Birthday Post: Tsunoru Omoi (one shot)
Jun. 18th, 2017 11:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yun_miyakeTitle : Tsunori Omoi
Pairing : Ohmiya
Genre : Romance, love at the first sight
Length : one shot
Rating : PG-13
Summary : Ohno went to Kagawa to unleash his stress after the endless arts exhibitions which drained all of his energy. He didn’t expect to meet a young handsome receptionist at the hotel he was staying and it was hard to deny that he was hardly in love…
Warning : Unbeated, sorry for the error grammars
“Welcome to Kirari Hotel, Sir. How may I help you?”
Ohno mentioned his online reservation to the receptionist; he had booked a room for a week and probably would prolong it for a few days, depending on his upcoming schedule. The receptionist asked him for an ID card, recorded his data on the computer and handed him the room key. Ohno took the key and headed the elevator which would bring him to the eighth floor.
He unlocked the room and stuffed his luggage in the closet properly before throwing his back on the king-sized bed. He looked at the ceiling and tried to guess what day was it today; he rarely paid attention to days or dates because his works had nothing to do with them. It was in the middle of July, but he wasn’t sure what date was it, perhaps around 17 or 18. The outside temperature seemed hot enough to burn the dried grass. Ohno rose from the bed and looked outside; there was a small park beside the hotel, a few children were playing baseball, their voices reached Ohno’s room.
Ohno was an artist or that was how people called him. His works were mostly abstract paintings; he didn’t really remember how his name gotten known. His artworks were displayed in the exhibitions in various cities all of over Japan. Since then, everyone seemed to want to bother him to appear in an interview for magazines or television.
The last exhibition was held in Tokyo International Exhibition Center which required him to hold a press conference. He was lucky that his old friend, Sakurai Sho was willing to help him arrange his schedules during those hectic times. Sho was working at the gallery and had told Ohno a million times that he needed to find a manager as soon as possible, but Ohno was as stubborn as he could be – he had no intention to look for any manager because he wasn’t that good to interact with people he didn’t really know. In the end, Sho gave up and volunteered as a manager for him.
Ohno came to Kotohira Town in Kagawa to escape from the endless hectic days in Tokyo; even though he knew it would be more chaotic once he returned from his holiday. It was his first time to come here; Kagawa was famous of its delicious udon, he saw a line of udon restaurants on his way here.
He went to one of the restaurants that night and had two bowls of udon with a glass of beer. He wondered whether the local people never tired of this food by seeing it every day. The restaurant wasn’t that crowded; there were only a couple and two old ladies on the corner, talking seriously. It was almost the closing time when Ohno left the restaurant; he went to a convenience store to buy two cans of beer and a box of cigarette.
He returned to his room, but he couldn’t find his key everywhere. He searched his pockets and his bags, but the square-card-key was nowhere to be found. There was no choice but to go to the reception desk and asked for a spare key.
The lobby was almost empty of people; there was only an old man who sat down on the sofa while reading a newspaper. Ohno headed towards the reception desk and waited for the receptionist who was busy talking on the phone.
The receptionist was probably 24 or 25 years old; he had a nice shaped nose and pretty lips. He wore glasses which fit his face perfectly. His dark hair was a little bit too long, but it suited him just fine. The name-tag on his chest was written ‘Ninomiya Kazunari’. Ohno looked at that name-tag and to the young man’s face; he felt something sparkled inside his chest – the need to look into this man’s face as long as he could.
“How may I help you, Sir?” the man asked Ohno after ending the call.
“Oh, I..I lost my key,” Ohno answered confusedly.
“Are you drunk?” the man asked again.
“No, no, I’m not drunk,” Ohno shook his head. “I just lost my key.”
“What is your room number?”
Ohno mentioned his room number and watched as the man busily searched for the spare key. It gave him a few extra minutes to look into the man’s pretty face – the weird sensation inside his chest still remained and this time he could feel his heart beat faster.
“Here is your spare key, Sir,” Ninomiya handed him the key.
“Thank you,” Ohno took the key and flipped it a few times, buying time so he could stay longer on the receptionist desk.
“Is there anything else I can assist?” Ninomiya asked.
“No,” Ohno shook his head, feeling stupid. “Thank you, Ninomiya san.”
The man gave him a shy smile which made a few butterflies in Ohno’s stomach fly away. Ohno turned around and was about to leave, but he returned again to the receptionist desk.
“You look good in glasses,” he said.
“Thank you, Sir,” Ninomiya chuckled and bowed slightly at him.
Ohno left the lobby with a smile on his lips; he hadn’t felt this way for a long time. The young man on the receptionist had awoken something inside him; he wished he could find more excuses to stay there longer at the receptionist desk.
***
The next day he went to the small hill with a great view of Seto Ohashi Bridge which separated Honshu and Shikoku islands. It was a breathtaking view, Ohno looked at it for nearly an hour before arranging his painting tools under the Ogatama tree. He didn’t particularly want to paint something serious this time; it was just a way to unleash the stress for these past few months.
