Prompt 1: Hoping for the Best - Team What If
Title: Hoping For the Best
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ya-Ya-Yah gen, maybe a little Yabu/Shoon
Summary: It might've been asking for too much the first time, but Shoon's got to get lucky sometime.
Prompt: Osaka Rainy Blues by Kanjani8
Warnings: None!
Notes: The prompt wasn't exactly fully utilized, but some of the ideas behind it are still in this, I hope.
If Shoon thinks about it, he doesn't know if it was logic or instinct or just plain old pessimism. Logically, it was just made all the more obvious as they grew up. Instinctively, it was when it he and Taiyou were always, always cast as Yabu and Hikaru's backup, not that either Taiyou or Shoon particularly minded, or even begrudged Yabu and Hikaru.
Pessimistically, Shoon is practical and more grounded and maybe too jaded - it's happened before, and their mediocre popularity is no promise of a debut.
The day Ya-ya-yah ceases to be, Shoon is old enough and has been waiting for it long enough that it doesn't come quite as the shock that it seems to come to Hikaru and Yabu and Taiyou.
"Chin up," he tells them all, and he's trying to be encouraging, he really is. Someone's got to be strong in this situation. "It's not the end of the world."
"But it's the end of us," Taiyou, still in shock, reminds him, as if Shoon could ever forget.
Shoon forces a smile on his face, spits out the words, "Just give it a few months, Taiyou-kun."
"What the - Shoon, you - how are you okay with this?" Yabu demands, eyes red and welling up again, though this time out of frustration.
Shoon turns to Yabu and this time, this time he doesn't bother to calm the shake in his voice, the tremble in his lip. "Yabu-kun," he says quietly, and smoothes his hand across Yabu's cheek. "Yabu-kun, you know it's not like that."
Yabu's face crumples and he practically smothers Shoon when he wraps long, gangly limbs around him, head dropping to Shoon's already tear-soaked shoulder. "I just want us to be together," he sniffs, the most emotional Yabu's been in a long, long time and Shoon almost feels like they're children again. Like Yabu's twelve again with a beautiful voice and Shoon wasn't twelve anymore nor did he have a particularly beautiful voice but he still let himself hope. "I thought that we would be, I really did. I thought we had a chance."
Shoon doesn't say anything, but he rubs comforting circles into Yabu's back, threads his fingers through Hikaru's. "We can't go back," he says softly, "but it's okay. We're going to be okay."
They get one last hug in as Ya-ya-yah, and then it's more like one last hug with Shoon because no matter what, he's still the big brother and the one they go to when they need a cry or a kept secret. Hikaru still hasn't stopped crying, and Shoon rubs comforting circles in his back, trying to still the sobs they're all pretending they're not making.
Being stuck in limbo, Shoon discovers, is almost as bad as being in a group that he knew wouldn't last. Almost.
He doesn't begrudge Yabu or Hikaru for having a new group, he doesn't. He knows it's good for them and that's all that matters. This is show business, he tells himself. Joining Johnny's is no guarantee of success until he's debuted and in a group, and even then not quite.
He waves off Hikaru's stammered apologies and pats Yabu's back when he comes to him, eyes downcast, and jokes, "You're starting to make me feel like I'm the one getting a new group, Yabu-kun." Then, quietly - "You're going to do fine." Even quieter, and Shoon says - "Love you, crybaby." He touches his fingers to Yabu's, Hikaru's shoulder and pushes him away because this is something they can't count on him for anymore.
Taiyou calls him from time to time, but the main thing is that Taiyou sounds so much happier now. Shoon doesn't care, so long as Taiyou's happy.
"I'm relieved," Taiyou confesses. "Not exactly how I always imagined it, but relieved. Easier, you know, Shoon? I can, you know, I can do normal stuff now. I even failed a test yesterday!"
Shoon laughs at that, and deems Taiyou okay. "Taiyou-kun, failing a test isn't exactly something to be proud of," he reminds him. "Go study. I'm going to feel guilty if you fail another test or something."
"Okay, okay," Taiyou says, laughing. "Once the big brother, always the big brother, huh? Bye Shoon! Remind Hikaru-kun and Yabu-kun that I miss them."
