Chapter Text
"Keep up, Ena!" Airi laughed delightedly.
Ena scowled, though with no real malice directed towards the idol. She had not signed up for this - she did not know dating an idol meant you needed the stamina of one. If only she could stay mad at Airi for more than a few seconds, she probably wouldn't keep getting dragged into things like this 'workout stream' by her dear girlfriend.
Sweat poured down her face - almost ruining her makeup - as she did yet another star jump. Stars were looking less and less appealing as a shape. Her girlfriend was torturing her.
One thing Ena did enjoy about being an 'honorary idol' with Airi was watching the MMJ chat reaction to her. It was no secret to anyone who knew her that she lived and breathed praise; that validation coursed through her veins instead of blood. And the chat was surprisingly nice about Airi having an official partner. Airi really was able to be herself in this idol unit - especially compared to her previous gigs - which did please Ena. Airi as herself was the Airi she had fallen in love with, after all.
Ena grinned at the camera, admiring how the wind seemed to tousle her hair at the perfect angle, how good the natural lighting looked where they were. She liked feeling gorgeous, and gorgeous she felt. The chat affirmed that in turn.
"Ena's so lucky to be with Airi!"
"Airi deserves the best, and look - she has it!"
"So cute~!!"
She always felt a little guilty, though, indulging that part of her ego. It had been a method of coping: posting her appearance over her art for any crumb of attention, since her art got none. Nothing she could be proud of - just easy ways to get eyes on her. Her art was what she wanted to be proud of though, these days, so she had stopped trying to look pretty for selfies every second of the day.
Of course, it was still part of her life. She found it fun, taking photos - photos are still an art form, after all, so she enjoyed that aspect. Now, she just refused to give everything to social media, and get everything from it too. Using it much more healthily was fun and made her feel so much better. She was getting better.
Airi also gave her lots of attention. Ena did not think she deserved the girl, so perfect and yet so kind to her.
The artist smiled back at the idol, with fond exasperation. "No idea how you keep this up daily... right, chat? She's so intense!" She giggled with the stream. Her girlfriend's physical prowess was so impressive.
Airi slowed the exercise routine a little, letting Ena catch her breath. "Hm... well, I'm pretty used to it. I've built up the fitness over time, bit by bit. It's hard work, but rewarding stuff!"
Chat was flooded with admiration for the idol, and Ena found herself thinking how glad she was that MORE MORE JUMP! had built up such a... wholesome online community. Ena hadn't caught any hate messages yet, she didn't think, and the stream was pretty early morning so it was quite small - so messages weren't super speedy and she could read them all. That was good. The support and love felt so warm, and Ena knew Airi deserved that after the toxic workspace she'd endured with QT. Airi could be the idol she wanted to be know, and Ena was overjoyed.
Ena herself was no stranger to hate comments. She had a bad habit of doomscrolling through the comment section of Nightcord MVs, and had seen far too many spiteful messages about her art. It wounded her deeply, a knife digging further down each time she saw one. It was only through support from her friends, and from Airi, that she was able to look past it and keep persevering with what she loved.
Some of the worst hate comments, though, had to be on her selfie account. People really think they can just say anything from behind a screen and get away with it, huh? Pathetic. It frustrated her to no end. Those people would never know how much they made her cry with a simple typed sentence that they probably didn't even think twice about.
"So, Ena!" chirped Airi, bringing her out of her thoughts. "The people wanna know - are you up for a guest appearance on MORE MORE JUMP!'s next homework stream? This Thursday?"
Ena smiled at the camera, then back at Airi. "Sure! I can hop in. Uh, but my work'll be all different to yours. I go to a different school."
"I was actually thinking, you could bring along your art project and make some progress on that?"
The artist knew Airi adored seeing her art, all the time. She found it endearing, how supportive the idol was of her craft. Chat also seemed very curious about her ability.
She was scared, however. On one hand, she wanted nothing more than to put herself out there doing what she loved with the girl she loved. On the other, she was desperate for positive reception, and was terrified of the opposite.
Yet, her girlfriend's warm raspberry eyes lingered on her, and she let herself relax a little more. It wasn't a demand, it was an invite, and Airi would never let her get hurt. All in all, the idol wanted the best for her, so if she was offering something like this, the outcome must be okay.
Ena steadied herself with a deep breath, eyes still focusing on Airi.
"Alright, I'll see what I've got!"
Airi beamed, opening her arms to offer Ena a hug. They were absolutely not going to kiss live on stream, but a little physical contact was exactly what they both wanted in the moment, and so they took it. Their arms snaked behind each others' backs, carefully wrapping round like blankets on a cold day. Ena played with the ends of Airi's long hair, letting the soft pink strands run through her fingertips like small streams of water. They couldn't see each others' faces, but both knew their partner was smiling. Joy emanated from the pair, and even when they eventually pulled away, the atmosphere was light and loving.
Chat exploded. Ena giggled at their reaction - and who can blame them? In her opinion, she and her girlfriend were adorable. She turned to them, still close to Airi. "Okay, chat, listen. If any of you make AiriEna fanart I'm going to have to see it, so tag 'Enanan' on your posts!"
Airi pouted jokingly. "You won't make any?"
"I've made plenty already. Mostly of just you, though, and you've seen it," she retorted, blushing slightly. "I worked hard on those pieces. It's you, after all."
"Ena, they were beautiful. I love whenever you make art."
Airi said it so calmly, yet the words made Ena almost explode. Positively, of course.
"Chat," she announced. "I love my girlfriend."