Ohno stopped after a few brushes and lay down on the grass, letting the sunshine burn his skin. He thought of his latest exhibition, there were more visitors than what he anticipated, all of them drowned into his paintings, trying to guess what were hidden behind those abstract shapes. He felt unbearably exhausted after an exhibition as if all of his energy had been drained and he needed some time to heal in order to create new artworks.
“You’ll pass out if you don’t drink something.”
A voice was heard; Ohno opened his eyes and saw Ninomiya’s face above him, sheltering him with a big umbrella. He blinked a few times, just to ensure himself that he wasn’t looking into a mirage, but the man was the real Ninomiya.
“Ninomiya san?”
“You remember my name?” Ninomiya smiled shyly. “Just call me Nino, it’s better that way.”
“Nino,” Ohno mumbled. The nickname somehow suited Nino’s petite figure.
“Are you that Ohno Satoshi?” Nino asked, squatting beside Ohno.
“Which Ohno Satoshi?”Ohno replied, pushing his body off the ground to sit down.
“The abstract painter,” Nino answered. “Sorry, I browsed about you a little bit.”
“Well,” Ohno shrugged. “I guess I am that painter.”
“Wow,” Nino said, impressed.
Ohno took a better look at the man; he wore casual clothes and a baseball hat covering his head. He wondered whether people often mistook Nino as a high school boy.
“You’re painting something,” Nino stood up and approached the canvas on the tripod easel. “What is this shape means?”
“I don’t know,” Ohno answered honestly.
“You don’t understand your own painting?” Nino looked at him in disbelief. “Then why are you painting them?”
“I’ll be insane if I don’t paint them,” Ohno answered, standing beside Nino and looked at the half-finished painting before them.
“You’re weird,” Nino commented.
Ohno chuckled. He was glad that Nino was surprisingly easy to talk with; he had expected someone more serious and cool.
“I have to go to work,” Nino said, glancing at his watch. “See you, Ohno san.”
“See you, Nino,” Ohno waved goodbye at the man and watched him as he walked down the hill. He stayed like that until Nino couldn’t be seen anymore. He wiped the sweat from his face with the small towel around his neck and decided to go for lunch. He folded his tripod easel, covered his canvas carefully and stuffed them into a tote bag.
Ohno entered the udon restaurant which was the closest to the hill; a handsome young waiter welcomed him and guided him towards the table on the corner. It was the best view towards the city of Kotohira.
“Are you here for holiday, Sir?” the waiter asked. “I think I’ve seen you before, but I don’t remember where.”
“Maybe you mistook me as another person,” Ohno said, smiling at the man.
“What can I get for you?” he asked.
“May I take a look at the menu first?” Ohno said, flipping the menu book in front of him.
“Sure,” the handsome waiter gave him some time and left his table, he came back a few minutes later with a piece of paper in his hand.
“In case you’re interested in coming to our summer festival,” the waiter put the pamphlet on the table. “Have you decided your order?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, a bowl of Konpira Udon, please,” Ohno said.
“Please wait a moment,” the waiter said, disappearing again to the back part of the restaurant.
Ohno took the pamphlet and scanned it; he stopped at the list of performers where he found Nino’s name. It was written ‘Ninomiya Kazunari : acoustic guitar’. Ohno never visited any summer festival before because he hated the crowds and the loud live music always made him dizzy. But he couldn’t miss the chance to watch Nino’s performance, so he inserted the pamphlet into his pocket.
There were more people came inside to have lunch; most of them were local employees on their lunch break. They greeted the waiter and the guy behind the counter; it seemed that all of them knew each other very well.
“Good day, Matsujun. I’ll have the usual one,” one of the men mentioned his order.
The handsome waiter approached the table with a smile on his lips. The other man from the group mentioned his order as well. They continued with a small talk which could be heard clearly from Ohno’s table.
“I’m still jealous that Aiba kun is the one who’s dating you.”
“You could date anyone,” the other chirped in.
“Oi! Don’t flirt with him,” the high pitched voice man behind the counter shouted. All of the guests laughed as they heard it.
Ohno continued eating his udon while looking outside towards the small town of Kotohira. He felt that he could live here, staying away from the chaos of Tokyo, staying away from the people who wanted to feature him in magazines or TV shows.
“Thanks for the delicious udon,” Ohno said to Matsujun when he left the restaurant.
“You’re welcome,” Matsujun smiled and bowed at him.
“Please come again,” the man behind the counter said cheerfully. He waved his hand at Ohno, a broad smile decorated his lips.
Ohno returned to the hotel since he had no plan for the rest of the afternoon; he saw Nino at the reception desk, busily explaining something to a guest. Their gaze met; Nino smiled playfully at him, the kind of smile which could make everyone blush.
***
Ohno walked towards the summer festival venue which located around 500 meters from the hotel. There were many people headed the same direction; family, couples, teenagers and some people walked alone like him. They wore colorful yukata with a fan in their right hand – a familiar scene during summer time.
A small stage was built on the corner of the venue; the decoration was simple with a few balloons and ribbons. The show had already begun with the performance of local music group; they covered a song from One Ok Rock. The vocalist wasn’t that good, he missed a few key tones and his voice cracked in the end, but the audiences weren't bothered, they gave enthusiastic applause as the group finished their performance.
