52 Weeks, chapter 3
Title: 52 Weeks
Chapter 3/?
Author: mage_of_time
Fandom: Johnny's Entertainment (KAT-TUN/NewS)
Pairing: Ryo/Ueda (Side: Kame/Jin, Tegoshi/Massu, Maru/Junno, Junno/Ueda)
Genre: Romance/mild AU
Rating: PG (some language)
Summary: Ryo hates Ueda. Ueda hates Ryo. However, after a rabid fan, a media explosion, and an angry Johnny, they must pretend to be in love and dating for one year.... or else.
Notes: Beta'd by
grey_fuzzy . Inspired by a prompt from
thewhiteprophet : fake boyfriend fic: when one of ryo's insane stalkers actually manages to make her way into his life, he freaks out. she approaches him one day while he's standing near kat-tun, and when she touches his arm he screams at her that he's dating someone. "who?" she hisses, eyes narrowed. he grabs the hand of the first person he sees, and when he actually sees who it is, he wants to cry. and ueda, whose hand he's squeezing, is already on the verge of angry tears. Thanks for letting me steal this. <3
chapter 1 II chapter 2
IN THIS CHAPTER...
Week Two, Thursday
Retrieved from the personal files of Kazuya Kamenashi
To: diva21@----.co.jp
From: bakanishi@-----.com
Subject: ryo and uebo
kame:
i heard that ueda and ryo were… i don’t know what, but something’s going on, right?
O___O
kame, what’s going on??
jin
To: bakanishi@-----.com
From: diva21@-----.co.jp
Re: ryo and uebo
Dear Jin,
Yes, something’s going with Tat-chan and Ryo. Kind of. It’s hard to explain. I’ll tell you when you come back.
(Incentive, see?)
Just… don’t believe everything you hear. >.>
How’s L.A.? Horrible, smog-filled, so bad you want to come home?
Yours,
Kame
To: diva21@----.co.jp
From: bakanishi@-----.com
Re: ryo and uebo
kame:
what?? did ueda dump junno? why didn’t he tell me? does he hate me? why doesn’t anyone tell me anything anymore? are you in love with koki now? is it that bad? kameeee~ tell me.
i’ll come back when i’m ready.
it’s wonderful, actually. i really like it. maybe i’ll stay here. :P
jin
To: bakanishi@-----.com
From: diva21@-----.co.jp
Re: ryo and uebo
Dear Jin,
To answer your questions:
*No, Ueda did not dump Junno.
*Ueda doesn’t hate you any more than he did before. Make of that what you will.
**No one talks to you because you’re not here anymore, dumbass.
*And yes, of course. I’m madly in love with Koki, in fact. We’re planning on eloping next June. Maybe we’ll invite you to the wedding.
Fine. Ryo made the mistake of telling a crazy fan he was in love with Ueda (which, from what we can see and have been informed multiple times, he is not.) The media exploded. Johnny thinks the only way to play this is for them to pretend that they’re in love.
Naturally, they both want to kill each other.
No, you won’t stay there. You’ll come home to me. I miss you. :(
Love,
Kame
To: diva21@----.co.jp
From: bakanishi@-----.com
Re: ryo and uebo
kame,
shit. tell ryo not to kill tat-chan, okay? actually, tell ueda not to kill ryo.
actually, tell junno not to kill either of them.
scratch all of that. tell koki i’m going to beat him up as soon as i see him. and you, going off with him… kame, you slut.
.i miss you too. please come visit me! it would be fun, kame! i could show you all around the city and all my new friends. they’re funny people. ♥
jin
To: bakanishi@-----.com
From: diva21@-----.co.jp
Re: ryo and uebo
Dear Jin,
I don’t think they’ll kill each other.
Yet.
I’d come back to you if you’d come home. But you’re not here, and I get lonely. Plus, koki’s he’s got a shaved head. Top that and I’ll love you again in an instant.
I can’t right now. Maybe we’ll come see you later in the year. We have to shoot the photobook, after all. And… then we can see each other. I promise.
I have to go. We’re doing something for Shounen Club… but I really don’t want to right now. :(
I love you, Jin. Please come back soon.
Kame.
*
“Five…”
“Scoot over.”
“Four…”
”No, you move.”
“Three….”
“You!”
