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"It's been awhile since we walk through this street, huh?"
Nino copied Aiba’s gaze looking up to see a sparrow flying around above electric pole. It perched on electric cables but then jumping to land on someone's old wooden fences. The color of the sky had turned into charmingly light orange and pinkish with stray clouds beneath it. This evening, as usual, they both were walking home together. Nino and Aiba lived in the same apartment complex since elementary school. It's been their habit to go home together after school ended. If Nino finished it early, he'd usually go to Aiba's high school even though it would be troublesome and a bit far from home. At the weekend, they'd practice on the field with their baseball team from morning to late afternoon, then eating ramen on the way home. Or, Aiba would visit his place to have a Wii games showdown. Every day, there's no day without Nino meeting Aiba.
"Since we're in middle school?" Nino asked, still staring to a vapor trail of departing the plane. He could almost feel the sky gotten broader and closer to the ground.
"Maybe?" He replied, raising his eyebrows when he moved his hands into his jacket pockets.
"I miss pranking that grandpa,” Nino’s face changed to reminiscing gaze. “We used to push his doorbell or accidentally crashed his plant pots with the ball when we playing catch,"
"I didn’t. You ran away when he suddenly came out from his house and chase me down, even though you're the one who did it!" His buddy retorted, making a hurtful face as if Nino had stabbed him with a sword.
"Your scream was a nice melody in my ears,"
"Traitor," Aiba combed his bangs up in a dramatic way but it fell and covering his eyebrows. "I'd never wanted to come here again since then,"
Nino grinned and circled Aiba's shoulder with his left arm. "Maa-kun,” He murmured at his next words. “You must see Jun's face that day. I thought he's going to hurt his jaw because he laughed too much at you behind the concrete fences,"
"What? He was?!" He looked at Nino in his widened eyes and finally snapped. The younger automatically let go of his friend's broad shoulder and held his laugh when Aiba started cursing incoherent things like 'putting a weird face next day' or 'almost die from running' and gesticulating himself.
Nino liked this kind of day. When he could joke around with him and not bothering about how or what they would face next after graduation comes. He didn't want his days passing by so quickly. They have yet to win a baseball championship, especially their dream playing in Koshien, even if it cost facing each other later because they enrolled in different high school. Nino still wanted to have another round of playing catch in the field with Jun and Aiba, along with other teammates. He still wanted to see Aiba’s back while practicing his catch, or to gaze at his beaming smile whenever he won a round of Mario Kart race against him after countless lost. Being in different school seemed not fulfilling his need of Aiba’s presence these days. Nice, Nino slapped himself mentally. You thought like a girlfriend craving for attention.
“Oh, look, stairs,” Aiba stopped his swearing and halted his steps. He approached the high stairs heading down to another connecting street, staring below to see how far it went. Nino, after shook his head from the thoughts, followed his buddy in a bit fast walk to join him. “Why I don’t remember these stairs at all?” Aiba pondered while narrowing his eyes, chin between his thumb and index finger.
“Me neither,” Nino answered. “Maybe we turn at wrong direction?”
“I dunno, but—hey” His eyes suddenly gleamed brightly, as if an awesome idea struck into his head. “Nino, what do you think about playing guriko here?”
“What—it’s evening already! I don’t want to help you if we bumped into some gangsters!”
“Don’t say such misfortune things!” The cheery smile Aiba gave turned into a cringe as he recalled the dreadful scene several months back. The light punch on Nino’s arm resembling a nudge, but it made his steps staggering a little. “Come ooon~ Nino, just today!”
He wondered why his friend insisted doing some kind of kid’s play, but the way Aiba looking at him, full of hope with those puppy-like eyes, made his heart melted. He groaned, palming his face with both hands and pulled them down in a snap.
“Fine~! Just for this time,”
“Yaay~ I love you, Kazu!” His brief hug almost made Nino whimpered in the loss of warmth. "Go for the same rule,” Aiba added. The hand which pulled up to the front of his facejutted out a finger and pointed the sky. “If you lose janken again, I'll punish you,"
Putting an uninterested act for the rule, Nino rolled his eyes boringly. "Not another garbage-dumping, okay? I'm tired throwing someone's garbage for weeks,”
“Oh yeah, I forgot you often lost in this,” Aiba’s high-pitched giggle could be heard while he moving fast aside to avoid Nino’s hand of wrath. "Okay, what about we choose the punishment ourselves, aside from garbage dumping job?"
His eyes widened, excited of Aiba’s words. "Nice idea!" The younger boy said in English, pulled out his thumb and grinned Cheshire-like. “I’m so gonna make you suffer now,” He murmured while making an evil laugh and cracked his fingers vigorously.
