Chapter Text
“Hey, Suckhara, wake up! We’re done!”
It wasn’t a nice awakening. He fell asleep in an awkward position again, leaning over the table in Iruma’s room, and he most likely didn’t sleep more than three hours. In addition, she definitely threw something at him, but missed and hit the wall instead, making so much noise that the person living in the room next to her would certainly come to yell at them, if it weren’t Yumeno.
“Huh…?”
“Are you even listening, idiot?! We’re done! There’s nothing more we can do!” She said with an angry frown. She was holding a CD in her hand, and it was most likely the effect of their work. “Now you’re free to do whatever you want with it!”
“I didn’t think completing a song in such a short amount of time was even possible…” Amami muttered. He was lying on the floor, still awake, but… he looked kind of dead inside. “You must really be a genius, Iruma-san…”
“O-Of course I am!” She huffed, but her cheeks grew pink. “Anyway, Saihara, take it and get the fuck out of my room. After two nights like this I really need to get some beauty sleep, or I’ll lose my job.”
“Uh, same here…”
“Nobody asked you, Avocado. You get the fuck out as well.”
“What time is it right now…?” Saihara asked hesitantly.
“Around four in the morning. Why are you asking?”
He stood up and took the CD from Iruma’s hands, not even knowing how to thank her. Now it was up to him what to do with it, and when, though he hoped he could get it over with quickly.
Four in the morning… Knowing Ouma’s sleeping schedule, it was both too early to be sure he was already asleep and too late to hope he wasn’t. Even if he wanted to give it to him right away, he would have to wait.
“Hey, you’re not going to listen to it first? To check if I didn’t do anything weird with it?” Iruma asked.
“I trust you enough to be sure you didn’t,” he said. “And… I kind of don’t want to listen to it myself.”
“Worried you still sound shitty, no matter what?” Iruma laughed. “Don’t worry, it may not be on the level of my songs, but we did what we could, and the result is pretty good. Now go, take advantage of the fact that our agencies don’t care about the ‘no dating’ rule and romance your beloved goblin. We all believe in you, so you better succeed, fucker.”
Saihara glanced at the CD once more, looked at Iruma and Amami again and nodded. If not now, then never.
***
Even though everything was telling Saihara it was a stupid move, he ended up standing in front of the door to Ouma’s room at four thirty in the morning. He probably didn’t look the best, as he was definitely exhausted, and his sleep-deprived self was probably making decisions he normally wouldn’t, but he knocked on the door anyway. Actually, he even knocked for the second time when he didn’t receive any response after the first try.
Then Ouma finally opened the door, mumbling something to himself with eyes half-open. “For fuck’s sake, Momota-chan, if it’s you again and you still can’t deal with that air horn taped to your toilet, I’m going to…”
His sleepiness dissolved into thin air immediately after he realized that it actually wasn’t Momota.
“…Saihara-chan? Why would you come to my room in the middle of the night, after avoiding me for so long?” He asked. “Ah, is that some kind of a booty call?”
“W-What?! N-No! It’s-“
“A joke, Saihara-chan. I guess Iruma-chan’s sense of humor rubs off on me! Blame that ugly bitch for that, nishishi,” Ouma snickered, then instantly turned serious. “Anyway, you better have some reeeaaaally good excuse to wake me up at this ungodly hour. Explain yourself and then I will decide if I should get mad and start planning revenge.”
“Uhm… It’s… I…” Blank. No matter how hard he was thinking, he couldn’t come up with the right words to say. He ended up holding the CD in his sweaty hands and struggling to stutter out something coherent.
“Ah, is my beloved Saihara-chan that scared of me? Don’t worry, your punishment will be quick, you won’t even feel any pain!” Ouma exclaimed, but then a different idea apparently appeared in his head. “Or maybe… is this a love confession? Have you finally noticed how lovely I am?”
“Well… kind of.” Saihara’s voice wasn’t much louder than a whisper, but Ouma must’ve heard him, as he went completely still. “Here. Take this.”
“What… is this?” Ouma asked, hesitantly accepting the CD. “It’s not anything weird, right?”