Ohno moved closer to the stage, making sure that he didn’t miss Ninos’s performance. According to the pamphlet, he would be performing after the dance show.
“Ohno san!”
Ohno turned around and found Nino, Matsujun and a high-pitched man. All of them were wearing yukata with the unique pattern; the high pitched man let his yukata hang law, revealing his bare chest.
It was surprising that everyone in this town was friends. Perhaps, Matsujun gave him the festival pamphlet on purpose, instead of mere coincidence.
“You came,” Matsujun said, smiling at him.
“Matsujun recommended him to come here. Oh, I almost forget, I’m Aiba Masaki,” the high pitched man extended his hand to shake Ohno’s.
“Ohno Satoshi,” Ohno mentioned his name.
“A! You’re the artist, oh my gosh, are you the real person? I’ve seen you on TV and in the magazines,” Aiba said enthusiastically. “Nino, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Sorry,” Nino said, glancing at Ohno with an apologetic smile. “He’s always exaggerating everything.”
Ohno turned at Nino; the man carried a guitar case on his back. He wore a white yukata with bamboo patterns, he looked somehow uncomfortable, but he gave Ohno a sincere smile when their gaze met.
“I have to go to the backstage,” Nino mumbled.
Both Matsujun and Aiba patted his shoulder, comforting him.
“Break a leg,” Ohno said, smiling at Nino who replied with a nervous grin.
The dancers ended their performance with huge applauses from the audiences. The MC thanked the dancers and introduced Nino’s profile briefly as the next performer. Aiba clapped his hands with enthusiasm when Nino appeared on the stage.
Nino sat on the high chair and put the guitar on his lap; he spread his sight around towards the audiences and smiled. The spotlight made his skin look paler, but it didn’t mean he became less handsome. He started picking the guitar and played the song by The Extreme ‘More than Words’. Nino’s voice fulfilled the air, the melody of his guitar brought the nostalgic feeling, when he sang the lyrics ‘cause I already know’ his gaze met Ohno’s.
Ohno never believed in ‘love at the first sight’ stuff, but from what he analyzed, he was experiencing one right now. His heart pounded faster, he felt that he couldn’t turn his gaze away from Nino’s face.
Nino ended his acoustic performance and as expected, the audiences appreciated with loud applause. Ohno walked towards the backstage without Matsujun and Aiba’s knowledge; he waited for Nino beside the ladder. The man climbed down the wooden ladder while wiping his sweat with a tissue, he stumbled on his last steps and almost fell down to the ground if Ohno wasn’t that fast in catching him. He looked down into Nino’s surprised face, but then the man smiled in relief.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Do you want to go for sightseeing?” Ohno asked.
“That would be a nice idea,” Nino nodded. He entrusted his guitar to one of the stage staffs and grabbed Ohno’s hand, guided him away from the crowds. Ohno looked at their intertwined hands and was surprised how natural it was as if they were meant to hold each other’s hands.
They bought two cans of soft drink and drank it while walking towards a small hill nearby the festival venue. They could see the crowds at the stage from there; the performer now was a band, playing ska music.
Both of them sat down clumsily on the grass, enjoying their drink in silence. The night was warm with a little wind. The sound of summer insects was heard as the back sound, competing with the trumpet from the stage. Nino shifted closer towards Ohno and rested his head on Ohno’s shoulder.
The fireworks show had started; they could see the colorful beautiful shapes at the sky. Its sound killed every voice from the summer festival as everyone was paying attention to the fireworks. It had been a long time since Ohno watched fireworks show, he couldn’t remember the last time he saw it.
“They’re beautiful,” Nino said.
“Yeah,” Ohno replied, taking Nino’s hand to his lap and squished it softly.
“Ohno san, do you think that I’m good looking?”
“You’re more than that,” Ohno said. “Do you have any boyfriend – I mean, I’ve known you for two days and I already like you and…” Ohno couldn’t find the right words.
“Even if I have one, what will you do?” Nino asked playfully.
“I don’t know,” Ohno answered honestly. “I think I wouldn’t care about that.”
“Even if my boyfriend would beat you up,” Nino mumbled.
“I guess,” Ohno mumbled.
Nino moved closer to him, he was so close that Ohno could smell his shampoo scent. It happened almost naturally when they found each other’s lips and kissed. Nino’s lips were mild; the taste of orange flavor drink still remained there, he closed his eyes and let Ohno kiss him deeper. They were lying on the ground before they realized it with Nino below him, clutching to Ohno’s collar, a smile was on his lips when Ohno ended the kiss.
“That was the best kiss I’ve ever gotten,” Nino said, caressing Ohno’s hair.
Ohno said nothing; he rolled aside and lay down beside Nino, letting the other man put his head on his chest. They looked up to the night sky where the stars blinked. Ohno wished the night would never end; it was too beautiful to kiss Nino and held him in his arms, looking into his pretty eyes which reflected the stars. But, sooner or later he had to be back to Tokyo, came back to the boredom and endless works.
“I wish I could stay like this forever,” Ohno said.
“Me too,” Nino answered, holding him tighter.
