his legs, and the moving truck on the parking lot.

“Decided to drop by before moving in,” Sakurai told him, “We‘ve already met, but I’m your new neighbor.”

“Oh… Oh!” Ohno exclaimed, realizing what Sakurai had meant earlier. “I’ll just be a moment, Sakurai-san. Wait for me here.” He quickly ran to his room, changed out of his painting attire and ran back to Sakurai in a hurry. Taking the other boxes with him, he followed Sakurai next door. Ohno was relieved that Sakurai was their new neighbor, since after all, the apartment next door had been quite empty for some time now.

Similarity -- Day 167
“He moved in?” Nino repeated again as if he couldn’t believe it. “He moved in?”

Ohno nodded as he handed Nino a bowl of rice and yellow chopsticks. It was the first news he told Nino as soon as he came home, but it seems that Nino wasn’t too happy about it. Then again, he’s never met Sakurai, so Ohno understands. Or was there something else…? It just seems that Nino doesn’t look approving every time he mentioned Sakurai.

“Nino? How are you lately?” Ohno asked him once the both of them were finally seated. He realized it’s been a while since he asked him that question. And he hasn’t seen much of Nino lately except mornings and at midnight, not even weekends.

“I’m fine, thank you very much,” Nino remarked, his upper lip pulling up as he scowled.

Ohno set his chopsticks besides his bowl to take his time and observe his friend. Other than the fact that Nino always seemed to be in a bad mood, not once has he heard his friend reply back so venomously. Ohno assumed it was Nino’s job taking most of his afternoons when he could play all day, or it must be the summer weather, or the beach, or everything altogether. Whatever it was, Ohno was worried about him. “Nino, are you really ok?”

“I said I’m fine,” Nino retorted and Ohno couldn’t help but wince. Something was definitely up. He raised his hand to touch Nino’s forehead, just in case Nino was sick without telling him, but the latter pulled away quickly. Ohno frowned at his friend’s action.

“I’m worried,” Ohno told him honestly. “You’re not even eating the dinner I cooked today.” He pointed at the untouched bowl of rice and chopsticks lying down in front of Nino. They both looked so lonely, Ohno noted. He pushed said items towards his friend, hoping that he could get him to touch it, but Nino did not budge. Instead, his friend pushed it away.

“I’m not feeling hungry after all,” Nino told him as he pushed his chair back and stood up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, or whenever.”

“But--” Ohno didn’t get to tell Nino that they can see each other at any time since they were roommates, but his friend already left the table. Was it something he said, or did?



After what seemed like a hesitant moment, Ohno finally rang the doorbell to Sakurai’s apartment. Behind the door, he thought he heard what sounded like tableware smashing into pieces, and shuffling footsteps running all over the place. He wondered if Sakurai was watching a movie, or if a clumsy accident might have occurred -- Ohno immediately assumed it was the second. He banged on the door this time and yelled to let Sakurai know it was him. Within moments, the door finally opened, revealing a frantic Sakurai in front of him.

“What was that?” Ohno peered over Sakurai’s sloping shoulder, but was blocked by the man himself. “I thought I heard something smashing.”

“Oh, it’s nothing!” Sho quickly replied as he gently pushed Ohno so he could close the door. “Just... watching a movie!”

“Are you sure?” He tried to look over his shoulder again, but couldn’t as the door came to a close. “You look like--” Ohno’s eyes widened when he saw something odd from the corner of his eyes. On Sakurai’s arm, there was a trail of red blood making it’s way down to his hand. Once Ohno saw this, he grabbed Sakurai’s uninjured arm and dragged him back to his apartment. He ignored Sakurai trying to tell him he was fine, when clearly, he wasn’t. If Ohno hadn’t rung the doorbell and called for his attention, who would have known what would happen next?

“Sit here,” Ohno pointed towards the couch Nino, and sometimes himself, used when he played video games. “I’ll be real quick.” Once Sakurai was seated as he was told, Ohno made way for the bathroom. He knew where all the necessary things were such as the medkit, thanks to Nino, and he immediately grabbed it before grabbing a set of towels as well. He came back, relieved to see that Sakurai was still conscious.

“Ohno-san, you don’t have to do this,” Sakurai told him as Ohno placed the latter’s arm on the couch arm. Ohno didn’t say anything as he was too focused on trying to fix Sakurai’s arm. Even if he didn’t have to do it, he felt like it would be better if he did it himself, even if he paled at the sight of blood.

“There,” Ohno patted the bandaged wound, giving the arm back to it’s owner. He felt proud of himself, for once, since Nino didn’t have to do it. Once, Nino patched up his wounds for him after a fishing accident last year, and Ohno couldn’t stop bawling at the sight of the wound and the blood. If Nino were around, he’d be proud of him too, probably. After putting the bloodied towels and the medkit away, he attended to his guest, taking the other empty seat on the far end of the couch.

“So...” Sakurai started, his voice breaking the silence in the air. “Where’s Ninomiya-san?” Ohno told him about Nino, but he still hadn’t had the chance to introduce the two of them.

“Work. He’s the vice-manager of the game store down a few blocks from here.”

“Oh, he is?” Sakurai muttered under his breath. “Interesting...”

“Hmm? What was that?”

“Oh, nothing,” The latter shook his head. “...I’m sorry about this,” He nodded towards his bandaged wound. “I was trying to make something for dinner tonight, but, well... things happened.”

Ohno chuckled lightly. That happened to him before when he began learning how to cook because Nino told him it’s a decent job for him around the house. The first time he tried to cook, he got injured as well, but not so much like Sakurai. Still, he improved and eventually got the hang of it. “I take it you just began to learn how to cook?” Ohno asked, amused.

Sho sighed as if he was caught in the middle. “Yes... It looked easy when they do it in TV, but when I tried it, it was a total failure.”

A smile made it’s way to Ohno’s lip as an idea occurred to him. He noticed earlier when Sakurai opened the door, that the man was wearing a red apron. Though it seems that the latter had forgotten he was wearing it as Ohno eyed it and Sakurai’s cheeks were tinged bright red. “Remember the fishes we caught two days ago?”

