Work Text:
An idol is no stranger to a cross-country or even cross-nation trip to film for a music video, commercial or show. This is especially true for a top idol group like TRIGGER, filming trips happening on a monthly or even sometimes weekly basis. The trips are always exhausting but once you get used to it, they could be quite fun and a good opportunity to visit different places, meet new people and experience new things outside of filming.
That being said, Kujo Tenn certainly didn’t expect for this trip to be somewhere deep inside the mountains, his phone signal dead and gone.
“Damn, this is really in the middle of nowhere,” Tenn hears Gaku mutters, looking around at the tall looming trees casting down shadows that prevent sunlight from breaking through. At least this makes the area quite nice and cool, despite the lack of communication with the outside world.
“By the way,” Gaku asks his way, pulling Tenn’s gaze toward the silver haired man. “Are you good?”
Tenn raises an eyebrow. “Why?”
It’s only when they’re on their way home a few days later that Tenn realizes what Gaku had meant.
Sitting in the car, the pink haired idol’s phone finally manages to come back to life, the signal at a full bar. Tenn immediately opens up his Rabbichat and sighs at the hundreds of messages from his friends and his brother. Oh yeah..they wouldn’t have known Tenn ended up having no signal during this trip. He should apologize to them later and hopes that they aren’t too worried. For now, the idol sends quick replies to each chat explaining the situation and sending apologies (Riku replies almost immediately and Tenn smiles slightly at their small warm exchange).
Finally, Tenn scrolls down and opens up his last unopened message from none other than his boyfriend. Isumi Haruka’s cute little profile icon stares back at him as Tenn hovers his thumb over the chat for a moment before finally opening it. As he starts reading the texts Haruka has sent, Tenn feels himself freezing up as he reads each text bubble.
Haruka: did you make it there safely?
Haruka: let me know asap
Haruka: it’s been hoursss, are you okay???
Haruka: i know you’re probs busy but will you let me know please???
Haruka: ok what the hell? Now it’s been a whole day (゜-゜)
Haruka: DON’T TELL ME SOMETHING HAPPENED????
Haruka: ….
Haruka: you’re worrying me
Haruka: kujo tenn istg if this is your way of getting back at me for accidentally eating that last donut
Haruka: i thought u already forgave me (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Haruka: I’M SORRY OKAY?
Haruka: ok u know what no im not sorry ಠ_ಠಠ_ಠಠ_ಠ
Haruka: that was completely your fault for not labeling the box
Haruka: are you ignoring me?
Haruka : ( unsent message)
Haruka: if you saw that last one ignore it
Haruka: ALRIGHT FINE (╯‵□′)╯︵┴─┴
Haruka: TWO CAN PLAY AT THIS GAME
Typing faster than Tenn has ever typed, he swiftly writes up his explanation of what happened and how he’d only seen Haruka’s messages now. Yet, his messages are only met with a slew of red texts saying his messages didn’t manage to go through.
…. oh no.
***
“Why do you look like you’re about to go to war…?”
“Because I am.” Tenn says flatly to Gaku as they enter the studio a few days later. A few days since Haruka blocked his number and around two weeks since Tenn even saw the younger idol’s face. Yes, he is going to war because if he knows anything about Isumi Haruka (and he absolutely does know Isumi Haruka) is that he would stick to his stubbornness and avoid Tenn until the end of the world comes knocking at their door and Tenn plans to move heaven and earth to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“Uh, does this have anything to do with Haruka-kun? You’ve been staring at your phone a lot these days after we got back from our trip.” Ryu chimes in this time, a hint of concern across his eyes.
“I’ll be fine, I just need to-”
His words trail off when Tenn’s eyes spot him.
The mint haired idol is walking through one of the doors leading to one of the studio recording booths and immediately freezes in place once those golden eyes spots Tenn. Tenn stands still too, eyes focused on his boyfriend and waiting for him to make the next move.
When Haruka starts walking again, eyes looking everywhere around the room except at Tenn, the older idol expects one of a few outcomes.
1. Haruka would completely walk past him and stick to his plan of giving Tenn the cold shoulder
Or
2. The younger idol is preparing to express his anger and disappointment over their lack of communication these past few days.
What TRIGGER’s center doesn’t expect is outcome number three.
As the younger idol approaches, Isumi Haruka, known for his stubbornness, for his petty temper (all parts that Tenn loves) throws his arms around the other center’s waist, presses his face to Tenn’s shoulder and just…stays like that.
And keeps staying like that.
“....are you okay?” Tenn begins softly after he shakes off the wave of surprise, but there’s no answer from the other idol.
Next to him, Gaku stares at him with an exasperated look (which annoys Tenn. As if the man hasn’t had his fair share of disgustingly sweet PDA with IDOLiSH7’s Nikaido Yamato). The older man sighs. “Well, I’ll go on ahead then. Just remember that this is the hallway, okay?”
“Ah wait, Gaku, I’ll go with you.” Ryu hurriedly says. He looks over to the two of them with an encouraging smile. “Our recording doesn’t start anytime soon so take your time~”
Tenn manages a glare at his unit mates as they disappear around the corner but it’s true what Gaku said. They couldn’t just stay like this in a hallway where people could walk in and see them and start coming up with scandalous rumors.
