10/19/13 -- Merry (Part 11/50)
[365 Days Challenge- 1 word a day (2013)]Title:Home Sweet Home: Merry
Pairing/Character:AibaxNino, JunxNino, Kaze, ShoxOC / Ohno
Genre/Rating:Angst, Fluff, Friendship, Romance / G
Word Count:1507
Disclaimer:I own nothing but the plot
Summary:I’m the worst friend ever…
Warning:Character death
It was like Jun’s birthday, except it was only the three of us plus Father Ohno and Sakurai-sensei to celebrate Aiba’s 9th birthday on Christmas Eve, while everyone else worried about Christmas. I made him a bigger cupcake as well as the decoration that Jun helped me with by adding in tiny hand prints. The birthday celebration took place in Father Ohno’s office since the dining hall was completely off limits until tomorrow morning.
I’ve never been to Father Ohno’s office. It was the size of the bathrooms we shared per room, but it was cramped from all the occupied shelves of potted plants, clay figurines, and paintings. Aiba had told me about the many species of plants Father Ohno planted, grew, and nursed, but he never told me about Father Ohno’s artistic abilities. I wanted to ask him about the painting he had of Aiba, Jun and me, and when he painted it, but the room became dim and the only light was from the candles on Aiba’s cupcake.
I stood very close to Aiba as we all sang happy birthday, but only it’s because I agreed to.
“You know all of us, so what’s there to be afraid of?”
“It’s just that…” He paused and sighed shakily as he grabbed my hands. I’ve never seen Aiba so nervous before, then again I only knew him for five months. “I’ve never celebrated my birthday before.”
I gave him a shocked look. “Not even with your real family?”
Aiba shook his head shyly as a blush formed on his pale cheeks.
“Then we’ll be your family today,” I reassured him with the brightest smile I could manage. He seemed to have calmed down when the shaking stopped, and he smiled back at me through teary eyes.
“Make a wish,” I whispered after we sung to him. As my best friend closed his eyes and made a wish, I wondered if he wished for a unicorn, a robot, or something he always talks about excitedly. But when he looked up from the cupcake, I saw a tear fall down his cheek, but I was the only one who had seen it before he wiped it away.
“Pruhzants!” Jun exclaimed (I witnessed him say my name, but it came out as “Kaazooo”).
“Me first,” Father Ohno volunteered and took out a blue wrapped box from underneath the table.
“What is it?” Aiba asked excitedly as he shook the larger box, but Father Ohno told him that it would only spoil the surprise. He eventually opened the box and he squealed happily as he took out a new bag of gardening tools and packs of seeds. I remember Aiba being a baby about how he would like to have his own tools to use during spring, and I guessed that Father Ohno must have overheard him, or he already knew what to get him. Though I thought that it was odd for Aiba to be so excited about gardening tools instead of toys, but I don’t think he’s ever gotten one.
After setting it aside, Sakurai-sensei gave him a red wrapped box. At the sight of his present, I felt uneasy. Both he and Father Ohno, even Jun who I had helped, had presents the same size as a regular birthday cake while mines was…
“My wife and I picked it specially for you Aiba-kun. And we’ve added in a Christmas present for you as well.”
“Me too,” Father Ohno added in.
“Thank you Sakurai-sensei!” Aiba squealed happily and hugged the doctor from across the table. This time, he skipped the guessing game and opened it right away. Inside a light green box was a new set of stethoscopes and a book about the common house pets. Must have been expensive…
“Bah!” Jun babbled as he walked up to the birthday boy and gave him his present. I found the purple wrapper in one of the teacher’s rooms and used it to wrap the present we made for Aiba. Since Jun didn’t have money, not that we get allowances anyways, we made him a plaster Jun’s hands. It was difficult and time consuming, but it came out perfectly and I just knew that Aiba would love it. When he opened our present - Jun’s present - for him, his eyes twinkled happily and he thanked the toddler.
It was my turn and I felt much more nervous than Aiba had been earlier. I could feel all their eyes on me, expecting me to give Aiba his present. But I held back as I slipped my hands into my pocket and fiddled with the present I got for Aiba a month ago.
