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aibaexchangeTitle: Oppawtunity Knocks (or breaks in, as the case may be)
Pairing: Aimiya
Rating: PG
Word count: 4405
Summary: Nino has a new neighbour, only his pet dog seems to think they live in Nino's apartment.
Notes: Written for prompt #54
"You're in the way," Nino muttered, not so quietly, as he weaved his way past some delivery men carrying heavy boxes towards the elevator. He stepped in, and pushed the close door button vigorously. He gave the delivery man a smirk as the door closed in the poor guy's face. He slumped back against the wall. Looked like someone was finally moving into the apartment next door. He'd enjoyed having the apartment next to his empty for the last month; he didn't have to worry as much about noise and there was less people he had to make annoying small talk with whenever he bumped into them outside the apartment. As he got to his floor he sighed in annoyance as he had to dodge more boxes scattered up and down the hall. Up ahead, a tall lanky man with brown hair and a shorter man were awkwardly trying to manoeuver a couch through the doorway.
Nino watched out of the corner of his eye as he put the key into the lock of his own apartment. He wondered which of the two his new neighbour was. The taller one was cute but seemed to be the excitable type as he bobbed his head around to gesture to the other man his instructions.
"Kazapon, to the left."
The other guys face was red and his cheeks were puffed out with the strain of lifting the couch but he was trying to follow the taller's wild instructions
Nino shook his head quietly - they were never going to get it in at that angle. Just as he pushed his own door open, a small ball of white fur brushed past his leg and shot through into the apartment.
"Hey," Nino called out in surprise. What the hell was that?
From next door, the corner of the couch held by the taller guy dropped to the ground. He came rushing over to Nino's door, where he bent over (giving Nino a rather nice view of his ass - which was worth it, Nino had to admit) and called out,
"Rin-chan!"
He looked up at Nino with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, she's a bit unnerved with the move." He turned back to the doorway. "Rin-chan!" There was no movement within the apartment.
Nino sighed. "Its fine, but it might be easier to just go in and get her."
"Thank you. And again, I'm so sorry."
They entered the apartment, and found Rin-chan - a small fluffy white dog, as it turned out - running in circles on the rug Nino had placed between his kitchen and his couch. At the sight of her owner, she wagged her tail and barked happily before sitting.
"There you are," the man scolded. "Rin-chan, it's rude to intrude on your neighbours. You should apologise." He scooped up the dog in his arms and spun to face Nino, paws and hands held up in supplication, their faces squished together - somehow both managing an apologetic pout with sad brown eyes.
The sarcastic witty reply Nino had been about to unleash died on his lips in the face of such overwhelming adorableness.
"No problem," he said instead waving away their gesture.
The man immediately dropped the pose, breaking out into a wide happy grin that seemed to light up all of Nino's apartment.
"I'm Aiba Masaki and this is Rin-chan. We're your new neighbours"
Nino tried not to match Aiba's grin, instead trying to keep his look neutral; he was not here to make friends with the neighbours. It was easier thought than done. "Ninomiya Kazunari, and yeah, I got that."
"Nice to meet you Nino-san."
They both fell silent. Nino felt awkward, not sure what to say next. Aiba didn't seem bothered, smiling down at his dog but not making any move to leave. At least until another voice called out from over by the doorway.
"Aiba-chan!"
Aiba's eyes widened in alarm. "Kazapon!" He gave Nino a sheepish grin and then headed for the door. Nino watched him go.
"Good luck with couch. Try tilting it up a little more," he called out just as Aiba reached the door.
"Thanks," Aiba called back as he exited.
----
Nino frowned at the TV. That was a strange noise his game just made. He leaned forward, yep there it was again. He hadn't even pressed any buttons this time. He paused the game and listened carefully. There. Not coming from the TV, but from somewhere else. He strained to hear better. There was some noise coming faintly through the walls from Aiba's housewarming party, but this had sounded closer, like it was just behind him.
He peered over the back of his couch - sure enough a little white dog was sitting happily on his rug.
"How did you get in here?" He asked it. The dog just wagged its tail at him. He had gone to the conbini earlier - she must have snuck in then. He tried unsuccessfully to coax her to the door but she wouldn't budge from her spot on the rug, laying down with her head on her paws.
"Are they making too much noise?" he asked. Rin-chan tilted her head as if actually trying to understand what Nino was asking. "You know its a good thing for both of you that you're so cute," he grumbled, not entirely sure if he was talking about the dog or it's owner.
He walked slowly over to Aiba's apartment. Aiba had invited him to the party when they'd bumped into each other in the hallway that morning and for a second, Aiba's enthusiasm and soft smile had nearly made Nino give in, but he'd managed to resist temptation and refuse. He knocked loudly to be heard over the music coming from inside.
A supermodel answered the door. Or at least, Nino assumed he was a supermodel. Immaculate hair, immaculate face, immaculately dressed - he certainly looked like he'd stepped straight off the cover of a fashion magazine.
"Is Aiba-san in?" Nino asked.
Supermodel raised an eyebrow. "Who's asking?"
"I live next door," Nino started.
"And?" Supermodel interrupted.
Just then Aiba's head appeared from behind supermodel.
"Nino, you came." Aiba's smile seemed even wider than usual, which was some feat. At his apparent happiness, Supermodel's features also seemed to soften and he gave Nino an appraising look.
"Come in, come in." Aiba beckoned.
Nino squeezed his eyes shut. He was not here to join the party. He hated parties. "No, I just came around because your dog."