Sakurai nodded his head.

“I can teach you a dish I know.”

“That’s great!” Sakurai exclaimed. “But Ohno-san... is that a canvas?” He nodded towards Ohno’s untouched blank canvas. “I remember you telling me that you paint...”

“Oh,” Ohno quickly grabbed the said item and placed it somewhere in the living room out of sight: behind the shelf of Nino’s games and gaming consoles. “That’s... I haven’t been able to paint lately. I don’t like it when it’s , so please don’t pay attention to it.”

Sakurai whispered a faint ‘OK’ before proceeding to the kitchen by Ohno’s orders. Once he felt that the canvas was forgotten, he took ingredients out of the fridge and the pantry, the same ones he used for yesterday’s dinner. But before they began, he took last night’s leftovers from the fridge and had Sakurai taste it for himself. A satisfied moan was enough for Ohno to hear, and soon, he began showing Sakurai how he made the fish taste that delicious. “Oh, it’s called Heavenly Halibut,” He informed Sakurai.

As he chopped the ingredients, however, Ohno felt a bit distracted with Sakurai leaning so close to him. Not that it was wrong or weird at all since Sakurai needed to see what was going on, but Ohno had never been physically this close to anyone -- not even Nino. He was in his last stick of green onion while sneaking small glances towards Sakurai when all of a sudden, he felt a pang of pain coming from the tip of his index finger. His eyes immediately went to this source of pain when he saw blood seeping onto the green onion and the chopping board.

“Where’s your medkit?!” Came a shout from the bathroom. Ohno looked to his left and saw that Sakurai was gone.

“Underneath the sink!” He yelled back as he slowly retreated from the cutting board. Maybe it’s best if he stayed out of the kitchen for a while.

It was no sooner than later when Sakurai came back, giving him worried glances as he tried to open the kit in his hands. Once it was open, Ohno was advised to sit on the same spot he asked Sakurai to sit on earlier, and was asked for his hand. Ohno gave it willingly, unable to witness the sight of blood anymore. It’s not that he was afraid of blood, though, but it just made him quirky.

“There,” Sakurai sighed in relief a few moments later and gave his hand back. He came back a little later after quietly announcing that he’ll put the medkit away himself. Once he came back, an amused smile was on his face. “I noticed something.”

“What?” Ohno asked, confused of Sakurai’s expression. He was confused for a short moment until Sakurai eyed his bandaged arm, then Ohno’s bandaged finger. Now he know what he was talking about. He let out a howl of laughter as he realized how there weren’t so different from each other, save the looks, the name, and whatever else about their identity and physical features. They kept at it until a cough sounded from the front door. Ohno pulled his eyes away from Sakurai and saw his friend standing by the shoe rack.

“Oh, Nino, you’re home! Meet, Sakurai Sho,” He pointed to Sakurai before pointing to Nino. “And Sakurai-san, meet Nino.”

Accommodation -- Day 168

"Hey, Sakurai-san, do you know your way around here?" Ohno asked him one day while the both of them were sitting on lounge chairs on Nino's balcony. It just so happened that the both of them had nothing to do in the afternoon while Nino was at work, so the both agreed on meeting each other someplace, and somewhere near sounded great: that being his or Sakurai’s apartment. Ohno insisted on hanging out at Sakurai's balcony instead, but Sakurai kept refusing without a reason.

"What makes you say that?" The latter hummed, taking another sip of lemonade juice Ohno made earlier.

"You look like you're from the city. With your great clothing and all," he pointed out. He had seen Sakurai dress somewhat city-like compared to everyone else around the neighborhood, and even sounded and acted like he was from the city.

"Hmm... Are you offering to be a tour guide?"

"Yes, but I have a feeling you don't need it."

"Don't worry," Sakurai chuckled. "I've already got a hang of this place, and you're right, I'm from the city."

Ohno silently agreed. It did seem like he knew what he was doing, since it’s been more than two weeks since he’d only met Sakurai. But Ohno was curious about the man, like what his job was or how old he was. Ohno told him his, but Sakurai never did. On another note, his small little side notes were right about Sakurai, yet he knew so little about him.

“How old are you?” Ohno asked as politely as he could.

“23,” Sakurai quickly answered as if he was anticipating the question.

Ohno nodded, impressed. But there was something odd about his age, like shouldn’t he be in college? “Are you a dropout?” Ohno asked him curiously ‘like me?’. He was hoping that Sakurai wasn’t, but for some reason, he did not know why.

“It’s summer, Ohno-san. I don’t have a reason to be in college right now.”

“Oh,” Ohno nodded in realization. “I see.” He had forgotten about it since after all, he lived in front of the beach and everyday felt like summer. On another note, at least Sakurai wasn’t a dropout like him. Ohno sighed in dejection, realizing how much of a help Sakurai was to his parents unlike he was to his own. He hated to admit it, but he was a little bit jealous of Sakurai at the moment. Maybe, unlike him, Sakurai might live a luxurious and better life without worries and whatsoever, such as being able to come up with what to paint next.

“Ohno-san, if you don’t mind me saying this... may I?”

Ohno shook his head. “Go ahead.”

“I enjoy your company,” Sakurai continued, taking another sip of lemonade.

At Sakurai’s words, Ohno felt a sudden rush of emotions: shock, ecstatic, and something else he couldn’t explain happening in his chest. His heart made small leaps as Sakurai’s words repeated itself in his mind; Ohno was sure it might leap any second now. “Me too,” He answered a little later, his voice coming out in a high pitch. Ohno also couldn’t help but feel his temperature rise up all over his body, despite the ocean breeze pushing past them and his light clothing; he has never felt this way before.

The rest of their afternoon was spent staring out onto the ocean, making light conversation from time to time. But Ohno couldn’t help himself, as time went on, making small little glances towards Sakurai.



“Why is he here?” Nino asked silently in disgust as he nodded towards Sakurai. It was a good thing the dining table was nowhere near the kitchen for him to hear Nino’s harsh question.

“For dinner,” Ohno answered nonchalantly. “I invited him over.”

