Heartbreaker
Jun. 5th, 2018 02:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rinji_chan1Title: Heartbreaker
Characters: All Arashi members
Pairings: Mostly Gen; slight Sakuraiba and some one-sided pairings
Rating: PG-13+
Warnings: Swearing. And alcohol, if that counts.
Summary: It was supposed to be the best party ever. However, with a late-comer going to the party to likely burst the bubble, what's the worst thing that could happen?
A/N: Have you ever wondered what happened before the 'I seek' MV? Yeah, me neither. But, this is what I came up with. Enjoy!
8:45pm.
So far, everything was according to how he had imagined it. Balloons and ribbons were decorated everywhere; the disco ball hanging on top and slowly spinning around, and of course, the jazzy music playing from the stereo, setting up the mood and vibe. Ohno could see the happy look on everyone's faces. He was well-pleased.
After all, it's his birthday party.
Of course, he got a little help from Aiba, who was a regular party-goer. So, Ohno, who wasn't really fond of parties, trusts him on how to liven up things. Aiba helped him out on picking the drinks and on what games to play.
Aiba also helped him on inviting more 'friends' to the party. Well, sort of.
Aiba, being a social-climber as always, loved to mingle with other people. It didn't matter who, where, and why. Aiba was the type of person who just loved the company of people, especially the attention they give him. To the point that it seemed like it was actually Aiba's party and Aiba's house that they all went to... but it wasn't.
It was annoying, but Ohno didn't mind. Nevertheless, he still considers Aiba was a good friend of his.
Even if Nino, Aiba's best friend, had to be dragged along too.
Nino was at the corner, leaning against the wall, with a glass of wine in his hand. His fluffy hair, snub nose, thin curvy lips-- he looked the same as always. Oddly, he was not having a conversation with anyone.
Heck, it looked like he barely took even a sip of his wine.
Meanwhile, Jun just came back from America. He actually came to the party together with Nino. Despite that, it seems Nino is keeping his distance from him too.
It's been long since Ohno had talked to Jun in person. Actually he never had talked to him ever since he went to America. Because he blocked his messages.
And Ohno didn't dare take a peek at their chat. Because... why should he?
He didn't care about Jun at all. Not anymore.
The doorbell suddenly rang, which surprised Ohno. He wasn't expecting guests anymore, unless it was one of Aiba's friends. Again.
Ohno pushed his way through the crowd and went to open the door. The man at his doorstep looked like a mess. His hair obviously unkempt, and his tie hasn't been tied yet either. He managed to give a crooked smile.
"Yo." He greeted and waved his hand. "Happy birthday."
"S-Sho?" Ohno quickly took a glance behind him before turning back to Sho. "Why are you here?" Ohno exclaimed. "I mean, I don't think you should be here!"
Sho shifted his eyes, side to side. "Who says I shouldn't?" He said.
Ohno sighed. "Okay, it's not like I don't want you to attend but..." He then went closer to him. "I thought you wanted to avoid Aiba?" He whispered.
"Oh." Sho chuckled. "I got over it."
Ohno raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He crossed his arms. "After like about a year, along with you ranting about him to me just a few days ago?"
"Relax, Ohno, I'm fine. People change."
Liar. Ohno thought. He badly wanted to tell it to him, straight at his face.
"And besides, how could I miss my best friend's birthday party?" Sho smiles. "Anyway, if you'll excuse me..." He then squeezed his way through.
"Sho!" Ohno shuts the door and goes after him.
Sho wonders through the crowd. He then stops abruptly as he finds Aiba among them.
Sho then approaches Aiba, who seems to be alarmed by his appearance.
"Hey, long time no see." Sho said. "I heard about your promotion at work. Congrats." He gives his hand, offering a handshake.
Aiba looked pale and took him a while to respond. "Ah," He finally said. "Yeah, thanks." He gave a smile and shook hands with Sho.
"You're welcome." Sho replied and smiled back.
For a moment, they didn't leave each other's gaze nor let go of each other's hand.
Ohno gulped. This might not go well at all.
10:45pm. Exactly 2 hours had passed since Sho arrived.
Ohno was watching Sho's every move. He checked on the people he had talked with and the number of the glasses of wine he had already taken.
Because for Ohno, Sho was a ticking bomb that would explode at any moment. He was sure that, on the inside, Sho was crumbling down.
Sho glups down what seems to be his 15th glass of wine. His head was shaking to the beat when that Bruno Mars song started playing.
Ohno couldn't help but sigh. As he reclined himself to the sofa, something then caught his eye.
Nino finally is having a conversation with someone, thanks to Aiba. Though, the look on Nino's face shows that it was forced. He was doing one of his card tricks again. Looking at the faces of Aiba's friends, he could tell that they were amazed.
On the contrary, Ohno wasn't at all that impressed. He has seen that trick before many times.
He had stopped counting a long time ago.
"Hey."
Ohno looks up to his side. Jun was looking at him and smiling at him. A smile which he used to be fond of. But now, it was a smile that he had grew to hate.