Once again he was interrupted. "Eh? Rin-chan?" Aiba turned back into the room to look, as if he expected to see the dog frolicking happily. When no dog was to be seen, he turned back to Nino. "Again?"
Nino nodded.
"I thought I shut her in the bedroom for the night." Aiba mused. "She must have got out when I put some coats away."
Nino thought his puzzled expression was cute. Except he shouldn't be thinking such things. Aiba turned to Supermodel who was backing away, back to the party. "Matsujun, I'm just going to Nino's to fetch Rin-chan."
Matsujun waved him off. "Have fun."
A few of his other friends who were within earshot seemed to find that statement hilarious, breaking out into laughter. Nino frowned at that. Aiba's friends were weird.
Aiba followed him back to his apartment, where he bent down to face his dog, a for once serious look on his face.
"Come on, you're bothering Nino-chan."
"I was just playing games," Nino assured. Wait a minute - why was he defending the dog?
Aiba looked over at the TV, where the game was still paused.
"Well, I'll let you get back to it." He called Rin-chan to heel and the puppy actually listened. "Are you sure you won't join us," he offered again.
Nino remembered the confrontation at the door. "I don't think I'd really fit in with your model friends."
Aiba looked confused. "Models? I don't know any models."
"Really - who was that at the door then?"
"Jun?" Aiba laughed. "He's not a model, though I suppose he does hang out with them sometimes - he's a photographer."
"And you?"
"Me?" he shook his head and held up his hands. "There's no way I could be a model. I work for a sportswear company."
Nino disagreed about the model part. "Sounds fun."
"It is." Aiba agreed. "What about you?"
"Just a boring old salaryman. Nothing to write home about."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"I still don't think I'd be a good match with your friends."
"If this is about Jun - I know he can be intimidating at first, but he's really a sweetheart. He was just being overprotective when he answered the door. My old neighbours, they used to complain about everything. Even when I was just walking around the apartment in socks, they said I was being too noisy. I think he wanted to head that off - no-one complains much when Jun looks at them all sternly like that." Aiba tried to imitate Jun's stern look but it was a complete failure. They both laughed at his attempt.
"Is that why you moved?"
Aiba shook his head. "Not really, I got transferred to the head office, so I wanted somewhere closer; but it did help make the decision a little easier."
"Well, no complaints from me." Nino said and then wanted to slap himself for being so cheesy. Aiba just laughed.
"Well, I should get back to it." He gestured towards the door. Nino nodded and moved out of the way to let him pass. "Last chance." Aiba tried as he reached the door.
"Maybe next time."
"I'll hold you to that."
----
Frantic banging on his door, just as he settled onto his couch, almost made Nino jump out of his skin, even though he'd been somewhat expecting it for the last few hours. When he opened it, Aiba was there, his face slightly red and an alarmed look on his face. He started talking as soon as he saw Nino.
"I just got back from work and Rin-chan isn't at home. I don't suppose…" He trailed off as Nino opened his door further so that Aiba could see him sitting on the mat.
"I tried knocking on your door. When no-one answered, I figured it was best to just keep her here." Not that he could get her to budge anyway - but Nino wasn't going to admit that.
"Thank you so much. I don't know why she keeps doing this." Aiba apologised yet again.
"Maybe she's fallen in love with my rug," Nino suggested. The dog had taken a shine to it, camping out there every time it managed to sneak in.
Aiba laughed, a little too loudly, for such a weak joke. "Maybe," he agreed. He stepped through the doorway and his gait was a little swaying. Nino smelled alcohol on him as he passed. He stopped at the rug, but made no move to pick up his dog. His looked around until his eyes focused on the TV.
"Oh, you're watching the game? I thought it would be finished by now." His expression changed as if he realised something, his eyes widened and he swung his head dramatically away from the screen. "Don't tell me the score."
Drunk Aiba was even more exaggerated than regular Aiba, but Nino just found it cute. He was finding a lot of things about his new neighbour cute. That could be a problem, though it wasn't one to over analyse right now, he told himself. Instead he made an offer.
"Actually I recorded it, so I don't know the score. I was just about to start. Want to join me?"
Aiba looked torn for a second. "I don't know, I'm kind of drunk and I haven't fed Rin-chan yet?"
"So go get her bowl, and then we can watch."
"If you're sure you don't mind." He accepted hesitantly.
"I wouldn't have offered if I did." Nino answered bluntly.
"Okay then," Aiba accepted. Aiba rushed off, stumbling occasionally, to get Rin-chan's dinner. He came back carrying the bowl and Nino directed him to place it by the kitchen counter.
"Beer?"
"I probably shouldn't but," Aiba said then he nodded agreement.
Nino went to the fridge and pulled another beer out for Aiba, handing it to him as they both sat on couch. Well, Nino sat - Aiba flopped.
"Tough day at work?"
"Actually we just won a major contract. My boss decided we should celebrate and combine my welcome to the company party at the same time."
"Congrats," Nino said. He held up his beer and they clinked bottles before settling down to watch the game.
Aiba only made it to the 3rd inning before he slumped down onto Nino's shoulder, snoring softly. Anybody else and Nino would have pushed them off immediately but something about the other's presence made Nino want to stay put, lean into it himself. So he indulged - Aiba's warmth pressed into to him giving him a cosy feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.