“Psh, more like he invited himself over,” Nino mumbled under his breath, though Ohno heard it well.

He decided to ignore his friend, thinking that maybe Nino needed to get used to another company in their house. Ohno feared, though, that Nino might start talking behind Sakurai’s back since Ohno plans on inviting him to dinner more often; he’ll have to talk to Nino later after Sakurai heads for his own apartment. Ohno pushed a bowl of salad towards Nino, hoping that his friend would take it to the table when he pushed past him.

“I’m not feeling hungry,” Nino announced, although Ohno could hear his stomach growling for food. “Have fun.” Nino left, probably to his bedroom, without saying anything else, leaving Ohno confused and worried about his friend. It must be definitely he said something this time.

“Isn’t Ninomiya-san going to eat dinner?” Sakurai asked once Ohno took his seat in the opposite of him.

“I don’t know,” Ohno answered honestly. “I’ll see to it that he eats, though.”

Nino never came out, but Ohno could clearly hear what sounded like video game effects coming from his friend’s room. With Nino in mind, he placed the leftovers he and Sakurai barely touched on a plate, before covering it with cling wrap and placing it in the fridge where Nino could easily see it. Then he washed the dishes, with the help of Sakurai, and cleaned up a little bit before heading towards the living room. They proposed earlier, during dinner, to watch a movie, just for the heck of it. Though Ohno doesn’t remember when’s the last time he watched a movie in one sitting. Whenever Nino begged him to watch a movie with him, he always ended up falling asleep, but Nino never said anything about it, or berated him for that matter.

“I know a cool movie that Nino showed me,” Ohno said as he shimmied over to the DVD collection stand. “It’s an American movie, but I never finished watching it. What’s it called again? Ga...Gamer? Something like that.” He searched the collection for a DVD with the same title, and sure enough, it was there near the top. “Here it is,” Ohno beamed, proud of himself for at least remembering the title. “I’m particularly not interested in gaming, but I wanted to finish watching it.” He handed it to Sakurai who looked like he wanted to see it as well.

“Hmm, looks interesting... Let’s watch it.”

After Ohno fed the disc in the DVD, he settled back on the couch and hadn’t realized he almost sat on Sakurai when he felt an odd warmth on his bum. Ohno grinned sheepishly and quickly moved to the other end before silently apologizing to Sakurai, though it seems as if the latter was not fazed by it.

The movie began smoothly and soon, there was a huge battle scene that was even louder than Nino’s game. Ohno, in attempt to find the remote, suddenly fell to his left, landing on something warm. He looked up, horrified he might have done something embarrassing in front of Sakurai again. When he looked up, however, he saw an amused face looking down on him. He scrambled to get back up, but was held down when Sakurai gently pushed his shoulder down.

“It’s ok,” Sakurai murmured. “I don’t mind the loud noise.”

Ohno nodded, his face feeling extremely hot. Ohno, however, made no more attempt to get up as Sakurai kept his hand on his shoulder. Without saying anything, because of fear he might say something stupid, he slowly turned to his left. All he needed to do was focus on the movie, not the man he was lying his head underneath on. However within seconds, Ohno’s eyes began to droop. He hadn’t noticed this until he felt Sakurai’s warm hand weaving through his hair.

In the end, he didn’t finish the movie.

Illusion -- Day 169

“What the hell?” Where the first words he heard the moment he came to consciousness. Ohno made no move in attempt to see whose voice it belonged to, but the small movements behind him motivated him to wake up. As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was in the living room and the TV was on. It was also bright in the living room and he wondered why he didn’t wake up in his room.

“Satoshi, what’s this?” He strained to look up and finally saw his friend looking over him behind the couch. Nino looked displeased, or more disgusted as his eyes roamed all over him, rather behind. Ohno followed his eyes, but was unable to as something was holding him, preventing him from turning around to see what it was. However, he stopped straining altogether when he felt small movements behind him. “You do realize you slept with that man on your back?” Nino pointed out, the disgust obvious in his voice.

“I-- Sakurai-san?” This time, Ohno was able to slowly turn around and came face-to-face with none other than Sakurai. He looked so peaceful in his sleep.

“Oi, Satoshi.”

He was unable to use his fingers to trace over the delicate features of Sakurai’s face, but he used his eyes to navigate him around instead. Every now and then, his eyebrows would scrunch together as if he was having trouble in his dream, but it came to it’s perfect arch once again, indicating that he had calmed down. His lashes were not as long like a girl’s, but it almost seemed to touch his cheeks.

“Satoshi.”

Sakurai’s nose would twitch every now and then when Ohno lightly blew on it. However, his favorite feature was Sakurai’s lips. It was still pink as when he saw it last, and plump like strawberries. Ohno found himself lost in Sakurai as he slowly leaned in and--

“Satoshi!” Nino whispered-screamed, his hand coming in between Ohno’s and Sakurai’s face. “W-What are you doing?!”

Ohno looked up and saw his friend’s cheek was bright red. He shrugged, not knowing what he was planning to do himself.

“G-get off him,” Nino demanded, making his voice a bit louder this time. He looked flustered as if there was something bothering him.

“Can’t,” Ohno nodded towards Sho’s arms around his waist. Did he hold him like that all night?

“Then I’ll--” It seems like Nino was going to try and remove Ohno himself, but was interrupted when the third person in the room mumbled. Nino, looking a bit more flustered, shot Sakurai looks that could kill a person, before heading towards his room. Ohno wondered, as Nino’s door banged closed, if he had eaten his share of dinner last night.

“Nnnn...” Sakurai mumbled, his arms around Ohno’s waist tightening. “What time... is it?”

Ohno craned his neck over his shoulder and gave the digital clock on the DVD. “8:30.”

“8--” Sakurai’s eyelids flew open and Ohno could see how brown his eyes were. “O-Ohno-san!”

Ohno felt Sakurai’s arms releasing itself from his waist, and he couldn’t help but whine at the loss of touch. His whine didn’t reach Sakurai, however, when he fell back and hit the wooden floor.