“You’ll see. Now… I’ll excuse myself, I haven’t slept normally for the past two days,” he replied, turning around and trying to ignore how weak his legs felt. And also the fact that Ouma watched him stumble as he walked towards his room.
The rest depended on how Ouma would interpret his song, so he could only pray for his team’s work to be enough…
Saihara thought he’d fall asleep right away, but for some reason he was unable to do so. He found himself lying in his bed and turning from side to side, thinking about what he’d just done. It all happened so fast… Yumeno summoning them to the girls’ dorms, Iruma overhearing them talk, Amami and Harukawa joining… and the entire songwriting project.
All of that just made him even more aware of how hopelessly in love he was.
Looking back, that feeling had been following him since quite a while, too. He just brushed it off as simple fascination he, as a fan, felt.
Ouma debuted as an idol when he was much younger than the rest of TWILIGHT☆MYSTERY. Saihara still remembered the fourteen year old himself and Akamatsu watching his lives together, talking about how one day they’d both become composers and write songs for people like him. Initially he didn’t really think it was possible for him… For Akamatsu maybe, but him? He was just a shy kid, and his piano skills were average when compared to her, a young genius.
That’s what he thought, but watching the talented child that was Ouma Kokichi become popular despite his young age was weirdly motivating. Even back then, he was forcing Saihara to do his best…
Giving up on falling asleep fast, Saihara reached for his phone and headphones. He had a playlist for each of his group’s members, but Ouma’s was considerably longer, as he still had even those really old songs from where they were fourteen. He chose one of them and let himself recall how he felt listening to it all those years ago.
Follow me, take my hand and let me lead the way
Let’s have some fun, just you and I!
Hey, are you listening? I’m singing for you
So let my voice reach you
His voice sounded a little different, but even back then, Saihara adored him – the hardworking, always smiling kid his age, who already achieved so much.
Maybe that’s why he was so surprised upon actually meeting him for the first time. Ouma during their days at the Academy turned out to be a pretty different person from what he had imagined… Saihara couldn’t deny that he was a little disappointed at first. The Ouma from that time was lying a lot more than now, hiding a lot more than now and generally didn’t resemble that happy kid he expected him to be. Sometimes he seemed to be friendly, sometimes he treated everyone like enemies. He didn’t trust anyone, and it was hard to get closer to him, but…
…if Saihara knew anything about him during that time, it was that Ouma was really lonely. He was just a kid who forced his way towards the top, but for whom staying there alone turned out to be too much. Later he learned that it was Ouma’s friends from his hometown that encouraged him to become an idol, but without them at his side he quickly lost motivation to do it any longer.
Ouma was a people person – that was his conclusion. He needed friends, someone to share his idol life with. Now that Saihara thought about it, that was one of the reason for creating TWILIGHT☆MYSTERY to begin with. There were more of those reasons, but… Even back then, it was all about Ouma.
The song changed to one that was written as a school assignment – the first thing they worked on together.
I might’ve lost my way, but you helped me find it again
It’s like being handed a map
Of a world much brighter than the one I knew
So this time, I’ll be the one to follow you
Suddenly Saihara felt really dense. It’s not like any of Ouma’s songs were explicitly addressed to someone, but since the Academy it became more clear what he was writing them with someone on his mind. It just never occurred to Saihara that he was the one Ouma was thinking about, even though the hints were pretty obvious.
He really was stupid, wasn’t he?
Well, at least creating the group wasn’t a mistake, he thought, recalling a memory of their first live concert. Ouma was the only one who had any experience with performing live, so everyone was really nervous… It went pretty well though, except for some minor mistakes on Momota’s part.
“We really did it! We did it, everyone!” Ouma yelled happily, dropping any kind of act for a moment and trying to jump onto Momota’s back after they walked off the stage. “Did you hear the crowd?! They liked it! They really liked it!”
“O-Of course they did! There was no option they wouldn’t!” Momota replied, even though he sounded a little surprised that they managed to pull everything off after all. “Also, let go. What are you, a brat?” He freed himself from Ouma’s hands, making him fall onto the floor.
