Chapter Text
This looks nice! I can work with this.
Nakamura was relieved when he showed up to his new apartment. It wasn’t much to look at as of now, since his moving boxes are still waiting to be picked up from the moving truck downstairs, but it was something that he could call his. His home. Hopefully.
While he had seen the apartment in the viewings before, he was still dumbfounded to be a tenant of a place that isn’t the college dorms he was used to. The inside of it isn’t also too bad! Sure, he had to get used to the L-shape of his apartment or to the fact that his water wouldn’t run hot for the first few weeks due to some issue that he didn’t want to comprehend, but it was his and it was great! The fact that the kitchen is still working with (relatively) modern appliances made it even better. He had two windows that were acing the street. Although awkwardly positioned, they offered a space where Iccan’s aquarium could fit and wasn’t exposed to the sunlight.
Although it was a struggle to find it, he was content with his choice that he made (not like he had other options anyway). Other places he visited had way too many flaws that he couldn’t ignore. His first viewing was…interesting to say the least. Apparently, trying to rebrand mold in the bathroom as an “unique feature”, was a new tactic that landlords used to justify their absurd rent prices. The second studio he was looking at wasn’t really welcoming to Nakamura as he casually mentioned his octopus pet, which is totally unreasonable, he thought back then, since Icchan is way too adorable in his existence as a whole. Maybe they just thought I was a creep.
As he was on the verge of giving up and preparing himself mentally of moving into his old childhood bedroom, a former lab partner of his reached out to him. Since he was accepted into a PhD program, Nakamura made sure to stand out in his academic presence with his best efforts. He was a bit mad that he didn’t get the promised funding, as this meant that he had to look for work outside of the university to afford, well, anything, but his partial scholarship was something he only got due to him working relentlessly on the current research his former mentor was conducting. These countless nights allowed him to make a friend, who had remembered that some of his old friends from high school were moving out of their apartment and were looking for new tenants themselves. Upon hearing this, Nakamura rushed to the opportunity and took it as soon as he was physically able to. He treated all of them to drinks as the contracts were finalized.
I should have asked them to help me with my stuff though, he thought to himself. You see, his shyness that he carried since he was fourteen never wore off as he got older. Sure, he was able to socialize to a certain extent, but he didn’t want to ask the friends of his lab partner (who he never met at the time) to help him move. His old roommate left before Nakamura did, so that wasn’t an option either. In the end, he had to ask his little sister to come to his university, as he feared that he couldn’t handle all of this by himself.
“Urgh, fine! But I wanna go out and eat afterwards! You’ll cover for me, no questions asked!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever…” Okuto was fine with any conditions given to him as long as he wasn’t alone in this procedure.
“Why am I the only one helping you though? I get that you didn’t want to ask Mom or Dad, but this is crazy. What about your boyfr-“
“Don’t.” Okuto said, a little louder than he anticipated. “We… broke up before I moved. I thought I already told you. Sorry.”
Kana knew of her brother and his sexuality. The first time she anticipated that he wasn’t into girls was when she sneaked into his room and found the stash of BL manga hidden in his closet as she was looking for a hoodie to steal. Nakamura put one and one together after he saw Kana with said hoodie and concluded that it was time to come clean. She didn’t expect him to cry in front of her, asking if she thought of him as “disgusting” or “something to be ashamed of”, which made her aware of the guilt her brother has been carrying. She put the sibling rivalry aside and assured him that nothing had changed between them. Feeling equally relieved and confused by the fact that she comforted her older brother, him coming out to her made them grow closer, forming a somewhat good bond between them. Whenever she was having trouble with her dating life, she would barge into Okuto’s room to tell him about it and ask him why men are thinking the way they are and why they make things so complicated when it comes to romances. Being a good listener, he would eventually tell things from his perspective, which, in hindsight, were just thinks Okuto had learned from his expertise in BL manga, since he was struggling to gain real life dating experience of his own. Queer people aren’t very open in Japan, so it was a blessing for him to find comfort in his sibling. He never dared to tell many people about it. Even their parents have no idea that their son isn’t into women. Both Nakamura siblings agreed that it was best to not tell them just yet. Maybe when Nakamura had found his partner that was sure to spend all his life with, that would accept him with his flaws, with his looks, with his obsession about octopi.
“I didn’t know…” Hana replied.
“I was going to tell you eventually, but…” Okuto trailed off, thinking of how it all ended. He didn’t want to relive that memory right now in an empty apartment that is echoing every sound that was made.
The silence that followed was very loud. Hana knew that it would lead to no avail if she asked about it. Instead, she came up with the simplest solution to change the topic. “Let’s just start with the boxes. I don’t wanna drag this out any longer than I have to!” Okuto knew that she was right. He didn’t really owe much to begin with, but it was still a lot for two people alone. The fact that the complex didn’t have a functioning elevator made things more complicated than before. His bedframe would be the biggest issue. He didn’t want to take it apart and rebuilt it in fear of making it unusable afterwards, so he and Kana loaded the thing as a whole in the truck, praying that it would survive the drive all the way to the new place. Then there was Icchan, who was getting hungrier by the minute. Okuto didn’t want his pet to wait any longer, so he was the first to rush down the four floors to get a headstart.
Staring from afar, there was a certain man with chestnut hair watching two people, who he didn’t recognize, carry boxes to the complex he’s living in.
Are these my new neighbors? he asked himself. Hirose was aware that people tend to move away and do not stay at one place forever. He was just surprised to see that new tenants were already found this fast. He thought about the couple that lived across his place. They were really nice! Although they hadn’t hung out as much due to different work schedules, he was glad to live with them on the same floor as he was in. Every floor of the complex had two apartments neighboring each other, and Hirose was happy to maintain a friendly yet surficial relationship with the couple right across him.
“Don’t worry about us leaving. We think you’ll like your new neighbor! “
That was something Hirose had remembered them mentioning before they left. He was still curious as to whom he will share his floor with. He had hoped to have a better relationship with the new neighbor. Maybe something that turned into a strong friendship. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted something surficial like before.
As he was dwelling in his thoughts, he notices an aquarium?? Maybe it was something similar looking. Wait, is that an octopus??? Who owns an octopus? Never seen one this close before, let alone as a pet or some sort.
Hirose was eager to check that out instantly.