Shoon hangs up and he's happy for Taiyou, he is. But when he's home alone and there's no one around to , he lets himself be a little bit jealous and then feels bad for thinking it. He even sits down and tries to make a list of all the reasons why he shouldn't be, then crosses it out and makes a list of why he is. He can only come up with one anyways: because there's no more Ya-ya-yah.
It's not even the lonely outfit on the former Ya-ya-yah rack, or the fact that Shoon knows he's already so much older than his fellow Juniors. It's not watching Yabu and Hikaru suddenly hit their stride and grow up and out, Yabu finally getting over that voice problem of his and Hikaru finally growing out of his awkward phase and even Taiyou finally becoming more self-assured and more assertive.
It's not even seeing Reon's excited face at finally getting some airtime, and Shoon trying really hard to bite back the words - don't get your hopes up, little brother because God knows he did. It's not the part where Shoon realizes, with a gripping sense of urgency, that this might not even be a life for him anymore, and he starts studying with the same kind of vigor that he used to show for Ya-ya-yah.
It's none of that, really, he swears - well okay, maybe just a little bit.
Really though, it's the part where there's only about two minutes before he has to go on stage and unconsciously, he turns to his right to whisper a word of luck to Yabu, only to realize that it's actually Hashimoto-kun who blinks at him before whispering it back.
"SHOON," Kawai yells, and Kawai is always yelling his name for some reason or another, and Shoon reckons that he'll just never be free of the big brother image and resigns himself to his fate.
"WHAT," Shoon yells back, letting out an oomph when Kawai skids around the corner and hurls himself at Shoon. "Ow. Hi Kawai-kun."
"Shoon, you're performing with us at the next Shounen Club taping!" Kawai tells him, and Shoon sees Goseki rounding the corner, looking sheepish.
"What?" Shoon says, then goes to find one of the coordinators, Kawai trailing behind him and Goseki trailing behind him, because, really, what?
"Oh, yeah," the schedule coordinator says, tapping at her schedule. "I've got it here. ABC and Yamashita Shoon, right?"
"Uh, right," Shoon says, and he turns back to see Kawai grinning at him and wiggling his eyebrows. "I guess I am," he says lamely, trying to stop the smile from breaking out over his face.
"Time to practice!" Kawai trills, and drags Shoon to the ABC dressing room. Neither Tsukada nor Tottsu even blinks an eye when Shoon is shepherded in by Kawai and Goseki, and Tottsu laughs and returns the gesture when Shoon bows and says, "Please take care of me," still a little dazed.
Shoon gets put with ABC more and more, probably because they're all around the same age, they all get along relatively well, the fans seem to like it well enough, and he appreciates the thought a little. Management can be thoughtful sometimes.
"Hey," Hikaru whispers at him when they're backstage, getting ready for Shounen Club ("Aren't you too old for Shounen Club," Shoon had teased, and Hikaru had answered defiantly, "I am never going to be too old for Shounen Club!"). "Hey, Shoon, isn't that a good thing?"
"What is?" Shoon wants to know, sighing exaggeratedly. "Getting stuck with those idiots?"
"Hey!" Tsukada yelps. "You love us, Shoon-kun! Don't even try to deny it."
"I guess," Shoon stresses, and Hikaru looks at the two of them, a typical Hikaru grin curling his lips.
"Keep up the good work," Hikaru tells Kawai and Goseki seriously, patting their shoulders and shaking their hands and acting like a proud father. "Wouldn't want our precious Shoon-chan feeling lonely."
Kawai and Goseki salute Hikaru immediately, while Shoon splutters, trying to maintain any semblance of dignity he may have once had. "Hey!" he says, frowning. "At least I'm not scared of Okamoto-kun."
When Hikaru blushes and looks murderous, Shoon ducks behind a hysterically laughing Kawai, who asks Hikaru, "Really, Hikaru-kun? Okamoto-kun? The small, quiet, adorable one?"
"Excuse me," Hikaru replies hotly. "The quiet ones are always the dangerous ones, you know! And, you, Shoon," he says, rounding on Shoon, shaking with silent laughter and falling all over Kawai and Goseki. "I don't appreciate you leaking my secret band…secrets!"