"Mind if I sit here?" Jun pointed at the other end of the sofa, which was left unoccupied.
"Yeah." He nodded. "Sure."
Jun then sits down beside him. Ohno quickly turned his face away from Jun.
Both of them were silent. They were this close after so many years. But Ohno, and surely Jun too, could feel the gap between them. "It's been a while." Jun said, trying to break the silence.
"Yeah, it has." He didn't want to look at him.
"You haven't replied to any of my messages."
"I was busy." Ohno could feel Jun's eyes on him. After all, it was impossible to hide it.
"Are you mad at me?"
He couldn't lie to him anymore.
"Ohno, look at me..."
Ohno finally turned to face Jun. He had a serious look on his face, or rather, he looked hurt.
"Just tell me, Ohno. What's wrong--"
"Oh, fuck it!" Ohno's eyes widened as a loud voice echoed around the room.
Suddenly, Sho went and stood on the sofa in between the two of them. "This is really some party!" Sho drank drops of wine from the now-empty bottle he was holding.
Ohno cringed in his seat and covered his face. The bomb had already exploded.
Everyone in the room stood still; all eyes were on Sho. They all started to whisper to each other. Aiba froze at where he stood and was turning pale again. He was just as horrified as Ohno was.
"You." Sho pointed his finger at Aiba, as soon as he saw him. And then he spun around in place. "All of you!" He then chuckled.
"Sho, that's enough." Ohno approached him, taking hold of his arm. "You have to stop--"
"Let go of me!" Sho brushed Ohno away. "That's right." Sho continued rambling. "All of you! You good-for-nothing jerks! Yeah, fucking Aiba is sooo glad to have friends like you!"
"Sho," Aiba managed to speak. "Please, not now..."
"Not now." Sho repeated and laughed. "Not now? Then when?" He then went down and walked towards Aiba. "You know, looking at everyone here reminds me of the good old days when I used to be like them. Being there for you, supporting you, and stuff like that. But what did you do?"
Aiba just shook his head.
"What did you do?" Sho shouted.
"I don't know what I did!" Aiba cried. "I don't know what I did wrong, alright? It just didn't work out, Sho!"
The whole room was now filled with silence. Only Aiba's slow breathing could be heard.
Sho clicked his tongue. "I was wrong." He said, glaring at Aiba. "People don't change after all." He then turned away.
The crowd immediately backed away from Sho as he made his way to leave the house.
Once they heard the door close shut, all attention was now turned to Aiba. Embarrassed, he lowered his head. He then briefly bowed to the people at each side. "I'm sorry." He said each time he bowed. He placed his glass of wine on the table in front of Ohno and Jun.
"Let me excuse myself." He said and rushed out of the house.
Ohno puts his hand over his face and sighed. "Great."
"Sho!" Aiba screamed at the top of his lungs. He has no idea how long he had been looking for Sho. He had already walked far enough from Ohno's house and searched the whole neighborhood for him.
He then stops at a nearby soccer field to rest. Coincidentally, he sees Sho with his head down, sitting down on one of the benches.
"Sho!" Aiba quickly ran towards him. "Sho, I'm sorry. I--"
"Would you be quiet?" Sho shouted. "For once, Masaki, just don't say anything for a moment. Please?" His voice was already hoarse.
Aiba could see how swollen his eyes were. The veins in Sho's eyes too were visible.
Sho puts his hands over his head and sighed. "Gosh, I feel so horrible right now..."
Aiba wanted to comfort him, to hug him... but he couldn't. Because if he did, that would just make things worse. With nothing else to do, Aiba sits down beside him.
Little by little, he could start to hear Sho's muffled weeping. Aiba opened his mouth to speak, but shutted it again for he couldn't think of what were the right words to say.
"It was going so well." Sho suddenly said. "Us; everything. But then, all of a sudden, you would always come home late. You would hang out with your friends or go to clubs with your co-workers after work. Every night, I would be home alone, wondering when I'll hear you knocking on the door; wondering when will I hear you say 'I'm home', and that I'd be able to say 'welcome home'..." Sho sniffed and wiped the tears in his eyes. "It's like you treasure them more than me."
"I'm sorry."
Sho shook his head. "You always say that."
Aiba bit his lip. "Well, I don't know what else to say then." He said and forced a laugh. "I... I've known you ever since college. Meeting you and going out with you was probably one of the best things to ever happen to me. I had no idea how to make it up to you. And I guess I didn't try hard enough--"
He stopped, as tears started to roll down over his cheeks. "In the end, I just hurt you. I'm sorry, Sho." Aiba said and started to wail.
"Why the heck are you crying?" Sho yelled at him. "I'm the one who's supposed to cry!" He, too, started to cry again.
The two of them then continued to cry, their voices echoing through the quiet night. Soon after, for some reason, their cries slowly became laughter.
Sho, putting his hands on his stomach, threw himself backwards as he laughed. "What on earth are we doing?" He said.
Aiba shook his head and chuckled.
Sho then sighed. "Maybe it's better if we just stay as friends." He said.