“That’s cruel, Momota-chan! Why are you so mean to me?!” He started crying, summoning his fake, crocodile tears usually no one believed were real. “I knew that I shouldn’t consider you a friend!”
“C-Come on, I didn’t mean to-“
“Don’t cry, Ouma-kun! Gonta will carry you if you want!” The tall boy approached him and helped him get up, only to end up helping him climb onto his back the next second.
“Hurray, now I can look down on that idiot Momota-chan!” Ouma laughed, clinging to Gonta. “I always knew that Gonta is my best friend!”
“Wasn’t it Saihara?” Amami asked, glancing at the composer, who was watching them with a slightly embarrassed smile.
“Oh, my beloved Saihara-chan? He’s on a different level, sorry! You can’t ever reach him, even if you try.”
“I doubt anyone would even want to try…” Hoshi muttered. “Anyway, good job, everyone.”
“Yeah, everyone except for Momota-chan! I saw you make mistakes in the choreography during the last song. What an amateur!”
“Shut up! It was our first live performance! I’m still learning!”
“Well, it would be troublesome if your process of learning continued to be this slow…” Shinguuji said, and Ouma’s laughter almost drowned out Momota’s angry reply.
Momota was probably the only one who wasn’t in an excellent mood that day… but most likely even he felt proud of the results of their group. Ouma in turn… seemed happier than Saihara ever saw him before. Ever since the group was formed… he was slowly changing. Opening up to them. Learning how to share his success with other people and how to enjoy his job again…
At least Saihara thought it was the case. Ouma was unpredictable after all, and… that was probably one of the features Saihara liked the most about him… Except now it seemed that he liked everything about him. What a strange conclusion.
What was going to be Ouma’s reaction to his song? Was he going to like it? Laugh at it? What kind of face he was going to make?
Saihara was a little glad he wasn’t going to see it. It at least gave Ouma the chance to be honest with himself.
Finally, all the recalling of old memories, combined with Ouma’s voice in the headphones lulled him to sleep. He was going to deal with all of this after waking up.
***
He slept at least until noon, and as soon as he opened his eyes, the realization of what he was doing for the past two nights and one day hit him.
The fact that he let Ouma know hit him even harder. All of this could go only in two directions – either ruin their friendship or actually help them get out of that awkward state of being in love with each other and unable to do anything about it.
Though at the back of his head something was still whispering to him that Ouma couldn’t actually love him. Someone like him could definitely find someone much better than the always nervous and shy Saihara Shuuichi.
Hoping to chase those thoughts away, he reached for his phone to check the time. He noticed some new messages from Akamatsu and Iruma, but decided to ignore them for now and check his email instead.
He could swear he stopped breathing for a moment when he noticed a new message from no one else than Ouma himself.
No text, just one attachment. An audio file named ‘my ugly heart’s song’.
Saihara quickly jumped out of his bed to reach for his headphones, abandoned somewhere on the floor, then simply stayed there, downloading the file and holding his breath again as he opened it.
It certainly wasn’t as good as Saihara’s song when it came to the technical part. The only instrument that could be heard was a piano, and Saihara suspected it was recorded in Ouma’s room, using whatever microphone he had there.
It was also definitely a response to Saihara’s confession in a song form, what meant that he either put it all together in one night, or had been working on it since a while. Thinking about either of those options was making him want to cry.
Only ‘want to’ though, because the thing that really made him cry was something else – the song itself.
You found me when I was all alone
And even though my world grew bigger since then
I still haven’t met anyone more precious than you
Saihara didn’t even understand why he was crying, but with every word sang in that soft voice, his sobbing was becoming worse. He recognized some parts of the melody - he composed them himself, and now Ouma smoothly included them into his composition while still making it distinctly ‘his’.
Are you proud of me?
I want you to be
Are you looking at me?
I want your eyes to be on me
That was it. Ouma Kokichi was going to be the death of him. He couldn’t believe he didn’t notice his feelings sooner.
Bored is a thing I never am with you
Ah, does that sound like a lie?