Shoon tries to come off as innocent and shocked as his face will still let him. "Hikaru-kun!" He says in mock surprise. "I can't believe you'd ever accuse me of something like that! After all our years together?"
Hikaru levels a finger at Shoon and pokes him in the shoulder. "I'm not falling for that face of yours," he accuses. "You can't trust him, okay," he whispers conspiratorially to Kawai and Goseki. "You think he's so nice and you tell him things and the next thing you know, he's ratting you out."
"I still love you," Shoon tells Hikaru when it's almost time for Hey!Say! JUMP to go on stage, and this time he's only half joking when he says, "even though you have a new favorite."
"Nah," Hikaru says, and nudges Shoon affectionately. "Nah, nothing's ever going to be the same as Ya-ya-yah."
But for both Hikaru and Shoon (and Yabu and Taiyou as well), that's no longer the point. The point now is that they've moved on and it's okay.
When "Yamashita Shoon and ABC" on the programs changes to "ABC+Shoon" to just "ABC," Shoon has been hoping for this long enough that he cries when Kawai attacks him with a hug, Tottsu and Goseki bake him a celebration cake, and Tsukada presses a loud kiss to his cheek. He cries even harder when Hikaru and Yabu and Taiyou on the phone swing by ABC's dressing room to offer their regards.
"Congratulations," Yabu and Hikaru and Taiyou all tell Shoon, completely sincerely.
"You're going to be amazing," Taiyou says, warmth and pride evident even over the phone. "I believe in you, Shoon-kun. I'll buy all your CDs when they come out and tell my friends I know famous people!"
"Now you're their problem," Hikaru tells Shoon, but pulls him into a fierce hug. "See you at the top, alright. You've got a lot of time to make up for."
"I'm so happy for you," Yabu says, smiling when he sees Shoon's tear-streaked face, and rubs circles into the small of Shoon's back. "Love you, crybaby."
Finished reading? Rate this fic!
Poll Team What If - Hoping for the Best
Rating: PG
Pairing: Ya-Ya-Yah gen, maybe a little Yabu/Shoon
Summary: It might've been asking for too much the first time, but Shoon's got to get lucky sometime.
Prompt: Osaka Rainy Blues by Kanjani8
Warnings: None!
Notes: The prompt wasn't exactly fully utilized, but some of the ideas behind it are still in this, I hope.
If Shoon thinks about it, he doesn't know if it was logic or instinct or just plain old pessimism. Logically, it was just made all the more obvious as they grew up. Instinctively, it was when it he and Taiyou were always, always cast as Yabu and Hikaru's backup, not that either Taiyou or Shoon particularly minded, or even begrudged Yabu and Hikaru.
Pessimistically, Shoon is practical and more grounded and maybe too jaded - it's happened before, and their mediocre popularity is no promise of a debut.
The day Ya-ya-yah ceases to be, Shoon is old enough and has been waiting for it long enough that it doesn't come quite as the shock that it seems to come to Hikaru and Yabu and Taiyou.
"Chin up," he tells them all, and he's trying to be encouraging, he really is. Someone's got to be strong in this situation. "It's not the end of the world."
"But it's the end of us," Taiyou, still in shock, reminds him, as if Shoon could ever forget.
Shoon forces a smile on his face, spits out the words, "Just give it a few months, Taiyou-kun."
"What the - Shoon, you - how are you okay with this?" Yabu demands, eyes red and welling up again, though this time out of frustration.
Shoon turns to Yabu and this time, this time he doesn't bother to calm the shake in his voice, the tremble in his lip. "Yabu-kun," he says quietly, and smoothes his hand across Yabu's cheek. "Yabu-kun, you know it's not like that."
Yabu's face crumples and he practically smothers Shoon when he wraps long, gangly limbs around him, head dropping to Shoon's already tear-soaked shoulder. "I just want us to be together," he sniffs, the most emotional Yabu's been in a long, long time and Shoon almost feels like they're children again. Like Yabu's twelve again with a beautiful voice and Shoon wasn't twelve anymore nor did he have a particularly beautiful voice but he still let himself hope. "I thought that we would be, I really did. I thought we had a chance."