Seeing the passionate-looking buddy he had in front of him, Aiba squinched his eyebrows together and faking face in fear. "I’m afraid you’re going to make me do more than silly things," he commented, then circling his index finger around his friend’s small figure from the distance. “Man, look how dark your aura is!”
Nino just shrugged as if Aiba said something nonsense. “Right, right. Let’s start the game, okay,” he said while swayed his hand to him, gesturing the taller to go to his designated position. Nino probably was going to ask him some punishment, such as paying him ramen for a month after practice, or accompanying him to buy games at Akihabara. He stupidly hoped for something like a date, though. His cold-sweated hands clenched nervously by thinking so.
“Come here, Kazu! We really need to do it fast, I have a match to watch!” he shouted. Aiba jumped over one staircase and then gesturing him to come to another side of two-sided stairs quickly. “Yomiuri Giants can’t start without me, y’know,”.
“Okay, okay. Geez, why so hasty...” Nino murmured, forgetting his protest about getting home late before.
Those two boys faced each other. Only steel bars dividing their space when both of them chanted First is rock! Jankenpon! in synchronized voice.
Aiba pulled out clasped hand. Nino pulled out two fingers.
"Scissor looose!" He sang, let out another giggle then striding down to another staircase while chanting ‘gu-ri-ko’ happily. Nino groaned in displease.
The never ending five minutes somewhat made his nerves dissipated. Nino almost gave up from his unluckiness when Aiba jumpy steps already halfway to the other end of the stairs. He was thinking about shifting his attention to other topics so he could spare the time to catch up, but stuck when he remembered about something.
“Hey, Maa-kun,” he yelled, still hanging his arm up to do another round of janken. “Made any progress with your secret admirer?”
“What?” Aiba jutted his lip out, trying to concentrate. Nino let out a ‘yes!’ shout lowly when his buddy pulled out a paper to compete with his scissor.
“I said, wait—“. The younger spelled ‘chocolate’ in his hasty steps, and then shouted again, “Any progress with your secret admirer?”
The one being asked didn’t say anything. Nino was probably late to realize why this question seemed so wrong in his ears. Saying ‘admirer’ left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Who—Erika-chan?” The boy wearing dark green jacket uttered another question. Nino briefly nodded in confirms. “Well,” Aiba’s eyes looking at the right side and then he rubbed his nape sheepishly. ”I’m going to meet her tomorrow,”
The cold autumn started to steal the heat of his hands. Is it that surprising for them to meet after she obviously showing her interest since, when, two months ago? He felt weird after he found that medium-haired girl visiting their baseball field to meet his best friend a couple of weeks before. Even though that feeling made his play quite improved, his teammates trying to stay away from his foul mood like he had been caught in some dangerous diseases or something.
“So... you’re going to accept her?” His swayed hand gradually lost its energeticness.
“Mm, that’s not exactly what I wanted to do,” Aiba said, pulled out a scissor.
The clasped hand he had, hanging in the air while Nino frowned, “What do you mean?”
“I like someone else,”
“E-excuse me?”
His raised tone boomed around the empty street. Okay, it’s not right. Aiba usually tells him anything. Anything, he meant like, from important things of his decision to study veterinary to useless information of newfound octopus-like mask in the cabinet which he bought at the festival last time. He counted on how many steps down for spelling guriko before he cheated several steps to get closer.
“I think I’m going to turn her down... Is my decision right?” Aiba continued to mumble to himself while squatting down, his back facing Nino.
“Wait, wait, you silently like someone that I don’t know?”
Aiba’s sudden head movement made Nino jolted. His opened mouth making a combination of odd, hesitating grin. “Ooh, do I have to report my love life to you, Kazu?” he teased.
“The last time you’re being in love was when you said you were attracted by a senior who won the marathon at your school,” He reminded him sternly, lost his interest in playing. "So, if you decide to like someone for any un-logical reason similar from before, don't try to make me believe it,"
Aiba stood up in a high leap, sprang his feet like a basketball player trying to make a dunk shot. “I can’t help it, you know I like girls with fast legs!” He huffed, making an excuse.
They continued to do janken while Nino muttered You’re hopeless, Masaki. Hopeless! vengefully, but then gritted his teeth from seeing Aiba leisurely won with his laid back posture leaning the steel bars while laughing. The laugh from downstairs seemed cheerful than usual. “Anyway," he said loudly. "It’s not someone you don’t know. You know that person very much, Nino, veeery much,”
Aiba’s statement tickled his curious sense. Nino looking up to think deeply with closed eyes and creased his eyebrows in focus. “Who? Ah, no way...” Those clear brown eyes almost popping out from the impact of his utmost, impossible thought.