“Two…”
“Shut it, idiot, we’re starting.”
“One…”
“… You’re the idiot, idio-“
“Action!”
The music blared. The studio lights flashed on. And Ryo found himself staring into the beady eyes of two hundred restless, giggling, wide-eyed women.
The talk-show host smiled at him from the other set couch, smile a bit too forced, make-up on a bit too thick. “Welcome back to Sunrise. We’re here with Nishikido Ryo and Tatsuya Ueda, two very talented Johnny’s singers. Ueda here is from KAT-TUN, the newest group to debut, very hot right now, despite the fact that their lead man is off studying in America. And Nishikido, next to him, is a very popular singer from…”
“NewS,” Ryo supplied, resisting the urge to scowl. The woman’s smile flickered.
“Yes. That’s right.” She turned back to the audience. “And they have a secret to tell us, right, girls?”
The audience broke out into cheers. Ryo glanced at Ueda, who smiled steadily into the crowd, eyes blank.
The woman turned back to them. “Would you like to tell it yourselves, then?”
Neither responded. She continued to watch them bug-eyed for a moment, then cried with forced-jocularity: “Well, I’m sure you all know the story anyway. So, tell me. Were you afraid at all? *For your careers, and for your lives, after the truth came out?”
Ueda smiled, after a slight hesitation. “Well, I box, so that’s not really a concern to me, and Ryo has Massu and Tegoshi to protect him, so… not really for our lives.” His smile didn’t falter as Ryo carefully and deliberately stomped on his foot. “But our careers, of course. This getting out… We could be fired for something like this.”
“And was it hard, keeping it a secret? Ryo?”
Shit. “Well, yes… In this day and age… of course. We were constantly debating between ourselves on… whether it would be the right thing, what with… the current political climate and all, if we should…”
“We didn’t know what people would think,” cut in Ueda smoothly, and Ryo glanced at him, surprised. “We didn’t know if this would cause people to stop buying our music, if it would cause people to think of us differently, we didn’t know if it would wreck our careers. And yet, we both agreed that it was wrong to keep it a secret, morally and emotionally. However, we hadn’t agreed on anything before that day. But…” He glanced down at his hands the same way he had in Johnny’s office, same soft smile on his face. “Ryo just… couldn’t keep it to himself.” He glanced out at Ryo out of the corner of his eye, a breathless kind of innocence on his face.
There was a visible intake of breath throughout the studio, and the slightest smirk crossed Ueda’s face, vanishing as quickly as it had come. He ducked his head as if utterly shy, and Ryo grudgingly gave him credit-he was a damn good actor. The host herself seemed slightly short of breath, but she recovered quickly.
“And… your bandmates? How have they taken the news?”
”Everyone’s really supportive,” Ryo said quickly. He would not let Ueda beat him at this. “Tegoshi was kind of angry that we kept it a secret from him, but Shige just kind of laughed and told us how obvious it was.”
”Same for me,” Ueda said, nodding vigorously. “Kame told me that they’d known for months, and Ju- Maru, Maru told me that they’d be with me, no matter what.” He ignored the slight falter, smiling brightly. Ryo wondered, but didn’t question.
“Um… good, good. And your fanbase is strong as ever?”
”Of course,” Ryo nodded. “It’s actually increased profits, our going public. People seem to like it.”
“Of course they do, Ryo!” cried Ueda, pushing him playfully. “We’re in love, what wouldn’t people like about that? Two people, happy together… It’s wonderful.” He leaned his head against Ryo’s shoulder, grabbing his arm and grinning widely at the camera.
Damn. He’s good…
As Ryo inwardly scowled and outwardly smiled fondly, the hostess looked flustered at the display of affection, and the audience collectively swooned. As the hostess quickly told the viewing audience at home that coming up soon would be a woman who found a potato shaped exactly like Tony Blair, so don’t touch that dial!, Ryo glanced down at Ueda, who very quickly stuck his tongue out at him. “I win,” he mouthed, and Ryo wondered how much trouble he would get in if he punched him out right here on camera.
*
“Oh, look, a complimentary fruit basket. Do you want it?”
Ryo glanced up. “Yes, of course, I could always use more half-rotten apples around the house. No, keep it for yourself.”