Shoon doesn't say anything, but he rubs comforting circles into Yabu's back, threads his fingers through Hikaru's. "We can't go back," he says softly, "but it's okay. We're going to be okay."
They get one last hug in as Ya-ya-yah, and then it's more like one last hug with Shoon because no matter what, he's still the big brother and the one they go to when they need a cry or a kept secret. Hikaru still hasn't stopped crying, and Shoon rubs comforting circles in his back, trying to still the sobs they're all pretending they're not making.
Being stuck in limbo, Shoon discovers, is almost as bad as being in a group that he knew wouldn't last. Almost.
He doesn't begrudge Yabu or Hikaru for having a new group, he doesn't. He knows it's good for them and that's all that matters. This is show business, he tells himself. Joining Johnny's is no guarantee of success until he's debuted and in a group, and even then not quite.
He waves off Hikaru's stammered apologies and pats Yabu's back when he comes to him, eyes downcast, and jokes, "You're starting to make me feel like I'm the one getting a new group, Yabu-kun." Then, quietly - "You're going to do fine." Even quieter, and Shoon says - "Love you, crybaby." He touches his fingers to Yabu's, Hikaru's shoulder and pushes him away because this is something they can't count on him for anymore.
Taiyou calls him from time to time, but the main thing is that Taiyou sounds so much happier now. Shoon doesn't care, so long as Taiyou's happy.
"I'm relieved," Taiyou confesses. "Not exactly how I always imagined it, but relieved. Easier, you know, Shoon? I can, you know, I can do normal stuff now. I even failed a test yesterday!"
Shoon laughs at that, and deems Taiyou okay. "Taiyou-kun, failing a test isn't exactly something to be proud of," he reminds him. "Go study. I'm going to feel guilty if you fail another test or something."
"Okay, okay," Taiyou says, laughing. "Once the big brother, always the big brother, huh? Bye Shoon! Remind Hikaru-kun and Yabu-kun that I miss them."
Shoon hangs up and he's happy for Taiyou, he is. But when he's home alone and there's no one around to , he lets himself be a little bit jealous and then feels bad for thinking it. He even sits down and tries to make a list of all the reasons why he shouldn't be, then crosses it out and makes a list of why he is. He can only come up with one anyways: because there's no more Ya-ya-yah.
It's not even the lonely outfit on the former Ya-ya-yah rack, or the fact that Shoon knows he's already so much older than his fellow Juniors. It's not watching Yabu and Hikaru suddenly hit their stride and grow up and out, Yabu finally getting over that voice problem of his and Hikaru finally growing out of his awkward phase and even Taiyou finally becoming more self-assured and more assertive.
It's not even seeing Reon's excited face at finally getting some airtime, and Shoon trying really hard to bite back the words - don't get your hopes up, little brother because God knows he did. It's not the part where Shoon realizes, with a gripping sense of urgency, that this might not even be a life for him anymore, and he starts studying with the same kind of vigor that he used to show for Ya-ya-yah.
It's none of that, really, he swears - well okay, maybe just a little bit.
Really though, it's the part where there's only about two minutes before he has to go on stage and unconsciously, he turns to his right to whisper a word of luck to Yabu, only to realize that it's actually Hashimoto-kun who blinks at him before whispering it back.
"SHOON," Kawai yells, and Kawai is always yelling his name for some reason or another, and Shoon reckons that he'll just never be free of the big brother image and resigns himself to his fate.
"WHAT," Shoon yells back, letting out an oomph when Kawai skids around the corner and hurls himself at Shoon. "Ow. Hi Kawai-kun."
"Shoon, you're performing with us at the next Shounen Club taping!" Kawai tells him, and Shoon sees Goseki rounding the corner, looking sheepish.
"What?" Shoon says, then goes to find one of the coordinators, Kawai trailing behind him and Goseki trailing behind him, because, really, what?
"Oh, yeah," the schedule coordinator says, tapping at her schedule. "I've got it here. ABC and Yamashita Shoon, right?"