***
Sho called him on the next morning; just like what Ohno had predicted. It was at six in the morning – Ohno for the odd reason had woken up, the ring of his phone seemed urgent and demanded him to pick it up.
“Satoshi kun, your schedule would turn into hell if you prolong your holiday,” Sho’s voice was sharp and he seemed not to give Ohno any rooms to argue.
“I’ll be back, Sho. Very soon,” Ohno answered.
“Can you make it on weekend?” Sho asked.
“Alright,” Ohno said. His head began to throb, why wouldn’t people let him stay away for a while?
“I’ve sent you an email of your upcoming schedule, did you open it?”
“Not yet,” Ohno mumbled, giving up.
“I’ll call you again,” Sho said, hanging up the phone.
Ohno looked at his phone screen; it felt as if Sho was right in front of him, grumbling for his clumsiness. He lazily opened his inbox and downloaded the attachment. The schedule was mostly interviewing with magazines. Ohno hated interviews; he would run off words and kept on saying the same things over and over. He hoped that they would find out that he hated interviews and publication and would stop bothering him to do so.
He had only three days left if he had to return to Tokyo on weekend. The real reason he didn’t want to go back was his encounter with Nino. Ohno had met many pretty people, but none of them were as attractive as Nino was. That cute receptionist has mesmerized him, more than anybody. It was weird that he felt this way for someone he had just met, but Ohno didn’t want to deny what his heart was telling him. There were many ways to fall in love, maybe his encounter with Nino was just one of them.
Ohno went to the lobby on the way for breakfast and saw Nino on the reception desk. He pretended to ask where he could find the souvenirs shop to the man. Nino answered formally while pushing something to Ohno’s hand, hiding it from his colleague behind him.
It was a piece of paper, Ohno opened it while having his breakfast.
‘Wait for me in your room, at 7 o’clock tonight’.
Ohno couldn’t help himself from smiling as he read it, he inserted the paper into his pocket and finished his breakfast. He had no particular plan for that day, so he went to have lunch at Aiba’s restaurant, bought some souvenir and returned to his room.
The clock was still pointed to 3 in the afternoon, Ohno tried to kill the time by reading the magazines he randomly bought on his way back from the souvenir shop. It felt forever until 7 pm, Ohno glanced at the clock every five minutes and wondered why it moved very slowly. When the clock pointed to 5 pm, Ohno decided to take a bath, shaved, brushed his teeth with the utmost care and made sure that he was clean until he got out from the bathroom.
The knock finally heard on his door; Ohno’s heart beat wildly in his chest as he stepped towards the door, his hand trembled when he held the knob.
Nino was standing in front of his door, wearing a mask to cover his face and a baseball hat. He entered Ohno’s room, took off his shoes and his masker and gave Ohno a nervous smile.
“I would be in trouble if somebody recognizes me. It’s forbidden for us to enter our guest’s room,” Nino said.
“Is it okay for you to do this?” Ohno asked.
“Don’t worry,” Nino answered. He looked into Ohno’s eyes and leaned closer to hold him. “I really wanted to do this,” he whispered in Ohno’s ear.
Ohno could feel Nino’s warmth as they hold each other tightly; he didn’t know whether what they did was the right thing. Both of them knew that their relationship was heading nowhere, they were just caught in the middle of a tricky little love story.
Nino pulled away and guided him towards the bed. Ohno couldn’t think straight as Nino began to strip in front of him. He was skinny and pale, he waited for Ohno to take off his clothes, but Ohno seemed to lose his ability to move. Something felt hard inside his pants as he saw Nino’s naked body, but he still needed a few minutes to get a hold of himself.
Ohno would never forget that night, Nino’s warm body below him, his whispers on Ohno’s ears, his light touch on his skin, his pretty lips, his nice shaped nose. He wished he could hold this man forever, he wished that the morning would never come.
***
Ohno gave Nino his private phone number when he checked out on Saturday morning. He felt something weighed him down when he stepped away from Kirari Hotel. He looked back for the last time, but Nino was busy talking to a guest.
He kept on repeating the scene from the night where he slept with Nino, he tried to picture every detail, every nook and cranny of Nino’s body, every single touch Nino gave him. He didn’t know whether they could meet again, Nino perhaps already had a boyfriend, someone with a 9 to 5 profession whom he could go on a date every weekend – somebody who didn’t paint something meaningless. The thought brought an unpleasant pain to his chest, but Ohno could do nothing about it.
When the train crossed Seto Hashi Bridge from Shikoku to Honshu, Ohno felt like he was going to somewhere far away. The island behind him felt like another world – the unreal one. Maybe Nino was a kind of fairy who was sent to heal his chaotic soul, Ohno thought. He looked outside the train window, towards the Seto Inland Sea. The summer sky was so blue and sunny. Ohno inhaled deeply, trying not to think of what tomorrow would bring.
THE END
a/n: I planned to post it on 17th of June, but my the laptop where I saved the document died and I had to re-type everything. It was just a random cheesy idea for Nino’s birthday. Happy 34th anniversary, Nino!
ps: I will be 30 in next two days (OMG). But, just like what my husband told me, it's the only fairness in the world, everyone will get old.