Ueda shrugged and dumped it in the dressing-room garbage can, tossing the basket off to the back. He went back to the mirror, softly humming Gackt songs to himself as he combed through his hair.
Ryo stared at him for a moment. Should he comment? No, too easy, he finally decided, and contented himself with slamming down onto the couch, crossing his legs on the table and folding his arms over his chest, staring at the wall. Ueda glanced back at him.
“I thought you were leaving,” he said, disappointed. Ryo raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged, going back to his mirror.
Neither spoke for a moment. Then: “What the hell was that out there?”
Ueda didn’t turn around this time. “Well, Johnny said to play it up. I played it up.”
He called that ‘playing it up?’ He was practically snogging him on camera. “But after last week’s… incident, it seemed like you think, I dunno, that time I look at you, God kills a kitten, or something. I mean, really, princess, from ‘I’ll fucking kill you’ to ‘oh my god, Ryo, I love you so much’ in the span of eight days….” He cocked his head to one side. “One has to wonder.”
Ueda laughed slightly. “Don’t worry. I’d have to be desperate to fall in love with you, and I’m not quite that far yet. Besides, I-“
”Yes, I know, you have Junnosuke. I believe there’s one little old man in Hawaii who hasn’t heard that you and Junnosuke fondle each other regularly. Amazingly enough, the rest of us have heard it more than enough, and don’t give a shit.”
“Whatever.” He turned to stare at Ryo. “If the fans are idiotic enough to believe what happened out there was real, they deserve to be tricked.” He turned back to examine his reflection, plucking a bit worriedly at a stray hair.
“Sure, princess,” muttered Ryo, glancing up at the ceiling.
The silence returned for a blessed moment. Then: “Princess, I think you’ve spent just a bit too long on your hair.”
“Just because you bathe once a year doesn’t mean the rest of us have to neglect personal hygiene.” Nonetheless, he rose from the stool, tossing the brush down and gathering his things. Ryo watched him disinterestedly for a moment, before returning to the very interesting spot on the wall he had been examining before. Once again, the silence stretched, and Ryo resisted the urge to say something that would get him hit.
“I’m leaving,” Ueda announced finally, and Ryo nodded, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling and refusing to look at him. Ueda watched him for a moment, then shrugged and made his way to the door.
Just as he was leaving, Ryo called (and he shouldn’t have, but it was just too tempting): “Bye, princess. I love you.” Voice cold, half-mocking, and he would wonder later if this was the point when he went completely crazy.
Because Ueda stopped then, like he had that dark night seven days ago.
And he turned back to stare at Ryo, a look of anger-amusement-something more in his eyes.
And he slowly took one-two-three steps forward, until he leaned down over the couch, hair falling into Ryo’s face, face thoughtful.
And his hand reached out, grabbing the back of his neck.
And he softly whispered: “I told you-don’t say that to me.”
And he pulled Ryo’s head forward, and their lips met, and it hit Ryo in a flash, as he attempted to pull away, as he attempted to scream that Ueda had a boyfriend, that Ueda was crazy, that Ueda had better get the fuck away from him.
The bastard was mocking him.
And that was the worst part of the whole thing, that and the fact that the tiniest part of him cried out as Ueda finally released him, the only thing in his eyes contempt, the only thing on his face a slight, amused smile.
“Bye, Ryo,” he said softly, strolling out the door and letting it slam shut behind him.
There was silence for a moment.
Then: “Fuck. Not again.”
Ryo looked up at the ceiling.
The footsteps in the hall faded away.
He was alone.
*
Coming soon: Ueda becomes familiar with Newton’s Third Law, Yamap contemplates manslaughter, and Maru is thoroughly angst-ridden.
Notes for the Informed and Wise
+Kame/Koki= OTP. Or... not. Not. Yeah.
+Sorry I keep making the fangirls rabid and creepy. I like the fangirls, really. I’ve been known to fangirl occasionally (i.e.; every single moment of my entire existence.)
+…Sorry, Junda shippers. *hides* Junno gets love next chapter, promise.
+Kiss- good or bad?
+Next chapter out sometime next week. Sorry, finals, I'll actually have to pay attention in class instead of write Japanese boy band slash. :(
+Ryo didn't want any ice cream in this chapter, as I teased in the last one. Sorry.