“I’m so sorry!” Sakurai scrambled on his feet and helped him up on his own as well. “I... I didn’t mean to... I-”

“It’s ok,” Ohno interrupted, ignoring the pain sensations running over his backside. “Did we -- Did I fall asleep?”

Sakurai smiled nervously, his eyes darting anywhere but his. “Yeah... I, uh, I’m sorry about earlier. When I saw you sleeping, I kind of... fell asleep myself...”

Oh, so that’s what happened. He did remember a bit of what happened last night, now that it became clearer, that Sakurai was trying to make himself comfortable on the narrow couch. He might have fell some time last night, but he wasn’t sure. If he had, it must be why Sakurai held him. And then Ohno laughed. If he was so sleepy, they could have just slept on his bed and-- Ohno slapped himself mentally as his mind suddenly threw in different thoughts other than sleeping. The couch was not so bad of an idea, he thought.

“I... I need to get going...” Sakurai mumbled, still refusing to meet his eyes. “I’ll see you... later.”

“Sure,” Ohno agreed. “Maybe over iced coffee, or something.” With that said, Sakurai scurried to the front door. Ohno wanted to follow him out, but he if he did so, Sakurai might never make it out of the door alive since the latter kept tripping. After a few more trips later, Sakurai was finally out of the door and Ohno wished his mornings were like this everyday. To wake up with the one-- No. The word love felt weird to think of, or even say out love. To be honest, Ohno doesn’t even know how he truly feels towards Sakurai, except that he liked it when he was around; that he liked it when he had get togethers with him; that he liked it when he almost spent most of his afternoons with him; that he liked it when he enjoyed his company; that he liked it when he held him all night. Ohno could say more about him, but the list can go on forever.

Sighing contentedly, he wrapped his arms around his waist, exactly where Sakurai had held him. It felt different putting his own arms around him, but it definitely felt better when Sakurai had done it. Ohno felt as if he had been reborn, the only face he saw when he opened his eyes were Sakurai. When he was with him, all his worries were gone, especially-- Ohno whirled around and stormed towards Nino’s game shelf. He had almost completely forgotten about his blank canvas hiding behind the shelf. He put it away two nights ago and hasn’t touched it since. But as Ohno laid his eyes on it, he suddenly had an idea of what to paint. Finally, he thought, a fresh idea.

“See, because of him you haven’t touched your canvas,” A voice behind him pointed out. “I should have-- hey, what’s this?”

Ohno glanced over his shoulder and saw his friend picking something shiny from the couch. Ohno has never seen it before, but only on TV once when he was watching with Nino. “Isn’t that the new Galaxy S4?” Ohno asked curiously as he sauntered besides Nino. “What’s that doing here?”

Nino shrugged, looking over it as curiously as he was. “It’s probably Sakurai’s--” Nino was interrupted when the phone suddenly went off with a bright ringtone. “Ohno... Satoshi? Is it just me, or is your family name on the screen?”

Ohno held out his hand for the phone and looked into it closer once Nino handed to him. How can that be possible when he wasn’t the one calling him? He decided to answer the call anyways as curiosity took over.

“Hello? Sakurai?”

Oh, it was Sakurai’s phone. However, it was not Ohno’s voice on the other end of the line, but another man’s. It sounded like this man was older.

“Have you convince him yet? I don’t have time, Sakurai. You need to bring Satoshi over as soon as possible... Hello?”

Ohno felt his hand shaking, yet he couldn’t find himself to speak into the phone. He knew well whose voice this belonged to now, and he hasn’t seen the man for 5 years. Yet, Ohno couldn’t help himself as he let out a weak, “Pa...pa?”

The man on the other end of the line breathed in sharply, and Ohno could mentally see his troubled face. Except Ohno had forgotten what he looked like, he only took the image off from his childhood memories. “Sa--”

Ohno threw the phone across the room, startling Nino and himself. It was his father, for goodness sake, yet he didn’t want to hear his voice, not after what his parents did to him. His father, if his memory served correctly, always depreciated him. Despite this, Ohno loved his father dearly, but was eventually cast out without a warning. But now this... He mentioned Sakurai’s name... It all made sense now. With him meeting Sakurai coincidentally at the fishery, then their short get togethers, with him moving in as his new neighbor, with him being so sweet and making him fall... in love with him...

Ohno dropped the canvas on the floor as he turned to Nino. “Everything’s... a lie...” He mumbled before pulling his friend into a hug.
 

Break -- Day 170

“I knew he was bad news from the start,” Nino mumbled into his shirt once more as Ohno continued to weep. Ohno was aware of how Nino was trying to help him lighten up, but talking and thinking about Sakurai did not help; it only made Ohno cry louder into Nino’s neck. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll take you out to go travelling. And maybe, you can start painting again.”

Ono briefly looked up from Nino’s neck, his crying coming to a small stop. “Really?”

“Yep. Really.”

“But what about your job?” Ohno asked him worriedly. “And your money.”

“Ah, I don’t care,” Nino scoffed. “What I care about is making my friend feel better, and taking him as far away from here as possible.”

“Then...” Ohno sniffed, wiping his eyes and nose with the back of his hands. “Can we go right now?”

Nino almost looked at him as if he was a madman for saying that, but the small smile on Nino’s face said differently. “Of course, Satoshi. Of course.”

At his answer, Ohno dragged his friend around the apartment, asking him where they put their luggages. He found them in Nino’s closet, his friend muttering something about how it might get lost in Ohno’s own room. He then let his friend go and dragged the light blue luggage with him to his room. It was a mess, but Ohno knew exactly where to find his clothes: underneath the bed, his piles of blank canvases, and anywhere really, as long as it smelt like it hadn’t been used. Once Ohno had packed everything together, without caring to fold it neatly, he called for Nino and begged to be taken out asap. There were out of the door in no time, unfortunately, Ohno bumped into a certain somebody once he and Nino were out of the apartment.

“Ohno-san, I can explain,” Sakurai muttered hastily as he tried to block Ohno’s path, but failed when Nino blocked him instead. “It’s not what--”

“Oh, it is what it seems,” Nino growled angrily towards Sakurai. “If you want to live another day, it’s better if you step aside.”

