Cupid - Part 13 (Final)
Ohno stared at the man on the bed. He held the man’s hand tightly, waiting for the eyes to open. There’s nothing more he wanted other than seeing those beautiful eyes staring back at him with a shy and mischievous glint. But, it was futile. His Little Cupid still showed no sign of waking up. At least, he’s still breathing so that gave Ohno hope. Be patient. Little Cupid would definitely wake up!
Ohno didn’t take his eyes away from Nino when he heard the opened door. He had texted Sho earlier to inform him that he would go to work. So, that must be his assistant who came here to fetch him. And, judging from the number of footsteps he heard, Sho wasn’t alone. When Ohno turned, Aiba and Jun were also with him.
Ohno had been in the hospital for three days, waiting for Nino to wake up. On the day he was supposed to have his birthday party, he received news from Sho that Nino was involved in an accident. It happened when Nino tried to save a little girl from getting hit by a car. The doctor said Nino’s condition wasn’t critical and he would wake up soon. But…
“I will come again after work, Little Cupid,” said Ohno as he kissed Nino’s lips. Of course, there was no response. This was not a fairytale where a princess would wake up after her prince kissed her.
“Are you sure, Satoshi?” Asked Sho. “If you want to stay…”
“It’s okay,” He didn’t let Sho continue. “I’m sure Little Cupid wants me to work instead. If he knows I take a break because of him, he will be angry at me for neglecting work,”
“Okay, whatever you say,”
“Don’t worry, Ohchan,” said Aiba. “I will look after Kazu-chan and immediately call you when he wakes up,”
“Thanks, Aiba-chan,” Ohno forced a smile.
“I will be here with him too,” Jun chipped in. Ohno nodded his head, feeling relieved that Nino wouldn't be alone. His Little Cupid may not have a family to take care of him. But, he had friends who treasured him. And, of course, Nino also has Ohno who loves him. When Nino woke up later, he would not allow the man out of his sight for even a second. He would protect the man from harm as best as he could.
“I love you, Little Cupid. And, I will always be with you even when I’m not physically here,”
Ohno took one last look at Nino. As expected, nothing changed causing him to let out a sigh before he turned his attention to Sho. His assistant only smiled weakly at him, eyes asking if he was truly okay to leave Nino. He answered with a nod. He took a step forward before changing his mind due to noise from the bed.
Nino smiled contentedly when he woke up and saw Ohno sleeping next to him. He felt safe and secure with Ohno's arms wrapped around him. What time did his boyfriend sleep? Immediately after him? Or did Ohno continue to watch him even though Nino had urged him to sleep?
My boyfriend, Nino mumbled those words. This time, it was his turn to stare at his boyfriend. And, he felt giddy as he thought of what happened last night. And the thought of having Ohno as his boyfriend. Wow, this was hard to believe. How did someone as amazing as Ohno fall in love with him?
"I will make you happy," Nino whispered those words. Ohno stirred in his sleep but he didn't wake up. Perhaps, he was still tired. Deciding that he should make breakfast for Ohno, Nino reluctantly pushed Ohno's hand away.
"Thank you for loving me!"
Nino kissed Ohno's cheeks. He put his feet on the floor and then stood up. That’s when something strange happened. Almost immediately, the scenery in front of him started to change. He was still in Ohno's room but it was different. The colourful room suddenly became grey and everything around him was dull. He reached forward, trying to touch the painting on the wall but his hand passed through.
“Eh?”
He was startled with the discovery. How could this happen? Why couldn’t he touch the painting? He tried again and the same thing happened. Refusing to give up, he used the other hand but it was futile. He still couldn't touch the painting or anything in the room. Urgh, this was frustrating. Out of spite, he kicked the wall but, once again, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, the painting on the wall started to disappear. Frowning, his eyes wandered around the room and he was shocked to see he was surrounded by darkness. And, seeing the change in his surroundings, something that he hadn’t felt for a while resurfaced. Loneliness. He felt lonely. And, it brought back the memory that he tried to bury.
‘You are a cursed boy. Nobody will love you. And, you will never feel happy. Pain and suffering, that’s what you deserve for what you did to your parents’
The voice that he hadn’t heard for a while rang in his mind, repeating the same things that were told to him as he grew up. It was his uncle’s voice. The uncle who took care of him after his parents died in an accident. The uncle who had taken the inheritance left behind by his parents.
For years, he believed everything that his uncle said. He blamed himself for the accident that took away his parents. He thought of himself as a cursed boy. Consequently, he isolated himself from his classmates and preferred to be alone.
But, meeting Masaki changed everything.
No matter how many times he tried to push Masaki away, the boy kept trying to befriend him. And, his effort wasn’t futile. After dozens of attempts, Nino was finally defeated by his persistence. Their friendship began. Then, as everyone knew, they started dating.
