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Sho was on his first poop patrol when there was a flurry of honks resounding from down the driveway.
Nino, rarely one to be outside by choice, was sunning himself on a rusty old lawn chair he'd found in the green house's garage. His position was conveniently located across from Mayu-chan's favorite pooping zone and he had barely even pretended to glance down at the script in his hands, preferring to watch Sho stumble and curse as he stepped in more excrement than he found on purpose.
As Sho whipped around in surprise at the noise coming from the gate the plastic bag slipped out of his hand and he yelped, pained, as his hard won poop spilled out onto the grass again. Nino snickered.
Sho tossed a resentful glare in Nino's direction and rued the day he'd agree to move in with that little weasel. Best friends did not make each other pick up dog feces.
As he got to the gate the honking started again and he went through the small door on the side with the intention of giving the intruding driver a piece of his mind. His mind was wiped clean when he was confronted with the beaming face of Aiba, waving madly at Sho from the driver's seat of the moving truck while one mover sat morosely next to him and three others sat scrunched tightly together in the small back seat.
"You're early," Sho grumbled to himself. "And loud." Nevertheless he punched in the code and waved the truck through the gate, thankful at least for Aiba's unexpected arrival spoiling Nino's fun.
He walked up the driveway as Aiba got out of the truck to allow the real driver to turn it around in the tight space. Aiba craned his neck around as if trying to figure out the best way for the job to be done but spotted Sho midway and left it for the professionals so that he could come exchange greetings. Sho paused, torn between knowing he should finish the poop patrol and wanting to put off the day Aiba knew Sho had a poop patrol at all.
Sho resolutely turned his back to the poop zone and bowed to Aiba, who was bubbling over with apologies for coming early, which afforded Sho the chance to raise a hand suavely and tell him it was just fine.
Aiba laughed at him, but kindly, and twirled once with arms outstretched in the warm sun and cool breeze.
"Sho-san, it's so nice here! I wish Oh-chan could have come today but he's out drawing caricatures at his favorite park."
At Sho's befuddled look he answered Sho's unspoken question, "I know, he said he had to go today! I think he might be meeting someone there but I haven't been able to pry it out of him."
Sho tried to think of a way to ask his next question that didn't seem too blunt. "How... why are you a day early, Aiba-san?"
Aiba looked abashed. "In your mail you said today was your off day and I know I shouldn't have bothered you but it would have been so lonely to move in when you and Ninomiya-san weren't here. Of course, I lost Oh-chan in the process, and he took Hana-chan out, too... ah, where's Mayu-chan?"
"We put her inside while I... she's inside," Sho said, hoping Aiba wouldn't notice the plastic bag half-full of poop not all that far behind Sho's back.
"Good morning," Nino said as he came up behind Aiba. "I'm your employer. And landlord."
Aiba smiled easily and bowed. "And one of my favorite actors," he said, not seeming to mind Nino's curtness.
"Yes, of course," Nino said nonchalantly, but when Aiba giggled Nino let himself smile.
Sho heaved a sigh, edging toward the green house. Nino put a finger to his lips and appeared to be trying to remember something.
"Ah, Sho-san? I wouldn't want you to forget your poop."
Nino grinned widely at Sho's slumped shoulders before turning to Aiba again and bowing. "Aiba-san, let me show you your new home."
Aiba gave a little cheer that went a tiny way toward recovering Sho's spirits. Further recovery was made when he overheard Aiba ask, as he walked away with Nino, "Where's Mayu-Jun?" Nino's answering joyful guffaw nearly had Sho forgiving him entirely.
Sho gingerly re-gathered his bounty, using the bag as a makeshift glove. After depositing it in the trashcan outside their house he hurried after Nino and Aiba, sure that Nino was using this time for some nefarious purpose. He consigned the remainder of the poop to perdition, at least for the time being.
To his surprise he found Nino and Aiba in the open garage, having just discovered a box of baseball paraphernalia. They'd grabbed a glove apiece and were grinning at each other in a way that made Sho wonder what he'd missed exactly, or if Nino was really that predisposed to love anyone who accidentally called Jun "Mayu-Jun", no matter how unsatisfying the rent Aiba was going to pay.
"Sakurai-san! Are you going to play with us?" Aiba asked brightly. Sho looked past him at Nino, who was twinkling mischievously at him, and nodded to Aiba.