“Shall we move to another room?”
They settled on TRIGGER’s greenroom.
Along the way Tenn just felt that something was wrong as Haruka didn’t once let go during their walk here. In fact, the younger idol just keeps holding on to him, his hold even growing tighter once they’re alone in an empty room with no prying eyes.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
No answer.
Tenn sighs. With Haruka’s face buried in his shoulder, he couldn’t see Haruka’s expression at all. The teen is also worryingly quiet and still for someone usually so expressive and fiery. As much as Tenn wants to ask what was wrong again, this time he settles to reach up and run his hand gently through Haruka’s soft mint colored strands.
If Haruka doesn’t want to talk then Tenn wouldn’t force him. He would wait patiently.
Fortunately, the gesture seems to have done the trick as Haruka loosens his hold a little bit until Tenn could move just a tad bit more freely. He uses the opportunity to wrap his arm around Haruka’s shoulders.
“Why don’t we sit down for a second?” Tenn whispers. To his relief, he feels Haruka nodding his head against his shoulder.
Even seated on the loveseat at the center of the room, Haruka doesn’t let go, a firm grip on Tenn’s arm this time. Though he isn’t hiding his expression anymore, he’s still oddly quiet and silent. Tenn examines his face, finding a sort of faraway gaze on the usually bright boy and it makes his heart thud sharply against his chest, concern growing around it like a thorny vine.
Soon enough, Haruka’s gaze flicks up toward Tenn, causing his breath to stutter. “Stay here for one more minute,” Haruka’s voice is quiet. Timid. So…uncharacteristic that Tenn finds himself nodding along without thinking.
“Take as long as you need,” Tenn says with a small smile even though they know that’s not exactly true when both of them have work waiting for them the moment they step out of the room. Yet none of them wanted to break the moment. They stay together for a little while longer in their own little world, the sound of the ticking clock and the occasional footsteps just outside the door going unnoticed.
“Sorry I blocked your number.” Haruka mumbles.
Tenn chuckles. So honest. “It was quite the secluded area and I did read your messages after.”
Haruka nods, his head pressing into Tenn’s shoulder as he visibly relaxes, fingers playing with the fabric of Tenn’s sleeve while strands of his hair brushes against Tenn’s cheek.
“...so I’m guessing you didn’t read my unsent message, right?”
“No,” He hears the quiet seriousness in Haruka’s tone of voice. Slowly, Tenn’s hand finds Haruka’s, their fingers intertwining. He keeps his voice low and calm, not wanting the other idol to feel pressured. “Did you want me to?”
Haruka pauses, lips pursed into a thin line, thinking to himself for a moment. “I…y-no, I’m not sure. But I did press send, so maybe…?”
“I’m all ears.” Tenn teases with a smile, an underlying curiosity just below it.
“I said maybe!” Haruka scowls, hiding his face into Tenn’s shoulder with a huff. “Now I don’t want to.”
“Well, I’m still all ears until you do.” Tenn’s teasing smile softens to a gentle one. He wants, no, needs Haruka to know that he means every word. They had enough uncertainty, dread and pain in their past to last a lifetime and they deserved to be able to lean on each other. Haruka studies his expression, those golden eyes trying to gauge how genuine Tenn is about his words, a myriad of conflicting emotions running across his face.
“Don’t laugh but I…” Haruka pauses and Tenn could feel the tension in Haruka’s hands through their intertwined fingers. “I guess I got reminded.” A grit of his teeth. “Of how I thought everything was fine but then he pulled the rug out from under me. You know, before.”
Haruka’s grip on Tenn’s hand tightens slightly, his words painting an image inside. A young innocent child, bright and eager, who thought he could achieve his dream yet he was only met with a cold rejection, with abandonment, his dreams crushed underneath his feet and growing twisted along the way. Despair and hopelessness that was similar in a way to his. Tenn could also see himself in his mind. Young, alone, desperate, and always sacrificing his wants and his dreams as he grows, another victim of someone else’s twisted desire.
“I’m here,” Tenn finds himself saying.
Haruka nods, eyes glancing at their joined hands. “Just at that moment, I couldn’t help it. Thinking back to how I felt, like I’ve done something wrong.”
Then we’re the same .
Haruka lets out a strained exhale and wipes his cheeks, the vulnerability in his face fading away and in its place is the cool and stubborn front that Haruka takes comfort in. He pulls his hand away and stands, turning away from the other center. “Ugh, that was embarrassing. Please forget about it.” But of course, Tenn doesn’t do that. He reaches out, slowly wrapping his hand around Haruka’s wrist. His eyes meet Haruka’s and he has no intention of letting the younger idol look away this time. He wants Haruka to know he means these words too, like every single one he’s spoken to him.
“I won’t forget.” There’s a determined glint in Tenn’s eyes. “I know we each have our own doubts but we can be by each other’s side in the meantime. Burdens are easier to carry together aren’t they?”
Haruka’s lips part lightly, his eyes once again scanning Tenn’s face like he couldn’t believe it. A small habit born of those days where he couldn’t trust anyone. One Tenn hopes Haruka can slowly shed completely.
“Kujo Tenn, are you sure?”
Tenn smiles, shifting his grip to gently take the other boy’s hand again, a little more firm this time. “I’m sure.”