Chapter Text
“Next up is the centre of Idolish7… Nanase Riku!”
Riku gulps.
It would be a lie to say that he’s not nervous. He has two sweaty palms to prove it after all, and one quick look at the deadpanning face of Yamato earns him an unamused croak. Riku quickly looks back at the camera. There are things that one should not do, and whilst chortling at Idolish7’s leader decked out in a frog costume is decidedly on his list to do, he can’t help but get the feeling karma would be served very soon.
“Step up to the wheel of fate, please!” The emcee lifts a hand to the air dramatically.
Mitsuki is all too gleeful.
“Go for it, Riku!” The older boy pushes him forward.
“D-Don’t get any more zombie makeup, Rikkun-!” Tamaki’s breath hitches as he catches another glimpse of Sougo out of the corner of his eyes. One half of Mezzo tilts his head, puzzled. “Sou-chan! Don’t look this way!”
“Oh… What’s wrong, Tamaki? You look like you’re at your wits’ end—” Nagi leans in, a hand pressed to his chest all concerned. It would help, had the blond foreigner not have an axe sticking out of his bloody sculp.
Riku feels a pang of sympathy for the shrieking Tamaki who holds his eyes, terrified.
Right. He should try to avoid the zombie makeup, if he can help it.
“What are you doing, daydreaming?” Iori deadpans. “We don’t have all day, Nanase-san.”
What a disagreeable kid, as usual!
“I know, I know…!” Riku scrunches his face at him, barely resisting the urge to stick his tongue out on national television. “I’ll spin the wheel, alright?”
“Ribbit.” Yamato intones at the same time Riku trips.
Time stills for a second.
Riku sees himself falling, the wheel getting closer as his fingertips land upon a single pin on the wheel. He sees the emcee, lips parting in shock, the members of Idolish7 coming closer in a vain attempt to break his fall. He hears the wheel spinning – the clicking sound of each nail passing by the arrow sounding more like his plausible descend to hell – and he falls flat on his face, right before the decidedly very unamused Iori.
“How clumsy, Nanase-san.” Another exasperated sigh.
Riku feels his face burn.
Smooth hands slide over his front, heaving him up. Riku’s momentarily taken by the shock of Iori this close up, before embarrassment replaces it.
“Oh! That was a hard fall! Are you alright, Riku-kun?” The emcee rushes forward.
Riku laughs sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. A sharp pang in his chest drags a strangled pained sound out of him. He shoulders on with a smile (for their fans).
“I’m fine… This is just the usual!”
“Really, our centre is always such a handful.” Yamato offers a hand. Riku’s hauled to his feet, a reassuring glimmer in his smile at the briefly questioning look the other sends him. Mitsuki steps forward, always ready with a quip on his lips to distract from Riku’s embarrassing episode.
“Really, really! Riku is so clumsy, there’s so many funny incidents… Like that one time where he faceplanted in spaghetti sauce! The red was everywhere, everyone thought Sougo might have committed massacre by tobacco—”
“Eh? Why would I? I like Riku-kun.” Sougo looks at them, puzzled.
A moment of silence falls over Idolish7. Riku shudders. He thinks he even hears Tamaki whimper away from the mic. Does that mean Sougo would do it if he doesn’t like Riku—
“The mission’s out.” Iori points out, breaking the nervous tension.
“Ah! Indeed, it is!” The emcee leaps back to action. “Now, looking at this wheel, today’s mission for Nanase Riku is…!”
Riku’s eyes bulge.
There must be a mistake. He can’t be that unlucky…!
“-To tell your unit mate “I love you” everyday for the next three months!”
“……………………!”
“Pfft—” Yamato turns away, muffling his laughter with a palm, the traitor he is.
Riku sulks at him, hoping to convey his displeasure through a Tenn-Nii-esque glare. (read: pout)
“What was that? ‘I love you’, you said?” Mitsuki leans forward, a palm pressed against the small of Riku’s back in comfort. He smoothly moves the conversation along for the pleased-looking emcee.
“Indeed! Saying ‘I love you’ to a groupmate for every day of three months – this is a new mission that our production team has come up with to strengthen the ties of Idolish7! The rules of this are as follows! One, it has to be once every day, in those exact words. Two, any form of media is allowed. Phones, texts, letters etcetera! And three! The message has to be delivered personally to the intended recipient. No cheating is allowed by saying it to a crowd. The recipient will report back to this program at the end of these ninety days!”
Riku lifts his blazing face. He makes the mistake of looking Iori’s way. The other’s pinkish features are sullen, almost accusing in its intensity.
“Between the two of us,” Iori whispers, even if it’s totally being picked up by his mic. “Let’s just say you’ve said it every day and leave it at that.”
“Oh! But since we’ve anticipated such tricks from our games’ participants—” The emcee continues as if he hasn’t heard them. “—We’ve corresponded with Idolish7’s manager-san, who agreed to check in regularly on Iori-kun!”
Manager smiles and waves nervously for the camera. She’s mouthing a silent apology with a faint smile.
Riku turns back to Iori.
“We’re in deep trouble.” He gulps, eyes wide.
“Whose fault is that?” Iori deadpans.
“Let’s get to starting this mission off, shall we?” The emcee blazes through the stage with his enthusiasm. Riku is revising his impression of the man, sweating under his hold. “But before that, a word from our poor lamb – ah, I mean, our highly anticipated centre!” The dummy mic’s shoved before his face. Riku’s more nervous than when he started out.
“I – ah – H-How should I put it…?” He side eyes Iori. The harsh high schooler maintains an impassive expression.
“Don’t look at us!” Mitsuki cruelly abandons him with the rest of Idolish7.
“Ribbit.” Yamato says when he turns to him.
One thing Riku learnt today? Life is not fair, and you’ve got to give in on some days.
“Urgh… I…” Riku squeezes his eyes shut. He takes a huge breath. “I……love you, Iori…?”
It comes out as a question, full of uncertainty and airiness that resembles his sick state.
But Iori’s face turns pink again, the edges of his ears less peachy than they were before. Mitsuki bursts out with hooting claps. The emcee makes laughter and amused comments. Sougo is the only kind soul out of all of them, holding Riku against him when he collapses his way shakily. Even Yamato is sighing like he’s back in high school, making a comment of “This is youth, huh. How nostalgic…” Riku wishes he’ll go back to his ‘ribbit’-ing penalty.
“It looks like this pair certainly is handling their first day well, all things considered!” The emcee chuckles for the camera. “We look forward to checking in on them three months from now!”