Chapter Text
It is midday and he feels lonely.
Everyone has their own stuff for the day. Pythag has a scheduled shoot, Mezzo with a tv show and Iori is just coming home from school.
Everyone has something except for Riku, who spent the day cleaning and is hanging around the counter thinking what else he can do on such a lonely day.
He wondes if he should head out alone, visit a cafe or something. But then decides it's better if he had someone with him. His sulking comes to a stop when he hears the creak door open and see Iori entering, looking tired and disheveled.
Perking up upon seeing his favorite partner, he immediately comes to the door.
“Welcome home!” He excitedly says, reaching Iori by the doorway.
“... Hello Nanase-san” he monotonously replies, looking up to see Riku’s smiling and expectant face.
“I—iori, is something wrong?” Riku moves nearer to him and softly asks as he takes note of Iori’s seemingly unusual look of distress and disarray.
At the sound of his worried voice, Iori immediately straightens and flashes him a tired smile. He shakes his head.
"It's nothing, Nanase-san." He rubs his temple. "Just a little tired is all."
However, with furrowed brows and a frown, Iori knows that his red-haired partner is quite doubtful. And he tries to soothe the situation by assuring him that he is indeed tired . But Riku's frown now turns into a pout, which catches him off guard because his partner is undeniably coaxing him to tell the truth by simply becoming cute .
...Cute? Oh no! When did he start thinking of his partner like this again?
This harmless albeit dangerous train of thought is what Mitsuki warned him once about a year ago with regards to the precocious center.
Not to mention Riku’s own overprotective older brother. Better bury these feelings for the safety of his group and own sanity.
But seeing his smiling face helps remove all the anxiety and stress he felt from Manager’s earlier frantic phone calls with regards to their scheduling and upcoming projects.
“As long as I can see Riku’s bright smile, everything will be alright” He quietly says to himself in an effort to reassure his heart and mind.
Unbeknownst to him he might have said the last part not quietly enough, prompting Riku to look at him questioningly.
“... everything will be alright ?” Riku asks curiously, gazing at him.
Iori freezes, embarrassed that Riku might have heard his thoughts. Seriously, their center is just too cute—ah! There he goes again. Without the cameras and fans in the vicinity, he seems to have a bit of trouble reeling in his feelings. Add in the fact that he's bound to spend more time with him since they're officially in a show now.
His fondness for him slips when he least expects it.
"Iori?"
"Uh—" He avoids his gaze, quickly thinking of an excuse, "I mean this feeling..."
Riku tilts his head, puzzled, silently urging him to go on. Meanwhile Iori curses himself for that slip.
"This—this headache," He scratches his head and pretends to feel hurt, "...is going to be alright."
Iori clenches his fist at the side because that's the lamest excuse he's ever thought however—
"A headache?! Why didn't you say so, Iori?!" Riku dashes to the nearby cabinet, pulling out a stash of medicines in haste, promptly missing Iori's relieved expression and faint blush on his face.
He closes his eyes for a moment, calming his nerves after that potential slip-up; however he does not expect Riku to suddenly pop right in front of his face, his warm hand on his forehead as he seemingly assesses his condition.
"N-nanase-san?"
“Iori! Here you go!” He fumbles around, handing the medicine pack to Iori haphazardly.
“Are you feeling dizzy? Nauseous? Lean on me if you feel woozy.” He adds immediately before Iori could even interject. Riku quickly but gently guides Iori into the open living area.
Away from possible places he would bump into and straight to their comfy place by the couch.
Iori immediately lifts a hand to his face, seemingly in pain, where in fact, he was actually embarrassed to the core.
Regret and Embarrassment.
All he can feel are those two emotions swirling in the pit of his stomach.
He could have simply walked away but he let himself be dragged. Towards the couch. Their couch to be exact.
He can't find it in himself to face him. Not with their sheer closeness and his face as red as Riku's hair! And he makes it worse by feigning a headache too. Because now, he's out of excuses to avoid him.
"Hey Iori, say something!" Riku says. "You can lean on my shoulder if it hurts too much."
"I—I feel fine, Nanase-san." He stutters.
"That doesn't sound fine to me." His partner smartly replies.
To his shock, he feels Riku gently pry away the hand from his face, and even though he's stubborn at first, still flustered by his current predicament, he relents when Riku softly coaxes him.
“Please, Iori.” Riku says gently, helping him to settle.
His shoulder then bumps onto his, Riku positioning them comfortably on their favorite couch and gives him a nudge.
"Come on, you can rest here." He tells him as he pats the area close to him.
Iori, who has finally gained a tiny bit of composure, makes the mistake of glancing at his partner. The smile on Riku's face and the way his red eyes gleamed sends a pulse of warmth inside his chest that in the midst of his daze, he mumbles. "Cute."
Losing the last bits of apprehension to his headache , he slowly leans on Riku’s offered shoulder.