The game ended all too soon, and Nino finally had to move. He tried gently shaking Aiba awake, but the other man just mumbled and slid further down until his head was in Nino's lap. Damn, Nino thought. He shook his head to clear it of any unsavoury thoughts at Aiba's new position, and tried to slip out. He replaced his legs with a cushion and moved to go get a blanket from his cupboard. He came back and laid it gently over Aiba.
"Looks like you're both staying here for the night," he whispered to Rin-chan. Rin-chan jumped onto the couch and curled up beside her owner. Nino didn't have the heart to chase her off and back onto the rug; the sight of the two of them sleeping together was too sweet.
----
Nino grabbed the taiyaki from the vendor as he waited for Ohno to pay. Once he was done he handed his share over and picked up his complaining where it had left off.
Rin-chan had gotten into his apartment again. She was making it an almost daily habit. He'd been super careful about watching out as he opened the door. He'd even closed the balcony door this morning, on the off chance she was somehow jumping from balcony to balcony, which would have been an amazing feat - dangerous, but amazing - for such a small dog.
"Your neighbour sounds nice." Ohno said as he took a bite.
Nino paused. "Well, yeah, I guess." The only advantage that Rin-chan's breaking in was causing was that Aiba was visiting him almost every night. "That's not really the point though."
Ohno shrugged. "Isn't it?"
Nino decided to ignore him. Honestly, Rin-chan's antics weren't bothering him that much. He was trying not to think too much about why that might be and he didn't really need Ohno to be pointing it out. They had started to bother Aiba though. While Aiba denied that it had bothered him, Nino was sure it was because of his problems with his last neighbours. Aiba was the nicest guy in the universe, how could they have a problem with him. What jerks!
"Jerks," Ohno agreed.
Nino looked over at him. Had he been ranting out loud? Ohno just stared back at him impassively, taking another bite of his taiyaki. Nino shook his head, trying to get back on his original train of thought.
"Anyway, I thought about setting up some cameras so that we can watch where Rin-chan is getting out. I'll have to set up some in Aiba's apartment too. Do you think he'll go for that?"
He probably would. Nino would never let anyone set up cameras in his house but Aiba was a trusting soul. Still, it's not like he was some creep taking advantage, he was just helping solve a problem.
"Probably, but are you sure you really want to find out."
What was that supposed to mean? Of course he wanted to find out.
----
Nino entered his apartment to the familiar sight of a little white dog sitting on his rug.
"Aha," Nino crowed down to the little dog, "now we'll see how you're doing it."
He pulled up his computer and started to go back through the feed of the camera. The early part of the day was pretty normal. He could see Rin-chan running around Aiba's apartment, playing with a chew toy. Then Aiba came out, wearing only a towel. Nino slammed down the computer lid. He got up and pushed himself away from the computer.
"I shouldn't have seen that."
On the one hand, he did need to see the footage to find out when and how Rin-chan was escaping. On the other, didn't he just tell himself the other day, he wasn't taking advantage of Aiba by installing the cameras? Nino was pretty sure watching him wandering around without any clothes on fell into the latter category.
He moved towards the kitchen. He shouldn't watch. His eyes skittered back to the computer. Rin-chan scampered around his feet. He should watch. No, it was wrong. She jumped up at him, paws scrambling at his jeans to get his attention. He picked her and gave her head a scratch. He looked over at his computer again. Maybe he could just focus on the not-Aiba bits of the screen.
"I'm supposed to be watching out for you anyway," he muttered to himself.
He grabbed a beer out of the fridge with his free hand. "Oh, let's get this over and done with."
---
A knock at the door, broke him out of his concentration. His plan to focus on other parts of the video hadn't exactly worked well. Aiba had spent a lot of the morning in that towel. Nino had to pause a lot to look away from the screen and refocus his attention on where it was supposed to be.
He got up to answer the door. He hesitated for a second before opening the door. Could he face Aiba after what he'd just been watching? He felt like a pervert. Except that it wasn't Aiba on the other side of the door. Nino felt equal parts relief and irritation.
"What?" he snapped maybe a little too harshly.
The man in front of him bowed slightly. "I'm Sakurai Sho. Aiba's been held up at work. He asked me to fetch his dog for him. He said if she wasn't in his apartment, I should check here."
"How do I know you're a friend of Aiba's?"
Sho held up a set of keys. "I have his keys."
They did look like Aiba's keys, lots of colorful dangly accessories almost drowning out the actual keys.
"Oh, and, hang on a minute." Sho pulled out his phone and fiddled with it a few moments before holding it up for Nino to see. On it was a selfie of Aiba with Sho - Aiba smiling brightly as he leaned on Sho's shoulders, looking relaxed and happy. Nino reluctantly let him inside. Rin-chan immediately ran to this Sho guy, wagging his tail. Nino had to admit defeat.
"I didn't know Aiba had a boyfriend."
Sho looked up from where he was patting the dog in surprise. "Oh, I'm not his...I mean we're not together." Sho stammered. "Not that Aiba wouldn't make a great boyfriend. I'm sure he would, if you were that way inclined. Which I'm not. We're just friends, I assure you."
Nino snickered at Sho's awkwardness, suddenly feeling a lot better.
"He's stuck at work you said?"
"Yes, some big new contract has them pulling an all-nighter."
"And you're the regular dog-sitter?"
Sho nodded. "Generally."
Nino was feeling sulky again. He could've just asked me, since she was here already, he thought rather brattily.