Not this time, I swear
That’s the truth coming from this ugly heart of mine
The words ‘I love you’ were not even once used in the entire song, but there was no need to. Ouma was making sure to tell him that almost every day, so there was no need to include it in a song that was supposed to tell him something new. Even when the audio ended with a quiet giggle, Saihara kept clutching his phone and crying. Was it because he was happy? Or because he was mad at himself for being blind for so long? Or because Ouma’s song was absolutely beautiful? He couldn’t tell.
Did Ouma feel something similar when listening to his confession? He surely didn’t cry… right?
He most likely continued to sit on the floor, cry and replay that song for quite a while, until knocking on the door brought him back to reality.
“Saihara-kun? It’s only me, Rantarou,” Amami spoke up. “Akamatsu-san told me there’s a festival nearby tonight, so I thought that maybe you’d want to invite Ouma-kun. I’ll slide you the leaflet under the door… Good luck.”
Saihara wiped his face with the back of his hand, got up from the floor and walked up to the piece of paper Amami left there. Even though the songs said more than words alone could ever say…
It was high time they finally faced each other. On the empty side of the leaflet, Saihara wrote a short message and left the room to slide it under someone else’s door.
***
Saihara decided not to wait for any confirmation and simply believe Ouma would come to the place he mentioned in that note – the garden of their dormitory. He wouldn’t run away now, right? Not after all of that. If he did, Saihara would have no idea what he should do next. The whole songwriting project exhausted all creativity he had in store.
“Saaaihaaara-chan.” A quiet hum broke him out of his thoughts, immediately making them meaningless.
Ouma not only didn’t run away, but also looked absolutely stunning. Saihara didn’t know where he got those clothes from, but he was dressed in a pale-yellow kimono with floral pattern. His hair was tied back, and the loose strands were pinned aside using blue, flower-shaped hairpins in a color similar to those on the kimono. Not that he usually wasn’t pretty, it’s just that it was obvious he put effort into looking even prettier.
“I’ll assume that you making that face means that you like what you see, nishishi.” Ouma gave him a mischievous grin, stopping very close to him. “You can thank Angie-chan for this. She’s the only one whose clothes would fit me, and when she heard I’m going on a festival date, she wasn’t going to leave me alone easily.”
Ah, so it was Angie. Of course, they were friends after all… Saihara should’ve realized, yellow and blue were her colors. He really felt like thanking her though.
“Because that’s what it is… right? A date,” Ouma asked. “Saihara-chan wouldn’t dare to invite me somewhere without making it a date, I’m sure of it.”
Despite saying that, his voice sounded somewhat hesitant, so…
“I really hope it is,” Saihara replied. “Though now that I think about it… Are you really okay with going out like this? You’re famous. I’m sure some people will recognize you and try to bother you… and I don’t want that.”
“Oh, so you want me only for yourself? Wow, Saihara-chan sure is getting bold! Don’t worry, it’s not that easy to recognize an idol without makeup,” he said with a giggle. “And if something happens, you will protect me!”
“I guess I’ll just buy you a mask if things get troublesome,” Saihara sighed. “It’s a festival after all.”
“Right, right!” Ouma nodded enthusiastically, then… extended his hand to him. “You better make sure I have looots of fun today, or else I’ll dump you!”
It wasn’t the right moment to point out that they’d have to be together first for Ouma to dump him, but it was the right moment to take his hand and hold it tightly.
If everything went well, they had the whole night to sort things out and decide when was the right time to speak up.
***
Apparently Ouma decided that Saihara’s remark about buying him a mask was a promise, as he quickly pointed at one, claiming that he wanted it. Saihara couldn’t say that the blue oni mask was attractive in any way, but Ouma’s smile after he got what he wanted definitely was.
Spending time with him was certainly fun and didn’t feel all that different from usual, but the small detail of Ouma squeezing Saihara’s hand whenever they were about to move to another stall was changing the atmosphere just slightly enough to keep reminding them that something was different… And even if it was, it wasn’t a change for worse.
A change that wasn’t for the better wouldn’t make him feel so light and happy.