"Yay!" Nino said, sounding half amused in advance at Sho's expense and half sincerely excited to get to play catch. He tossed Sho a glove and they proceeded to the small yard between the green house and the blue one, avoiding the poop zone.
Nino and Aiba were genuinely good at baseball, Sho could tell. They kept up a steady chatter, not seeming to feel awkward at all about just having met, while tossing the ball back and forth effortlessly. Sho kept quiet, focusing all his energy on not dropping the ball or getting smacked with it somehow.
Dripping sweat ten minutes later and now being mostly ignored by the other two as they spread farther and farther apart, Sho decided to go see if there was a soccer ball in the garage.
There wasn't. Sho sighed, forlorn, and decided to go get Mayu-chan instead. The property was echoing with the laughter of Aiba and Nino as he trudged back to the blue house. As he reached the door he heard a car coming and turned to find the small car Nino and Jun split time on coming up the drive. He smiled and went to meet Jun as he parked in front of Nino's house.
"How was surfing, Jun-kun?" he asked, brightening up at the thought of a non-baseball-playing friend.
"It was really fun," Jun said, sounding worn out and distracted. He was staring at the moving van. He turned to Sho, a questioning look on his face.
"Ah, Aiba-san came a day early. His roommate and dog aren't here yet but he and Nino are playing catch over there."
"Catch?" Jun said, and Sho smiled weakly back at his obviously interested tone. Why had he assumed Jun wouldn't play baseball?
"There's another glove in the garage," he said, resigned. Jun jogged off, seeming to forget he'd spent his entire day surfing, and Sho turned back to the house. At least Mayu-chan would be happy to see him.
* * * * * * * *
"--sleeping?"
Sho was so warm and comfortable, drifting in the currents, tucked against the softness of--
"So cute!"
--fur, his face was pressed against... the dog? He couldn't bring himself to mind it right at that moment, wedged into the couch with the dog next to him, so warm and sweet and sleepy.
"I'm off," Jun's voice said. "I'll be here for breakfast, Nino. After that, do you have some time, Aiba-san?"
"I told you he'd have rules to lay down," Nino drawled. Aiba laughed but agreed to come to breakfast the next day and discuss things with Jun after that.
Sho pressed his face more firmly against Mayu-chan's warmth, wishing the noisy people would just leave already. He groaned as he felt Nino sit down by his stomach and then gave an unhappy "ooomph" as Nino's weight dropped back against him abruptly.
"So cute!" Aiba said again.
"Sho-chan, what are we going to do for dinner? Should we order pizza?"
Nino and Sho almost always had the same off days but usually Jun's days off were timed differently so that he'd be around when they were. This time, however, Nino's drama had changed its schedule unexpectedly and they'd been left to fend for themselves all day.
"We had pizza for lunch," Sho said groggily. "And no breakfast."
"So?" Nino asked.
"I can cook," Aiba said. "Let's have dinner together! It will be good for Mayu-chan to see us together anyway and I don't have any food in my kitchen yet."
"My kitchen," Nino said grumpily, pushing his face into Sho's shoulder. Sho's arm came up to curl around Nino's ribs but only because Nino was warm and comfortable. To make that clear he also pinched Nino, chuckling as he squirmed against him. Mayu-chan whined at the movement and Sho and Nino stilled, relaxing against each other.
"Your kitchen," Aiba said agreeably. "That you're renting to me. Do you guys like Chinese food?"
It turned out that Aiba's cooking was delicious, although he confessed that he could really only cook three or four things well, and Sho and Nino had already requisitioned his services whenever Jun had a day off. They banded together in the decision not to tell Jun about this dinner, and Sho washed the dishes carefully and dried them before putting them back in the cabinets so as not to leave any evidence. Jun probably wouldn't care at all but there were times he became possessive, less of his dishes than his duties. Aiba had invited them over to the green house the next time Jun had an off day. That calm moment of full and sleepy satisfaction, with the dishes done and the dog already asleep after her own meal, was broken by Aiba jumping up and giving a yelp.
"Oh-chan! What time is it, I was supposed to pick him and Hana-chan up from the park." He started to pace around the room, gathering his keys and phone and then staring at his car key sadly. "I came in the moving truck," he said regretfully.