Have a nice weekend, everyone.
Pairing : Ohmiya
Genre : Romance, love at the first sight
Length : one shot
Rating : PG-13
Summary : Ohno went to Kagawa to unleash his stress after the endless arts exhibitions which drained all of his energy. He didn’t expect to meet a young handsome receptionist at the hotel he was staying and it was hard to deny that he was hardly in love…
Warning : Unbeated, sorry for the error grammars
“Welcome to Kirari Hotel, Sir. How may I help you?”
Ohno mentioned his online reservation to the receptionist; he had booked a room for a week and probably would prolong it for a few days, depending on his upcoming schedule. The receptionist asked him for an ID card, recorded his data on the computer and handed him the room key. Ohno took the key and headed the elevator which would bring him to the eighth floor.
He unlocked the room and stuffed his luggage in the closet properly before throwing his back on the king-sized bed. He looked at the ceiling and tried to guess what day was it today; he rarely paid attention to days or dates because his works had nothing to do with them. It was in the middle of July, but he wasn’t sure what date was it, perhaps around 17 or 18. The outside temperature seemed hot enough to burn the dried grass. Ohno rose from the bed and looked outside; there was a small park beside the hotel, a few children were playing baseball, their voices reached Ohno’s room.
Ohno was an artist or that was how people called him. His works were mostly abstract paintings; he didn’t really remember how his name gotten known. His artworks were displayed in the exhibitions in various cities all of over Japan. Since then, everyone seemed to want to bother him to appear in an interview for magazines or television.
The last exhibition was held in Tokyo International Exhibition Center which required him to hold a press conference. He was lucky that his old friend, Sakurai Sho was willing to help him arrange his schedules during those hectic times. Sho was working at the gallery and had told Ohno a million times that he needed to find a manager as soon as possible, but Ohno was as stubborn as he could be – he had no intention to look for any manager because he wasn’t that good to interact with people he didn’t really know. In the end, Sho gave up and volunteered as a manager for him.
Ohno came to Kotohira Town in Kagawa to escape from the endless hectic days in Tokyo; even though he knew it would be more chaotic once he returned from his holiday. It was his first time to come here; Kagawa was famous of its delicious udon, he saw a line of udon restaurants on his way here.
He went to one of the restaurants that night and had two bowls of udon with a glass of beer. He wondered whether the local people never tired of this food by seeing it every day. The restaurant wasn’t that crowded; there were only a couple and two old ladies on the corner, talking seriously. It was almost the closing time when Ohno left the restaurant; he went to a convenience store to buy two cans of beer and a box of cigarette.
He returned to his room, but he couldn’t find his key everywhere. He searched his pockets and his bags, but the square-card-key was nowhere to be found. There was no choice but to go to the reception desk and asked for a spare key.
The lobby was almost empty of people; there was only an old man who sat down on the sofa while reading a newspaper. Ohno headed towards the reception desk and waited for the receptionist who was busy talking on the phone.
The receptionist was probably 24 or 25 years old; he had a nice shaped nose and pretty lips. He wore glasses which fit his face perfectly. His dark hair was a little bit too long, but it suited him just fine. The name-tag on his chest was written ‘Ninomiya Kazunari’. Ohno looked at that name-tag and to the young man’s face; he felt something sparkled inside his chest – the need to look into this man’s face as long as he could.
“How may I help you, Sir?” the man asked Ohno after ending the call.
“Oh, I..I lost my key,” Ohno answered confusedly.
“Are you drunk?” the man asked again.
“No, no, I’m not drunk,” Ohno shook his head. “I just lost my key.”
“What is your room number?”
Ohno mentioned his room number and watched as the man busily searched for the spare key. It gave him a few extra minutes to look into the man’s pretty face – the weird sensation inside his chest still remained and this time he could feel his heart beat faster.
“Here is your spare key, Sir,” Ninomiya handed him the key.
“Thank you,” Ohno took the key and flipped it a few times, buying time so he could stay longer on the receptionist desk.
“Is there anything else I can assist?” Ninomiya asked.
“No,” Ohno shook his head, feeling stupid. “Thank you, Ninomiya san.”
The man gave him a shy smile which made a few butterflies in Ohno’s stomach fly away. Ohno turned around and was about to leave, but he returned again to the receptionist desk.
“You look good in glasses,” he said.
“Thank you, Sir,” Ninomiya chuckled and bowed slightly at him.
Ohno left the lobby with a smile on his lips; he hadn’t felt this way for a long time. The young man on the receptionist had awoken something inside him; he wished he could find more excuses to stay there longer at the receptionist desk.
***
The next day he went to the small hill with a great view of Seto Ohashi Bridge which separated Honshu and Shikoku islands. It was a breathtaking view, Ohno looked at it for nearly an hour before arranging his painting tools under the Ogatama tree. He didn’t particularly want to paint something serious this time; it was just a way to unleash the stress for these past few months.
Ohno stopped after a few brushes and lay down on the grass, letting the sunshine burn his skin. He thought of his latest exhibition, there were more visitors than what he anticipated, all of them drowned into his paintings, trying to guess what were hidden behind those abstract shapes. He felt unbearably exhausted after an exhibition as if all of his energy had been drained and he needed some time to heal in order to create new artworks.