“But--”

“Can’t you see! He doesn’t want to talk to you!” Nino growled, pushing Sakurai a bit harshly. When Ohno saw this, he was tempted to pull him from the metal floor, but stopped himself. Sakurai did not love me back, Ohno told himself, he was just playing you.

“L-let’s go, Nino,” He mumbled, grabbing his friend’s wrist and pulling him along. He tried his best to ignore Sakurai, but every time he heard his voice and his name, Ohno was close to tearing up again. The man was practically begging for him, but Ohno chose to ignore it. Once he and Nino were in Nino’s car, they locked the doors to prevent Sakurai from opening it.

“Please, Ohno-san!” Sakurai called for him again as he banged his fists against Ohno’s side of the window. “Hear me out.”

“He doesn’t want to hear anything from you, you liar!” Nino yelled before starting the car. “It’s ok, Satoshi. You won’t have to see him again.” Ohno leaned his body against the car door and glued his eyes on the beach. He felt a little sick by just staring at it.



He was in second to the last canvas when Nino suddenly blocked his view. The smirk on his friend’s face and the plastic toy gun thing in his hand gave Ohno little warnings in his head. He paid no attention to Nino before, of course, his friend began to spray cold water on his face. Taking this as a sign, Ohno took his toy gun out as well and squirted liquid on Nino’s face. Nino, however, stopped, swiped a finger across his face, and grimaced.

“Satoshi... Is this...?”

Ohno laughed. While Nino was away, probably trying to come up with a tactic of how to get him, he poured yellow juice inside of his gun. He thought that this might be able to keep Nino away from him for a while. It looks like it might work.

“...Pee?” Nino continued, as he was not trying to wipe the liquid off his face.

“Relax!” Ohno laughed, “It’s just apple juice.”

Nino sighed in relief. “Geez, Satoshi. I really thought--”

Ohno cut him off as he squirted more juice on Nino’s face, except this time, he squirted it in Nino’s mouth. He earned a loud cry of defeat as a result, so he won this round. “Ha!” Ohno stuck his tongue out, just like Nino would when he won. “You lose!”

“Oh yeah?” Nino dropped his toy gun and glared at him. “Oh yeah?!” Before Ohno could say anything more, Nino sped off and soon came back within seconds. Ohno, who was still gloating because of his victory, suddenly stopped when he saw the snake-like thing in Nino’s hands.

“You wouldn’t,” Ohno muttered, backing away as much as he can from his friend. “That’s... That’s cheating.”

Nino smirked. “Oh, I know, Satoshi. I know.” At the same time Ohno closed his eyes to blink, he felt a rush of cool water hit him on his stomach. He ran as fast as he could from Nino, but ended up slipping on his feet and fell face first on green grass. He knew it was a bad idea to paint outside on tiled floors with Nino around.

“Now who’s the winner?!” Nino boasted, his laughter echoing to the forest beyond the rented vacation house. “I’m the winner!”

Ohno grumbled, though he was not angry at his friend’s child-like behavior. Actually, he liked it when Nino was like this, so carefree and stress free from work. He glanced to his right and saw a perfect way of ending this little game. While Nino was too busy being full of himself, Ohno sneaked behind him. He tapped his friend lightly on the shoulder, enough to get his attention.

“No, I’m still the winner,” Ohno said before pushing his friend into the blue pool. He laughed out loud as he saw the angry look on Nino’s face as he resurfaced.

“Fine, you win this round,” Nino grumbled. “But not for long!” Ohno didn’t know what Nino meant by it, but the next thing he knew, he was pulled into the pool as well. “Ha!” If Ohno had another set of himself, he would have painted this very scene instead of the forest that served as a never ending backyard.

“Nino, I’m gonna--”

“Ahem.”

The sound of someone else, other than the both of them screaming for each other’s lives, interrupted their play fight. Ohno looked up from where he was floating and saw a man dressed in a black suit standing at the edge of the pool.

“Ohno Satoshi-san?” The man spoke up, looking straight at him.

“Yes?” Besides him, he felt Nino tug at his wrist.

“There’s been an emergency, and we need you as soon as possible.”

“What--” His friend’s hand suddenly disappeared and he could hear loud splashing behind him. A different man dressed in the same suit had his hand over Nino’s mouth as his friend was being pulled back. “Nino!” He raced for his friend, silently wondering in his head how a man in a suit can thread through the water normally. However, once he reached Nino, his friend’s feet flew across his face in the state of panicking. Ohno stood frozen for a second before falling back onto the water, the bright blue sky suddenly turning black.

Closure -- Day 171

Ohno groaned as he woke up from a bad dream he wanted to wake up from earlier. It got worse when -- He didn’t want to think about it, afraid that he might cry himself back to sleep. He slowly opened his eyes, after realizing just how bright it was behind his eyelids. Maybe Nino was playing a prank of some sort, such as putting his bed outside while he was asleep (he had done it once). But as soon as his eyes were fully open, he was nowhere near the outside. Instead, he was inside of someplace he couldn’t recognize. He decided to sit up, to examine his surrounding when all of a sudden, his nose began to throb painfully. He fell back with a painful groan, only to realize exactly how his nose was in pain.

He quickly sat up, pushing the pain away as he panicked and searched for his friend. There were two men with them at that time, but there were no signs of those men, or Nino. He called out for his friend’s name, in hopes that there would be an answer somewhere in the room; there wasn’t. Ohno called for his name louder, sounding more panic stricken and desperate for his friend’s presence. Or maybe, that whole ordeal of being kidnapped was a dream and he had gotten lost himself, as Nino predicted long time ago. But he was so sure that the being-kidnapped-and-waking-up-somewhere-else part was real because his nose hurted from when Nino accidentally kicked him in the face.

As much as he would like to contemplate on whether the situation was real or not, he had to find Nino. There was no else with him other than Nino, and he would like it if his friend was with him. If Nino discovered him in such a situation, he’d end up in the surgical room with a doctor holding up a tiny little chip with a tweezer. He looked under the bed he was just lying on, the wardrobe, underneath the carpet, or anything that could hide his friend. However, as Ohno was too busy panicking, he hadn’t realized he wearing clothes that were completely out of his league as he stood in front of a long mirror. He was wearing a suit, just like the kidnappers had, except it was light blue and gave off a rich man feeling. Ohno didn’t even want to know how he ended up in the suit.