Aiba felt a sting in his chest as he heard that. "Yeah, maybe."
"Now that I think about it... Of all people, why did it have to be you? I'm such an idiot."
"No. I'm the idiot here."
"Then we're both idiots."
They both laughed out loud again.
"So, are we--" Aiba turned to face Sho. "...friends again?"
Sho shrugged. "Can we?" He said.
"If you want to." Aiba then extends his hand to Sho.
A smile then slowly appears on Sho's face. He then shook hands with Aiba again. "Friends."
Once Sho and Aiba walked out of the party, one by one, everyone else had left the house.
Ohno was upstairs at the kitchen, putting the dirty dishes in the sink. He then sighs. Today wasn't his day; it was supposed to be the best party ever. Instead, he felt humiliated.
He wanted to hide himself from the world again.
He proceeds to go back down to the living room. However, from upstairs, he sees Jun and Nino sitting next to each other on the sofa. Neither of them noticed him yet.
They seemed to be talking about something. Though no matter how Ohno tries to get close, he couldn't hear a word.
But, he didn't need to. Because all of a sudden, Nino wraps his arm around Jun. And Nino slightly tilts his head and slowly gets closer to Jun.
The memories flashed back in Ohno's mind. He couldn't hold in his emotions any longer.
"I knew it." Ohno said.
The two turned their heads towards where he stood. "Ohno..." Jun said.
"I hate you." The tears in Ohno's eyes started to well up. "You were my best friend. I trusted you!"
Jun's eyebrows furrowed. "Ohno, what are you talking about?"
"During New Year's Eve, I saw the two of you. You guys were kissing! You and him, doing things behind my back; you disgust me!"
"Hey, hey!" Nino stood up from his seat. "That's enough! You're misunderstanding--"
"No, I perfectly understand!" Ohno exclaimed. "After all, Jun's the one you liked ever since--"
Ohno then heard shuffled footsteps. He didn't realize that Sho and Aiba had came back in the house. By looking at the expression on their faces, they knew they came at a bad time.
"You know what? Sho was right." Nino said. "This is really some fucking party of yours." He then pointed at Ohno. "You knew that this would happen, didn't you?"
Ohno turned his gaze away from him.
"Why have a party in the first place?" He exclaimed. "So that you could feel good? Because you were lonely Is that it? You pushed Jun and I away. You pushed your friends away, to the point that Aiba invited his own friends himself. All because you wouldn't bear it if it was only the five of us!"
"Shut up!" Ohno said. "You have no idea what I've been through!"
"Oh, so you think you're the only one who has problems then?"
"Guys, stop!" Aiba shouted. "That's enough! This isn't going to solve anything! So just stop, please?"
Nino then took a deep sigh. "Look, I don't know what you think of me, Jun, or everyone else, but I know exactly how you feel!" He cried. "Honestly, to be seeing you like this... it's just sad. The Ohno I knew wouldn't do such things."
Ohno took a glance at him. Nino's eyes were watery.
His heart was wavering.
"Jun was worried sick about you! Don't you know that?" Nino then walks out and proceeds to go to another room.
"Nino!" Ohno runs down the stairs. "Wait, come back!" He said, but Nino kept walking till he was out of Ohno's sight.
"Shit..." Ohno's voice cracked. He then covered his eyes as he felt his tears coming out again. "I'm sorry." He told them. "I want to be alone for awhile."
Ohno goes outside his house, slaming the door behind him. He then sits on his doorstep and cries silently.
He then hears the door open and close. When he turns, Jun was once again in his sight.
"What do you want? I said I wanted to be alone!" Ohno said.
He then puts his head down and wraps his arms around himself. "I hate it." He said. "I fell in love with a guy, only to find out that he ended up liking my best friend instead. To think that I would lose to you, I hate it..."
He hears Jun's footsteps and felt the younger man sit beside him. "That day." Jun said. "When he confessed, I was off guard."
Ohno raised up his head.
"I rejected him."
Ohno's face wrinkled. "What?"
"Nino isn't my type. And... I have someone."
Ohno gaped at him.
"Well, there was someone."
He never heard of this someone. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I did. I messaged you the day before I went to America."
"Oh God..." He puts his hands over his head. "I'm so stupid."
"Don't say that."
"But I am!" Ohno cried. "I only thought of myself. I'm such a jerk." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Jun chuckled. "Well, a lot has changed the past 3 years, don't you think? All the time I'd been thinking how were you. So, when Nino told me about the party, I immediately came here just to see you."
Ohno looked down on his feet. "You're too nice to me. Aren't you mad that I ignored you?"
Jun blinked at him. "At first." He then patted his back. "What's important for me is that you're alright. And I'm glad you are."
"What happened to that guy?"
"What guy?"
"Your ex-boyfriend. Have you ever talked to him again?"
Jun shook his head. "No." He said. "I don't plan to. I left him, without him knowing I went to America."
"Oh."
"Yeah, it's a long story."
"I guess I have a lot of catching up to do then." Ohno briefly chuckled. He turned towards Jun. "I'm sorry."
