Chapter Text
It takes Jun a few seconds to process what he’s just witnessed. Likely because it is not something he’s ever even thought he would be asked to do as part of his idol experience, but also because the whole reasoning behind such a suggestion feels incredibly messy to be fully understood all at once.
He blinks once, then twice— he just cannot have heard that properly.
To be fair, he’s always had a weird gut feeling about his past performances as part of Eve being far from brilliant as the ones he’s done as an Eden member, though not only being told, or better, having Hiyori come to him to report what he’d been previously told to his face, which could be easily summarised with “your actions tell different things than your words”, to then be asked to sing alongside him once again for some event he’s never heard the name of in his entire life was not anything he expected to happen so soonly.
Jun does miss the times it was only Eve. He can’t blame himself for that, and as much as he wonders if it’s the same about Hiyori despite all the times he’s had to listen to his usual, repetitive rant on how much he loved Eden and considered them all his family — which is something he’s always agreed on under a different, personal point of view, deep down he knows the feeling is somewhat mutual. Or at least so he believed by the sparkle in his eyes as he ran to him to explain everything the two had to know in sight of Eve’s first performance after almost a year in detail, acting like being criticised for his interactions on stage hadn’t scarred him at all.
Hiyori had countlessly boasted about not really caring about being asked to play on fanservice to improve his performances back when Eve’s activities were much more frequent, he’d always been the first who only agreed to it because he was asked so and who would tell Jun to relax during their first practice sessions since nothing they did on stage was essentially real and worthy to be put an extreme effort into.
And yet there he is, standing in front of him waiting for a reply. A response whatsoever. Jun has almost already forgotten what all the fuss is about.
A third blink inevitably comes, and with it the blue haired boy tries to replay those words in his mind once again.
There isn’t anything so essential to recall in that long explanation through which Hiyori had mentioned more than five times how the only thing they should have worked on was their duo chemistry, moreso since they hadn’t performed alone in a long time and had always relied on Ibara and Nagisa’s talent to make theirs shine as well. But then, when Hiyori’s words come to his mind again — how many times had he attempted to make them make sense already? Three? Four? — Jun is absolutely clueless on how and why that idea felt the best way out of that situation to him.
It’s like he can’t even accurately hear Hiyori’s voice in his head, as if some low but persistent beeping noise tried to distract him from the thought of it, of his words, of that look in his eyes when he suggested they should’ve faked dating for some days to boost their stage presence and chemistry.
From that moment onwards, it’s all hazed. There is no way in hell Hiyori is serious about that, he tells himself, trying to raise a hand to his head only for him to acknowledge he is just as paralyzed.
Jun never liked to use that word. He feels like he’s trapped instead.
« Earth to Jun-kun! Did you even hear me? » the other boy’s voice lets him pull himself together for what seems to be the first time in ages, to which Jun questions for how long he’s been staring at him so deadpan without speaking a word.
He takes a short sigh before answering that call. « I did hear you, and that is the issue » he blurts out. « What is even going on right there? » his right hand is suddenly freed from the position it has kept still until now, allowing Jun to press one of his fingertips against Hiyori’s forehead.
The latter seems not to be able to hold a delighted yet sarcastic chuckle in, which startles Jun quite a bit. « You sound like I’ve just asked you the craziest of the tasks »
« Excuse me?! You literally brought up this fake dating thing out of fucking nowhere and you expect me to think that’s an average thing idols are supposed to do? » the pressure of Jun’s finger only seems to increase as he speaks. « And why do you feel like you’re in the position of deciding such a thing when nobody has ordered you— no, us to do that? »
« Well well, what did I say I’ve been told we’re lacking? » Hiyori retorts, catching a glimpse of Jun rolling his eyes.