A quick second later Riku makes a sound of inquiry. “Hm?”
He thinks to himself, albeit loudly getting Iori’s attention once more.
“Nanase-san?” Iori softly mumbles from his position.
“It’s nothing Iori. It’s just that I thought you called me cute.” He says softly with a smile as he brushes away the few baby hair’s from Iori’s usually perfect look, while seated in his position.
Iori, having heard this and realized his mistake, couldn’t help but let out a pained ‘argh’ and look away from Riku, unknowingly burying himself in the other’s shoulder.
“But if Iori did say it,” Riku says once more as he tries to coax Iori out of his unsuccessful hiding spot, “I don’t mind at all!” He adds excitedly with a small smile to his face.
His hand strokes Iori’s soft raven locks once more as he continues trying to coax out Iori from his hiding spot.
“Cause if I’m being honest, Iori is cute too!” He says
And in a soft doting voice, he adds. “And I like Iori even when he isn’t being cute.”
They stay close for a moment until—
“Wait—what?!” Iori jolts from his position. “Nanase-san?!” Did he just hear Riku’s in direct confession?
“Oops! Oh no!” Riku exclaims loudly trying to hide his blush. “Iori! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to say anything!”
He explains as he runs away to his room, leaving behind a flustered and confused Iori
“Nanase-san! Wait!”
“No, Iori! It’s okay! You need to rest.” The redhead answers him as he desperately hides the tears and sad inflection in his voice.
“Riku! Stop!” Iori yells.
And he does. Out of surprise.
“Y—you called me... Riku?” He answers, dumbfounded.
“Yes…” He mumbles shyly, looking down. “I know I always call you Nanase-san… and it’s because I tried my very best to act respectful towards those around me and that—” he inhales sharply, “it helps me keep my feelings professional…”
Meeting his gaze, he whispers but enough for Riku to hear. “Especially around you.”
“What do you mean, Iori?” He asks, confused by his words.
Slowly closing the distance between them, Iori urges himself to answer his question as honestly as he can.
“I have tried to push away my feelings and hide them behind professionalism but the truth is,” Iori notices that he’s only a foot away from him now and feels the rush of heat on his cheeks, “I—I like you as well.”
Riku perks up upon hearing this.
“Nii-san warned but well…” He scratches his head, “there you go.”
“Iori likes me... too ?”
“Yes.” He replies, attempting to hide his blush.
“Like how I like Iori?”
“Yes.”
“Yay!” He shouts happily as he barrels towards Iori, engulfing the younger boy in a warm enveloping hug.
Iori stills at first at the sudden tackle, however he finds himself slowly smiling, in relief and in delight now that he can finally show what he truly feels about his partner without worry. He shyly returns the embrace, savoring the warmth that fills him entirely. He hears Riku hum in glee, burying himself further into his chest as Iori wraps his arms around him. It lasts for a few more moments before Iori gently pulls away.
They both wear a faint blush on their cheeks, waiting for the other to speak up first.
Iori fake coughs, as if to brush away the growing silence.
“Nanase-san?”
“Iori! Riku!” He whines.
“What?”
“I just thought you’d call me Riku from now on.” He says with pout.
“Well I could but... only when it’s just us. I am reluctant to let the others know. And only Manager should, given she has our project schedule and we can’t keep this from her and jeopardize the group.”
He frowns. “Oh Iori...”
“We also can’t let the others know yet. Especially the older members.” Iori explains with a gentle smile.
“Osaka-san might be okay with it along with Yotsuba-san. But Rokuya-san? Hm... Knowing him, he might even find it inspiring and relate it to something from Magicocona. But Yamato-san!” His face begins to fill with worry. “The teasing! Oh no! Especially Nii-san!” And then his eyes become horrified as he looks at Riku. “And your brother !”
At that moment, the redhead doesn’t know how to calm the troubled bluenette.
Only able to watch as he trembles right in front of him. His head is filled with worrying thoughts and possible scenarios as he ponders over their recent development anxiously. It seemed Iori was about to have a panic attack!
Even worse than whatever headache he might have had earlier.
And so Riku does the first thing that comes to mind.
He kisses Iori.
Right on the lips.
Without warning.
And effectively silences the younger boy.
He actually expects Iori to hit him, or pull away in disgust; however, he has never imagined nor thought that the younger Izumi would actually return the kiss.
It felt as if time stood still for a moment. but when Iori returned the soft pressure to his, time flowed once more.
Seconds slipping away unnoticed between them as they end up getting lost in each other.
Which then leads to them being completely unaware of the soft click of the main door unlocking and the upcoming footfalls of their fellow members.
They were shaken away from the reverie by the united but shocked voice of the other five.
“Riku-kun? Iori-kun? We’re ho—!?”
“Rikun! Iorin!”
“Oh my—my friends!!!”
“Ichi! How could you!”
