Written in the perspective of the reader
You were only trying to head to a cafe to dawdle the rest of your Saturday afternoon away. And yet, here you were now, your back flat against the blazing cement, a random redhead's body awkwardly crushing your own.
The two of you had crossed paths nearby the park, underneath the canopies shielding the midday sun. Which was why it was to the least of your expectations for him to trip on virtually nothing and thereby tackle you to the ground.
Not only was he heavy enough to constrict your airways, but his face was implanted into the crook of your neck. He hadn't made an attempt at moving despite falling on top of you a minute ago either. In fact, all he did was continue to quietly snivel into your shoulder.
Yup. You were in that kind of situation.
The only plus side to this whole ordeal was the fact that there were no passersby to gawk and potentially take a picture of this nerve-wracking predicament. But even if there were—and even if it meant being freed from this person's takedown—you weren't sure you wanted to accept it.
It was only a glimpse. A single, blurry image imprinted into your mind the moment he bumped into you. But it was enough to recognize him.
Otoya Ittoki.
The Otoya Ittoki from the famous band STARISH.
He was the one crushing your body.
If it weren't for the fact that your lungs felt as if they were flattening, you probably would've fangirled to your heart's content.
"Um," you finally croaked when oxygen became scarce, squirming vehemently for liberation. For somebody who tripped and body-slammed you, he sure didn't find the need to get off as swiftly as he could. "Can you. . . ?"
"Ikki?"
You weren't anticipating somebody to be in your vicinity, but when the person yanked the boy off your dear body, you were thankful. Lurching upright, you panted heavily in an attempt to regain your breath.
A sigh left the owner of the voice. "Ikki, what are you doing?"
You peered forward to identify them only to be pleasantly surprised that Ren Jinguji was the culprit. His fraud, rectangular glasses were a weak disguise. Precisely because in all his jaw-dropping glory, the disguise couldn't have dared do him justice.
With the shake his head, Ren properly assisted a snuffling Otoya to his feet. "You run away, and here's where you are, pinning down this lady. . ."
His eyes flickered to you for a brief second. He stepped forward, extending a helping hand.
"Are you all right?" His voice reflected his concern. But you were more transfixed on his face. He was much handsomer in person than on the screens you'd watched him on.
Feeling a tad embarrassed, you gratefully accepted his hand, and he steadied you back onto your feet.
"I apologize," Ren said, gripping a puffy-eyed Otoya by the shoulder. "He's just a little down today."
Yeah, now for sure, it was clear to you. Otoya Ittoki was always smiling whenever you saw him. It was his trademark, and it was definitely the cutest expression ever, too. Seeing him sad like this actually hurt your heart much more than you'd wanted it to.
"Aren't you down too, Ren?" Otoya sniffled, rubbing at his eyes.
Ren, in response, cracked a wry smile. Despite that, there was nothing but solemnity masking the majority of his face. "Because of Icchi?" he scoffed. "That guy really is lucky. I can't say I wasn't entirely expecting it, though, if that's why you're asking. I think we all were trying to be oblivious to it, but the Lady's made it clear from the beginning."
Otoya frowned further. "But still. . ." He looked ready to cry again. "Nanami—"
Ren cut him off, "Now, now. Let's try not to get all emotional around this pretty lady." He faced you, his fake smile shifting to warmer one. "It wasn't our intention to take the time out of your day for something like this. Honestly, I'd like to take you out for something as compensation, but—"
"Then allow me," you quickly interjected. Ren appeared caught off guard, but that didn't stop you. "I was headed to a new cafe that recently opened up. There's an extraordinary flower garden there, and the food—the curry in particular—is especially tasty. You won't be disappointed." Darting your gaze from an intrigued Ren to a wide-eyed Otoya, you offered them the grin they clearly couldn't return. "You both should come. It'd cheer you up."
You were being quite bold, you admitted. But you couldn't help it—it was a dream of yours to be standing before two of your favourite idols. You were so used to seeing them beaming on TV, and the broadcasts they appeared on were always so entertaining. Plus, their vocals were off the charts, too. But that was exactly why it was difficult for you to fathom why they were so down in the dumps today. Regardless of if something happened or not, you simply wanted to ensure they were fine, and possibly even return a genuine smile to their faces.
"Lady. . ." Ren began after a while. He paused, as if searching for a way to identify you.
You immediately introduced yourself. "I'm (First Name, Last Name). It's a pleasure to meet you."
