Chapter Text
The next day…
Wearing a suit reminded Jun of his Eve unit outfit.
It seemed awfully coincidental that this performance, which was so close to Eve’s anniversary, was also celebrating a similar kind of occasion. He thought back to that day, when Hiyori desperately tried to squeeze in as much festivity as he could with every break they had in between work, and it was as if Hiyori had acquired an infinite amount of energy. Jun struggled to keep up, and there were a couple of moments when he honestly wanted to tell Hiyori to shut up so he could recharge, but his boyfriend was so happy that Jun was constantly swept up with it all. Every single time his frustration and exhaustion began to get to him, all it took was for Hiyori to give him a short hug, or sing something, or just simply exist, and Jun was ready to go for however long Hiyori wanted him to.
Eden were on standby in the dressing room, and Jun was busy thinking about the performance when Hiyori hugged him with so much force that he was almost knocked over.
“Ohii-san! Can you not?”
“I love you, Jun-kun!”
Ibara’s head immediately whipped to their direction.
“Your Highness, it would-”
“... Ibara. Let them be.” Nagisa placed a hand on Ibara’s shoulder. Sometimes, Jun couldn’t believe how much power Nagisa had over Ibara, despite the fact that Nagisa was being commanded all the time. It was no secret within Eden that the Eve pair were dating, but Ibara was always visibly uncomfortable whenever Hiyori went out of his way to shower Jun with affection. Ironic, considering there was some chemistry beginning to brew within the Adam pair. Jun knew that it would only be a matter of time before Ibara would succumb to the feelings that he was currently trying so hard to deny.
“Don’t try to kiss me, I’ve got makeup on!” Jun exclaimed as Hiyori leaned in to peck his cheek.
“Aww… but you’re so cute…”
It turns out this was one of those times when Hiyori got ridiculously lovey-dovey and Jun didn’t know what to think of this happening right before a performance.
Hiyori didn’t let go until it was time to move out of the waiting room. Everything else from that moment felt like a blur; the roar of the crowd as they entered the stage, the deafening silence as they assumed their starting positions, and then the song and dance, just like they had practiced for the past few weeks. With every step and turn, Jun could feel Hiyori’s presence at all times, not just because of his power as an idol, but… Something about it made Jun want to break their planned choreography and get closer to feel the warmth that Hiyori always radiated.
As it went on, Jun became less and less aware of everything else around him. The passing of time, Nagisa and Ibara singing alongside him, the sea of gold penlights before him, the soft green stage lighting… even his own voice and body.
All he could think about was Hiyori Tomoe .
That was it. That did it. Just consciously thinking of that name caused a wave of emotions to crash over him and Jun was so overwhelmed that he allowed them to take over his body. Was this the part of the song when they were free to give some fanservice? Jun looked at Hiyori. Hiyori looked at Jun. That connection was so powerful that for a second, nothing else existed. Nothing else needed to exist. All Jun needed was Hiyori, and all Hiyori needed was Jun.
Their souls combined. No, their souls had always been combined.
Hiyori wrapped an arm around Jun’s shoulders and Jun had never been so willing to reciprocate his lover’s actions, like everything in his life had come down to this one moment. Silver confetti rained down onto the stage as they continued to sing and dance, but this time, it wasn’t just a performance as idols. It was simply a mere expression of their emotions, but at the same time, it meant the world, the entire universe. They were singing and dancing together because it felt right , because it was the best and most powerful way that they could display their love to each other, because it was something that they could put all of their heart into on this stage. A stage meant not for the audience, but for them, and them only.
The tears flowed naturally. Jun and Hiyori were so happy that they only knew about the unintentional crying when Nagisa asked about it afterwards.