Being with Masaki opened his eyes towards the truth about his uncle. All the insults from his uncle that were bestowed to him… all those things about Nino being a cursed boy… his uncle did that to justify his action of taking the money that should be Nino’s. He did that so Nino would feel guilty to ever think about happiness and ended up being a miserable and devastated little boy.
Masaki and his family help him get over the negative thoughts. When Nino was old enough, he cut ties with his uncle. His life became better without the man. However, a part of him was still worried. What if his uncle was right? What if he didn’t deserve the happiness? And these thoughts made it hard for him to love anyone. He was afraid to be left behind if he opened his heart to love someone.
That’s why he freaked out when Masaki confessed to him. Truthfully, he didn’t know what to do. But, Nino cared about his friend and didn’t want to lose him. So, he decided to try being in a relationship with Masaki. And, he didn’t regret the decision. Being with Masaki had been wonderful. Still… something was missing. And, he couldn’t express how he truly felt for Masaki in words. Only action.
But, was it love that he felt for Masaki? He had no answer for that.
Well, it seemed like Masaki wasn’t for him after all. Because the man also left him. And, once again, he was left with the thought that he didn’t deserve to be loved and was destined to be single forever. But, he didn’t feel alone.
Because he had friends this time.
And, despite being a matchmaker, he had no intention of falling in love. Not until he met a stranger named Ohno Satoshi.
And, as he thought of the man, he started to feel warm. It’s weird. They had just known each other. But, each second he spent with Ohno, he could feel how much the man loved him. As for Nino, he couldn’t bear to be away from Ohno. Not even for a second. Was it love that he felt for the man? Yes! No doubt! He is definitely in love with the man.
Ah, he missed Ohno! How could he escape from this place to see the man again? He didn’t want Ohno to think that he had left him. As someone who had been left behind, he knew how hurtful it was. Besides, there’s something he had to tell the man. He didn’t want to be parted with the man without telling him how he truly felt.
And then, his surroundings started to become bright. A man stood a few feet from Nino, extending his hand for Nino to take. The bright light made it difficult for Nino to see who he was. But, it didn’t matter because he recognized the man. He is Ohno, the man that Nino loves.
“I love you, Little Cupid. And, I will always be with you even when I’m not physically here,”
Without thinking, Nino stepped forward and took the hand that was offered to him.
Ohno kept pacing in the corridor, waiting for the doctor to finish checking on Nino. It was a miracle. He couldn't believe what had happened. Nino had finally woken up! And the first word Nino said when he opened his eyes…
"Ohchan…"
Nino had called him. Ohno froze, not knowing what to do at the moment. Thankfully, he wasn't alone. Sho, who was the most composed of them all, immediately called the doctor.
"Relax, Satoshi," said Sho, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure he will be okay,"
"We don't know that. What if…"
He trailed off when he saw the doctor getting out of the room.
"Sensei, how is he?" He quickly asked. The doctor smiled softly at him.
"Don't worry," answered the doctor. "He is fine. He is still weak so I recommend him to relax. But, he wants to see you, Ohno-san. So, you can go and see him, okay?"
Ohno looked at his friends. They nodded their heads and gestured for him to enter the room. So, taking a deep breath, he walked forward.
Nino was sitting on the bed as he entered. When he saw Ohno, he tried to stand up but Ohno quickly stopped him.
"You need to rest, Little Cupid,"
"I'm sorry for making you worried," said his Cupid with a shy smile.
"It's okay," assured Ohno. "I'm just happy… relieved… to see you again. If something happened to you…"
Nino shut him up with a kiss. Just a slow and steady kiss.
"I miss you, Little Cupid," he said once they let go of each other.
"And, I love you, Ohchan," said Nino shyly. His cheeks were red but Ohno was too surprised to comment on that. Nino… did his Little Cupid just confess?
"What did you say?" He asked for confirmation. But, Nino lightly smacked his head.
"You heard me," said Nino. "I will not say it again,"
"Please," he pleaded with his puppy eyes. And, it worked this time when Nino smiled at him.
"Listen properly because I'm not going to say it again," said Nino. His Little Cupid tried to sound annoyed but Ohno could see that he actually enjoyed it. "I love you, Ohchan,"
"I love you too, Little Cupid,"
And, then, he leaned forward for another round of kiss with his Little Cupid.
The End?
A/N: Cheesy? Lame? I always struggle with the ending. But, I hope this is okay. Truthfully, this story really turned out different than what I initially planned. I want Aiba to shake some things up between Ohmiya. But, it didn't happen that way, ne?
I don't know what to feel about the ending. I could still write an epilogue. Or maybe a sequel. Perhaps Nino will meet his uncle again. Perhaps his uncle is related to Ohno. I will let that be for now. But, if I have an idea for the sequel or the epilogue, I will continue. As of now, I considered myself to be done with this story.
As always, let me know what you think of it, ne? It will be very much appreciated :)