Work Text:
Natsuki sat next to Otoya on a couch in the Shining Productions office waiting for their next dance lesson when Reiji walked up to the two of them.
He asked, “Hey, can you two head down to the big meeting room on this floor? I need to make an announcement.”
“Oh, definitely.” Natsuki said, and stood up from the couch. Otoya then did the same and the three of them walked towards the meeting room. Natsuki was confused because Reiji didn’t say that the producer had asked everyone to meet or anything else indicating it was work related. He also noticed that everyone else was heading down to the meeting room and wondered what it could be that Reiji had to announce.
Once in the meeting room, Natsuki stayed next to Otoya because he was the person Natsuki was most comfortable with. Natsuki noticed that there were no staff members in the room. Reiji walked up to to the front of the room, and Ranmaru followed him.
“My announcement is…” Reiji said, leaving a pause for anticipation, “Ran-Ran and I are dating!” Ranmaru smiled, and Reiji put his arm around him.
Natsuki reacted by clapping and yelling “Congratulations!”. Natsuki normally tried to be uplifting to his friends and coworkers, but as a gay guy Natsuki was genuinely really happy for them. He looked across to Otoya who then started clapping, and then everyone else followed in pursuit, making the whole room fill with cheer. In the midst of the clapping, Reiji turned and kissed Ranmaru on the lips. Ranmaru seemed embarrassed, so Reiji continued.
“We already told the producer. For our careers, we’re not going to tell the public, but we have permission to be who we are in the office and stuff.”
Natsuki smiled in relief. Reiji and Ranmaru put him in a good mood, and the rest of the day went by normally, as he did more lessons with Otoya. They didn’t talk about it much as all the information settled, but Natsuki was sure Otoya felt the same way because he was gay too. That’s why they got along so well. Natsuki thought that it’s really awesome to have a friend who understood you like that, even if it’s only one.
Later that day, Natsuki and Otoya sat together at a small table during lunch, like they always did. They already noticed Reiji and Ranmaru making out with each other kind of intensively during the lunch break. Reiji wasn’t lying about them being themselves in the office, but neither of them minded. The only thing is, Natsuki and Otoya both used to talk about how Ranmaru was one of the prettiest idols they’d ever seen, and now he was taken. Everything was fine, but they weren’t going to talk about him as the really masculine and attractive guy in the office anymore.
With nothing to talk about, Otoya broke up the awkward silence and said, “Natsuki, y’know how I’ve been working out more for a while now? I can finally see how my muscles have grown!”
“Oh, yeah,” Natsuki stuttered a bit, “That’s great Otoya-kun!” He felt his face get a little red. Otoya always said things like this even though Natsuki made it pretty clear his type was the more beefy guys. It just made Natsuki a little flustered. He glanced quickly at Otoya. At that moment, Natsuki noticed the difference in his muscle size too. He’s always found Otoya pretty cute, but he finds everything cute, especially his friends. He thought that they have always been just friends anyways.
“Hey Natsuki,” Otoya leaned forward, “You look like you zoned out.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that.” Natsuki really did get distracted, “Did you say something?”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Otoya giggled, “And not really. I just noticed that you started staring into space”
“Thanks Otoya-kun. Are you liking your food?” Natsuki asked, because he loves to talk about food, and he needed to change the subject. Everything went fine after that.
When the day was over, Natsuki laid in bed waiting to go to sleep. He thought about boys, because he did that a lot. However, this time he was thinking about Otoya. Natsuki stared up at the ceiling while he thought about what had happened earlier that day. Natsuki, being frank to himself thought that Otoya might not be as muscular and hot as Ranmaru, but he still looked pretty strong. He thought that he also had such an adorable face, and the cutest smile, and the cutest giggle. He thought that Otoya always knew how to make Natsuki smile.
