A/N: I've become sooo obsessed with NANA. It's really unhealthy. Nobu has automatically become my favorite out of everyone, and NobuxHachi really just owns the fandom world! I wrote this after the manga scene (maybe it's in the anime as well, but I've just started that, woes) when Nana gets a text from Hachi asking if they all want to see the fireworks together, and Nobu gets sort of freaked out. So…um…yea. Hopefully it's okay!
Disclaimer: Ai Yazawa is my goddess. THE END.
"Who's Hachi?"
Nobu looked up from his usual seat by the laundry machines, which were chugging busily as they did the laundry. He blinked when he saw Miu standing beside him, two shirts in her hand. It looked like she had just picked up two shirts off of the floor as an excuse to do laundry, but Nobu wasn't quick enough to catch that.
"Hey Miu," he greeted brightly, acting as if he hadn't heard her question. "How has your day been?" Nobu asked politely, leaning against the wall and kicking his combat boots out. Miu didn't move from where she stood beside him, that expression of arrogance written all over her face. Nobu gulped.
"Who is Hachi?" Miu asked again, walking over to a washing machine near Nobu. Spare change clinked in her hand. "Nana-chan was talking about her earlier; you looked surprised when she asked to go see fireworks with everyone." Miu didn't look at him, but Nobu froze at her words.
Dammit, he thought, but Miu was still going. She tossed the clothes in the machine, closing the door. It immediately began to hum, and she sat down beside Nobu. "I don't want to ask again; who's Hachi?"
Nobu hesitated, and then smiled. "Well, she's a little dog about this big—" he joked, holding his hand a foot above his ankles "—and she's very obedient. She's got brown fur," he added. "And…she's really cute!" But the smile on his face was forced now. Miu could see in his eyes he was no longer joking. She tried to soften her expression; clearly this was a difficult topic for Nobu.
"Nobu," she warned, and the younger boy looked down at the tiled floor, scuffing his boot on it. The weak fluorescent lights above them winked, and the room suddenly looked garish and ugly to Miu. "I just want to know."
Nobu sighed, brushing a hand overtop his spiked hair. "She was—" He stopped. A look of confusion was written on his face. "My…girlfriend. I guess. Maybe not," he decided, shaking his head sadly. "It's confusing, and plainly, it's horrifying." Nobu smiled weakly at Miu. "You'd rather not know, trust me."
Miu shook her head stubbornly. "You still love her," she informed him, and Nobu's eyes widened at an alarming rate. "Anyone can see it. She was clearly more than a girlfriend."
Nobu brow furrowed with pain. "You're right. She was more than just a girlfriend to me…" He drew his legs up onto the bench, hugging them tightly to his chest. "But I was just a boyfriend to her," he added softly, looking straight ahead of him rather than at Miu. The girl felt guilty; Nobu was clearly having a hard time with this.
"Did she break up with you?"
Nobu shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I broke us up." His mind was clearly somewhere else. Miu didn't know it, but Nobu was remembering walking into Nana's room, demanding to know answers, hearing only apologies in return…It was hard for him not to start crying.
"Do you ever see her anymore?" Miu asked.
"No," Nobu answered immediately. "And it's hard. Because we still have the same friends, but I can't—" he choked on his words, stopping abruptly. Miu didn't really understand, but she patted his shoulder reassuringly.
"It will all be over someday," she murmured. Nobu didn't answer. His face was still worried. Miu blinked. "But…?" she asked. A flicker of a smile crossed Nobu's face.
"But I don't know if I really want it to be over," he murmured. "It's impossible for it to continue anymore, though."
Miu knew she had brought this sadness upon her cheerful friend, and she was trying desperately to make him feel happy. Obviously though, she wasn't good at it. She shook her head. "Anything can keep happening. Why do you say it can't?"
Nobu bit his bottom lip, still staring at the wall across from him. "She's pregnant."
Miu blinked.
"With another man's child."
Miu let out a soft gasp. "Oh Nobu, that's horrible…"
Nobu's eyes were shining now. "Or maybe it's mine," he whispered hoarsely, burrowing his face into his knees. "But I just don't know."
Miu wasn't great at the cheering up thing, but she tried her hardest; she leaned over and gave Nobu a squeeze around the shoulders. He tensed, but only a little.
"Don't give up hope," she advised into his ear. Nobu shook his head.
"Everyone's been telling me the exact opposite," was his muffled reply. Miu frowned.
"I think you know yourself better than your friends." Miu fell silent, because Nobu made no move to reply. She shuffled back to her side of the bench, thoughtful. "Sorry," she apologized.
Nobu lifted his head, smiling. "It's not your fault." The smile was shaky though. "I'm just a little too attached," he said, chuckling sadly.
Miu shook her head, still surprised. "So that's Hachi," she murmured, blinking at the roof.
"No," Nobu disagreed almost immediately. Miu glanced over at him. "She's so much more than just that. She…She's Nana," he said emphatically. "She's just my Nana."