Jun then smiled and embraced him. "I already forgave you a long time ago."
Ohno wrapped his arms around Jun. This is what he needed all along. He didn't think of anything else anymore; no bad thoughts, no worries. Nothing. Just contentment.
He was finally with his best friend again.
"I think you should talk to Nino." Jun said, as soon as they stopped hugging.
Ohno agreed.
And before they knew it, it was already midnight.
Ohno walks into the other room. Nino was at one of the party tables, playing with a deck of cards in his hands. Probably practicing a magic trick.
"You really don't get tired of doing that, do you?" Ohno said as he approached him.
"It's none of your business." He replied without looking at him. He then continues to shuffle the cards.
Ohno then takes a chair and sits down next to him. "I'm sorry for earlier." He said. Yet Nino didn't react to what he said. "Jun told me about it."
The younger man abruptly stopped shuffling the cards and glanced at him. He then puts down the cards on the table and sighed. "Serves him right." Nino said.
"Huh?"
"I bet that's what you're thinking right now, when you look at me."
Ohno twisted his lips. "Maybe."
"3 years." Nino groaned. "To think that after 3 years, you and I still haven't moved on yet."
Ohno didn't know how to react to that. He kept silent.
Nino reaches for his glass of wine and drinks it all at once. He then grimaced. "I never thought I'd grew sick from the taste of alcohol."
Ohno chuckled. "Yeah, me too."
"I thought about it sometimes."
"About what?" Ohno asked.
"Well, many things." He said. "Jun tried to contact you as many times as he could, but kept on failing to reach you. So he would contact to me instead for comfort. It's just... I don't know." Nino shook his head. "I just wondered what I could've done right that time."
Ohno briefly smiled.
"You know, now that I think about it..." Nino said. "Right now, it's exactly like the first time we met."
"How so?" Ohno asked.
"You and me. At a party. We were bored, and then Aiba--"
"You need to make new friends once in a while!" They said at the same time.
Ohno then laughed, along with Nino, who gave a toothed grin.
"Yeah, he said that." Ohno nodded.
"He kind of set us up. But, I'm glad that happened."
They then looked at each other. Neither of them said a word for a minute. The gentle gaze of Nino's eyes makes Ohno's heart ache.
He's falling for him all over again.
"It never crossed my mind that you liked me." Nino suddenly said. "So, when you confessed to me that time, I was really shocked."
Ohno bitterly smiled. "I hate you."
Nino chuckled. "Hate me all you want then."
Ohno then stood up from his seat. "You're a good man, Nino." He said. "Whoever ends up with you is surely lucky."
Nino shook his head. "I wish." He then once again took the deck of cards and shuffled them.
Ohno walks back to the living room where Aiba and Jun were. Both guys were sitting on the sofa. Jun was reading a magazine as Ohno came in. Jun then looks up at him.
"So, how did it go?" He asked.
Ohno tilted his head. "We're okay, I guess." He then scans the room. "Where's Sho?"
"He went upstairs to the restroom." Aiba said.
Ohno nodded. "I see."
"Gosh, I'm really starving now." Aiba exclaimed. "Is there some food left, Ohno? Any leftovers?"
Ohno shook his head. "None. Maybe up in the kitchen you'll find something."
"Well then." Aiba stood up from seat. "Please excuse me." He then quickly went upstairs.
Ohno then turns to Jun. "You guys really have no plans to go home, huh?"
"A friend's home is also our home." He said. "And, come on, it's like 1:30."
"You got a point." Ohno then sighed.
"Don't worry, I'll leave first thing in the morning. You don't need to make me breakfast or anything."
"Yeah, right..." Ohno said, with a sarcastic tone. "Anyway, you guys won't mind if I play some music? Since you guys are still here."
"Uh, maybe you should ask your neighbors?"
Ohno rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Jun laughed. "If it's fun, why not? You're the birthday boy anyway."
Ohno searches the shelves and takes out one of the CD cases. It was one of their favorite songs; a single sung by some popular idol group... well, whoever they were. Ohno only bought it because he happened to have heard it during one party he went to.
He smiled to himself. Turns out that maybe this party wasn't as worse as he thought it would turn out to be.
Maybe things after this would be better. Well, hopefully.
He then puts the disk in the CD player.
And the music starts to play...
A/N: It's finally done. I'm so done. I actually had to put a halt to a series I was writing on LJ due to personal reasons. I've got the plot planned out; I made some drafts but no matter what I do, I couldn't finish it. I wasn't satisfied. And since I'm going to college soon, I have no idea when I will be able to work on it again. And yet, this happened. "Heartbreaker' happened. And I'm really happy with how it turned out.
While watching the 'I seek' MV, I came up with a scenario in which there might have been a fight that occurred (hence, the awkwardness in the MV). And, in the middle of writing this fic, I actually went to a birthday party and an ex-couple ACTUALLY fought with each other (right AFTER the party, of course.)