Natsuki turned over in bed. He grabbed his favorite Piyo-chan plush. He had a few in his dorm room by his bed, but he always slept with the medium sized one specifically. Natsuki loved to hug it tightly when he went to sleep. Tonight though, When Natsuki hugged Piyo-chan in bed, he couldn’t help himself but imagine he was cuddling his friend Otoya as he drifted away to sleep.
A week went by. Everything was fine, and everyone was still getting used to their being a couple in the office. Natsuki and Otoya still hung out everyday, but every time Otoya touched him, or complimented him, or giggled, Natsuki could start to feel his heart beat faster. Otoya normally did all those things, and Natsuki felt strange all the while. Natsuki knew what the feeling was though. Natsuki knew that Otoya was kind, handsome, and adorable. During the middle of their work, Natsuki acknowledged to himself that he had a crush on Otoya, and that the perfect boy for him was right in front of him all along. Natsuki loved Otoya.
Natsuki could barely keep his feelings in his chest, wanting to hug Otoya anytime he saw him. He had so much emotion at once, he decided he wanted to confess his feelings to Otoya and let them all out as soon as possible, even if things didn't work out between them. He was sure, at least, that he and Otoya would always remain friends. Throughout the day, Natsuki anxiously waited for an opportunity, before his lessons finally finished.
Otoya asked, “Natsuki, will you come with me to the lounge on the third floor? I like the drinks in that vending machine more, and then we can eat our dinners alone there.”
“Yes” Natsuki immediately replied. The walk to the the third floor of the Shining Productions office felt like it took hours for Natsuki. He knew what he wanted to do. After Otoya was done getting his favorite soda from the vending machine, he sat on a long couch. Natsuki sat down too and looked at Otoya.
“Otoya-kun, before we eat can I ask you something?” Natsuki started fidgeting his fingers.
“Of course, it’s not something bad though right?”
“Nope. It’s just… Will you be my boyfriend?”
“Oh,” Otoya looked surprised, “Yes.”
Natsuki, following his natural instinct, hugged Otoya as hard as he could.
“I love you” is all he said.
Otoya, hugging Natsuki back, said “I’ve actually liked you for a while. You’re so cute and strong and tall… I started working out more to try to impress you.”
Natsuki pulled away and looked at Otoya.
“What, you did all that just for me?” He paused, “I guess it worked though…”
“Not just for you~” Otoya said, starting to calm down, “I like the way it looks too, and I’ve always been really athletic y’know”
“Hmm.. Okay. Thank you.. I love athletic boys.” Natsuki blushed a little and looked down.
Otoya giggled, “Don’t worry I know that already~ I love you too” Otoya smiled, and rustled Natsuki’s hair despite being shorter than him. Natsuki made eye contact for only a moment before looking away.
He nervously asked, “Hey Otoya-kun, Can I kiss you now?”
“Yes, but I’ve never kissed anyone before. We are idols after all.”
“Me neither. We’re adults now, so I guess it should be kind of sad, but I think for gay guys it’s reasonable.”
Neither of them said anything after that. Natsuki figured he was supposed to lean in now, but he was suddenly extremely nervous. He thought that he shouldn’t because he was Otoya’s boyfriend now, but thinking about kissing Otoya regularly just made him even more nervous. After a few seconds, he did it. He kissed Otoya and somehow such a simple kiss felt so much better than all the other times he had imagined this moment growing up. He kept his lips closed on Otoya’s for a few seconds before opening them slightly, and then pulling away.
“Thank you” Natsuki made eye contact with Otoya.
“You don’t have to thank your boyfriend for kissing you.”
Natsuki smiled and blushed at the same time. Then he scooted closer to Otoya, and actually began to eat the dinner he cooked and packed. It tasted more delicious than usual, and he shared with Otoya like he always did. Unlike all the times before, this time he picked up a section of food and directly fed it to Otoya. Otoya loved it, even though the taste probably wasn’t that good.
When the two finished eating, they met back up with everyone else near the dorms. Some of the idols had already retreated inside their rooms, but most of everyone was sitting around because it wasn’t that late yet. Natsuki found Reiji cuddled up to Ranmaru on one of the couches. He was nervous about having a boyfriend, so after making sure Otoya was okay with it, he went to Ranmaru to ask a question.