« On stage chemistry, that’s it » he replies. « There are literally ten more different ways we could work on it and that’s how you think we’re gonna get better? »
The green haired male sighs back, that previous chuckle’s same feeling coming from it and getting to Jun’s head and overcoming the noise he’d been feeling for a while. « It’s Trap for You we’ve been specifically asked to perform again, there must be an underlying issue if we still lack that tension we were sure everyone in the crowd could see back then… »
It’s at this point that Hiyori slightly tilts his head, somehow succeeding in his plan to get rid of Jun’s finger on his skin. He’s quick at grabbing that same hand the other boy had refused to move until then, placing it near his hips like the other one and leaning an inch forward to tease him further. « …am I right~? »
Jun wishes he can just push him away, that someday he’ll have the right tease in mind at the right time as well.
There are plenty of things Jun wishes he could tell or do to Hiyori, and surrendering to that one surely isn’t something he’s not used to already.
« Alright, ‘ddamn it! And what do you think we’re solving by faking we’re boyf… » that expression doesn’t seem to get out of Jun’s lips as he sighs so hardly he’s more than certain Hiyori’s face is getting all warmed up because of it. « …by faking we’re dating just because of one performance? »
« Do you really not get what the producer meant about us? » Hiyori retorts, pulling away from his position. « I get it, that choreography is almost entirely fanservice, but the main issue between us is that we don’t make it look as real as it should. It’s not like I’ve enjoyed listening to such awful criticism about a song we haven’t sung in over a year, but this would also be a fun way of spicing it up »
Jun himself cannot read the expression on his own face. He realises he’s already worded a reply only when the last syllable falls from his lips, staring into Hiyori’s eyes with a challenging look he did not believe he was capable of. « Yours is a weird conception of fun, isn’t it? »
« Don’t tell me it’s not a fun idea now! » Hiyori ironically frowns. « You get the chance to pretend you’re dating me, who would ever refuse that? »
If a part of Jun wants to reply that he would indeed refuse, another constantly reminds him he would be blatantly lying. Jun has always been fine with not finding the best words to make Hiyori aware of everything he’s always wanted to tell him, but that is at the condition of never lying to himself at first.
Hiyori is right, which he hates to admit. To his eyes, no one would waste such a chance if it were him asking.
« Remind me when our performance is again? »
The green haired male silently chuckles. « Just five days away, unless anyone messes up and it gets delayed »
Few seconds of silence divide them as Jun feels his nerves loosening in an oddly pleasing way.
On top of his hopes, he craved being an able liar in times like those.
« And we’re just going to pretend all of this… between us? Without bringing anyone onto the matter since it’s purely about our damned chemistry? » he asks, inevitably sighing again. « It’s fucking absurd how you’re so sure that faking it will make us look realer to the audience… »
« Just the two of us! » Hiyori replies, grinning like he already knows he’s won. Jun wants to take that stupid smile away from his lips.
« Promise » the shorter boy says, almost threat-like. « Promise me nobody will know we’re into this until our performance ends. Swear it »
« On God » Hiyori’s tone turns the most formal Jun has ever heard it be.
« Don’t exaggerate now »
« Why would I! » the answer comes almost instantaneously. « After all, I suggested it »
Jun has to acknowledge he’s never understood Hiyori in his fullness, especially in times like those where he’s dragging him into something he has not really agreed to and then acting so serious like that all of a sudden.
But had he not? Had Jun not concurred with that idea, or had he been lying to himself all that time...?
The mere question bothers him enough for a reply to come out of his throat without him controlling it once more.
« Mh, okay. Break your promise once and we’re turning that choreography into a breakup scene » he huffs, holding out his left hand with the intention of making a deal.
As those words reach his ears, Hiyori’s grin turns into a large, triumphant smile. « I knew you would’ve accepted! What fine weather~ » his exclamation is followed by the noise his trainers make as they stomp on the practice room’s floor. In a blink, Jun finds himself much closer to the other idol, whose hand is now gently holding his as if that is the most natural thing for Hiyori to do.
If Jun could dig himself a hole at that exact moment, he would with no hesitation.
« Wha… the fuck are you doing?! » he yells, followed by Hiyori’s soft laughter.
« It looked like that one part of our choreography, come on! If you’re so awkward at the thought of us practicing it again after all this time, we’ll never progress forward! »
« You…! » the shorter of the two begins, but his words are choked in a grunting noise.
Jun firmly believes that will be the longest week of his life.