“You’ll pass out if you don’t drink something.”
A voice was heard; Ohno opened his eyes and saw Ninomiya’s face above him, sheltering him with a big umbrella. He blinked a few times, just to ensure himself that he wasn’t looking into a mirage, but the man was the real Ninomiya.
“Ninomiya san?”
“You remember my name?” Ninomiya smiled shyly. “Just call me Nino, it’s better that way.”
“Nino,” Ohno mumbled. The nickname somehow suited Nino’s petite figure.
“Are you that Ohno Satoshi?” Nino asked, squatting beside Ohno.
“Which Ohno Satoshi?”Ohno replied, pushing his body off the ground to sit down.
“The abstract painter,” Nino answered. “Sorry, I browsed about you a little bit.”
“Well,” Ohno shrugged. “I guess I am that painter.”
“Wow,” Nino said, impressed.
Ohno took a better look at the man; he wore casual clothes and a baseball hat covering his head. He wondered whether people often mistook Nino as a high school boy.
“You’re painting something,” Nino stood up and approached the canvas on the tripod easel. “What is this shape means?”
“I don’t know,” Ohno answered honestly.
“You don’t understand your own painting?” Nino looked at him in disbelief. “Then why are you painting them?”
“I’ll be insane if I don’t paint them,” Ohno answered, standing beside Nino and looked at the half-finished painting before them.
“You’re weird,” Nino commented.
Ohno chuckled. He was glad that Nino was surprisingly easy to talk with; he had expected someone more serious and cool.
“I have to go to work,” Nino said, glancing at his watch. “See you, Ohno san.”
“See you, Nino,” Ohno waved goodbye at the man and watched him as he walked down the hill. He stayed like that until Nino couldn’t be seen anymore. He wiped the sweat from his face with the small towel around his neck and decided to go for lunch. He folded his tripod easel, covered his canvas carefully and stuffed them into a tote bag.
Ohno entered the udon restaurant which was the closest to the hill; a handsome young waiter welcomed him and guided him towards the table on the corner. It was the best view towards the city of Kotohira.
“Are you here for holiday, Sir?” the waiter asked. “I think I’ve seen you before, but I don’t remember where.”
“Maybe you mistook me as another person,” Ohno said, smiling at the man.
“What can I get for you?” he asked.
“May I take a look at the menu first?” Ohno said, flipping the menu book in front of him.
“Sure,” the handsome waiter gave him some time and left his table, he came back a few minutes later with a piece of paper in his hand.
“In case you’re interested in coming to our summer festival,” the waiter put the pamphlet on the table. “Have you decided your order?” he asked.
“Oh, yes, a bowl of Konpira Udon, please,” Ohno said.
“Please wait a moment,” the waiter said, disappearing again to the back part of the restaurant.
Ohno took the pamphlet and scanned it; he stopped at the list of performers where he found Nino’s name. It was written ‘Ninomiya Kazunari : acoustic guitar’. Ohno never visited any summer festival before because he hated the crowds and the loud live music always made him dizzy. But he couldn’t miss the chance to watch Nino’s performance, so he inserted the pamphlet into his pocket.
There were more people came inside to have lunch; most of them were local employees on their lunch break. They greeted the waiter and the guy behind the counter; it seemed that all of them knew each other very well.
“Good day, Matsujun. I’ll have the usual one,” one of the men mentioned his order.
The handsome waiter approached the table with a smile on his lips. The other man from the group mentioned his order as well. They continued with a small talk which could be heard clearly from Ohno’s table.
“I’m still jealous that Aiba kun is the one who’s dating you.”
“You could date anyone,” the other chirped in.
“Oi! Don’t flirt with him,” the high pitched voice man behind the counter shouted. All of the guests laughed as they heard it.
Ohno continued eating his udon while looking outside towards the small town of Kotohira. He felt that he could live here, staying away from the chaos of Tokyo, staying away from the people who wanted to feature him in magazines or TV shows.
“Thanks for the delicious udon,” Ohno said to Matsujun when he left the restaurant.
“You’re welcome,” Matsujun smiled and bowed at him.
“Please come again,” the man behind the counter said cheerfully. He waved his hand at Ohno, a broad smile decorated his lips.
Ohno returned to the hotel since he had no plan for the rest of the afternoon; he saw Nino at the reception desk, busily explaining something to a guest. Their gaze met; Nino smiled playfully at him, the kind of smile which could make everyone blush.
***
Ohno walked towards the summer festival venue which located around 500 meters from the hotel. There were many people headed the same direction; family, couples, teenagers and some people walked alone like him. They wore colorful yukata with a fan in their right hand – a familiar scene during summer time.
A small stage was built on the corner of the venue; the decoration was simple with a few balloons and ribbons. The show had already begun with the performance of local music group; they covered a song from One Ok Rock. The vocalist wasn’t that good, he missed a few key tones and his voice cracked in the end, but the audiences weren't bothered, they gave enthusiastic applause as the group finished their performance.