“Hey, Saihara-chan,” Ouma suddenly spoke up, stopping and pulling at his hand. He raised his mask, just high enough to let Saihara look him in the eyes. “Don’t you feel like something is wrong?”
“W-Wrong? What do you mean?” He asked, instantly feeling himself panic slightly, but Ouma’s grin told him it wasn’t about him.
“I could swear I noticed some dumb blonde bitch following us,” he exclaimed. “And I think she wasn’t alone.”
Oh. So the Desperate Virgins Unit still wasn’t disbanded.
“You know, Saihara-chan, it’s been a while since I last enjoyed my free time like this, so I don’t want any losers ruining it,” he continued. “It’s my first date with Saihara-chan after all! It’s special!”
“Ouma-kun… If you call it a first date with me, then it means there’s also going to be at least a second one,” he laughed. “And if it’s really like this, then… we can make the next one more special. Just leave them be.”
“Every moment I spend with Saihara-chan is special to me,” Ouma said, for a split second his expression completely serious. “Just kidding! It was a lie! I might like Saihara-chan, but I’m not that much of a hopeless romantic!”
He was, and Saihara had a proof of that, in the form of a song saved on his phone.
“Anyway, prepare yourself to run, Saihara-chan!”
“Huh?!”
Without any warning, Ouma let the mask cover his face again and leaned down to take his shoes off. He took them in one hand, still holding Saihara’s with the other, and then… started running, dragging Saihara with him. Soon they left the main path, as Ouma pulled him somewhere between the stalls, away from the crowd, and, most likely, Iruma’s squad. It was surprising how fast he could be, even wearing those clothes.
“Come on, Saihara-chan, we need to be faster than them!”
“S-Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t go any faster!”
“That’s another reason why you wouldn’t make a good idol!” Ouma laughed. “Poor stamina, mediocre singing skills and cliché lyrics! I’m so glad you’re our composer, not a part of the band!”
He didn’t say a word about his composition, so he guessed at least that part was alright. He really was a man of one talent…
“Okay, I think they aren’t following us anymore!” Saihara’s companion decided after a while, stopping by the river banks and finally letting him catch a breath.
They must’ve wandered quite far away from the festival site, as suddenly everything seemed quieter. Not many people were around, and those who for some reason found themselves there also weren’t alone.
“You know, it’s almost time for the fireworks,” Ouma said. “Usually people watch them by the river, so I thought this might be a good spot. It might be a bit far away, but no one should bother us here.”
He let go of Saihara’s hand, took the mask off and walked up to a nearby bench.
“So, until then, let’s sit down and talk!”
There was no use avoiding that moment... Especially if he was the one to initiate it. Saihara simply followed Ouma and sat down next to him. Not wasting time, their hand found each other again, intertwining their fingers without hesitation. It was a calm, comforting and loving gesture.
“Ouma-kun-“
“Saihara-chan-“
They began talking at the same time, then went silent, staring at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“You first, Ouma-kun.”
“I love you, Saihara-chan,” he said, just like that, no pause or stuttering. “But it’s nothing new to you, right? I think the first time I said it was about three years ago. Wow, time sure flies fast!”
“Three years…” Saihara repeated, then lowered his head, unable to look him in the eyes. “I’m so sorry… That whole time, I thought you were just teasing me… You should’ve just slapped me and said you were serious.”
“No, no, that wouldn’t be right! You know, it was all planned! I’m good at waiting, so I needed to make you fall for me first, show you that you need me in your life!” Ouma said, puffing his cheeks in a pout, but soon that expression faltered. “But you can see that it’s a lie, right?”
Fear of rejection – Saihara was sure that it was the right answer. Even someone as confident as Ouma couldn’t fight it.
“I’m sorry…”
“Stop apologizing or I’ll get mad! And look at me! I don’t want you to take your eyes off me, ever!” Ouma furrowed his brows, letting go of Saihara’s hand to place both of his on his cheeks. “You know, it’s not a matter of who fell for whom first! What I want to know now is-”
“I love you, Ouma-kun,” he said, putting his own hands over Ouma’s. “I wish it didn’t take me so long to realize it.”
