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“I just don’t understand why I have to be here.” Akito grumbles, crossing his arms.
“You’re here for moral support.” Mizuki says, passing the cash over to the guy manning the booth. They thank him with a smile and pass the sweater over to Akito, who takes it when it’s shoved into his face. “And to hold all my merch.”
Akito frowns, sighing. “Okay, but why don’t you make him,” he nods at Rui,” hold these?”
Mizuki doesn’t even turn to look at him, still walking down to the next booth for the next set of pins. “Because I like him more than I like you.” They say simply, lightheartedly and teasing.
Rui spares him a glance and shrugs, smiling. “Tough luck.”
Rui slides in beside Mizuki as they pick out the next great purchase of the century — version one or version two of the More More Jump! lightsticks (there is virtually no difference in Akito’s eyes). He sighs, looking around aimlessly at the crowd, ignoring how the plastic bags by his side rustle as they bump into his legs.
They’re standing outside the stadium, which is mostly crowded and filled with other fans that are just as enthusiastic as Mizuki and Rui are for the show, and Akito feels like he sticks out like a sore thumb. Even worse, they’re all dressed nicely, over the top and glamorous and his street fashion really doesn’t stand a chance against all the prep clothes.
Okay, maybe he's exaggerating, but it is really awkward when he feels like the only one wearing black in a sea of rainbow colored fits. Mizuki really should’ve given him a dress code if they were going to show up in full pink from head to toe. Even Rui looked decent (though he suspects that Mizuki picked out his clothes for today). He shifts on his feet, playing with the black cap on his head.
He flinches as Mizuki slides a headband over his black cap and he furrows his eyebrows as they take a step back to look him over.
“You know what, good enough.” Mizuki nods, hands at their hips.
“Hey—”
“Alright,” they say with a clap, “let’s line up to enter the stadium now!”
“...Another line?” Akito feels the energy leave him.
Rui amusedly follows Mizuki without a complaint as Akito confusedly wanders into the world of idols. How this many people could be in one place and create a line that winds down the street and more goes beyond him. It’s probably a miracle that he knows Momoi-san personally through Ena.
The sky darkens as they continue to wait in line, chit-chat mostly being made between Rui and Mizuki as they discuss excitedly about the setlist and performances and the recent livestreams and such and Akito tunes it out all too easily. After all, he’s heard far too much about the same stuff from Ena anyways.
He personally thinks he looks unapproachable and highly uncomfortable, standing there holding bags of merch and clothes, but he’s instantly proven wrong when a girl shows up by his left and taps on his shoulder.
She’s not quite as tall as Mizuki, maybe reaching up to his shoulder, with short, shoulder-length hair, dyed with a sort of navy blue that reminds him of An’s hair, and round thin-rimmed glasses that perch on her nose. He raises an eyebrow at her and she waves.
“Hi! You don’t really look like the type to listen to More More Jump!.” She gives him a small smile and he laughs, a short huff of breath.
“Yeah, what gave it away, the chains on my all black outfit or the scowl?” He looks down at himself, amused.
“Mm, maybe the way you look like you would rather be anywhere else?”
Akito takes a short glance at Rui and Mizuki, the latter shoving the former lightly with a laugh and he looks back at the girl. When he turns back, he catches her glance in their direction as well. “Yeah, probably.”
She tilts her head slightly, looking at his face (or maybe the bright glowing headband that reads Momoi Airi on his head. He wasn’t too sure). With a short pause, she asks, “Did you come here with anyone?”
He opens his mouth to reply before Mizuki slips a hand between his arm. They lean into his side and without looking at him, smiles innocently at her. “He’s with us!”
The girl looks at them without surprise, almost as if she expected that from Akito’s previous glance, and Rui comes up from behind with his entire six foot height, smiling just as sweetly, Akito thinks she might be a tad bit intimidated by the bright pink fairy and purple giant beside him.
“Right.” She looks back up at him. “Well, it was nice meeting you.”
As she disappears further ahead of the line, presumably with her friends or whatever, Mizuki tugs at his sleeve and grins.
“What.” Akito squints his eyes suspiciously at them, trying to pull away.
“Quite popular with the crowd, Shinonome-kun.” Rui muses, an amused smile on his face.
“Huh?”
“That girl.” Mizuki elaborates, not elaborating at all. Literally, how was that supposed to explain anything?
Akito looks even more confused. “What are you talking about?”
“She was flirting with you!”
“What? No she wasn’t, she was just making conversation.”
Rui looks at Mizuki, “Do you make random conversations with strangers too, Mizuki?”
“No, I don’t, Rui.” Mizuki turns back to Akito, hugging his arm closer to them. “It was horribly obvious that she was into you.”
The way Mizuki and Rui bounce off of each other makes him feel awkward and he shifts on his feet.
“Yeah, whatever. Are we ever getting into the stadium?” He lifts his elbow in an attempt to regain his arm back and Mizuki lets go of it.
“Be patient.” Rui says, looking over the heads of the people ahead. “We’re almost to the security.”
When Akito gets to the seats, he’s even more uncomfortable. First of all, the view was right in front of the stage. That wasn’t the bad thing though, it’s more of the fact that he’s surrounded by die-hard fans of MMJ while he’s sitting there confused as to why he was dragged here in the first place.
Second of all, Rui Kamishiro is next to him. This isn’t a big deal as he makes it out to be. He usually doesn’t mind Rui because he makes for a decent conversation when he isn’t beside Tsukasa, but the thing that pissed him off the most was that when he was moving to sit beside Mizuki (since you know, he was right next to them when walking in) Rui moved to sit first.
As in, brushed past him and sat down before Akito could even understand what was going on.
Again. Not like he cared! But why. Perfectly good seat he’s sitting in right now! No need to shove!