Ohno moved closer to the stage, making sure that he didn’t miss Ninos’s performance. According to the pamphlet, he would be performing after the dance show.
“Ohno san!”
Ohno turned around and found Nino, Matsujun and a high-pitched man. All of them were wearing yukata with the unique pattern; the high pitched man let his yukata hang law, revealing his bare chest.
It was surprising that everyone in this town was friends. Perhaps, Matsujun gave him the festival pamphlet on purpose, instead of mere coincidence.
“You came,” Matsujun said, smiling at him.
“Matsujun recommended him to come here. Oh, I almost forget, I’m Aiba Masaki,” the high pitched man extended his hand to shake Ohno’s.
“Ohno Satoshi,” Ohno mentioned his name.
“A! You’re the artist, oh my gosh, are you the real person? I’ve seen you on TV and in the magazines,” Aiba said enthusiastically. “Nino, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Sorry,” Nino said, glancing at Ohno with an apologetic smile. “He’s always exaggerating everything.”
Ohno turned at Nino; the man carried a guitar case on his back. He wore a white yukata with bamboo patterns, he looked somehow uncomfortable, but he gave Ohno a sincere smile when their gaze met.
“I have to go to the backstage,” Nino mumbled.
Both Matsujun and Aiba patted his shoulder, comforting him.
“Break a leg,” Ohno said, smiling at Nino who replied with a nervous grin.
The dancers ended their performance with huge applauses from the audiences. The MC thanked the dancers and introduced Nino’s profile briefly as the next performer. Aiba clapped his hands with enthusiasm when Nino appeared on the stage.
Nino sat on the high chair and put the guitar on his lap; he spread his sight around towards the audiences and smiled. The spotlight made his skin look paler, but it didn’t mean he became less handsome. He started picking the guitar and played the song by The Extreme ‘More than Words’. Nino’s voice fulfilled the air, the melody of his guitar brought the nostalgic feeling, when he sang the lyrics ‘cause I already know’ his gaze met Ohno’s.
Ohno never believed in ‘love at the first sight’ stuff, but from what he analyzed, he was experiencing one right now. His heart pounded faster, he felt that he couldn’t turn his gaze away from Nino’s face.
Nino ended his acoustic performance and as expected, the audiences appreciated with loud applause. Ohno walked towards the backstage without Matsujun and Aiba’s knowledge; he waited for Nino beside the ladder. The man climbed down the wooden ladder while wiping his sweat with a tissue, he stumbled on his last steps and almost fell down to the ground if Ohno wasn’t that fast in catching him. He looked down into Nino’s surprised face, but then the man smiled in relief.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Do you want to go for sightseeing?” Ohno asked.
“That would be a nice idea,” Nino nodded. He entrusted his guitar to one of the stage staffs and grabbed Ohno’s hand, guided him away from the crowds. Ohno looked at their intertwined hands and was surprised how natural it was as if they were meant to hold each other’s hands.
They bought two cans of soft drink and drank it while walking towards a small hill nearby the festival venue. They could see the crowds at the stage from there; the performer now was a band, playing ska music.
Both of them sat down clumsily on the grass, enjoying their drink in silence. The night was warm with a little wind. The sound of summer insects was heard as the back sound, competing with the trumpet from the stage. Nino shifted closer towards Ohno and rested his head on Ohno’s shoulder.
The fireworks show had started; they could see the colorful beautiful shapes at the sky. Its sound killed every voice from the summer festival as everyone was paying attention to the fireworks. It had been a long time since Ohno watched fireworks show, he couldn’t remember the last time he saw it.
“They’re beautiful,” Nino said.
“Yeah,” Ohno replied, taking Nino’s hand to his lap and squished it softly.
“Ohno san, do you think that I’m good looking?”
“You’re more than that,” Ohno said. “Do you have any boyfriend – I mean, I’ve known you for two days and I already like you and…” Ohno couldn’t find the right words.
“Even if I have one, what will you do?” Nino asked playfully.
“I don’t know,” Ohno answered honestly. “I think I wouldn’t care about that.”
“Even if my boyfriend would beat you up,” Nino mumbled.
“I guess,” Ohno mumbled.
Nino moved closer to him, he was so close that Ohno could smell his shampoo scent. It happened almost naturally when they found each other’s lips and kissed. Nino’s lips were mild; the taste of orange flavor drink still remained there, he closed his eyes and let Ohno kiss him deeper. They were lying on the ground before they realized it with Nino below him, clutching to Ohno’s collar, a smile was on his lips when Ohno ended the kiss.
“That was the best kiss I’ve ever gotten,” Nino said, caressing Ohno’s hair.
Ohno said nothing; he rolled aside and lay down beside Nino, letting the other man put his head on his chest. They looked up to the night sky where the stars blinked. Ohno wished the night would never end; it was too beautiful to kiss Nino and held him in his arms, looking into his pretty eyes which reflected the stars. But, sooner or later he had to be back to Tokyo, came back to the boredom and endless works.
“I wish I could stay like this forever,” Ohno said.
“Me too,” Nino answered, holding him tighter.