“Maru-chan-senpai, will you and Rei-chan-senpai talk to me and Otoya-kun in my dorm?”
Reiji looked away from Ranmaru and toward Natsuki, “It’s not something bad is it?”
Natsuki smiled, “Of course not.”
“Alright then.” Ranmaru nodded, and stood up. This made Reiji fall off of him and onto the couch.
“Ran-Ran!” Ranmaru giggled, and Reiji stood up too. The four of them walked to Natsuki’s room, but he let Otoya start of the talking.
“The thing is… Natsuki and I started dating.”
Ranmaru let out a loud, low chuckle. “Congrats!” He put a heavy hand on Otoya’s shoulder and let out a big toothy grin. Natsuki might have fallen in love with Otoya, but he still thought that it must be pretty awesome for Ranmaru to do that to you.
“And we wanted to come to you guys for advice.” Natsuki finished.
“Oh, that's great!” Reiji said, “Personally, I don’t think you guys need to worry much. It's not like any of the idols here have said or done anything homophobic to us.”
“That’s wonderful” Otoya said.
“And you two seem like a perfect match for each other,” Reiji continued, “So everything is gonna be okey dokey.”
Natsuki giggled in relief, “Thank you so much guys” he said. Then he hugged Reiji. He hoped he wouldn’t mind.
“Don’t worry about it one bit,” Reiji said, “And you can always come back if you want more advice.”
Suddenly, Otoya hugged both Reiji and Natsuki. Then, reluctantly, Ranmaru did the same. They were all alone in Natsuki’s dorm, so there was no need to be embarrassed. At this moment, Natsuki had a smile that went from ear to ear.
----
Two weeks had passed since Natsuki and Otoya started dating. By now, everyone was aware and used to there being two couples in the production office. Natsuki and Otoya weren’t as quick to PDA as Ranmaru and Reiji but Natsuki still held Otoya’s hand as everyone sat eagerly waiting for their new project announcement. While no one minded doing lessons everyday, it had been a while since any new music released and the boys were exciting to do something new.
The producer walked out and greeted everyone. Then, he announced that there was going to be a new song featuring both members from STARISH and QUARTET NIGHT. He explained that there would be two members from each unit involved, and that these roles were undecided. Then, shockingly, the producer simply asked if anyone volunteered for the job. This wasn’t a very common thing to happen. Natsuki still remembered how excited he was when both him and Otoya were chosen to do the duet EMOTIONAL LIFE . Quickly, before anyone else volunteered, Natsuki asked if he and Otoya could do it.
He looked over to Otoya and said, “Well, if you want to that is”
Otoya held Natsuki’s hand a little tighter and said, “Of course”
The producer wrote down Natsuki and Otoya names. Then he looked up and asked who from QUARTET NIGHT wanted to participate. Reiji’s face lit up like he had been struck with a great idea.
“Ran-Ran and I will do it!” Reiji hugged Ranmaru, and no one objected.
The producer smiled, and then handed out schedules to all four of the guys. He assured that new stuff for the rest of the idols was coming soon and left. After everyone else went back to their business, Reiji and Ranmaru walked up to Natsuki and Otoya.
This is gonna be fun, isn’t it?” Reiji said.
“ Yup!” Natsuki answered with excitement.
“Should we start planning soon?” Otoya asked.
“I know!” Natsuki said, “We should all go out for dinner to discuss what we want to do!”
Reiji lit up at the idea, “That’s great, Nattsun! I even know a place where we will be able to get some privacy. Ran-Ran loves the meat there, right?”
“...I really do” Ranmaru said.
“So it will be like a double date?” Otoya asked
Natsuki looked at Otoya with sparkling eyes, “Omg! That sounds like so much fun Otoya-kun!”
Reiji laughed, “Yes. It will be just like a double date.”