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For the longest time, he truly believed he was a human. He felt like he was one and everything about him just felt like he was a human. That was until he had accidentally overheard a conversation he shouldn’t have, Riku was just trying to find their manager and it was just an innocent mistake that he almost walked into the wrong room. Eavesdropping was wrong of course, but at the mention of his name he couldn’t help but listen in to see if it was just gossip or rumors about him.
He so badly wished he had only heard gossip or rumors about him, it wasn’t something he ever expected to hear. They were talking about him as if he was a machine, a machine they needed to keep an eye on and be ready to fix in case anything happened just so they wouldn’t have to be lectured about any issues during their lives.
Riku must have heard wrong, there was no way he was some machine…right? He wasn’t an android, he was a human. At least, that’s what he wanted to believe. If he was an android then why didn’t he know? Every other android he ever saw or met always did as they were told but he could do whatever he wanted, or he thought he could. Now that he thought about it, there were times he felt like he couldn’t stand his ground even if he wanted to because it was like he had to stand down if he was told to.
Before he could get caught eavesdropping he backed away from the door and ran, he couldn’t think straight and it felt like everything he knew and felt was just a lie. He had his doubts that any of the others even knew that he was an android because it could’ve caused issues to work with something that was already taking over even the music industry. All of the other members of IDOLiSH7 worked hard to be in this industry despite androids being favored because they could be controlled easier.
The last thing he wanted was to cause them issues or for them to hate him. Riku wanted to be a part of IDOLiSH7 still even if he was an android, he wanted to help them make their dreams come true and to still sing and dance with him. That didn’t make him any less scared of their reactions, especially from Iori. Even if they didn’t always get along, he couldn’t help but still fall for Iori and it scared him to admit it to Iori now that he knew he was an android.
All he could think of was to run to the greenroom where Iori was. Even if he was afraid, he felt the most safe with Iori no matter what. He could tell Iori was confused when Riku opened the door harshly and tried to not slam it shut, it was written all over Iori’s face without having to voice it. Riku was just relieved that Iori didn’t immediately question him and simply waited for Riku to gather his thoughts and explain himself on his own, that was just something he loved about Iori.
“Iori..I’m scared..” Riku finally said something, it felt difficult to explain further than being scared though, he didn’t know what he was feeling if he was being honest, he just knew fear was the main feeling.
“Did something happen, Nanase-san?” Iori finally approached him with a worried look. “We’re in our greenroom right now, so you’re safe, Nanase-san. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Iori reassured him. It did make Riku feel a little more relaxed but he was still worried. “Please tell me what’s wrong, if you’re comfortable with that.” Iori added.
Riku hesitated for a moment, he really did want to tell Iori the truth but he was afraid of his reaction. He tried his best to build up even the smallest bit of courage and took a deep breath before slowly looking up to look Iori in the eyes. “I’m…not a human, Iori…I’m an android.” Riku admitted but Iori could hear the fear in Riku’s voice.
“What..?” Was all Iori could respond with at first, his brain was trying to process what Riku had just said. There was nothing about Riku that indicated he was an android, but then again androids looked very human without LEDs and their own free will and emotions. “How are you certain of this, Nanase-san?” Iori questioned.
“I overheard some people talking about me, about having to keep an eye on me in case anything happens to me because then they’d have to repair me…I wanted to believe it was just a really bad joke but…when I thought about it for a moment, whenever I was told to do something even if I didn’t really agree with it, I still did it because it felt like I had to.” Riku tried to explain. “If I really am an android, I was scared that you and the others would hate me because androids have been taking over this industry and you all worked so hard to be idols too, so to work with an android that would’ve gotten in without a doubt..” He trailed off.
Iori simply shook his head and grabbed Riku’s hands which surprised Riku. “Even if you’re an android, you’re our Center who we all hold dearly. That doesn’t change the fact you still have your own free will and emotions.” Iori gave Riku a reassuring smile. “T-that doesn’t change my feelings towards you either.” Iori mostly mumbled to himself, but Riku had heard him.
“Y-you..you like me too, Iori..?” Riku almost wanted to cry out of happiness just to know his friends and Iori wouldn’t leave him behind, but even more so that Iori felt the same way as him. “Aren’t you worried though? About what others would say or think about you being with an android?” He didn’t want to have doubts but he couldn’t help it.
Iori shook his head, of course he did worry about what would happen if they were caught but it wouldn’t stop him from being honest with his feelings, he loved Riku with all his heart no matter if he was a human or an android. “No one else knows you’re an android, we can keep it that way because you look and act just like a human. None of us will let anything happen to you, if anyone tries to take you away or hurt you, they will have to go through us.” He was determined to keep Riku safe.
“I’m glad…I really am, Iori. So…does this mean you’ll be my boyfriend?” Even if he knew the answer already, he wanted to hear it from Iori himself. “Y-yes, I’ll be your boyfriend, N-Nanase-san.” Iori couldn’t help but stutter a little out of embarrassment, Riku really knew how to make him become embarrassed.
Riku’s entire day went from questioning himself and being afraid of being tossed aside to the happiest day of his entire life. Being able to date Iori was like a dream come true, even if he couldn’t exactly dream he felt like he really could as long as he was with Iori because he brightened up Riku’s entire life. “I really love you, Iori..” Riku pulled his hands away so he could hug Iori instead. Iori returned the hug even if it felt a little awkward at first but being able to just hug Riku and make him feel safe and reassured was all that mattered to him.
After a moment, Iori pulled away from the hug and looked at Riku seriously. “For now, let’s just worry about making sure no one else can find out you’re actually an android, alright? We can tell everyone else that you are when you’re comfortable with it. There’s no need to worry and I’ll be there with you when you choose to tell them so you’re not scared.” Iori explained. Riku nodded and smiled brightly, he really did feel the most safe around Iori.
“Thanks, Iori…this is something I’ll need to get used to as well, but with you by my side…I know I’ll be ok because you’ll protect me no matter what.” he reached out to grab one of Iori’s hands. “Come on, let’s go find manager now. We need to get to our next job after all, just because I’m an android doesn’t mean we can skip out on work!” Riku said cheerfully, Iori couldn’t help but laugh a little at how determined Riku had become even after being afraid not long ago. He really did love this boy with all his heart, he willingly let Riku drag him along out of the greenroom and just focused on their work for now.