“Nino!” Ohno wailed for his friend, hoping that this time, he’ll answer. But there was no reply, yet again, and Ohno felt more lost. He finally stopped searching, however, when there was a knock on the lavish door. “Nino?”

“Ohno-kun, are you awake?”

It was not Nino, Ohno noted, because if it were Nino, he’d call him Satoshi, not Ohno-kun. Ohno walked away from the door, wondering who else in the world knew his family name. But of course, Ohno mentally smacked himself, his family was well known. Owning huge businesses and all that. Still, Ohno found himself answering. “Yes?”

“Ohno-san requests of your presence,” The voice continued. “During breakfast that is.” And with that, the man left. Ohno knew because he could hear soft footsteps slowly disappearing.

So is this where he was? His parents’ home? Ohno looked around, trying to see if he could remember a place like this as a child... He found nothing there except his parents’ disapproving faces and their never ending nagging of being an excellent student/son. Ohno pinched his nose, in efforts to massage whatever thoughts that came to mind. He remembered being so stressed that eventually, he retreated to painting which he never thought would become his profession later in life. Still, whether it was the magazines or the advertisements, he still had to come face to face with his parents after all. Ohno didn’t like the thought at all. Either way, he was requested by his father, or should he even call him that to begin with? Straightening his suit, although he didn’t have to, he opened the door and walked on, hoping to find the dining room.

It must have been luck that helped him find his way around, or probably Nino's loud laughter. Strange, Nino sound as if he was having fun. But whatever, or whoever, it was that entertained Nino, he hoped it wasn’t his parents. He poked his head out to the opening and the first thing he saw Nino stuffing his face with food that was much more expensive than him. His friend looked like he was enjoying the moment without him, and Ohno wanted in. However, the temptations stopped when he saw his parents and Sakurai standing behind his father. He wanted to run away as far from wherever he was, but the problem was, he didn’t know where he was in the first place. Ohno scolded himself for being so naive. Of course Sakurai would be there, but the thought never occurred to him that he’d see him again. He took a deep breath as he straightened his clothes, but for what? It's not like he's trying to impress anyone. He finally took a step towards the dining room and Ohno swore he could hear those fanfares in the back of his head -- he looked around, though, to make sure that it was just in his head.

Nino was the first to stand up as worry lines immediately formed on his forehead. “Satoshi...”

“Hi...” He mumbled awkwardly, although he was familiar with Nino, and took the empty seat besides him.

“Satoshi...” Ohno refused to look up at the sound of his mother’s voice and decided to ignore how it came out awkwardly. “We’ve been talking to Ninomiya-kun about you...” Figures.

“Satoshi...” This time, it was his father. Ohno suddenly picked up a random utensil and began picking at his breakfast. Funny, Ohno commented to himself as a flash of memory came back. Some years ago, whenever his father wanted to talk to him on the dinner table, Ohno would always pretend he was listening as he picked on his food. “I...” The old man paused again and whispered something to someone, probably Sakurai. Then there was this weird sound as if there was rubber being dragged across the lavish flooring. Ohno felt a soft nudge on his side and heard a whisper of ‘look up.’ If it weren’t for Nino, Ohno would have never looked up.

What he saw of his father was only his upper body since the table covered his lower half. The man was then pushed by Sakurai, who Ohno still refused to look at, and was placed besides his chair. A blue checkered throw covered his father’s lower half, but Ohno focused more on the odd chair his father was sitting on. After taking a better look, he noted that it was a wheel chair. The last time Ohno had seen his father was when he was standing over him with a disappointed look on his face.

“...Satoshi, it’s been a while,” The old man continued, “How have you been?”

Ohno bit back the response ‘I’ve been well, no thanks to you and mother.’ He honestly did not know how to respond back to his father, or had no idea if he even cared.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to answer. But Sakurai-kun told me you’re leading a great life.” Besides him, he heard Nino hiss at the mention of Sakurai’s name. “I’ve been meaning to call you...” Then why didn’t you? “...But I was afraid you’d react badly when you saw my face, or your mother’s.” I probably would have. “So I asked Sakurai-kun for help, but this young man told me something.” That you used him to deceive me just so I could go back home when you and mother kicked me out in the first place? “That you smiled, laughed, and live a different and better life.” I would have if he had not barged in. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he wished he had met Sakurai on a different situation. “You never did those things around us, and I think it was right for your mother and I to have done what we did...Satoshi, I regretted it. I did.” This time, without thinking to himself, Ohno stood up and banged his fist on the marble table.

“Then you shouldn’t have done it in the first place!” He yelled, so unlike himself. “Do you know how much I suffered under you and mother?! Do you know what I’ve been through out there, alone and penniless?! I could have gotten killed!” Ohno couldn’t stop himself anymore and the longer he went, he could feel himself tremble. “I bet you didn’t...” He laughed bitterly, bringing his hands up to his face, “You didn’t even know what I had to go through.”

“Satoshi, your mother and I planned to have you come back home as soon as we had done the most regrettable thing in our life, but we couldn’t find you. It took many years to--” His father paused and coughed lightly. He looked as if he was about to continue, but he suddenly grabbed his chest and fell back into his wheelchair.

Shouts of sir!, honey!, and Ohno-san! echoed in the dining room as maids, Sakurai, and his mother ran up to the old man. Ohno, feeling out of place, did nothing but watch; Nino, too, stood by his side, fidgeting and murmuring under his breath. He wanted to take Nino out with him and run away, but he was frozen to the ground.

“Sakurai...kun...” The old man finally spoke through violent fits of coughing and hacking, “Please... take care... of them...” The man continued to cough violently on his wheelchair, but Ohno was unable to witness anymore as he was escorted out of the dining room. Once he and Nino were out of hearing sight, Sakurai spoke up. It felt like it’s been years when Ohno last heard his voice, but he’d only seen him a month ago.