Anyways, he’s sitting there looking as out of place as ever as the pre show video plays for the audience. He hears some familiar songs, mostly the ones he’s heard from Ena’s room in the middle of the night, when Mizuki passes him a lightstick.
“Huh?”
“Here, you need to wave this around when Shizuku-chan and Airi-chan come on stage.” Mizuki clarifies, waving the stick a little when he doesn’t immediately take it in hand.
He takes it gingerly, looking puzzled. Rui chuckles a bit by his side. “You’ll get it once the show starts.”
Akito really doesn’t think he will, but he holds it in his lap anyways.
—
Rui is an intuitive person. He prides himself on how good he can read people, their body language and such, and usually he’s right. For Mizuki, he knows that they’re not yet comfortable with sharing their secret with their friends (from the way they tense up when An or he himself meets them in person) and he can tell that they bottle up their feelings because that’s what they’re used to doing.
For Akito, he doesn’t know the guy too well. After all, they weren’t much friends as they were just acquaintances with shared mutual friends. Or friend, considering that Akito doesn’t seem to enjoy Tsukasa’s presence all too much. With Akito, Rui is curious about one of two things.
One, how he reacts when Rui is around him: scowling and a bit annoyed by his presence, which only grows when Mizuki is around. And two, how Akito reacts when with Mizuki: which is much more awkward and fidgety, and although also slightly annoyed, definitely less so than with Rui.
It’s almost amusing how Akito reacts when Mizuki grabs his arm, or shoves him gently. Of course, this behavior is nothing out of the ordinary for them, who enjoys physical contact and finds it normal. Rui, of course, is used to it as well, but with Akito he can tell that he isn’t.
He can also tell that Akito doesn’t notice how he smiles at Mizuki.
It’s interesting, of course, which is why he decided to sit beside Mizuki, in between Akito and them, just to gauge his reaction. Of course, the added benefit of sitting beside Mizuki also doesn’t go unnoticed to Rui, but it was mostly just to see how Akito would react. Entertainment purposes.
The lights above them dim as the stage lights up, a platform dropping from the center of the stage where Rui assumed More More Jump! would appear from. Rui notes how there’s smoke which blows from either side of the stage to create a misty atmosphere and block the hole in the stage where the girls would appear from. He ought to try it out next time.
The platform returns, snapping into place on stage as a happy song begins to play around the stadium. The four girls on stage begin to sing and Rui loses himself in the performance. The crowd around him cheers loudly, lightsticks moving in unison and changing from different colors, and he looks beside him to find Mizuki enjoying it just as much as he is.
He takes a glance at Akito who looks lost in thought, perhaps from the overwhelming excitement around them, and he wonders what Akito is thinking about. He doesn’t look too uncomfortable with the atmosphere though, almost lost in deja vu.
Rui returns his attention to the stage, enjoying how the backdrop changes colors and enlarges the performers in order for further audiences to see more clearly. There’s effects and filters and it only creates for a more fun environment. It’s interesting how different effects, colors, and items on stage make for an entertaining performance and he wants to add some elements to his own.
Of course, despite how his brain automatically turns to thinking about how to incorporate and change up his own work, the other part of him is also thoroughly enjoying the artists. They’re passionate in a way that is familiar to him and they genuinely look like they’re enjoying their time on stage. The way they interact with fans up in the front and how there’s a gleam in their eyes as they watch the lightsticks sway from above is touching in a way.
And god, the liveliness of everyone around him is contagious. It makes him want to work harder to build this type of excitement on his own stage.
Mizuki reaches out a hand to hold his wrist and he jolts into reality, looking at them with apprehension. They don’t look like they’re aware of their grasp, holding his arm to steady themselves as they lean forward and scream the lyrics to the song. He smiles a bit, liking the look of pure joy they have.
He hasn’t seen that in a while.
Rui almost forgets about Akito beside him until he begins to sway gently to the beat, lightly bumping shoulders with him. He also doesn’t look all too conscious about the fact and Rui finds that the concert must be so good if it makes Akito lose himself as well.
So Rui abandons thinking too hard and enjoys himself, singing the lyrics loudly alongside Mizuki and ducking his head so the people behind him can see the stage as well.
—
Mizuki stretches their arms in front of them, sighing at the sound of the bones cracking and the feeling of relief when the tension of their shoulders fades. There’s a silly grin on their face as they recall the experience just a few minutes ago.
“That was so much fun!” They cry, jumping between the two guys and linking their arms with Rui’s and Akito’s. They gesture as they speak, “With all the confetti and fireworks and smoke, oh my god, that was literally the best thing ever!”
Rui smiles gently at them and laughs. “Yeah, I really liked the big screen at the back. I think it added to the performance.”
“Right! And the filters were soo cute. The fading between each camera angle was really smooth as well, I was impressed.” Mizuki grins, skipping slightly as they drag the two guys with them. “How about you, Otouto-kun?”
The three of them are standing outside of the stadium, the moon now fully out and hanging high in the sky. The cool air brushes against Mizuki’s skin and they shiver slightly.
“It was fun.” Akito says simply, before pulling his arm away from Mizuki’s. They frown at him but continue walking with their arm in Rui’s. At some point, Rui had ended up carrying all the merch they had bought earlier. Maybe he felt bad for making Akito carry it.
“That’s it? No life changing revelations?”
“What do you want me to say?” Akito sighs, shrugging off his black jacket. “It was cool.”
“Aren’t you glad we invited you then?” Rui adds with a small smile. Akito scoffs and places his jacket over Mizuki’s shoulders.
They look at him with widened eyes, a free hand coming up to hold the warm jacket in place on their back. In their surprise, they don’t really notice how Akito slightly narrows his eyes at Rui over their head, and how Rui sends an innocent look back.
“Sure.” He replies evenly.