He cracked a soft smile. "I apologize for being so rude. I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? I'm Ren Jinguji. And this is—"
"Otoya Ittoki," the redhead spoke for himself, tentatively meeting your eyes.
You tittered a bit. Although you wanted to tell them that you were already aware, being the huge, obsessed fan that you were, you didn't want to scare them off so you decided otherwise.
Just let them believe you're normal for long as you can. . .
"Thank you, Lady," Ren went on with a suave smile. "Then, we'll gladly take you up on that offer."
"Ren, are you sure?" Otoya demanded. "We have that meeting—"
Ren dismissively nodded. "I don't want to think about the music industry right now." He sent you a wink. "Besides, I'd really like to check out those flowerbeds this Lady has mentioned."
Your insides melted. Oh, jeez. Ren Jinguji just winked at you. You could die happy. . . !
With all eyes on Otoya for the final verdict, it was seconds later that he pursed his lips together and submissively dropped his head. "I guess curry sounds good now, too. . ."
His pout is so cute. . . you gushed. Once you came to terms with what you were thinking, you mentally berated yourself for into giving in to your fangirlish thoughts. You had to get yourself together! No more being a hopeless fangirl!
"Great, then it's settled," Ren finalized. "Let's go."
Walking up to you, he rested his arm around your shoulder, the gesture only succeeding in making you a squealing mess on the inside. He was touching you! And wait, they agreed to come with you didn't they? Would that be considered a. . . date?
You swooned at the idea. Someone should save you now before you lost any more of your sanity than you already had.
"Show us the way there, (First Name)," Otoya said, joining you at your side, the corners of his lips finally tipping up a bit.
You truly felt faint. But, upholding your composure the best you could, you stiffly bobbed your head. Putting on your best smile, you started down the road, leading them in the direction of the cafe.
"It's this way."
☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆-☆
"No way, you're a music arranger, (First Name)?"
Otoya gawked at you from across the table despite the fact that his mouth was filled to the brim with curry. The three of you had chosen a booth towards the back of this cafe. Fortunately, it wasn't crowded leading to a good sense of privacy.
Ren from beside him who'd settled on a simple cup of tea let out a short whistle. "Wow, that's definitely incredible," he praised.
"Not really," you told them with a weak laugh. "I've just started out in the business and I haven't even received my first assignment. I've still got a long way to go."
"Don't downgrade yourself as the such," Ren refuted. He picked a rose from the vase resting on the table and extended it for you to receive. "I'm sure someone such as yourself has the talent to back up her pretty looks."
Almost as if in a daze, you accepted the flower from Ren. You were already aware that the guy was known for his flirtatious attitude and was always waving his moves on any girl he could find but for some reason this handsome idol still possessed your affection. Otoya, too, despite them being vastly different. Ren aside, Otoya was the optimistic one and the epitome that basically led STARISH along.
No matter how much you attempted to wrap your mind around the fact that these famous idols were seated before you now, and you were sharing a meal with them, you simply couldn't. You had to be dreaming.
Discreetly peering at your arm, you caught sight of the pinch marks already visible on your skin. You pinched yourself once more for good measure but when you returned your focus to the space before you, they were still there.
Yup, it wasn't a dream. . . You really were spending time with them.
Finishing the last of his curry that he'd elatedly ate, Otoya suddenly gained a look of seriousness. Leaning over the table, he gestured you closer and in confusion, you complied. After getting as near to him as you possibly could, Otoya covered his mouth with his hand and whispered, "(First Name), don't freak out, but Ren and I are actually apart of a well-known idol group called STARISH."
Otoya's confession startled you a bit, mainly because he'd seemed so cautious as he told you the fact. Drawing away from each other, you met an amused Ren's eyes who simply shrugged, as if used to his bandmate's obliviousness.
He placed a hand on Otoya's shoulder. "Ikki, I'm sure the Lady has already pieced that information together."
Otoya's head jerked his way, eyes widening from behind his fake glasses. "Huh? Really?"
His head snapped in your direction again and with an awkward smile, you bobbed your head. "Um, yeah. I figured it out earlier."
Fiddling with his scarf and pulling his glasses to the bridge of his nose, Ren sent you a wink. "This disguise of mine wasn't enough to conceal my handsome looks, huh?"
You were tempted to reply with a dreamy 'no' but held yourself back at the last second. Instead, you shook your head and attempted to maintain your cool the best you could. But wow was this all so hard.
"So you're already aware of STARISH, (First Name)?" Otoya inquired with his head cocked to the side.