"I'm sure he would've asked you," Sho started, and Nino had to wonder if he was talking out loud again, or if his expressions were becoming just that readable thanks to one Aiba Masaki. "But I think he said he doesn't have your number - and he worries he's been causing you too much trouble already."
Nino's focus once again turned to the laptop. He really did have to watch, if only to set Aiba's mind at ease, and even if it did mean the end of these visits. He saw Sho and Rin-chan out.
----
Another day. Another intruder in his apartment. Another day of watching Aiba wander around his apartment in nothing but a towel. So far, Nino hadn't managed to catch anything. He'd probably have to move the cameras.
A knock at his door brought Nino out of his concentration (and ,not of the way water droplets ran down the contours of Aiba's body, no siree). He closed the lid on his laptop and opened the door on a smiling Aiba. Aiba greeted first Nino, then Rin-chan. Nino watched as he crouched down to pat Rin-chan, his mind overlaying with images of Aiba doing the same move in just his towel. He shook his head to clear it. Aiba, meanwhile, had spotted the laptop.
"Did you get it on camera?" he asked excitedly.
He got something on camera. "Uh, I haven't had a chance to check the footage yet." he lied.
Aiba moved over to it. "Well let's look now."
Nino waved away the suggestion. "Are you sure you really want to look at that now?"
Aiba seemed amused. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no. I'm just…" He floundered around for some excuse. "...starved. You hungry? Let's have dinner first." Nino remembered he didn't have any food in. He grabbed his phone. "I'll order something in."
"Well if you're sure you don't mind us sticking around."
"Nope. We could see if there's another game on. Or watch a movie or something." He tried for nonchalance but wasn't quite sure he pulled it off.
"Sure, sounds great." Aiba agreed, much more easily than he had before. "Oh, speaking of baseball, we just signed a contract to provide the uniforms for the Giants next year. I got a couple of free tickets as a perk. We should go."
Nino was surprised. "With me?"
Aiba chuckled a little, but Nino thought he caught a faint dusting of red colour Aiba's cheeks. "Well, out of all my friends, you like baseball almost as much as me."
"Then I'd love too." He winced at his quick use of the word 'love' of all things, but Aiba's next words pushed any qualms out of his head.
"Great, it's a date."
Nino felt his own cheeks flushing at Aiba's choice.
"You hear that Rin-chan? We might have to get Uncle Sho to babysit you." He looked down, then turned his head all the way around, scanning the room. "Wait, where is Rin-chan?"
Nino looked around too. "She was here a minute ago."
They both exchanged glances and Nino could tell they were having the same thought. Aiba dashed off back to his apartment, while Nino waited nervously, his fingers tapping on his thigh in impatience. A few moments later, Aiba came back carrying a wriggling puppy in his arms.
Nino felt relieved. Now they could check his own camera footage - he knew he hadn't been wandering around in a towel. He sat down at his desk and pulled his laptop closer. Aiba leaned over his shoulder to get a better look and Nino was momentarily distracted by his closeness, his scent, soft and warm like the man himself, filling his senses.
He brought up the camera footage - it was pointed at the rug that Rin-chan normally played on.
"There." Aiba pointed at the screen. "She ran off that way - towards that cabinet." They both looked up to where an old cabinet rested along the wall. Honestly, it had been in the apartment since Nino moved in, the old tenants seemingly not wanting to take it with them. Nino had left it where it was - who was he to turn down free furniture?
They both moved over to investigate. There was a small gap between the cabinet and the back wall. Nino tried to peer down there but it was too dark to make anything out.
"Here, help me move it out." He instructed Aiba. They both grabbed one side of the cabinet and started to shuffle it out. It was quite heavy - another reason Nino had never bothered to move it before this. Once it was far enough out to see they inspected the wall behind it. There was what looked like a flap - like a cat flap but in the wall instead of a door. Could she have been getting through there?
He asked Aiba. "Got an old cabinet on your side of the wall?"
Aiba nodded. "I do. I didn't want to touch it in case the owners came back for it."
"I doubt they have an owner. The Landlord probably got them cheap and put them in to block the flaps, so he didn't have to pay for building work to get them covered up."
"Well at least we know how she's getting here now. I was beginning to wonder if she could teleport."
Nino looked at the flap thoughtfully. "And we know she can get back." He looked down at the dog mock sternly, "All this time you've been making Aiba come and get you when you could have gone back any time you wanted." The dog just wagged its tail. Nino frowned, suddenly feeling sad. "I guess you don't have to do that anymore."
"I suppose."
Did Nino imagine that Aiba sounded sad as well.
"And I guess this means you don't need the cameras now." Aiba laughed. "At least I can stop walking around in just a towel - it was starting to get cold."
Wait, what? "You were doing that on purpose?" he blurted out, then realised that was as good as admitting he'd been watching.
Aiba blushed, but didn't deny it. "How else was I supposed to get your attention?"
"You already had my attention." Nino admitted. "From the minute you moved in."
Aiba smiled. "Really?"
"Really," Nino assured. Then he thought he should clarify something. "And our baseball date, is a real date? You were asking me out?"
Aiba nodded enthusiastically and Rin-chan seemed to agree too, barking and spinning around the room.
"I guess that's everything settled then," Nino said feeling quite pleased.
Aiba picked up Rin-chan and ruffled her head. "It's a pity you can't teleport, though." He pouted. "We could have been famous."
The END
Pairing: Aimiya
Rating: PG
Word count: 4405
Summary: Nino has a new neighbour, only his pet dog seems to think they live in Nino's apartment.