In the pale light given by the moon and nearby lampposts he couldn’t be sure if Ouma blushed this time. The colorful explosions that painted the sky a few seconds later didn’t make it possible either, so instead of trying to figure it out, Saihara settled for leaning forward and joining their lips together in a kiss. A shy, awkward kiss that neither of them wanted to end.
“More.” It seemed like it was what Ouma said, but the fireworks drowned out the sound of his voice. He confirmed it in a different way, placing his arms around the other boy’s neck to pull him down once again, pressing his mouth against Saihara’s, who didn’t protest at all. They kept coming back for more, clumsily brushing their lips against each other until the lights and sound of the fireworks had died down.
“You’re terrible at this…” Ouma finally muttered, hiding his face in the crook of Saihara’s neck.
“To be honest… so you are,” he replied with a giggle, wrapping his arms around Ouma’s waist to pull him into an embrace.
“How dare you to accuse your boyfriend of that, Saihara-chan! If you continue being so mean to him, he might dump you, and you just got together! Even though he wouldn’t mind some more kissing practice…”
“S-So now we’re…”
“Y-Yeah. I think we are.” It seemed like Ouma squeezed him with all the strength he had in his thin arms. “You know, it might seem like I’m perfectly calm right now, but in reality I just want to scream.”
“W-What a coincidence. Me too.”
“You could sing for me instead.”
“Didn’t you say my singing skills were mediocre?”
“Come on, entertain me somehow, or I might get bored of you!”
“W-Well, if you didn’t get bored after three years, I doubt I have anything to worry about…”
“Wow, I can’t believe you said that out loud! You’re sleeping on the couch!”
“Strong words for someone who’s clinging onto me like this.”
“I would mess with your autocorrect like I did to Momota-chan if I didn’t love you so much, Shuuichi.”
The use of his given name made Saihara even happier, if that was possible. Suddenly he was grateful to Yumeno for summoning him that evening, to Iruma for coming up with that plan, to Amami, Harukawa and Akamatsu for deciding to join and help him out…
And to Ouma, for not giving up on him.
“I love you too, Kokichi.”
“Now you’re not going to get rid of me, you know? Your life belongs to me!” Ouma exclaimed, finally lifting his head from Saihara’s shoulder and looking him in the eyes. “Are you really ready for this? Are you ready for me publicly stating I’m not single anymore?! Are you ready to hold my hand in front of our friends?! Are you ready to stop throwing me out of your room and let me stay the night when I don’t feel like sleeping alone?! Are you-“
“I am! I really am! I-If you w-want to… we could even share the room from now o-on… I mean, it’s big enough?” Saihara stuttered out, probably making a mistake, but… he just really wanted to see him smile. And he did.
“Nishishi, now everyone is going to think we’re doing dirty stuff together!”
“I bet they already do…” He muttered, thinking about how Iruma surely wouldn’t leave them alone after this.
“Whatever! All’s well that starts well!” Ouma laughed. “Take good care of that ugly heart of mine, Shuuichi!”
***
“Nyeh, fireworks sure are nice…” Yumeno muttered after the flickering flowers finally faded from the sky.
“Of course they are, duh,” Iruma said. “We wouldn’t be watching them if they weren’t.”
“I wish I didn’t have to watch them with you though,” Harukawa added, sending them a glare. “This wasn’t what we came here for anyway.”
“Yeah, but that little twink noticed us and everything went to shit,” Iruma sighed. “At least we got to see the fireworks!”
“I wonder if they finally kissed,” Yumeno said in her sleepy voice. “I hope they did…”
“If they did, the road to bed isn’t very long from there…”
“I hate both of you. And I hate Amami and Akamatsu even more for getting lost in the crowd,” Harukawa mumbled under her breath. “Why do I have to be stuck with you?”
“Trust me, you prefer to be stuck with us than with those two. I’m sure they aren’t actually lost and they’re having fun right now!” Iruma laughed. “Anyway, I’m going home! I think this is enough of a happy ending.”