"Yeah. You guys are famous," you responded, (E/C) eyes gaining a twinkle. "And you even beat HE★VENS and QUARTET NIGHT and got to perform at the Triple S! Your performance that day was amazing by the way! I absolutely adore 'We Are ST★RISH'!"
You hadn't realized how high your voice had gotten until the final words left your mouth. When it finally settled in, you grew bashful and quickly peeked around to make sure nobody had heard. Thankfully the few customers that were present were too occupied stuffing their faces with the delicious dessert this cafe served.
"Oho, so we have ourselves a little fan," Ren drawled with that charming smile of his poking into his cheeks.
You sheepishly dropped your head. "Guilty as charged."
"No way, that's incredible!" Otoya said, beaming. "Thank you for supporting us!"
"But knowing that leaves me with two questions," Ren said, his stunning blue eyes connecting with yours. "Firstly, I'm really curious to know which one of us is our Lady's favourite."
"Hey, Ren," Otoya started but Ren's focus was entirely fixated upon you.
Your favourite? From STARISH? But you liked them all. Well, if he was asking for your favourite favourite, obviously these two definitely were and always had been for you.
In all seriousness, though. Why did the gorgeous man himself have to ask you such a question? This entire predicament was already making you freak out inside and—
When the sound of your voice reached your ears, echoing your thoughts word for word, you automatically gasped, lurching up in your seat. "Oh my gosh," you whispered, heart spiking a mile per minute in your chest, "did I just say all that out loud?"
A chuckle originating from Ren filled the air, answering the question for you and leaving you utterly flustered. You couldn't believe you had done that to yourself. Where was a hole to burrow into when you needed one?
"So we're both loved equally?" Ren said, nudging Otoya as he did. "I apologize for putting you on the spot like that, Lady. But, if we're both your favourites, is that the reason you invited us out here like this?"
It didn't take a genius to figure out that hidden behind Ren's smile and voice was obvious displeasure.
"O-oh, no way," you refuted. "I didn't have any ulterior motives like wanting to be alone with you two or anything—" Stop right there, (First Name). Stop and try again in a less misleading way this time. "Um, you two kind of looked a little down today so I hoped to cheer you up. If you were actually busy, I apologize for taking your time away like this."
Almost as soon as the words left your mouth, the tension around you had thickened. Despite their spirits lifting after arriving at this small cafe, the two had resurfaced their sombre moods from earlier. Otoya was so melancholic that he appeared ready to tear up any second.
Seeing this filled you with overwhelming confusion. What could have possibly lowered their moods so drastically? You didn't want to be pushy and ask, but at the same time the questions bubbling in your mind were killing you.
"Did. . . something happen with STARISH?"
You sucked in your breath after uttering what you did. You carefully observed Otoya and Ren's reactions. They definitely had grown more strained.
"I'm. . ." Ren began, running his finger through his strands of long, orange hair, "glad you support our group, Lady, but even I don't know if what happened this morning was good for our group or not."
Your heartbeat grew unsteady in your ears. "No way. . . Are you breaking up?"
Otoya began to sniffle, dropping his head as he moped. Your heart stopping could've given you a heart attack.
"W-wait— y-you're kidding!"
You didn't care if your shout had seized the attention of the other customers in that moment. They had to be kidding you! STARISH couldn't disband!
"I don't believe we're the type of disband over a trivial matter like this either," Ren started, his voice low, "but it really will hit us eventually. Even now, neither Ikki and I, and I'm sure the rest of those guys want to go anywhere near the Shining Agency at the moment."
"Ren. . . but why?" you inquired.
Raising his head up a little, he flashed you a tight-lipped smile. "Losing someone you love to one of your best friends hurts more than we thought it would've."
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Hi! Thanks for clicking onto this fanfic! <3
So, the plot for this is a bit odd but that's because I wanted to write something I haven't read. If you're not a TokiyaxHaruka shipper, that is a-OK haha. I'm not either. I'm just choosing this kinda shipping to spice it up since I've wondered what would actually happen if Haruka did end up with someone. Frankly, the possibilities are endless and it's exciting to think about.
This is basically a character x reader x character book. I've never done any of the like—I've never exactly written a proper fanfic, for that matter—but I'm willing to try! If there's any feedback you guys have as you read along, I'd appreciate hearing them!
Also, I westernized the names, therefore they'll be written first name, last name. No particular reason behind that. I've just been doing that for my other books it's become the norm, lolol.
Without further ado, I really hope you enjoy this fanfic! Thanks for checking it out!
—Misty