Chapter Text
The energy from the crowd was electric. It was bright blue, just like the stage lights and Nagi felt as if he’d be able to walk on air, carried by the feeling alone. This had already been one of the best concerts they’d had in a while; every note, every movement was perfect, and each member’s harmonies intertwined beautifully. They could feel the beat of the music in their chests; a new, shared heartbeat encouraging them to push further and further with smiles on their faces. Nagi stood by Shion, gazing into the masses of people gathered in the stadium. Each glowing light they held in their hands meant something to him, reflecting in his eyes like little blue stars. It reminded him just how much the fans truly loved him. Nagi moved to the other side of the stage, preparing for the next part of the dance. He was giddy. He wanted to give them a performance they’d never forget. The beat kicked back in, and he turned on his foot in one swift movement. Too much drag. A sharp pain ripped up the side of his leg, starting at his ankle, spreading to his knee. He yelped into the mic, alerting both the audience and the rest of the group. Nagi dropped to his knees, crumpled. It took a moment for all of the group to realise there was truly something wrong, and that he hadn’t simply tripped. Inside, Nagi told himself to pick himself back up and walk it off, that his fans were counting on him, but the fire burning through his limb screamed otherwise. It rendered him motionless, his head ducked down in shame. This wasn’t very cute of him, he’d thought.
Eiji was the first to act. He bounded over to the smaller boy, kneeling with him and holding an expression of nothing but concern. He turned his microphone off for a second. “What happened?” He said, the noise of the stadium drowning him out completely. Despite his teary eyes, Nagi was able to read Eiji’s lips. He shook his head, mouth twisted into a grimace. Eiji glanced to his brother, who quickly motioned for the music to be cut off. The audience crowed with confusion and worry, all too aware of the sudden silence.
“Van.” Eiichi ordered, nudging the man with his elbow. “Talk to the crowd while I deal with this.”
Van responded with a nod, waltzing downstage. He waved a hand at the audience, bringing his mic to his lips. “My dears! We may be having some technical issues right now, but isn’t that a good thing? Let’s share our deepest secrets in this quiet moment together! I’ll whisper in your ears!”
Eiichi half-jogged to Nagi, and started trying his best to lift him back on to his feet again. Nagi hiccuped, having little luck trying to find his balance like a newborn deer. Stubbornly, he refused to cooperate at all, keeping one leg tightly curled up beneath himself. No matter how much encouragement Eiji was giving, or how much Eiichi pulled at him, nothing seemed to convince Nagi to move.
“I’ll take him.” A low voice spoke, a hand tapping at Eiichi’s shoulder. Kira. If anyone knew how to handle Nagi, it’d be him. Eiichi stepped back, letting Kira scoop the small boy up into his arms- as if he weighed next to nothing- and watched as he carried him backstage.
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It was an unusually quiet evening in the Heavens’ dorm. The hushed atmosphere, although peaceful on the outside, held an air of anxiousness. Whether it be concern for Nagi, or concern for what the consequences of this event would be, it lingered above everyone’s heads and festered like a plague. Shion had tried to hide in his closet again in attempt to hide from the worry, but Yamato had pulled him away from the doors and told him a few choice words about “facing your problems head-on”. Noticing the atmosphere, Kira had taken it upon himself to help Nagi settle down to sleep; he’d perched on the edge of his bed, hand outstretched, softly patting the top of his head. Nagi had revelled in the close attention, closing his eyes with a smile. Kira had also taken him to a nurse, after they’d escaped from the stage. He’d never bring it up to anyone, but his heart hurt for Nagi when the nurse was conducting an exam. He was still in Kira’s arms, and hadn’t stopped tearing up throughout, pressing his face to his shoulder to hide his pained expression. Nagi didn’t want anyone to see him. Not like that. Kira had felt so helpless in the moment, wanting to be able to do more than just hold him and tell him that it’d be fine. He wanted to get rid of the pain, and knowing that he couldn’t frustrated him deeply.
Eiichi had been the most unsettled about it. He paced around the common room, gnawing on a writing pen. Eiji, who was sat on the couch trying to read, found the tap-tap-tap from Eiichi to be quite a distraction. He hated having to see his brother in such a state, but he knew that it’d be extremely difficult for him to actually get Eiichi to be truthful about what was racing through his mind. He just hoped that he’d work things out soon.
“Eiichi?” A deep voice could be heard from down the hall. It boomed, bringing his actions to an immediate standstill. There was no mistaking who it belonged to. “A word, please.”
Eiichi had frozen in position, his feet stuck to the ground. Slowly, he straightened up again, putting the pen in his pocket. He had to show Eiji that he was fine. Clearing his throat, he began making his way down towards his father’s office. He had a terrible feeling in his gut that pulled and made him feel ill. Things like this never really seemed to end too well. Closing his eyes and taking a final deep breath, he pushed open the large doors.
“Do you know how many people we had to refund today?” Raging began, stood in the center of the room. His tone sent a chill up Eiichi’s spine. He was speaking in such a calm manner. Too calm.
“No, father.”
“Sir.”
“No, sir.”
Raging took a long drag of his cigar. “Twenty thousand people.”
“It won’t happen again, sir. ” Eiichi felt cold inside. He wiped a sweaty palm on his trousers. “I don’t understand how this is my fault though-”
The older man grabbed him by the jacket, and shook him hard. “Idiot boy!”
“Dad-“ He flinched.
“You are the one in charge of choreography practice. Yet it’s plain to see you haven’t taught the small one enough safety etiquette.” Raging kept talking over his son, breathing smoke into his face. It clouded his eyes, burning and making them water. “Yet you dare to call yourself a true idol. His actions are your doing .”
After holding him up for far too long, glaring deep into his eyes, Raging finally let Eiichi free of his tight grasp. He scowled, turning his nose up at the boy. Slowly, he walked back over to his desk and sat down. He seemed to be thinking about something. More often than not, Eiichi never really knew what was going on in his father’s head. He wondered if it were for the best.
“You have a week.” He said, a horrid smile on his face. “A week to prove to me that you and your band of losers truly are capable of being responsible for a child.”
Eiichi took a moment to process his words, trying his best to ignore the insult that poked at his heart and laughed in his face. “And if you’re unsatisfied?”
Raging chuckled- quieter this time, more sinister. “Heavens will say goodbye to Nagi Mikado."