“Ohno-san, I--”

“Shut up, you fraud,” Nino spat as he came in between Sakurai and Ohno. “He doesn’t--”

Ohno laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder, glad that he was being so overprotective of him. But Ohno felt that avoiding Sakurai was no longer necessary. “I’ll take it from here, Nino. Thanks.” His friend threw one last glare at Sakurai before walking towards the end of the hallway.

“Ohno-san, listen. I--”

“Save it,” Ohno put his hand up to silence him. “Tell me about my father.”

“He’s been sick for a year...” Sakurai explained hesitantly.

“Then why now? Why does he need me?”

“...Ohno-sama doesn’t have a successor and without one, the company would come down.”

Ohno laughed bitterly. So this is what the old man wanted? In the end, it was still business and work. And here he thought they actually wanted him to come home. “I’ve heard enough,” Ohno sighed as he pushed past Sakurai and completely ignored him. “Let’s go home, Ni--” He was unable to call out for his friend when suddenly he was pulled back and found himself against another body. Ohno tried to push the man from him, struggled out of his arms, but none seemed to work as the man tightened his grip around him more. He should have known the man was strong, after all, it wasn’t the first time he’s been held like this.

“Ohno-san, I truly, really, meant it when I said I enjoyed being around you. You know, I hated myself for lying to you this whole time, but I never realized how I truly felt about you until that night when he watched that one American movie. What was it called again? G...Ga...Gamer?”

“If you’re asking for forgiveness, you’re not getting any.”

Sakurai sighed into his hair. “I know that, but Ohno-san... I--”

Sakurai was interrupted when they heard a loud crash behind them. They saw a little boy sprawled on the floor before getting up, looking flushed and worried.

“Ah, my little brother,” Sakurai said as he finally pulled away. “Masaki, what is it?”

“Ohno-sama, he’s...” The little boy, Masaki, began to tear up, his huge brown eyes immediately turning red. Sakurai, however, tensed, his eyes locking on the boy. Sakurai remained in that position for a second longer before running towards the dining room past his younger brother. Ohno saw this as a chance to finally escape, but oddly, Nino had gone to where Sakurai went; Ohno followed a second later to see what was going on.

He was greeted by men and women crying as they surrounded something Ohno couldn’t see. However, once everyone noticed his presence, they all stepped aside and Ohno saw why they were crying. Lying on the table surface was his father sleeping so peacefully. The blackish-gray on his head swayed as if there was only breeze surrounding him, and his hands were resting on top of his chest, right where the heart was located. Besides the man was his mother, gripping his clothing as she cried. “Mama...” Ohno hadn’t called her that in a while, “...What... happened?”

“Your father... he...” She wept louder and seemed as if she was never going to continue; he decided to leave her be.

He dared to take a step towards the peaceful man, but noticed something odd and took a short pause. His father, the man he grew to resent was not breathing, yet the man smiled as if he was having a wonderful dream. Ohno, unable to say anything or even walk up to his father, stood silently in the middle of the room. What was he supposed to do, cry? The man had been like hell to him in the past and even managed to deceive him by manipulating his feelings, but that man was his father. The man who had helped brought him to earth. Yet, Ohno stood, unmoving, unable to react at his father’s death. He hadn’t notice it if it weren’t for the dreadful thing called tears fell on his cheek. his cheeks. He furiously wiped it away with the back of his hands before turning around, his back facing his father, and ran past the crowd. There was nothing he could do from the beginning and it's not like he can bring someone back to life.

Ohno had ran without knowing where to go until he finally found a door leading outside. Ironically, the house was in front of a beach. He was about to turn back around when he felt strong arms wrap around his shoulders. He instantly knew who it was, but Ohno did not try to resist this time. “Was it my fault?” He whispered, “That he died?”

“No, Ohno-san... It would never be your fault.”

“But every time when it comes to me, there’s always trouble...”

“Why do you say that?”

“In the past,” He began as memories he had forgotten began to resurface bit by bit, “Whenever I had a bad grade, papa would get sick. Or if I had done something wrong, he has medicine with him..."

Sakurai sighed. "Ohno-san... It's not your fault. Ohno-sama had been that way before you were born... But it only got worse last year. He never told you because he's afraid."

"How do you know more about my father more than me?"

“I did research,” Sakurai explained, “Before he hired me to be his personal butler.” That explains how Sakurai knew his father.

“Afraid of what?” Ohno pushed on, curious to hear more about his father.

“That you’d look down on a man like him, for being weak.”

Ohno turned around, giving Sakurai a look of disbelief. “I would have never thought of that! He should have just... told me...”

“Have you ever finished it. Your painting, I mean?”

This time, Ohno turned around, surprised of himself for not pulling away from Sakurai. “How could you ask me about that when this is happening?”

“Because I have a request,” Sakurai mumbled, “And it’s the last gift for your father.”

“But he’s--” He stopped himself short, unable to say the word dead. “I can’t give it to him even if I finished.”

“But he would have been happy, if he saw how great his son was at painting.”

“What--”

“I’ve seen your work,” Sakurai interrupted, “I bought it from one of your neighbors. I believe your neighbor’s story was that his grandmother died.”

“How--”

“He actually doesn’t have a grandmother,” Sakurai interrupted yet again, “I just asked him to buy it for me.”

“Then... does that mean you already knew me?" The painting he made for his neighbor, or in this case Sakurai now that he had come forward, was a project he painted last year; he hadn't known Sakurai then, or hadn't met him once. "But how..."

"Ohno-sama passionately talked a lot about you and I grew interest in his son. So I began searching for your name until I finally found you by that beach. It wasn't a miss because you look a bit like your father."

Ohno was at a loss for words as he learned of this new information. He never would have thought that his cruel father still cared about him, and that this... big idiot embracing him already knew him. Stupid, was all he could mutter before leaning in closer to Sakurai's embrace.