Notes: Written for prompt #54
"You're in the way," Nino muttered, not so quietly, as he weaved his way past some delivery men carrying heavy boxes towards the elevator. He stepped in, and pushed the close door button vigorously. He gave the delivery man a smirk as the door closed in the poor guy's face. He slumped back against the wall. Looked like someone was finally moving into the apartment next door. He'd enjoyed having the apartment next to his empty for the last month; he didn't have to worry as much about noise and there was less people he had to make annoying small talk with whenever he bumped into them outside the apartment. As he got to his floor he sighed in annoyance as he had to dodge more boxes scattered up and down the hall. Up ahead, a tall lanky man with brown hair and a shorter man were awkwardly trying to manoeuver a couch through the doorway.
Nino watched out of the corner of his eye as he put the key into the lock of his own apartment. He wondered which of the two his new neighbour was. The taller one was cute but seemed to be the excitable type as he bobbed his head around to gesture to the other man his instructions.
"Kazapon, to the left."
The other guys face was red and his cheeks were puffed out with the strain of lifting the couch but he was trying to follow the taller's wild instructions
Nino shook his head quietly - they were never going to get it in at that angle. Just as he pushed his own door open, a small ball of white fur brushed past his leg and shot through into the apartment.
"Hey," Nino called out in surprise. What the hell was that?
From next door, the corner of the couch held by the taller guy dropped to the ground. He came rushing over to Nino's door, where he bent over (giving Nino a rather nice view of his ass - which was worth it, Nino had to admit) and called out,
"Rin-chan!"
He looked up at Nino with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, she's a bit unnerved with the move." He turned back to the doorway. "Rin-chan!" There was no movement within the apartment.
Nino sighed. "Its fine, but it might be easier to just go in and get her."
"Thank you. And again, I'm so sorry."
They entered the apartment, and found Rin-chan - a small fluffy white dog, as it turned out - running in circles on the rug Nino had placed between his kitchen and his couch. At the sight of her owner, she wagged her tail and barked happily before sitting.
"There you are," the man scolded. "Rin-chan, it's rude to intrude on your neighbours. You should apologise." He scooped up the dog in his arms and spun to face Nino, paws and hands held up in supplication, their faces squished together - somehow both managing an apologetic pout with sad brown eyes.
The sarcastic witty reply Nino had been about to unleash died on his lips in the face of such overwhelming adorableness.
"No problem," he said instead waving away their gesture.
The man immediately dropped the pose, breaking out into a wide happy grin that seemed to light up all of Nino's apartment.
"I'm Aiba Masaki and this is Rin-chan. We're your new neighbours"
Nino tried not to match Aiba's grin, instead trying to keep his look neutral; he was not here to make friends with the neighbours. It was easier thought than done. "Ninomiya Kazunari, and yeah, I got that."
"Nice to meet you Nino-san."
They both fell silent. Nino felt awkward, not sure what to say next. Aiba didn't seem bothered, smiling down at his dog but not making any move to leave. At least until another voice called out from over by the doorway.
"Aiba-chan!"
Aiba's eyes widened in alarm. "Kazapon!" He gave Nino a sheepish grin and then headed for the door. Nino watched him go.
"Good luck with couch. Try tilting it up a little more," he called out just as Aiba reached the door.
"Thanks," Aiba called back as he exited.
----
Nino frowned at the TV. That was a strange noise his game just made. He leaned forward, yep there it was again. He hadn't even pressed any buttons this time. He paused the game and listened carefully. There. Not coming from the TV, but from somewhere else. He strained to hear better. There was some noise coming faintly through the walls from Aiba's housewarming party, but this had sounded closer, like it was just behind him.
He peered over the back of his couch - sure enough a little white dog was sitting happily on his rug.
"How did you get in here?" He asked it. The dog just wagged its tail at him. He had gone to the conbini earlier - she must have snuck in then. He tried unsuccessfully to coax her to the door but she wouldn't budge from her spot on the rug, laying down with her head on her paws.
"Are they making too much noise?" he asked. Rin-chan tilted her head as if actually trying to understand what Nino was asking. "You know its a good thing for both of you that you're so cute," he grumbled, not entirely sure if he was talking about the dog or it's owner.
He walked slowly over to Aiba's apartment. Aiba had invited him to the party when they'd bumped into each other in the hallway that morning and for a second, Aiba's enthusiasm and soft smile had nearly made Nino give in, but he'd managed to resist temptation and refuse. He knocked loudly to be heard over the music coming from inside.
A supermodel answered the door. Or at least, Nino assumed he was a supermodel. Immaculate hair, immaculate face, immaculately dressed - he certainly looked like he'd stepped straight off the cover of a fashion magazine.
"Is Aiba-san in?" Nino asked.
Supermodel raised an eyebrow. "Who's asking?"
"I live next door," Nino started.
"And?" Supermodel interrupted.
Just then Aiba's head appeared from behind supermodel.
"Nino, you came." Aiba's smile seemed even wider than usual, which was some feat. At his apparent happiness, Supermodel's features also seemed to soften and he gave Nino an appraising look.
"Come in, come in." Aiba beckoned.
Nino squeezed his eyes shut. He was not here to join the party. He hated parties. "No, I just came around because your dog."
Once again he was interrupted. "Eh? Rin-chan?" Aiba turned back into the room to look, as if he expected to see the dog frolicking happily. When no dog was to be seen, he turned back to Nino. "Again?"