"Uh, right," Shoon says, and he turns back to see Kawai grinning at him and wiggling his eyebrows. "I guess I am," he says lamely, trying to stop the smile from breaking out over his face.
"Time to practice!" Kawai trills, and drags Shoon to the ABC dressing room. Neither Tsukada nor Tottsu even blinks an eye when Shoon is shepherded in by Kawai and Goseki, and Tottsu laughs and returns the gesture when Shoon bows and says, "Please take care of me," still a little dazed.
Shoon gets put with ABC more and more, probably because they're all around the same age, they all get along relatively well, the fans seem to like it well enough, and he appreciates the thought a little. Management can be thoughtful sometimes.
"Hey," Hikaru whispers at him when they're backstage, getting ready for Shounen Club ("Aren't you too old for Shounen Club," Shoon had teased, and Hikaru had answered defiantly, "I am never going to be too old for Shounen Club!"). "Hey, Shoon, isn't that a good thing?"
"What is?" Shoon wants to know, sighing exaggeratedly. "Getting stuck with those idiots?"
"Hey!" Tsukada yelps. "You love us, Shoon-kun! Don't even try to deny it."
"I guess," Shoon stresses, and Hikaru looks at the two of them, a typical Hikaru grin curling his lips.
"Keep up the good work," Hikaru tells Kawai and Goseki seriously, patting their shoulders and shaking their hands and acting like a proud father. "Wouldn't want our precious Shoon-chan feeling lonely."
Kawai and Goseki salute Hikaru immediately, while Shoon splutters, trying to maintain any semblance of dignity he may have once had. "Hey!" he says, frowning. "At least I'm not scared of Okamoto-kun."
When Hikaru blushes and looks murderous, Shoon ducks behind a hysterically laughing Kawai, who asks Hikaru, "Really, Hikaru-kun? Okamoto-kun? The small, quiet, adorable one?"
"Excuse me," Hikaru replies hotly. "The quiet ones are always the dangerous ones, you know! And, you, Shoon," he says, rounding on Shoon, shaking with silent laughter and falling all over Kawai and Goseki. "I don't appreciate you leaking my secret band…secrets!"
Shoon tries to come off as innocent and shocked as his face will still let him. "Hikaru-kun!" He says in mock surprise. "I can't believe you'd ever accuse me of something like that! After all our years together?"
Hikaru levels a finger at Shoon and pokes him in the shoulder. "I'm not falling for that face of yours," he accuses. "You can't trust him, okay," he whispers conspiratorially to Kawai and Goseki. "You think he's so nice and you tell him things and the next thing you know, he's ratting you out."
"I still love you," Shoon tells Hikaru when it's almost time for Hey!Say! JUMP to go on stage, and this time he's only half joking when he says, "even though you have a new favorite."
"Nah," Hikaru says, and nudges Shoon affectionately. "Nah, nothing's ever going to be the same as Ya-ya-yah."
But for both Hikaru and Shoon (and Yabu and Taiyou as well), that's no longer the point. The point now is that they've moved on and it's okay.
When "Yamashita Shoon and ABC" on the programs changes to "ABC+Shoon" to just "ABC," Shoon has been hoping for this long enough that he cries when Kawai attacks him with a hug, Tottsu and Goseki bake him a celebration cake, and Tsukada presses a loud kiss to his cheek. He cries even harder when Hikaru and Yabu and Taiyou on the phone swing by ABC's dressing room to offer their regards.
"Congratulations," Yabu and Hikaru and Taiyou all tell Shoon, completely sincerely.
"You're going to be amazing," Taiyou says, warmth and pride evident even over the phone. "I believe in you, Shoon-kun. I'll buy all your CDs when they come out and tell my friends I know famous people!"
"Now you're their problem," Hikaru tells Shoon, but pulls him into a fierce hug. "See you at the top, alright. You've got a lot of time to make up for."
"I'm so happy for you," Yabu says, smiling when he sees Shoon's tear-streaked face, and rubs circles into the small of Shoon's back. "Love you, crybaby."
Finished reading? Rate this fic!
Poll Team What If - Hoping for the Best