Anyway, I hoped that you enjoyed reading this! ^^
Characters: All Arashi members
Pairings: Mostly Gen; slight Sakuraiba and some one-sided pairings
Rating: PG-13+
Warnings: Swearing. And alcohol, if that counts.
Summary: It was supposed to be the best party ever. However, with a late-comer going to the party to likely burst the bubble, what's the worst thing that could happen?
A/N: Have you ever wondered what happened before the 'I seek' MV? Yeah, me neither. But, this is what I came up with. Enjoy!
8:45pm.
So far, everything was according to how he had imagined it. Balloons and ribbons were decorated everywhere; the disco ball hanging on top and slowly spinning around, and of course, the jazzy music playing from the stereo, setting up the mood and vibe. Ohno could see the happy look on everyone's faces. He was well-pleased.
After all, it's his birthday party.
Of course, he got a little help from Aiba, who was a regular party-goer. So, Ohno, who wasn't really fond of parties, trusts him on how to liven up things. Aiba helped him out on picking the drinks and on what games to play.
Aiba also helped him on inviting more 'friends' to the party. Well, sort of.
Aiba, being a social-climber as always, loved to mingle with other people. It didn't matter who, where, and why. Aiba was the type of person who just loved the company of people, especially the attention they give him. To the point that it seemed like it was actually Aiba's party and Aiba's house that they all went to... but it wasn't.
It was annoying, but Ohno didn't mind. Nevertheless, he still considers Aiba was a good friend of his.
Even if Nino, Aiba's best friend, had to be dragged along too.
Nino was at the corner, leaning against the wall, with a glass of wine in his hand. His fluffy hair, snub nose, thin curvy lips-- he looked the same as always. Oddly, he was not having a conversation with anyone.
Heck, it looked like he barely took even a sip of his wine.
Meanwhile, Jun just came back from America. He actually came to the party together with Nino. Despite that, it seems Nino is keeping his distance from him too.
It's been long since Ohno had talked to Jun in person. Actually he never had talked to him ever since he went to America. Because he blocked his messages.
And Ohno didn't dare take a peek at their chat. Because... why should he?
He didn't care about Jun at all. Not anymore.
The doorbell suddenly rang, which surprised Ohno. He wasn't expecting guests anymore, unless it was one of Aiba's friends. Again.
Ohno pushed his way through the crowd and went to open the door. The man at his doorstep looked like a mess. His hair obviously unkempt, and his tie hasn't been tied yet either. He managed to give a crooked smile.
"Yo." He greeted and waved his hand. "Happy birthday."
"S-Sho?" Ohno quickly took a glance behind him before turning back to Sho. "Why are you here?" Ohno exclaimed. "I mean, I don't think you should be here!"
Sho shifted his eyes, side to side. "Who says I shouldn't?" He said.
Ohno sighed. "Okay, it's not like I don't want you to attend but..." He then went closer to him. "I thought you wanted to avoid Aiba?" He whispered.
"Oh." Sho chuckled. "I got over it."
Ohno raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He crossed his arms. "After like about a year, along with you ranting about him to me just a few days ago?"
"Relax, Ohno, I'm fine. People change."
Liar. Ohno thought. He badly wanted to tell it to him, straight at his face.
"And besides, how could I miss my best friend's birthday party?" Sho smiles. "Anyway, if you'll excuse me..." He then squeezed his way through.
"Sho!" Ohno shuts the door and goes after him.
Sho wonders through the crowd. He then stops abruptly as he finds Aiba among them.
Sho then approaches Aiba, who seems to be alarmed by his appearance.
"Hey, long time no see." Sho said. "I heard about your promotion at work. Congrats." He gives his hand, offering a handshake.
Aiba looked pale and took him a while to respond. "Ah," He finally said. "Yeah, thanks." He gave a smile and shook hands with Sho.
"You're welcome." Sho replied and smiled back.
For a moment, they didn't leave each other's gaze nor let go of each other's hand.
Ohno gulped. This might not go well at all.
***
10:45pm. Exactly 2 hours had passed since Sho arrived.
Ohno was watching Sho's every move. He checked on the people he had talked with and the number of the glasses of wine he had already taken.
Because for Ohno, Sho was a ticking bomb that would explode at any moment. He was sure that, on the inside, Sho was crumbling down.
Sho glups down what seems to be his 15th glass of wine. His head was shaking to the beat when that Bruno Mars song started playing.
Ohno couldn't help but sigh. As he reclined himself to the sofa, something then caught his eye.
Nino finally is having a conversation with someone, thanks to Aiba. Though, the look on Nino's face shows that it was forced. He was doing one of his card tricks again. Looking at the faces of Aiba's friends, he could tell that they were amazed.
On the contrary, Ohno wasn't at all that impressed. He has seen that trick before many times.
He had stopped counting a long time ago.
"Hey."
Ohno looks up to his side. Jun was looking at him and smiling at him. A smile which he used to be fond of. But now, it was a smile that he had grew to hate.
"Mind if I sit here?" Jun pointed at the other end of the sofa, which was left unoccupied.
"Yeah." He nodded. "Sure."