He stayed a month longer under his parents' roof, at least until he was finished dealing with every problem here and there. He learned, according to his father's will, that his father’s closest and most trusted friend would run the company in place of Ohno; he later learned that it was Sakurai's older brother, Sakurai Jun, whom he met at his father's funeral. The three brothers, Jun, Sakurai, and Masaki looked nothing alike, but Sakurai assured him they were all related; Sakurai also said that Ohno’s father took care of the three of them like they were his children as well. That aside, Ohno still needed time getting along with his mother who later asked him to stay a bit longer to keep her company. Eventually, to his mother’s wishes, he stayed longer than necessary.

“What now?” Nino asked him during breakfast. His mother and Sakurai were out doing some errand, leaving his little brother to their company.

Ohno shrugged, stuffing a piece of bacon in his mouth. Honestly, he didn’t know whether to go back home with Nino and resume his lifestyle back, or stay here with his family and Sakurai with his family.

“Uhmm...Sa-Satoshi?”

Ohno looked up, noticing the change in Nino’s voice as if he had something embarrassing to say.

“Have you forgiven Sakurai yet?”

Ohno thought about it. Did he? He shrugged.

“Well... I... uh... Satoshi, I was kind of hoping that... No, I...”

Ohno eyed his friend worriedly, wondering if staying for too long in this house did something weird to him. Maybe he was sick? His cheeks were burning red.

“Satoshi, I li--”

“Ohno-san!” They turned their head towards the source of the voice and found the youngest Sakurai standing besides the doorway. Ohno was glad to see that the kid began to smile. The first few days after his father’s death, Masaki did nothing but mope around his brothers and would cry when he thinks no one was looking. “Can I eat with you too?”

Ohno chuckled, gesturing the youngest to come sit next to him. Over the course of his and Nino’s stay, they grew quite fond of the little kid; though Nino, not so much.

“Yay!” Masaki’s eyes sparkled as he rushed to Ohno’s side and took the empty seat besides him. “Sho-nii told me that...” He gestured Ohno to come closer and cupped his hand around Ohno’s ears. “...that brother really really likes you.”

He pulled away, blushing as he wondered how the youngest knew. “Y-yeah... He does...”

Masaki giggled and snatched a piece of bacon from Nino’s plate when he wasn’t looking; Nino never noticed.

“Oh,” He turned to his friend, “What were you trying to say?”

His friend’s face flushed red before looking down on his plate. “Nothing!” Nino quickly shook his head. “Nothing at all!”

“Oh, I think I know,” Masaki giggled as he ran besides Nino and poked him on the sides. “Nino-san likes... me!”

“What?!” Nino looked up from his plate, his eyes no longer giving off the flustered feeling. He stared down at the youngest Sakurai, his eyes shooting death glares. “Whoever said--” Masaki interrupted him when he placed a chaste kiss on Nino’s cheek.

“I like you, too,” Masaki announced out loud before merrily skipping away from Nino; his friend, who was still angered, followed after the latter, shouting some mean words Ohno never heard Nino use. He laughed at the sight of the two, thinking that maybe the two will get along some day.



Ohno found his way to his mother’s garden one night when he couldn’t sleep. He remembered how his mother was into gardening that sometimes, he would watch her plant flowers under the warm sun. He wondered if she still gardens; he hardly ever sees her go out except the house.

“Satoshi.”

The sound of the unexpected voice startled him. He turned around and saw none other than Sakurai standing besides a giraffe topiary. The Sakurai before him was no longer wearing his butler suit, but clothing that Ohno grew accustomed to before this all happened. He wore khaki shorts and a tropical shirt as if he was heading to the beach at this hour.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

Ohno shook his head.

“Me neither.”

Sakurai slowly walked towards him as if he was being cautious about his next actions. “Satoshi, I lo--”

Ohno held his hand up. He knew what Sakurai was trying to tell him, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready for those words yet, rather if he was ready for Sakurai altogether. Besides, he hasn’t forgiven him yet. “Not now,” Ohno sighed, taking in the moonlight as he sat himself on the green grass. He looked up and saw many stars dancing in the night sky. His view, however, was blocked when Sakurai leaned over him. Ohno tried to pay him no mind, but the latter kept moving closer and closer until their faces were barely an inch apart. He stared into Sakurai’s eyes, wondering if there were stars in them.

“I think I might paint for papa,” Ohno spoke up, although Sakurai never moved from his uncomfortable position. “I--” want to travel was what he was supposed to say, but his lips were suddenly sealed tight and captured by the man above him. Ohno, aware he hasn’t forgiven him yet, did not push Sakurai away. Instead, he found himself leaning back slowly as he closed his eyes and began moving his own lips against Sakurai’s. It only lasted for a moment when Sakurai pulled away.

“I’ll take you around, wherever you want,” Sakurai announced and Ohno’s eyes lit up. “But you can’t bring Ninomiya with you unless he behaves.”

Ohno tilted his head to the side. “Why?”

“He’s jealous, Satoshi,” Sakurai chuckled, taking a seat besides him. “Haven’t you noticed?”

Ohno shook his head. What would Nino be jealous of? Unless it was-- “Oh,” Ohno breathed in realization as he remembered breakfast this morning. No wonder Nino looked like he was going to kill Sakurai any second, even before this all happened. “I’ll try, but you also have to bring Masaki-chan... How old is Masaki-chan, anyways?”

“Why? And he’s 18.”

Ohno gasped, surprised at the answer. He always thought Masaki was twelve, or fourteen years old. “Because Nino needs someone,” Ohno hummed thoughtfully. “I think Masaki-chan is a good candidate.”

Sakurai laughed. “Are you trying to set them up?”

He ignored Sakurai question and continued to stare at the twinkling stars.

“Satoshi, are you?”

He turned to his right side so his back was facing Sakurai.

“Satoshi... you’re not going to sleep here, are you?”

He faked a snore, wondering if ignoring Sakurai was a good thing. Though as it turns out, Sakurai believe he had fallen asleep. He felt the latter pick him up from the grass and walked him to his room. Once he was placed nicely under warm covers, he felt a soft kiss on his lips.

“I love you, Satoshi,” Sakurai whispered quietly into the night before leaving him alone in his room.

Maybe, Ohno thought as he opened one eye, I should forgive him soon.

END