Nino nodded.
"I thought I shut her in the bedroom for the night." Aiba mused. "She must have got out when I put some coats away."
Nino thought his puzzled expression was cute. Except he shouldn't be thinking such things. Aiba turned to Supermodel who was backing away, back to the party. "Matsujun, I'm just going to Nino's to fetch Rin-chan."
Matsujun waved him off. "Have fun."
A few of his other friends who were within earshot seemed to find that statement hilarious, breaking out into laughter. Nino frowned at that. Aiba's friends were weird.
Aiba followed him back to his apartment, where he bent down to face his dog, a for once serious look on his face.
"Come on, you're bothering Nino-chan."
"I was just playing games," Nino assured. Wait a minute - why was he defending the dog?
Aiba looked over at the TV, where the game was still paused.
"Well, I'll let you get back to it." He called Rin-chan to heel and the puppy actually listened. "Are you sure you won't join us," he offered again.
Nino remembered the confrontation at the door. "I don't think I'd really fit in with your model friends."
Aiba looked confused. "Models? I don't know any models."
"Really - who was that at the door then?"
"Jun?" Aiba laughed. "He's not a model, though I suppose he does hang out with them sometimes - he's a photographer."
"And you?"
"Me?" he shook his head and held up his hands. "There's no way I could be a model. I work for a sportswear company."
Nino disagreed about the model part. "Sounds fun."
"It is." Aiba agreed. "What about you?"
"Just a boring old salaryman. Nothing to write home about."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"I still don't think I'd be a good match with your friends."
"If this is about Jun - I know he can be intimidating at first, but he's really a sweetheart. He was just being overprotective when he answered the door. My old neighbours, they used to complain about everything. Even when I was just walking around the apartment in socks, they said I was being too noisy. I think he wanted to head that off - no-one complains much when Jun looks at them all sternly like that." Aiba tried to imitate Jun's stern look but it was a complete failure. They both laughed at his attempt.
"Is that why you moved?"
Aiba shook his head. "Not really, I got transferred to the head office, so I wanted somewhere closer; but it did help make the decision a little easier."
"Well, no complaints from me." Nino said and then wanted to slap himself for being so cheesy. Aiba just laughed.
"Well, I should get back to it." He gestured towards the door. Nino nodded and moved out of the way to let him pass. "Last chance." Aiba tried as he reached the door.
"Maybe next time."
"I'll hold you to that."
----
Frantic banging on his door, just as he settled onto his couch, almost made Nino jump out of his skin, even though he'd been somewhat expecting it for the last few hours. When he opened it, Aiba was there, his face slightly red and an alarmed look on his face. He started talking as soon as he saw Nino.
"I just got back from work and Rin-chan isn't at home. I don't suppose…" He trailed off as Nino opened his door further so that Aiba could see him sitting on the mat.
"I tried knocking on your door. When no-one answered, I figured it was best to just keep her here." Not that he could get her to budge anyway - but Nino wasn't going to admit that.
"Thank you so much. I don't know why she keeps doing this." Aiba apologised yet again.
"Maybe she's fallen in love with my rug," Nino suggested. The dog had taken a shine to it, camping out there every time it managed to sneak in.
Aiba laughed, a little too loudly, for such a weak joke. "Maybe," he agreed. He stepped through the doorway and his gait was a little swaying. Nino smelled alcohol on him as he passed. He stopped at the rug, but made no move to pick up his dog. His looked around until his eyes focused on the TV.
"Oh, you're watching the game? I thought it would be finished by now." His expression changed as if he realised something, his eyes widened and he swung his head dramatically away from the screen. "Don't tell me the score."
Drunk Aiba was even more exaggerated than regular Aiba, but Nino just found it cute. He was finding a lot of things about his new neighbour cute. That could be a problem, though it wasn't one to over analyse right now, he told himself. Instead he made an offer.
"Actually I recorded it, so I don't know the score. I was just about to start. Want to join me?"
Aiba looked torn for a second. "I don't know, I'm kind of drunk and I haven't fed Rin-chan yet?"
"So go get her bowl, and then we can watch."
"If you're sure you don't mind." He accepted hesitantly.
"I wouldn't have offered if I did." Nino answered bluntly.
"Okay then," Aiba accepted. Aiba rushed off, stumbling occasionally, to get Rin-chan's dinner. He came back carrying the bowl and Nino directed him to place it by the kitchen counter.
"Beer?"
"I probably shouldn't but," Aiba said then he nodded agreement.
Nino went to the fridge and pulled another beer out for Aiba, handing it to him as they both sat on couch. Well, Nino sat - Aiba flopped.
"Tough day at work?"
"Actually we just won a major contract. My boss decided we should celebrate and combine my welcome to the company party at the same time."
"Congrats," Nino said. He held up his beer and they clinked bottles before settling down to watch the game.
Aiba only made it to the 3rd inning before he slumped down onto Nino's shoulder, snoring softly. Anybody else and Nino would have pushed them off immediately but something about the other's presence made Nino want to stay put, lean into it himself. So he indulged - Aiba's warmth pressed into to him giving him a cosy feeling he hadn't felt in a long time.
The game ended all too soon, and Nino finally had to move. He tried gently shaking Aiba awake, but the other man just mumbled and slid further down until his head was in Nino's lap. Damn, Nino thought. He shook his head to clear it of any unsavoury thoughts at Aiba's new position, and tried to slip out. He replaced his legs with a cushion and moved to go get a blanket from his cupboard. He came back and laid it gently over Aiba.