Jun then sits down beside him. Ohno quickly turned his face away from Jun.
Both of them were silent. They were this close after so many years. But Ohno, and surely Jun too, could feel the gap between them. "It's been a while." Jun said, trying to break the silence.
"Yeah, it has." He didn't want to look at him.
"You haven't replied to any of my messages."
"I was busy." Ohno could feel Jun's eyes on him. After all, it was impossible to hide it.
"Are you mad at me?"
He couldn't lie to him anymore.
"Ohno, look at me..."
Ohno finally turned to face Jun. He had a serious look on his face, or rather, he looked hurt.
"Just tell me, Ohno. What's wrong--"
"Oh, fuck it!" Ohno's eyes widened as a loud voice echoed around the room.
Suddenly, Sho went and stood on the sofa in between the two of them. "This is really some party!" Sho drank drops of wine from the now-empty bottle he was holding.
Ohno cringed in his seat and covered his face. The bomb had already exploded.
Everyone in the room stood still; all eyes were on Sho. They all started to whisper to each other. Aiba froze at where he stood and was turning pale again. He was just as horrified as Ohno was.
"You." Sho pointed his finger at Aiba, as soon as he saw him. And then he spun around in place. "All of you!" He then chuckled.
"Sho, that's enough." Ohno approached him, taking hold of his arm. "You have to stop--"
"Let go of me!" Sho brushed Ohno away. "That's right." Sho continued rambling. "All of you! You good-for-nothing jerks! Yeah, fucking Aiba is sooo glad to have friends like you!"
"Sho," Aiba managed to speak. "Please, not now..."
"Not now." Sho repeated and laughed. "Not now? Then when?" He then went down and walked towards Aiba. "You know, looking at everyone here reminds me of the good old days when I used to be like them. Being there for you, supporting you, and stuff like that. But what did you do?"
Aiba just shook his head.
"What did you do?" Sho shouted.
"I don't know what I did!" Aiba cried. "I don't know what I did wrong, alright? It just didn't work out, Sho!"
The whole room was now filled with silence. Only Aiba's slow breathing could be heard.
Sho clicked his tongue. "I was wrong." He said, glaring at Aiba. "People don't change after all." He then turned away.
The crowd immediately backed away from Sho as he made his way to leave the house.
Once they heard the door close shut, all attention was now turned to Aiba. Embarrassed, he lowered his head. He then briefly bowed to the people at each side. "I'm sorry." He said each time he bowed. He placed his glass of wine on the table in front of Ohno and Jun.
"Let me excuse myself." He said and rushed out of the house.
Ohno puts his hand over his face and sighed. "Great."
***
"Sho!" Aiba screamed at the top of his lungs. He has no idea how long he had been looking for Sho. He had already walked far enough from Ohno's house and searched the whole neighborhood for him.
He then stops at a nearby soccer field to rest. Coincidentally, he sees Sho with his head down, sitting down on one of the benches.
"Sho!" Aiba quickly ran towards him. "Sho, I'm sorry. I--"
"Would you be quiet?" Sho shouted. "For once, Masaki, just don't say anything for a moment. Please?" His voice was already hoarse.
Aiba could see how swollen his eyes were. The veins in Sho's eyes too were visible.
Sho puts his hands over his head and sighed. "Gosh, I feel so horrible right now..."
Aiba wanted to comfort him, to hug him... but he couldn't. Because if he did, that would just make things worse. With nothing else to do, Aiba sits down beside him.
Little by little, he could start to hear Sho's muffled weeping. Aiba opened his mouth to speak, but shutted it again for he couldn't think of what were the right words to say.
"It was going so well." Sho suddenly said. "Us; everything. But then, all of a sudden, you would always come home late. You would hang out with your friends or go to clubs with your co-workers after work. Every night, I would be home alone, wondering when I'll hear you knocking on the door; wondering when will I hear you say 'I'm home', and that I'd be able to say 'welcome home'..." Sho sniffed and wiped the tears in his eyes. "It's like you treasure them more than me."
"I'm sorry."
Sho shook his head. "You always say that."
Aiba bit his lip. "Well, I don't know what else to say then." He said and forced a laugh. "I... I've known you ever since college. Meeting you and going out with you was probably one of the best things to ever happen to me. I had no idea how to make it up to you. And I guess I didn't try hard enough--"
He stopped, as tears started to roll down over his cheeks. "In the end, I just hurt you. I'm sorry, Sho." Aiba said and started to wail.
"Why the heck are you crying?" Sho yelled at him. "I'm the one who's supposed to cry!" He, too, started to cry again.
The two of them then continued to cry, their voices echoing through the quiet night. Soon after, for some reason, their cries slowly became laughter.
Sho, putting his hands on his stomach, threw himself backwards as he laughed. "What on earth are we doing?" He said.
Aiba shook his head and chuckled.
Sho then sighed. "Maybe it's better if we just stay as friends." He said.
Aiba felt a sting in his chest as he heard that. "Yeah, maybe."
"Now that I think about it... Of all people, why did it have to be you? I'm such an idiot."