“Told you so, Old man. Pay up!”
“Nii-san, what?”
“What, indeed.” A lone female voice added.
Their manager.
“Riku-san? Iori-san?” Tsumugi tries to slip between the boys, “May I talk to you?”
The soft voice of their manager breaks through the cacophony of voices.
“Oh no...” Sogo worries.
“But manager! It’s love desu ! True love desu !” Nagi exclaims as he stands before the manager’s path.
Slowly the rest of Idolish 7 follows Nagi as if blocking Tsumugi would stop her from what they perceive to be the end of the group.
“Yeah, Manager! It’s true love! This Onii-san thinks it’s okay!” Yamato adds, hoping to convince her. “And if we’re being honest we’ve seen this coming!”
“Please mana— wait what?” Iori pauses. “What did you mean by that Yamato-san?”
“Shh, Ichi! I’m trying to make your case!” Yamato stage whispers to Iori.
“Boys, please! ” Tsumugi cries nearing the group. When she grabs everyone’s attention, she lets out a sigh and begins to speak. “You aren’t going to disband nor will I even think of it.”
Everyone looks relieved.
“But I need to talk to Iori-san and Riku-san.”
The members all look at each other, until they relent with a chorus of a somber ‘Okay’, and line up behind her. However—
“Alone.” Tsumugi adds firmly, motioning the two boys to follow her.
As the three disappear, the rest of the group disperse and quietly utter a soft prayer for their possibly fallen comrades.
What was talked about between them isn’t explicitly learned by the others but they can surmise from the emphasized locked room, a few broken pens (Tsumugi probably learned from Anesagi), the hushed but serious tones and the hour long lecture that they all came to an agreement for current and probably future situations.
- Their relationship is supported as long as it won’t affect their projects. and if Tsumugi was being honest she was happy for them.
- Sadly , it can’t be known by people outside of the group and their families
And most importantly,
- Idolish7 won’t disband.
Leaving the room after their private meeting, they were greeted by the wonderful aroma of Mitsuki’s cooking and Sougo’s kind smile.
“Manager, as an apology for our assumption, we would like to invite you to have dinner with us tonight.” He leads them to the dining area where everyone settles in. “Mitsuki was able to cook for everyone.”
“Don’t mind if I do!” Tsumugi answered happily, as the rest took to their respective seats.
The night ends in a fun and light-hearted dinner.
Or so everyone thinks.
After finally sending Tsumugi home, Iori can’t help but walk to his older brother’s side and ask. “Nii-san. What did you mean by having Nikaido-san pay up?”
“Yeah Mitsu,” Yamato chuckles. “Wanna tell Ichi about it?”
“Err, uhh... well..” He smiles sheepishly trying to avoid Iori’s penetrative gaze.
But before Mitsuki can reveal his thoughts, Nagi struts in with a loud, ‘Aha!’
“I remember!” He exclaims excitedly.
“They were betting when you and Riku will finally get together!” He finishes with a proud smile.
“NII-SAN!”
“MITSUKI!”
The couple gasps simultaneously.
“Err... well... uhh guys?”
“You’re on your own now Mitsu.” Yamato teases with a chuckle, downing his beer.
“Iori! Please don’t throw the pillow to Mitsuki’s head.” Nagi coaxes him.
With a loud, exasperated sigh, Iori leaves the Pythagoras trio with Riku following behind.
“Iori, wait!” He says.
Turning around, he motions his partner-now-turned-boyfriend to speak up.
“Does that mean I can call Mitsuki as Mitsuki-nii?”
Iori resists the urge to palm his face. “Nanase-san...”
“What? It’s a valid question!”
But the tall raven-haired keeps walking.
“Iori! Wait up!” Riku calls, catching up to him.
However, only one question remains that sits at the back of everyone’s mind.
And surprisingly only Tamaki has the sense to bring it up even before the two disappear in their respective dorm rooms.
“Rikkun! Iorin!”
Iori prays that this is worth his time.
“Yes, Yotsuba-san?” He answers exasperatedly.
“What’s the matter Tamaki-kun?” Sougo softly inquires as well.
The other members all look expectantly at him.
“Ano… I have a question.” He cocks his head to the side. “Who’s going to tell Tenten?”
The entire dorm goes silent. A chill runs down their spine. Everyone stilling into place as flashes of an angry, seething Kujo Tenn begin to invade their minds.
It feels forever, the possible terror brought about by Riku's twin keeps everyone in place.
Until—
“Uh... Let’s not think about that... tonight.” Yamato juts in, as he sips the last of his beer and gestures to them to retire for the night.
It brings back a sense of calmness though.
Almost like a calm before the storm.
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Unbeknownst to them, in the TRIGGER apartment, Kujou Tenn can’t shake off the sudden chill that ran along his back. He frowns at the discomfort then stares ahead of him.
“Hm, maybe I should check in with Riku tomorrow.”
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