I didn’t tell Aiba where I was going that afternoon because I didn’t want to spoil his birthday present. I asked an older girl, someone that I trusted and someone who didn’t know Aiba, to me to the city because she’s the only one who knew how to get in or out without getting caught.
We visited numerous stores, but I couldn’t find anything that suited Aiba. I thought about buying him an action figure, but he would eventually grow tired of it when he’s older. I also thought about buying him a drawing pad and a few colored pencils, but Aiba already had the school for that. I sighed in defeat when it was getting darker, but the girl tapped me on the shoulder.
“Ninomiya-kun, I have a polaroid camera that I barely use. Why don’t you give that to him?”
I thought about it and wondered if Aiba would like it as a present. Probably to take photos of memories, but doesn’t he already have his brain for that?
“Where’d you get your money anyways?”
“I took it from my house before I came to the orphanage.”
“If I were you, I’d keep that so I could buy something better in the future.”
It wasn’t that bad of a thought. “Ok. Thanks, Ishihara-senpai. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything kid,” she grinned, “friendship is much more important.”
While Father Ohno and Sakurai-sensei spent money for their gifts, I didn’t. It was just a cheap old camera that I got for free without bargain, and also because Ishihara-senpai was kind. Unlike my present, it doesn’t compare to theirs.
“I… don’t have it,” I lied lamely and looked away when I saw the hurt in Aiba’s eyes.
I’m the worst friend ever…
I’ve never been to Father Ohno’s office. It was the size of the bathrooms we shared per room, but it was cramped from all the occupied shelves of potted plants, clay figurines, and paintings. Aiba had told me about the many species of plants Father Ohno planted, grew, and nursed, but he never told me about Father Ohno’s artistic abilities. I wanted to ask him about the painting he had of Aiba, Jun and me, and when he painted it, but the room became dim and the only light was from the candles on Aiba’s cupcake.
I stood very close to Aiba as we all sang happy birthday, but only it’s because I agreed to.
“You know all of us, so what’s there to be afraid of?”
“It’s just that…” He paused and sighed shakily as he grabbed my hands. I’ve never seen Aiba so nervous before, then again I only knew him for five months. “I’ve never celebrated my birthday before.”
I gave him a shocked look. “Not even with your real family?”
Aiba shook his head shyly as a blush formed on his pale cheeks.
“Then we’ll be your family today,” I reassured him with the brightest smile I could manage. He seemed to have calmed down when the shaking stopped, and he smiled back at me through teary eyes.
“Make a wish,” I whispered after we sung to him. As my best friend closed his eyes and made a wish, I wondered if he wished for a unicorn, a robot, or something he always talks about excitedly. But when he looked up from the cupcake, I saw a tear fall down his cheek, but I was the only one who had seen it before he wiped it away.
“Pruhzants!” Jun exclaimed (I witnessed him say my name, but it came out as “Kaazooo”).
“Me first,” Father Ohno volunteered and took out a blue wrapped box from underneath the table.
“What is it?” Aiba asked excitedly as he shook the larger box, but Father Ohno told him that it would only spoil the surprise. He eventually opened the box and he squealed happily as he took out a new bag of gardening tools and packs of seeds. I remember Aiba being a baby about how he would like to have his own tools to use during spring, and I guessed that Father Ohno must have overheard him, or he already knew what to get him. Though I thought that it was odd for Aiba to be so excited about gardening tools instead of toys, but I don’t think he’s ever gotten one.
After setting it aside, Sakurai-sensei gave him a red wrapped box. At the sight of his present, I felt uneasy. Both he and Father Ohno, even Jun who I had helped, had presents the same size as a regular birthday cake while mines was…
“My wife and I picked it specially for you Aiba-kun. And we’ve added in a Christmas present for you as well.”
“Me too,” Father Ohno added in.