“What ending? This is where the problems are going to start…” Yumeno pointed out. “But home… sounds nice…”
“You finally said something reasonable today. Congratulations, Iruma.”
“Sometimes I wonder how such a gorgeous girl like me ended up in the same band as you.”
***
The duet songs turned out to be a great success, and it wasn’t even all that surprising – a lot of fans of one group were also fans of the other, so they welcomed the collaboration project with a lot of enthusiasm. Especially the Ouma & Yumeno and Amami & Chabashira duets gained huge popularity soon after the release. The success was so big that their agencies decided to hold a collaboration event and have all of them perform live.
And that’s how Saihara ended up behind the stage, waiting for Ouma’s turn to walk into the spotlights, with no one other than Ouma himself clinging to him the whole time.
“Hey, Shuuichi, do you still like me?” He asked, looking up at him from under his hair. The hat that was a part of his costume somehow ended up on Saihara’s head, as if to make cuddling easier.
“Kokichi… You asked me about it like three times today. The answer hasn’t changed since the last time,” Saihara sighed with a smile.
“Good. I was just checking,” Ouma said, grinning back at him. “Will I get a kiss then?”
“Well…”
“You guys are gross,” Yumeno cut in. “Nyeh, I can’t believe I helped get you together…”
“Yumeno-san is right! Keep that stuff to your room, you degenerates!” Chabashira nodded, not even looking at them, but… she didn’t look too pleased.
“Nishishi, I bet you two are just envious,” Ouma replied, climbing onto his toes and placing a kiss on Saihara’s cheek before he could even react. “Envious about how we’re soooo in love!”
“This little shit…” Chabashira muttered through her teeth, but Yumeno reacted differently. Saihara could see her blush and look away.
“Well, we can’t really blame them,” Amami laughed a little. “They’re not together for all that long, so they still didn’t have enough time to enjoy being a couple.”
“Amami-chan understands! Such a good friend!”
“Uhhh… Fine… You better be happy together though…” Yumeno muttered quietly, as Chabashira and Amami turned away from them. They were supposed to go on stage next, Yumeno and Ouma still had some time.
Saihara wanted to reply, but his boyfriend was faster, saying something that instantly made him blush.
“Don’t worry, Yumeno-chan, this is the happiest I’ve been in my life!”
“And you’re not lying?”
“Who knows? I might be lying!”
“You… This is what I get for caring about you!”
“Wow, Yumeno-chan, I didn’t expect that you’d actually come to appreciate me!”
“I didn’t! Go to hell!”
“Nishishi.”
Saihara glanced towards the stage, where Angie and Shinguuji were about to finish their performance. Then they would still stay there for a bit, talking with the presenters (Nanami and Hinata from the other group living in their dorms were forced to accept that role) and entertaining the fans, and then it would be Chabashira and Amami’s turn.
When it came to Angie and Shinguuji… They definitely weren’t the most popular members of their respective groups, but their fans were strangely dedicated, despite their idols being quite weird. Or maybe that was the cause…? Anyway, Angie seemed pretty proud of herself, dirty with fake blood and smiling widely at the audience, as she waved at them enthusiastically. Shinguuji, who in their song ended up being the victim, didn’t look that happy.
“Wait, Chabashira-san, let me…” Amami muttered, reaching out to help the girl fix the ribbon on one of her pigtails. “Ah, sorry for doing it without a warning.”
“It’s okay, thank you, Amami-san!” She replied, smiling at him. Saihara never expected he’d live to see a day when Chabashira would actually get along with a boy, but it looked like they became quite close because of that song. They were even sharing secrets…
Wait, who was Amami-kun singing about in the end? He never answered that question…
The only person Saihara could think of was Akamatsu, but… he couldn’t be sure.
“I bet you’re jealous,” Ouma snickered, whispering to Yumeno.
“M-Me? Jealous? Why?” She muttered. “I have nothing to be jealous of… I’m definitely not…”
“Don’t worry, Yumeno-chan, it’s a pretty normal thing! I’m your wingman now, I could help you with-“
“I don’t want a wingman like this!”