"I can take you," Sho said quickly. Aiba's eyes when he was distressed were something Sho never wanted to see again. Aiba grabbed his arm happily and towed him out the door, Nino shouting out thanks for the meal behind them.
In the car Sho felt awkward in the silence that he couldn't think of a way to fill. At the dinner table he'd laughed and talked with Aiba and Nino with no problem, already feeling like he could get used to having Aiba around. Not only did Aiba fit into the good cooking standard that meant Sho was sure they'd be friends, he also fit into a far more important category: that of making Nino laugh. Any Nino laughter was good for Sho but this laughter inspired by Aiba was something Sho didn't see from Nino very often. Aiba made Nino laugh with an almost surprised look on his face, like even if he'd been trying to suppress his laughter he wouldn't have been able to because he couldn't help but be happy. Sho hadn't hired Aiba and coerced him into moving in with the hope of a new friend for Nino but it was starting to look like that would be a side benefit, one just as important to Sho as making sure they took care of Mayu-chan.
Aiba was fidgeting in the passenger seat, clearly ill at ease with the prolonged absence of conversation. Sho had never seen him uncomfortable before and wanted to lighten the mood but was uncharacteristically tongue-tied. Usually he could talk about just about anything without any notice but now he had plenty of things to talk about, surely, and couldn't think of any of them.
Aiba directed him to the park in near silence, pointing and giving short directions. Sho only nodded, damnably silent, wishing he could just drive himself into a tree and end his misery.
When they arrived at the park they walked together to the fountain, around where Aiba said his roommate usually hung out. The sunset was hanging on long enough to give the water a soft glow and the streetlights illuminated the area enough that Sho didn't think Aiba had to feel too bad for fulfilling his picking up duties this late.
Sho pulled his jacket tighter around himself against the breeze and tried to keep up with Aiba's long strides. Finally a small easel came into view, with a small man behind it who was well-bundled up with a warm hat and coat. He had chubby cheeks that were the only thing that looked familiar to Sho from their brief meeting. He smiled sweetly at Aiba as they walked up and Sho's heart gave a twinge at the cuteness.
"Ah, Aiba-chan," the pink-cheeked artist mumbled. "I was just getting cold."
"Sorry I'm late, Oh-chan! This is Sakurai Sho, he got us the new place to live." Sho thought it was a generous account of what had happened but he bowed to Ohno, who returned it, standing up to do so.
"Ohno Satoshi," he said, bouncing up and down a little, presumably to restore feeling in his toes.
Sho smiled. "Shall we go home?" he inquired, feeling better about the entire situation for no reason he could name.
"Wait, Oh-chan, where's Hana-chan?" Aiba said, craning his neck as if the big dog might be hiding behind the easel somehow.
"Ah, she went for a playdate with Toma and Jam-chan," Ohno said distractedly as he gathered up his things. Sho knew that Aiba had an established business but he wondered if his roommate was kind of a carefree hobo.
"Oh, she'll like that," Aiba said. "We can pick her up tomorrow when I get Mayu-Jun to give us a ride to my car." Sho was able to keep from laughing at the erroneous nickname by imagining how Aiba was going to convince Jun to drive him somewhere.
On the way home the roommates talked in the backseat, where Aiba had followed Ohno with an apology to Sho that he had serious questions that needed answers. Sho gave his attention to driving, trying to remember the way they'd came, but heard enough to know that Ohno was stubborn and Aiba was persistent, that Ohno wasn't meeting someone but there was a "someone" involved, and that that someone hadn't shown up that day.
He must have missed something, because as he got back into the car after punching in the code at the gate he heard Aiba ask, "Well, did you give him your number, so he could tell you if he wasn't coming?"
"It's not like we've ever talked about whether we'd be there or not," Ohno answered, and when Sho glanced in the rearview mirror he was pouting. "Besides, I told him I was from Uzbekistan."
"... But what does that have to do with your phone number?" Aiba asked, barely missing a beat. Sho parked the car, wondering what kind of crazy people he was going to be living near from now on.
"Well, he said he was from Uzbekistan, too, so I think we might be in a lying type of friendship," Ohno said logically.
"Which doesn't really go with exchanging numbers, got it," Aiba said, deep in thought.