"No. I'm the idiot here."
"Then we're both idiots."
They both laughed out loud again.
"So, are we--" Aiba turned to face Sho. "...friends again?"
Sho shrugged. "Can we?" He said.
"If you want to." Aiba then extends his hand to Sho.
A smile then slowly appears on Sho's face. He then shook hands with Aiba again. "Friends."
***
Once Sho and Aiba walked out of the party, one by one, everyone else had left the house.
Ohno was upstairs at the kitchen, putting the dirty dishes in the sink. He then sighs. Today wasn't his day; it was supposed to be the best party ever. Instead, he felt humiliated.
He wanted to hide himself from the world again.
He proceeds to go back down to the living room. However, from upstairs, he sees Jun and Nino sitting next to each other on the sofa. Neither of them noticed him yet.
They seemed to be talking about something. Though no matter how Ohno tries to get close, he couldn't hear a word.
But, he didn't need to. Because all of a sudden, Nino wraps his arm around Jun. And Nino slightly tilts his head and slowly gets closer to Jun.
The memories flashed back in Ohno's mind. He couldn't hold in his emotions any longer.
"I knew it." Ohno said.
The two turned their heads towards where he stood. "Ohno..." Jun said.
"I hate you." The tears in Ohno's eyes started to well up. "You were my best friend. I trusted you!"
Jun's eyebrows furrowed. "Ohno, what are you talking about?"
"During New Year's Eve, I saw the two of you. You guys were kissing! You and him, doing things behind my back; you disgust me!"
"Hey, hey!" Nino stood up from his seat. "That's enough! You're misunderstanding--"
"No, I perfectly understand!" Ohno exclaimed. "After all, Jun's the one you liked ever since--"
Ohno then heard shuffled footsteps. He didn't realize that Sho and Aiba had came back in the house. By looking at the expression on their faces, they knew they came at a bad time.
"You know what? Sho was right." Nino said. "This is really some fucking party of yours." He then pointed at Ohno. "You knew that this would happen, didn't you?"
Ohno turned his gaze away from him.
"Why have a party in the first place?" He exclaimed. "So that you could feel good? Because you were lonely Is that it? You pushed Jun and I away. You pushed your friends away, to the point that Aiba invited his own friends himself. All because you wouldn't bear it if it was only the five of us!"
"Shut up!" Ohno said. "You have no idea what I've been through!"
"Oh, so you think you're the only one who has problems then?"
"Guys, stop!" Aiba shouted. "That's enough! This isn't going to solve anything! So just stop, please?"
Nino then took a deep sigh. "Look, I don't know what you think of me, Jun, or everyone else, but I know exactly how you feel!" He cried. "Honestly, to be seeing you like this... it's just sad. The Ohno I knew wouldn't do such things."
Ohno took a glance at him. Nino's eyes were watery.
His heart was wavering.
"Jun was worried sick about you! Don't you know that?" Nino then walks out and proceeds to go to another room.
"Nino!" Ohno runs down the stairs. "Wait, come back!" He said, but Nino kept walking till he was out of Ohno's sight.
"Shit..." Ohno's voice cracked. He then covered his eyes as he felt his tears coming out again. "I'm sorry." He told them. "I want to be alone for awhile."
Ohno goes outside his house, slaming the door behind him. He then sits on his doorstep and cries silently.
He then hears the door open and close. When he turns, Jun was once again in his sight.
"What do you want? I said I wanted to be alone!" Ohno said.
He then puts his head down and wraps his arms around himself. "I hate it." He said. "I fell in love with a guy, only to find out that he ended up liking my best friend instead. To think that I would lose to you, I hate it..."
He hears Jun's footsteps and felt the younger man sit beside him. "That day." Jun said. "When he confessed, I was off guard."
Ohno raised up his head.
"I rejected him."
Ohno's face wrinkled. "What?"
"Nino isn't my type. And... I have someone."
Ohno gaped at him.
"Well, there was someone."
He never heard of this someone. "Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I did. I messaged you the day before I went to America."
"Oh God..." He puts his hands over his head. "I'm so stupid."
"Don't say that."
"But I am!" Ohno cried. "I only thought of myself. I'm such a jerk." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Jun chuckled. "Well, a lot has changed the past 3 years, don't you think? All the time I'd been thinking how were you. So, when Nino told me about the party, I immediately came here just to see you."
Ohno looked down on his feet. "You're too nice to me. Aren't you mad that I ignored you?"
Jun blinked at him. "At first." He then patted his back. "What's important for me is that you're alright. And I'm glad you are."
"What happened to that guy?"
"What guy?"
"Your ex-boyfriend. Have you ever talked to him again?"
Jun shook his head. "No." He said. "I don't plan to. I left him, without him knowing I went to America."
"Oh."
"Yeah, it's a long story."
"I guess I have a lot of catching up to do then." Ohno briefly chuckled. He turned towards Jun. "I'm sorry."
Jun then smiled and embraced him. "I already forgave you a long time ago."