"Looks like you're both staying here for the night," he whispered to Rin-chan. Rin-chan jumped onto the couch and curled up beside her owner. Nino didn't have the heart to chase her off and back onto the rug; the sight of the two of them sleeping together was too sweet.
----
Nino grabbed the taiyaki from the vendor as he waited for Ohno to pay. Once he was done he handed his share over and picked up his complaining where it had left off.
Rin-chan had gotten into his apartment again. She was making it an almost daily habit. He'd been super careful about watching out as he opened the door. He'd even closed the balcony door this morning, on the off chance she was somehow jumping from balcony to balcony, which would have been an amazing feat - dangerous, but amazing - for such a small dog.
"Your neighbour sounds nice." Ohno said as he took a bite.
Nino paused. "Well, yeah, I guess." The only advantage that Rin-chan's breaking in was causing was that Aiba was visiting him almost every night. "That's not really the point though."
Ohno shrugged. "Isn't it?"
Nino decided to ignore him. Honestly, Rin-chan's antics weren't bothering him that much. He was trying not to think too much about why that might be and he didn't really need Ohno to be pointing it out. They had started to bother Aiba though. While Aiba denied that it had bothered him, Nino was sure it was because of his problems with his last neighbours. Aiba was the nicest guy in the universe, how could they have a problem with him. What jerks!
"Jerks," Ohno agreed.
Nino looked over at him. Had he been ranting out loud? Ohno just stared back at him impassively, taking another bite of his taiyaki. Nino shook his head, trying to get back on his original train of thought.
"Anyway, I thought about setting up some cameras so that we can watch where Rin-chan is getting out. I'll have to set up some in Aiba's apartment too. Do you think he'll go for that?"
He probably would. Nino would never let anyone set up cameras in his house but Aiba was a trusting soul. Still, it's not like he was some creep taking advantage, he was just helping solve a problem.
"Probably, but are you sure you really want to find out."
What was that supposed to mean? Of course he wanted to find out.
----
Nino entered his apartment to the familiar sight of a little white dog sitting on his rug.
"Aha," Nino crowed down to the little dog, "now we'll see how you're doing it."
He pulled up his computer and started to go back through the feed of the camera. The early part of the day was pretty normal. He could see Rin-chan running around Aiba's apartment, playing with a chew toy. Then Aiba came out, wearing only a towel. Nino slammed down the computer lid. He got up and pushed himself away from the computer.
"I shouldn't have seen that."
On the one hand, he did need to see the footage to find out when and how Rin-chan was escaping. On the other, didn't he just tell himself the other day, he wasn't taking advantage of Aiba by installing the cameras? Nino was pretty sure watching him wandering around without any clothes on fell into the latter category.
He moved towards the kitchen. He shouldn't watch. His eyes skittered back to the computer. Rin-chan scampered around his feet. He should watch. No, it was wrong. She jumped up at him, paws scrambling at his jeans to get his attention. He picked her and gave her head a scratch. He looked over at his computer again. Maybe he could just focus on the not-Aiba bits of the screen.
"I'm supposed to be watching out for you anyway," he muttered to himself.
He grabbed a beer out of the fridge with his free hand. "Oh, let's get this over and done with."
---
A knock at the door, broke him out of his concentration. His plan to focus on other parts of the video hadn't exactly worked well. Aiba had spent a lot of the morning in that towel. Nino had to pause a lot to look away from the screen and refocus his attention on where it was supposed to be.
He got up to answer the door. He hesitated for a second before opening the door. Could he face Aiba after what he'd just been watching? He felt like a pervert. Except that it wasn't Aiba on the other side of the door. Nino felt equal parts relief and irritation.
"What?" he snapped maybe a little too harshly.
The man in front of him bowed slightly. "I'm Sakurai Sho. Aiba's been held up at work. He asked me to fetch his dog for him. He said if she wasn't in his apartment, I should check here."
"How do I know you're a friend of Aiba's?"
Sho held up a set of keys. "I have his keys."
They did look like Aiba's keys, lots of colorful dangly accessories almost drowning out the actual keys.
"Oh, and, hang on a minute." Sho pulled out his phone and fiddled with it a few moments before holding it up for Nino to see. On it was a selfie of Aiba with Sho - Aiba smiling brightly as he leaned on Sho's shoulders, looking relaxed and happy. Nino reluctantly let him inside. Rin-chan immediately ran to this Sho guy, wagging his tail. Nino had to admit defeat.
"I didn't know Aiba had a boyfriend."
Sho looked up from where he was patting the dog in surprise. "Oh, I'm not his...I mean we're not together." Sho stammered. "Not that Aiba wouldn't make a great boyfriend. I'm sure he would, if you were that way inclined. Which I'm not. We're just friends, I assure you."
Nino snickered at Sho's awkwardness, suddenly feeling a lot better.
"He's stuck at work you said?"
"Yes, some big new contract has them pulling an all-nighter."
"And you're the regular dog-sitter?"
Sho nodded. "Generally."
Nino was feeling sulky again. He could've just asked me, since she was here already, he thought rather brattily.
"I'm sure he would've asked you," Sho started, and Nino had to wonder if he was talking out loud again, or if his expressions were becoming just that readable thanks to one Aiba Masaki. "But I think he said he doesn't have your number - and he worries he's been causing you too much trouble already."