Feedback feeds my soul.
Chapter 3/?
Author: mage_of_time
Fandom: Johnny's Entertainment (KAT-TUN/NewS)
Pairing: Ryo/Ueda (Side: Kame/Jin, Tegoshi/Massu, Maru/Junno, Junno/Ueda)
Genre: Romance/mild AU
Rating: PG (some language)
Summary: Ryo hates Ueda. Ueda hates Ryo. However, after a rabid fan, a media explosion, and an angry Johnny, they must pretend to be in love and dating for one year.... or else.
Notes: Beta'd by
grey_fuzzy . Inspired by a prompt from
thewhiteprophet : fake boyfriend fic: when one of ryo's insane stalkers actually manages to make her way into his life, he freaks out. she approaches him one day while he's standing near kat-tun, and when she touches his arm he screams at her that he's dating someone. "who?" she hisses, eyes narrowed. he grabs the hand of the first person he sees, and when he actually sees who it is, he wants to cry. and ueda, whose hand he's squeezing, is already on the verge of angry tears. Thanks for letting me steal this. <3
chapter 1 II chapter 2
IN THIS CHAPTER...
Week Two, Thursday
Retrieved from the personal files of Kazuya Kamenashi
To: diva21@----.co.jp
From: bakanishi@-----.com
Subject: ryo and uebo
kame:
i heard that ueda and ryo were… i don’t know what, but something’s going on, right?
O___O
kame, what’s going on??
jin
To: bakanishi@-----.com
From: diva21@-----.co.jp
Re: ryo and uebo
Dear Jin,
Yes, something’s going with Tat-chan and Ryo. Kind of. It’s hard to explain. I’ll tell you when you come back.
(Incentive, see?)
Just… don’t believe everything you hear. >.>
How’s L.A.? Horrible, smog-filled, so bad you want to come home?
Yours,
Kame
To: diva21@----.co.jp
From: bakanishi@-----.com
Re: ryo and uebo
kame:
what?? did ueda dump junno? why didn’t he tell me? does he hate me? why doesn’t anyone tell me anything anymore? are you in love with koki now? is it that bad? kameeee~ tell me.
i’ll come back when i’m ready.
it’s wonderful, actually. i really like it. maybe i’ll stay here. :P
jin
To: bakanishi@-----.com
From: diva21@-----.co.jp
Re: ryo and uebo
Dear Jin,
To answer your questions:
*No, Ueda did not dump Junno.
*Ueda doesn’t hate you any more than he did before. Make of that what you will.
**No one talks to you because you’re not here anymore, dumbass.
*And yes, of course. I’m madly in love with Koki, in fact. We’re planning on eloping next June. Maybe we’ll invite you to the wedding.
Fine. Ryo made the mistake of telling a crazy fan he was in love with Ueda (which, from what we can see and have been informed multiple times, he is not.) The media exploded. Johnny thinks the only way to play this is for them to pretend that they’re in love.
Naturally, they both want to kill each other.
No, you won’t stay there. You’ll come home to me. I miss you. :(
Love,
Kame
To: diva21@----.co.jp
From: bakanishi@-----.com
Re: ryo and uebo
kame,
shit. tell ryo not to kill tat-chan, okay? actually, tell ueda not to kill ryo.
actually, tell junno not to kill either of them.
scratch all of that. tell koki i’m going to beat him up as soon as i see him. and you, going off with him… kame, you slut.
.i miss you too. please come visit me! it would be fun, kame! i could show you all around the city and all my new friends. they’re funny people. ♥
jin
To: bakanishi@-----.com
From: diva21@-----.co.jp
Re: ryo and uebo
Dear Jin,
I don’t think they’ll kill each other.
Yet.
I’d come back to you if you’d come home. But you’re not here, and I get lonely. Plus, koki’s he’s got a shaved head. Top that and I’ll love you again in an instant.
I can’t right now. Maybe we’ll come see you later in the year. We have to shoot the photobook, after all. And… then we can see each other. I promise.
I have to go. We’re doing something for Shounen Club… but I really don’t want to right now. :(
I love you, Jin. Please come back soon.
Kame.
*
“Five…”
“Scoot over.”
“Four…”
”No, you move.”
“Three….”
“You!”
“Two…”
“Shut it, idiot, we’re starting.”