“Thank you Sakurai-sensei!” Aiba squealed happily and hugged the doctor from across the table. This time, he skipped the guessing game and opened it right away. Inside a light green box was a new set of stethoscopes and a book about the common house pets. Must have been expensive…
“Bah!” Jun babbled as he walked up to the birthday boy and gave him his present. I found the purple wrapper in one of the teacher’s rooms and used it to wrap the present we made for Aiba. Since Jun didn’t have money, not that we get allowances anyways, we made him a plaster Jun’s hands. It was difficult and time consuming, but it came out perfectly and I just knew that Aiba would love it. When he opened our present - Jun’s present - for him, his eyes twinkled happily and he thanked the toddler.
It was my turn and I felt much more nervous than Aiba had been earlier. I could feel all their eyes on me, expecting me to give Aiba his present. But I held back as I slipped my hands into my pocket and fiddled with the present I got for Aiba a month ago.
I didn’t tell Aiba where I was going that afternoon because I didn’t want to spoil his birthday present. I asked an older girl, someone that I trusted and someone who didn’t know Aiba, to me to the city because she’s the only one who knew how to get in or out without getting caught.
We visited numerous stores, but I couldn’t find anything that suited Aiba. I thought about buying him an action figure, but he would eventually grow tired of it when he’s older. I also thought about buying him a drawing pad and a few colored pencils, but Aiba already had the school for that. I sighed in defeat when it was getting darker, but the girl tapped me on the shoulder.
“Ninomiya-kun, I have a polaroid camera that I barely use. Why don’t you give that to him?”
I thought about it and wondered if Aiba would like it as a present. Probably to take photos of memories, but doesn’t he already have his brain for that?
“Where’d you get your money anyways?”
“I took it from my house before I came to the orphanage.”
“If I were you, I’d keep that so I could buy something better in the future.”
It wasn’t that bad of a thought. “Ok. Thanks, Ishihara-senpai. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything kid,” she grinned, “friendship is much more important.”
While Father Ohno and Sakurai-sensei spent money for their gifts, I didn’t. It was just a cheap old camera that I got for free without bargain, and also because Ishihara-senpai was kind. Unlike my present, it doesn’t compare to theirs.
“I… don’t have it,” I lied lamely and looked away when I saw the hurt in Aiba’s eyes.
I’m the worst friend ever…
///▴\\\
Either us talked to each other last night, but I knew that it was my fault and not his so I deserved his silence. When all the lights were off and everyone was asleep, I sneaked into the common room with a pen in hand. I took Aiba’s present out of my pocket and wrote his name on the simple yellow wrapping. I dared not to put my name on it because it would only make me seem worse. After placing it in between the piles and piles of Christmas presents, I ran back into the room and hid underneath my blankets.
///▴\\\
I hid all day from Aiba, Jun, Father Ohno, and Sakurai-sensei all day. I didn’t want to face any of them now and probably forever…
The library books became a friend to me, although I was half-asleep most of the time because it wasn’t as entertaining as… Aiba. So far, I’ve read about ten books, well skimmed it, and it was all on fiction that I knew Aiba liked so much. Just as I was about to read another fiction book about dragons, I heard thundering footsteps echoing in the library and the sound of my name being called out. Luckily for that person, the only one in the library was me and the books.
“Kazu!”
I turned to my right and saw Aiba running happily towards me with a camera in one hand, and a bag of boxes in the other.
“Y-you’re not mad?”
“I never was,” Aiba said, taking a seat besides me. “I know you gave me this present, Kazu.” He showed me the light green polaroid camera that I was meant to give him yesterday.
“...No I didn’t.”
“I know you did, Kazu. I know your handwriting.”
“I-”
“Thank you! It’s the best present ever!”
“It’s just-” He interrupted me yet again when he pulled me into one of his tight bear hugs. I didn’t know how to respond back and remained frozen as I had before he came.
“Smile!” He released me for a few seconds, and the next thing I knew, a light flashed on my face. I blinked rapidly at the sudden flash and was too distracted to hear Aiba laughing loudly like there was no tomorrow. “Kazu looks so silly!”
“Lemme see,” I called out weakly and tried grabbing for the photo. But Aiba was too quick and he left behind his, Jun’s and, my presents. I rolled my eyes as I picked up our presents and headed back to our room.
TBC
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