“What—“
”You like someone from our baseball team?” Nino’s head rapidly moved down while his gaping mouth couldn’t be restrained. Aiba likes boys too? Wait, why didn’t he tell me?!
He clicked his tongue in repeat. “I’ll tell you later,” he shortly replied, amused on how cute Nino’s pout was.
“I’ll die from overthinking if you don’t tell me now,”
“Yes! Oh, wait a second, Ninomiya-san, I need to claim my victory down there,”
Nino’s whining voice flew out between his lips but sadly, Aiba didn’t hear it. He was too busy sliding down the steel bars for the rest of staircases and jumped at the end. The younger glared at his overreacted friend who pulled another victory fist and praying thanks at the other side of the stair. If only his eyes could emit a laser beam, Nino might just be able to make a big hole in that neighboring house wall. By the way, isn’t he a little bit too overjoy for winning this kid’s game?
"...Aiba Masaki, this is so unfair," His lower lip jutting out more than usual.
"Nah, I'm just lucky," Aiba finally said, beamed. The smug expression plastered his face after his triumphant dance in fifteen seconds. "C'mere Nino, loser got to be punished,"
"If you trying to make me throw a pose in the middle of our next baseball game, I'll poison you,"
The taller boy snorted as he heard the threat."With one full of vinegar and chili pepper? That doesn't work on me,"
Nino shrugged, the right corner of his lips pulled up to form a smirk. "Well, at least, I succeed making you choked with that,"
They’re standing face to face. Cautious Nino eyeing his buddy's gestures while his hands fidgeted beside his thighs. Is Aiba going to make him drink another concoction of his? Or make Nino do ridiculous things such as surprise gag duo on baseball practice's break time? If yes, Hina’s going to hurt his stomach for laughing a lot. And he still curious on Aiba’s love interest, for God’s sake!
"It's going to be shocking, so you need to close your eyes, Nino," His wink was as awkward as usual, yet Nino always entertained by his effort doing so. The corners of Aiba's lips moved up and forming indescribable smile he never saw before. Nervous? Confident? He wasn’t sure. “Then, after this, I’m going to tell you that certain person, deal?”
“Oh, you’re going to do the punishment now?” Nino formed an ‘O’ shaped mouth in slight surprise. The other boy just smirked while raising both his eyebrows once. He nodded in agreement and let a flat reply coming from his mouth. "Alright, deal. Thankfully, I used to see your astoundingly quirky behavior since ages, so... yeah... not that shocking,"
Aiba just chuckled and ushered him to move to another side of the narrow street and ordered him to do his request. “Let’s see about that,” he uttered the words in a challenging tone.
Enjoying this new, unusual instruction, Nino did what he was told and patiently waiting in the dark of his eyes. Other rustles could be heard minutes later and he wondered, maybe Aiba just trying to leave him here until a stranger poking his arm, to tell him he'd been standing alone on the deserted street with closed eyes for almost two hours. If that so, oh nobody knows who’s going to be jabbed at the jaw later.
"Hey, Maa-kun," he mumbled. He felt strange to sense a warm air around his face in this chilly, early November. "Why took you so lo--"
A tender touch he felt on his chin along with something like thumb caressing his bottom lip and his left cheek made him jolted. Nino's pulse turned faster and faster, making the inside of his head whirled in confuse when the hand pulling his face up slowly. Another soft feeling on his lips was not helping him in this state, either. He then realized... It was not an ordinary touch of a finger, but a tingling sensation of meeting lips to lips. It's just an innocent little kiss, but his heartbeats turned louder and louder as those lips moved in slow motion and Aiba playfully bit his lower slightly. Nino's knees were starting to weaken. He clutched Aiba’s upper arm tightly as if he doesn’t want to let go and starting to reply the kiss. His uneven breaths, his calming scents, his smooth hair touched Nino’s forehead, and all of them made him drowned in hazy mind.
Nino didn't know when he opened his eyelids, but he caught his best friend looking straight at the pool of his eyes in a rather dark gaze of his. "I told you to close them, right?" Aiba said, mumbling on their joined lips. He still staring at Nino below his long eyelashes before he continued the words in boosting, yet teasing tone. "It'll be shocking,"
What the hell... You worried me for nothing, he thought. Nino was torn to decide whether he must choke Aiba or poke him hard at the ribs, but he just smiled and closed his eyes again. He moved his hands and lacing his and Aiba's fingers together so then he could shift his head to a better angle and answered him.
"Hm," he hummed, giving another tingle on their lips and moving back not even more than an inch to show Aiba his clear brown pupils. "I told you, I'm already used to it, right?"