“One…”
“… You’re the idiot, idio-“
“Action!”
The music blared. The studio lights flashed on. And Ryo found himself staring into the beady eyes of two hundred restless, giggling, wide-eyed women.
The talk-show host smiled at him from the other set couch, smile a bit too forced, make-up on a bit too thick. “Welcome back to Sunrise. We’re here with Nishikido Ryo and Tatsuya Ueda, two very talented Johnny’s singers. Ueda here is from KAT-TUN, the newest group to debut, very hot right now, despite the fact that their lead man is off studying in America. And Nishikido, next to him, is a very popular singer from…”
“NewS,” Ryo supplied, resisting the urge to scowl. The woman’s smile flickered.
“Yes. That’s right.” She turned back to the audience. “And they have a secret to tell us, right, girls?”
The audience broke out into cheers. Ryo glanced at Ueda, who smiled steadily into the crowd, eyes blank.
The woman turned back to them. “Would you like to tell it yourselves, then?”
Neither responded. She continued to watch them bug-eyed for a moment, then cried with forced-jocularity: “Well, I’m sure you all know the story anyway. So, tell me. Were you afraid at all? *For your careers, and for your lives, after the truth came out?”
Ueda smiled, after a slight hesitation. “Well, I box, so that’s not really a concern to me, and Ryo has Massu and Tegoshi to protect him, so… not really for our lives.” His smile didn’t falter as Ryo carefully and deliberately stomped on his foot. “But our careers, of course. This getting out… We could be fired for something like this.”
“And was it hard, keeping it a secret? Ryo?”
Shit. “Well, yes… In this day and age… of course. We were constantly debating between ourselves on… whether it would be the right thing, what with… the current political climate and all, if we should…”
“We didn’t know what people would think,” cut in Ueda smoothly, and Ryo glanced at him, surprised. “We didn’t know if this would cause people to stop buying our music, if it would cause people to think of us differently, we didn’t know if it would wreck our careers. And yet, we both agreed that it was wrong to keep it a secret, morally and emotionally. However, we hadn’t agreed on anything before that day. But…” He glanced down at his hands the same way he had in Johnny’s office, same soft smile on his face. “Ryo just… couldn’t keep it to himself.” He glanced out at Ryo out of the corner of his eye, a breathless kind of innocence on his face.
There was a visible intake of breath throughout the studio, and the slightest smirk crossed Ueda’s face, vanishing as quickly as it had come. He ducked his head as if utterly shy, and Ryo grudgingly gave him credit-he was a damn good actor. The host herself seemed slightly short of breath, but she recovered quickly.
“And… your bandmates? How have they taken the news?”
”Everyone’s really supportive,” Ryo said quickly. He would not let Ueda beat him at this. “Tegoshi was kind of angry that we kept it a secret from him, but Shige just kind of laughed and told us how obvious it was.”
”Same for me,” Ueda said, nodding vigorously. “Kame told me that they’d known for months, and Ju- Maru, Maru told me that they’d be with me, no matter what.” He ignored the slight falter, smiling brightly. Ryo wondered, but didn’t question.
“Um… good, good. And your fanbase is strong as ever?”
”Of course,” Ryo nodded. “It’s actually increased profits, our going public. People seem to like it.”
“Of course they do, Ryo!” cried Ueda, pushing him playfully. “We’re in love, what wouldn’t people like about that? Two people, happy together… It’s wonderful.” He leaned his head against Ryo’s shoulder, grabbing his arm and grinning widely at the camera.
Damn. He’s good…
As Ryo inwardly scowled and outwardly smiled fondly, the hostess looked flustered at the display of affection, and the audience collectively swooned. As the hostess quickly told the viewing audience at home that coming up soon would be a woman who found a potato shaped exactly like Tony Blair, so don’t touch that dial!, Ryo glanced down at Ueda, who very quickly stuck his tongue out at him. “I win,” he mouthed, and Ryo wondered how much trouble he would get in if he punched him out right here on camera.
*
“Oh, look, a complimentary fruit basket. Do you want it?”
Ryo glanced up. “Yes, of course, I could always use more half-rotten apples around the house. No, keep it for yourself.”