Sho cleared his throat. "We're home!" he said, feeling even more like a chauffeur than he usually did with Nino. Aiba met his eyes in the mirror and grinned at him even as Ohno was already half out of the car. They caught up to him at the front door, both clearly intending to aim him toward his actual new home, but when Aiba touched his shoulder he turned and looked sorrowful.
"Do we have any food?" he asked Aiba. His eyes drooped sadly and his lower lip pooched out like someone had just stomped on the present he'd made them.
Sho answered involuntarily, "We have food!" He couldn't regret his impulse when Ohno lit up so quickly and looked at him like he was the answer to all Ohno's prayers. Sho opened the door and grandly gestured them in.
They slipped their shoes off in the entryway before continuing straight into the kitchen, where Aiba busied himself finding something for Ohno to eat. Ohno poked his head into the fridge next to him and Sho watched as they leaned against each other comfortably. After a second Aiba bopped Ohno's hips with his and Ohno bumped him back, and soon the food was forgotten as they tried to shove each other away from the fridge with just their hips. Sho couldn't help laughing, wondering just how old they'd been when they'd met and whether they'd matured at all since then.
"Ah," Ohno said suddenly, stopping the fight and leaving Aiba stumbling the other direction. He grabbed a tupperware from the fridge and turned to Sho. "Can I eat this?"
Sho peered at it, eyes widening. "NO," he answered quickly, moving to try and snatch it away but missing as Ohno evaded his attempt. "Jun-kun said we should throw that out last week."
Ohno opened it and sniffed delicately. "Ah, it'll be fine," he breathed happily, and turned to find himself a spoon.
"Oh-chan's weak to curry," Aiba confided. "Actually, I am too, but even I wouldn't eat curry that had gone bad."
Ohno turned back around, mouth stuffed full of curry. "How can you say it's gone bad when it still tastes so good?" he wondered.
A loud shriek interrupted any further argument, a shriek that sounded frantic but quickly turned ecstatic. After that came the loud sounds of a boss being defeated by a jubilant challenger, quickly followed by victorious music. A strong, albeit quavery voice sang along triumphantly and Ohno swiveled slowly toward the door to the hall from which the sounds were emanating. His eyes were wide and Sho left off smiling fondly at Nino's antics to look at Ohno curiously.
"Oh-chan...?" Aiba started but Ohno was already walking quickly toward the living room, clutching his curry tightly. Aiba and Sho followed, shrugging at each other in confusion.
Ohno stopped at the top of the steps leading into Nino's den and pointed vehemently with the hand still holding the spoon. Sho watched as a drop of curry flew off and across the room to land on the couch, another strike against it in the eyes of Jun.
Nino, still doing a dorky victory dance, didn't realize that he should be paying any attention to the commotion until Ohno said surely, and more loudly than Sho had heard him be so far, "Yuuji."
Nino started and stared, completely caught off guard. "Taka?" he ventured, sounding like he thought he might be dreaming. "What are you doing in my house?"
Ohno tilted his head, bewildered. He turned back to Aiba, fingers loosening on his tupperware and spoon in a way that made Sho fret for the carpet.
"This isn't our house?" Ohno asked.
Aiba grinned, enjoying the muddle. "This is their house, Oh-chan. That's why it has leftovers already."
Nino narrowed his eyes at said leftovers. "Jun-kun said we weren't to eat that curry, Taka."
Ohno returned his attention to his dinner, speaking quickly (and in a silly accent Sho couldn't place) before he got the spoon into his mouth, "Taka's stomach is of iron, Yuuji, from the strength of all your love."
Sho felt dizzy and leaned against Aiba without thinking about it. Aiba was far more sturdy than he'd expected and he leaned amiably back against Sho.
"There, there, Sho-san," he said soothingly. "Our roommates are just a little strange. I'll take mine pretty soon and you can try to get answers out of yours."
"Yuuji doesn't like answering questions," Nino lilted irritatingly. "Unless they are about how much he loves Taka." He saved his game and moved to the next level, not bothering to look up as Ohno plopped down on the couch next to him. Mayu-chan snoozed obliviously, curled into a ball on Nino's folded futon.
Sho looked at Ohno and Nino, feeling lost. He let himself lean against Aiba for a few more seconds as he thought out loud, "This is really going to annoy Jun-kun."
Aiba's laugh piped distinctively over the renewed music of Nino's game.