Ohno wrapped his arms around Jun. This is what he needed all along. He didn't think of anything else anymore; no bad thoughts, no worries. Nothing. Just contentment.
He was finally with his best friend again.
"I think you should talk to Nino." Jun said, as soon as they stopped hugging.
Ohno agreed.
And before they knew it, it was already midnight.
***
Ohno walks into the other room. Nino was at one of the party tables, playing with a deck of cards in his hands. Probably practicing a magic trick.
"You really don't get tired of doing that, do you?" Ohno said as he approached him.
"It's none of your business." He replied without looking at him. He then continues to shuffle the cards.
Ohno then takes a chair and sits down next to him. "I'm sorry for earlier." He said. Yet Nino didn't react to what he said. "Jun told me about it."
The younger man abruptly stopped shuffling the cards and glanced at him. He then puts down the cards on the table and sighed. "Serves him right." Nino said.
"Huh?"
"I bet that's what you're thinking right now, when you look at me."
Ohno twisted his lips. "Maybe."
"3 years." Nino groaned. "To think that after 3 years, you and I still haven't moved on yet."
Ohno didn't know how to react to that. He kept silent.
Nino reaches for his glass of wine and drinks it all at once. He then grimaced. "I never thought I'd grew sick from the taste of alcohol."
Ohno chuckled. "Yeah, me too."
"I thought about it sometimes."
"About what?" Ohno asked.
"Well, many things." He said. "Jun tried to contact you as many times as he could, but kept on failing to reach you. So he would contact to me instead for comfort. It's just... I don't know." Nino shook his head. "I just wondered what I could've done right that time."
Ohno briefly smiled.
"You know, now that I think about it..." Nino said. "Right now, it's exactly like the first time we met."
"How so?" Ohno asked.
"You and me. At a party. We were bored, and then Aiba--"
"You need to make new friends once in a while!" They said at the same time.
Ohno then laughed, along with Nino, who gave a toothed grin.
"Yeah, he said that." Ohno nodded.
"He kind of set us up. But, I'm glad that happened."
They then looked at each other. Neither of them said a word for a minute. The gentle gaze of Nino's eyes makes Ohno's heart ache.
He's falling for him all over again.
"It never crossed my mind that you liked me." Nino suddenly said. "So, when you confessed to me that time, I was really shocked."
Ohno bitterly smiled. "I hate you."
Nino chuckled. "Hate me all you want then."
Ohno then stood up from his seat. "You're a good man, Nino." He said. "Whoever ends up with you is surely lucky."
Nino shook his head. "I wish." He then once again took the deck of cards and shuffled them.
Ohno walks back to the living room where Aiba and Jun were. Both guys were sitting on the sofa. Jun was reading a magazine as Ohno came in. Jun then looks up at him.
"So, how did it go?" He asked.
Ohno tilted his head. "We're okay, I guess." He then scans the room. "Where's Sho?"
"He went upstairs to the restroom." Aiba said.
Ohno nodded. "I see."
"Gosh, I'm really starving now." Aiba exclaimed. "Is there some food left, Ohno? Any leftovers?"
Ohno shook his head. "None. Maybe up in the kitchen you'll find something."
"Well then." Aiba stood up from seat. "Please excuse me." He then quickly went upstairs.
Ohno then turns to Jun. "You guys really have no plans to go home, huh?"
"A friend's home is also our home." He said. "And, come on, it's like 1:30."
"You got a point." Ohno then sighed.
"Don't worry, I'll leave first thing in the morning. You don't need to make me breakfast or anything."
"Yeah, right..." Ohno said, with a sarcastic tone. "Anyway, you guys won't mind if I play some music? Since you guys are still here."
"Uh, maybe you should ask your neighbors?"
Ohno rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
Jun laughed. "If it's fun, why not? You're the birthday boy anyway."
***
Ohno searches the shelves and takes out one of the CD cases. It was one of their favorite songs; a single sung by some popular idol group... well, whoever they were. Ohno only bought it because he happened to have heard it during one party he went to.
He smiled to himself. Turns out that maybe this party wasn't as worse as he thought it would turn out to be.
Maybe things after this would be better. Well, hopefully.
He then puts the disk in the CD player.
And the music starts to play...
A/N: It's finally done. I'm so done. I actually had to put a halt to a series I was writing on LJ due to personal reasons. I've got the plot planned out; I made some drafts but no matter what I do, I couldn't finish it. I wasn't satisfied. And since I'm going to college soon, I have no idea when I will be able to work on it again. And yet, this happened. "Heartbreaker' happened. And I'm really happy with how it turned out.
While watching the 'I seek' MV, I came up with a scenario in which there might have been a fight that occurred (hence, the awkwardness in the MV). And, in the middle of writing this fic, I actually went to a birthday party and an ex-couple ACTUALLY fought with each other (right AFTER the party, of course.)
Anyway, I hoped that you enjoyed reading this! ^^
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Date: 2018-06-05 08:23 pm (UTC)Thanks for sharing this with us.
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Date: 2018-06-07 06:24 am (UTC)