Ueda shrugged and dumped it in the dressing-room garbage can, tossing the basket off to the back. He went back to the mirror, softly humming Gackt songs to himself as he combed through his hair.
Ryo stared at him for a moment. Should he comment? No, too easy, he finally decided, and contented himself with slamming down onto the couch, crossing his legs on the table and folding his arms over his chest, staring at the wall. Ueda glanced back at him.
“I thought you were leaving,” he said, disappointed. Ryo raised an eyebrow, and he shrugged, going back to his mirror.
Neither spoke for a moment. Then: “What the hell was that out there?”
Ueda didn’t turn around this time. “Well, Johnny said to play it up. I played it up.”
He called that ‘playing it up?’ He was practically snogging him on camera. “But after last week’s… incident, it seemed like you think, I dunno, that time I look at you, God kills a kitten, or something. I mean, really, princess, from ‘I’ll fucking kill you’ to ‘oh my god, Ryo, I love you so much’ in the span of eight days….” He cocked his head to one side. “One has to wonder.”
Ueda laughed slightly. “Don’t worry. I’d have to be desperate to fall in love with you, and I’m not quite that far yet. Besides, I-“
”Yes, I know, you have Junnosuke. I believe there’s one little old man in Hawaii who hasn’t heard that you and Junnosuke fondle each other regularly. Amazingly enough, the rest of us have heard it more than enough, and don’t give a shit.”
“Whatever.” He turned to stare at Ryo. “If the fans are idiotic enough to believe what happened out there was real, they deserve to be tricked.” He turned back to examine his reflection, plucking a bit worriedly at a stray hair.
“Sure, princess,” muttered Ryo, glancing up at the ceiling.
The silence returned for a blessed moment. Then: “Princess, I think you’ve spent just a bit too long on your hair.”
“Just because you bathe once a year doesn’t mean the rest of us have to neglect personal hygiene.” Nonetheless, he rose from the stool, tossing the brush down and gathering his things. Ryo watched him disinterestedly for a moment, before returning to the very interesting spot on the wall he had been examining before. Once again, the silence stretched, and Ryo resisted the urge to say something that would get him hit.
“I’m leaving,” Ueda announced finally, and Ryo nodded, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling and refusing to look at him. Ueda watched him for a moment, then shrugged and made his way to the door.
Just as he was leaving, Ryo called (and he shouldn’t have, but it was just too tempting): “Bye, princess. I love you.” Voice cold, half-mocking, and he would wonder later if this was the point when he went completely crazy.
Because Ueda stopped then, like he had that dark night seven days ago.
And he turned back to stare at Ryo, a look of anger-amusement-something more in his eyes.
And he slowly took one-two-three steps forward, until he leaned down over the couch, hair falling into Ryo’s face, face thoughtful.
And his hand reached out, grabbing the back of his neck.
And he softly whispered: “I told you-don’t say that to me.”
And he pulled Ryo’s head forward, and their lips met, and it hit Ryo in a flash, as he attempted to pull away, as he attempted to scream that Ueda had a boyfriend, that Ueda was crazy, that Ueda had better get the fuck away from him.
The bastard was mocking him.
And that was the worst part of the whole thing, that and the fact that the tiniest part of him cried out as Ueda finally released him, the only thing in his eyes contempt, the only thing on his face a slight, amused smile.
“Bye, Ryo,” he said softly, strolling out the door and letting it slam shut behind him.
There was silence for a moment.
Then: “Fuck. Not again.”
Ryo looked up at the ceiling.
The footsteps in the hall faded away.
He was alone.
*
Coming soon: Ueda becomes familiar with Newton’s Third Law, Yamap contemplates manslaughter, and Maru is thoroughly angst-ridden.
Notes for the Informed and Wise
+Kame/Koki= OTP. Or... not. Not. Yeah.
+Sorry I keep making the fangirls rabid and creepy. I like the fangirls, really. I’ve been known to fangirl occasionally (i.e.; every single moment of my entire existence.)
+…Sorry, Junda shippers. *hides* Junno gets love next chapter, promise.
+Kiss- good or bad?
+Next chapter out sometime next week. Sorry, finals, I'll actually have to pay attention in class instead of write Japanese boy band slash. :(
+Ryo didn't want any ice cream in this chapter, as I teased in the last one. Sorry.
Feedback feeds my soul.