She said that, but her face was saying something different as she watched Chabashira and Amami, and Ouma apparently found that funny. In the meantime Angie and Shinguuji walked off the stage, joining then.
“Kokichi!” Angie called out to Ouma, running up to him. They automatically did a high five. “Were you watching?”
“Of course, Angie-chan!”
“You’re lying!”
“Nishishi, how could you tell?”
“Shuuichi is here and there’s no way Kokichi would pay more attention to Angie when he’s around!” She said, but it didn’t look like she held it against him. “It’s okay though, Angie forgives you! She should now go and change her clothes, they stink. Ah, and Tenko, Rantarou, good luck!”
“Thanks, Angie-san,” Amami replied for both of them, about to walk onto the stage, but suddenly someone new appeared between them and stopped only upon reaching Amami and Chabashira.
“I made it in time!” Akamatsu most likely ran all the way there, as she was breathing unevenly. “Sorry, I don’t want to hold you back…”
“Don’t worry, Nanami-san and Hinata-san definitely can buy us some time,” Amami said. “What is it, Akamatsu-san?”
“Ah, actually… nothing much.” She smiled at him, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “I just wanted to wish you good luck. I always do it with the DAYLIGHT×COMET members… I know you’re a pro and you don’t need my blessing, but it’s too late, you have to accept it.”
“And you say it’s us who’s gross,” Ouma whispered to Yumeno. “Look at them. Terrible.”
Yumeno ignored him and ran up to Chabashira instead.
“Tenko! Good luck!” She said, taking her hand and shaking them. “Do you best, okay?!”
“Y-Yumeno-san?!”
“She’s such a simple girl,” Ouma laughed. “Good. It’s easier to guide her the way I want! And before you tell me I shouldn’t do that, I’m just doing it for her sake! We’re friends after all.”
That’s right. Ouma stopped being a loner a long time ago. ‘Ouma isn’t my friend’ was just a thing people would say because they got used to it, not because they really meant it, and Yumeno and Iruma were prime examples of that. They cared. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be cheering on them.
But that didn’t stop Saihara from wrapping his arms around him in a protective manner, pulling him close.
“Shuuichi? Is anything wrong?”
“Nothing. I just love you a lot.”
“Geez, Shuuichi is such a sap!” Ouma said, but he reached out his hands to place them on Saihara’s neck and pull him down. “Just one won’t hurt…”
Their lips met, and it quickly turned out that it wasn’t going to be ‘just one’ kiss. Saihara really hoped both Akamatsu and Yumeno were watching the performing duet and didn’t pay attention to them, as they exchanged more or less innocent kisses. He probably should’ve deemed that it was enough when Ouma licked at his bottom lip… But damn, he was getting better at it.
“Nyeh, stop making out here, keep it to your bedroom!” Yumeno yelled angrily. “Ouma, we’re up next, leave Saihara alone for a moment!”
“Eeeeh? But I don’t wanna!” He whined, still having his arms wrapped around Saihara’s neck. “I want to be with my beloved Shuuichi always!”
“I don’t care! I regret helping him confess!”
Akamatsu just shrugged, so Ouma took his hat from Saihara with a sigh.
“You’re supposed to look at me, and only at me, you know?”
“Don’t worry, I will,” Saihara replied to that statement. “Just do your best.”
“There’s never a time when I’m not doing my best!” Ouma beamed at him, then let go of him and ran up to Yumeno, taking her hand and dragging her into the spotlights.
“H-Hey, let go of me! I’m going to kick you off the stage!”
“Just try, Yumeno-chan, the revenge will be painful!”
And he continued to watch the duo of idols the whole time, focusing mainly on his boyfriend, just like he promised.
Ouma was really affectionate when it came to people he loved, and liked to be showered with affection. He enjoyed attention, but also liked giving it to those he loved. He was someone who seemed strange at first, but in reality was the most charming being in the world. He was often acting childishly, but was surprisingly mature… A person full of mysteries, and that was probably the thing that attracted Saihara at first, but also someone full of warmth, and that was the thing that made Saihara want to stay by his side.
And is all started with just a song.