Nino's focus once again turned to the laptop. He really did have to watch, if only to set Aiba's mind at ease, and even if it did mean the end of these visits. He saw Sho and Rin-chan out.
----
Another day. Another intruder in his apartment. Another day of watching Aiba wander around his apartment in nothing but a towel. So far, Nino hadn't managed to catch anything. He'd probably have to move the cameras.
A knock at his door brought Nino out of his concentration (and ,not of the way water droplets ran down the contours of Aiba's body, no siree). He closed the lid on his laptop and opened the door on a smiling Aiba. Aiba greeted first Nino, then Rin-chan. Nino watched as he crouched down to pat Rin-chan, his mind overlaying with images of Aiba doing the same move in just his towel. He shook his head to clear it. Aiba, meanwhile, had spotted the laptop.
"Did you get it on camera?" he asked excitedly.
He got something on camera. "Uh, I haven't had a chance to check the footage yet." he lied.
Aiba moved over to it. "Well let's look now."
Nino waved away the suggestion. "Are you sure you really want to look at that now?"
Aiba seemed amused. "Is something wrong?"
"No, no. I'm just…" He floundered around for some excuse. "...starved. You hungry? Let's have dinner first." Nino remembered he didn't have any food in. He grabbed his phone. "I'll order something in."
"Well if you're sure you don't mind us sticking around."
"Nope. We could see if there's another game on. Or watch a movie or something." He tried for nonchalance but wasn't quite sure he pulled it off.
"Sure, sounds great." Aiba agreed, much more easily than he had before. "Oh, speaking of baseball, we just signed a contract to provide the uniforms for the Giants next year. I got a couple of free tickets as a perk. We should go."
Nino was surprised. "With me?"
Aiba chuckled a little, but Nino thought he caught a faint dusting of red colour Aiba's cheeks. "Well, out of all my friends, you like baseball almost as much as me."
"Then I'd love too." He winced at his quick use of the word 'love' of all things, but Aiba's next words pushed any qualms out of his head.
"Great, it's a date."
Nino felt his own cheeks flushing at Aiba's choice.
"You hear that Rin-chan? We might have to get Uncle Sho to babysit you." He looked down, then turned his head all the way around, scanning the room. "Wait, where is Rin-chan?"
Nino looked around too. "She was here a minute ago."
They both exchanged glances and Nino could tell they were having the same thought. Aiba dashed off back to his apartment, while Nino waited nervously, his fingers tapping on his thigh in impatience. A few moments later, Aiba came back carrying a wriggling puppy in his arms.
Nino felt relieved. Now they could check his own camera footage - he knew he hadn't been wandering around in a towel. He sat down at his desk and pulled his laptop closer. Aiba leaned over his shoulder to get a better look and Nino was momentarily distracted by his closeness, his scent, soft and warm like the man himself, filling his senses.
He brought up the camera footage - it was pointed at the rug that Rin-chan normally played on.
"There." Aiba pointed at the screen. "She ran off that way - towards that cabinet." They both looked up to where an old cabinet rested along the wall. Honestly, it had been in the apartment since Nino moved in, the old tenants seemingly not wanting to take it with them. Nino had left it where it was - who was he to turn down free furniture?
They both moved over to investigate. There was a small gap between the cabinet and the back wall. Nino tried to peer down there but it was too dark to make anything out.
"Here, help me move it out." He instructed Aiba. They both grabbed one side of the cabinet and started to shuffle it out. It was quite heavy - another reason Nino had never bothered to move it before this. Once it was far enough out to see they inspected the wall behind it. There was what looked like a flap - like a cat flap but in the wall instead of a door. Could she have been getting through there?
He asked Aiba. "Got an old cabinet on your side of the wall?"
Aiba nodded. "I do. I didn't want to touch it in case the owners came back for it."
"I doubt they have an owner. The Landlord probably got them cheap and put them in to block the flaps, so he didn't have to pay for building work to get them covered up."
"Well at least we know how she's getting here now. I was beginning to wonder if she could teleport."
Nino looked at the flap thoughtfully. "And we know she can get back." He looked down at the dog mock sternly, "All this time you've been making Aiba come and get you when you could have gone back any time you wanted." The dog just wagged its tail. Nino frowned, suddenly feeling sad. "I guess you don't have to do that anymore."
"I suppose."
Did Nino imagine that Aiba sounded sad as well.
"And I guess this means you don't need the cameras now." Aiba laughed. "At least I can stop walking around in just a towel - it was starting to get cold."
Wait, what? "You were doing that on purpose?" he blurted out, then realised that was as good as admitting he'd been watching.
Aiba blushed, but didn't deny it. "How else was I supposed to get your attention?"
"You already had my attention." Nino admitted. "From the minute you moved in."
Aiba smiled. "Really?"
"Really," Nino assured. Then he thought he should clarify something. "And our baseball date, is a real date? You were asking me out?"
Aiba nodded enthusiastically and Rin-chan seemed to agree too, barking and spinning around the room.
"I guess that's everything settled then," Nino said feeling quite pleased.
Aiba picked up Rin-chan and ruffled her head. "It's a pity you can't teleport, though." He pouted. "We could have been famous."
The END
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Date: 2019-01-17 10:12 am (UTC)Thanks for reading and commenting.
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Date: 2018-12-26 01:42 pm (UTC)I simply love this. I've read this a few times already. Thanks dear Author! :Db
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Date: 2019-01-17 10:18 am (UTC)Thank you for reading and commenting ♥
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