***
Sho called him on the next morning; just like what Ohno had predicted. It was at six in the morning – Ohno for the odd reason had woken up, the ring of his phone seemed urgent and demanded him to pick it up.
“Satoshi kun, your schedule would turn into hell if you prolong your holiday,” Sho’s voice was sharp and he seemed not to give Ohno any rooms to argue.
“I’ll be back, Sho. Very soon,” Ohno answered.
“Can you make it on weekend?” Sho asked.
“Alright,” Ohno said. His head began to throb, why wouldn’t people let him stay away for a while?
“I’ve sent you an email of your upcoming schedule, did you open it?”
“Not yet,” Ohno mumbled, giving up.
“I’ll call you again,” Sho said, hanging up the phone.
Ohno looked at his phone screen; it felt as if Sho was right in front of him, grumbling for his clumsiness. He lazily opened his inbox and downloaded the attachment. The schedule was mostly interviewing with magazines. Ohno hated interviews; he would run off words and kept on saying the same things over and over. He hoped that they would find out that he hated interviews and publication and would stop bothering him to do so.
He had only three days left if he had to return to Tokyo on weekend. The real reason he didn’t want to go back was his encounter with Nino. Ohno had met many pretty people, but none of them were as attractive as Nino was. That cute receptionist has mesmerized him, more than anybody. It was weird that he felt this way for someone he had just met, but Ohno didn’t want to deny what his heart was telling him. There were many ways to fall in love, maybe his encounter with Nino was just one of them.
Ohno went to the lobby on the way for breakfast and saw Nino on the reception desk. He pretended to ask where he could find the souvenirs shop to the man. Nino answered formally while pushing something to Ohno’s hand, hiding it from his colleague behind him.
It was a piece of paper, Ohno opened it while having his breakfast.
‘Wait for me in your room, at 7 o’clock tonight’.
Ohno couldn’t help himself from smiling as he read it, he inserted the paper into his pocket and finished his breakfast. He had no particular plan for that day, so he went to have lunch at Aiba’s restaurant, bought some souvenir and returned to his room.
The clock was still pointed to 3 in the afternoon, Ohno tried to kill the time by reading the magazines he randomly bought on his way back from the souvenir shop. It felt forever until 7 pm, Ohno glanced at the clock every five minutes and wondered why it moved very slowly. When the clock pointed to 5 pm, Ohno decided to take a bath, shaved, brushed his teeth with the utmost care and made sure that he was clean until he got out from the bathroom.
The knock finally heard on his door; Ohno’s heart beat wildly in his chest as he stepped towards the door, his hand trembled when he held the knob.
Nino was standing in front of his door, wearing a mask to cover his face and a baseball hat. He entered Ohno’s room, took off his shoes and his masker and gave Ohno a nervous smile.
“I would be in trouble if somebody recognizes me. It’s forbidden for us to enter our guest’s room,” Nino said.
“Is it okay for you to do this?” Ohno asked.
“Don’t worry,” Nino answered. He looked into Ohno’s eyes and leaned closer to hold him. “I really wanted to do this,” he whispered in Ohno’s ear.
Ohno could feel Nino’s warmth as they hold each other tightly; he didn’t know whether what they did was the right thing. Both of them knew that their relationship was heading nowhere, they were just caught in the middle of a tricky little love story.
Nino pulled away and guided him towards the bed. Ohno couldn’t think straight as Nino began to strip in front of him. He was skinny and pale, he waited for Ohno to take off his clothes, but Ohno seemed to lose his ability to move. Something felt hard inside his pants as he saw Nino’s naked body, but he still needed a few minutes to get a hold of himself.
Ohno would never forget that night, Nino’s warm body below him, his whispers on Ohno’s ears, his light touch on his skin, his pretty lips, his nice shaped nose. He wished he could hold this man forever, he wished that the morning would never come.
***
Ohno gave Nino his private phone number when he checked out on Saturday morning. He felt something weighed him down when he stepped away from Kirari Hotel. He looked back for the last time, but Nino was busy talking to a guest.
He kept on repeating the scene from the night where he slept with Nino, he tried to picture every detail, every nook and cranny of Nino’s body, every single touch Nino gave him. He didn’t know whether they could meet again, Nino perhaps already had a boyfriend, someone with a 9 to 5 profession whom he could go on a date every weekend – somebody who didn’t paint something meaningless. The thought brought an unpleasant pain to his chest, but Ohno could do nothing about it.
When the train crossed Seto Hashi Bridge from Shikoku to Honshu, Ohno felt like he was going to somewhere far away. The island behind him felt like another world – the unreal one. Maybe Nino was a kind of fairy who was sent to heal his chaotic soul, Ohno thought. He looked outside the train window, towards the Seto Inland Sea. The summer sky was so blue and sunny. Ohno inhaled deeply, trying not to think of what tomorrow would bring.
THE END
a/n: I planned to post it on 17th of June, but my the laptop where I saved the document died and I had to re-type everything. It was just a random cheesy idea for Nino’s birthday. Happy 34th anniversary, Nino!
ps: I will be 30 in next two days (OMG). But, just like what my husband told me, it's the only fairness in the world, everyone will get old.
Have a nice weekend, everyone.
