Without You is How I Disappear - Chapter 2 (Part 1)
Title: Without You is How I Disappear
Authors: superhero0008, carboncastel, cascadingmerrygoround @ Tumblr
Pairing: Akame, MaruDa, RyoDa (plus others)
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance, Drama, Smut
Disclaimer: We own no one in this fic except some minor OC. We own the plot.
Summary: World of Johnny’s Entertainment is burning with glitz and glamour. At the very top is Crimson Glory, the famous pop duo made up of the incredibly charismatic Kamenashi Kazuya and the enthralling Ueda Tatsuya. They are alike in that they follow where their hearts take them. Akanishi Jin is a solo artist who just recently debuted, slowly working his way to the top. Nishikido Ryo is an actor, and he goes for what he wants. Nakamaru Yuichi is the agency’s official photographer, and he’s happy with what he has. And Johnny Kitagawa. He doesn't make it easy for any of them. Well, except for his favorites, Shirota Yuu and Taguchi Junnosuke, and most especially, Kamenashi. What is true and what is false in this industry of illusions? What will they hold onto and what should they let go of?
A/N: superhero0008 here again posting, but probably carboncastel is going to be the one to reply to comments! Thanks and please do enjoy this chapter! :]
Without You is How I Disappear
Chapter 2
“The driver reported how drunk you were last night,” Johnny said pointedly, and Kame’s heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the floor.
He was summoned to the president’s office as soon as he arrived at the agency this morning, and it wasn’t exactly difficult to guess why. He only wished that Johnny was angry solely about him being drunk last night. Not about being seen in public kissing a guy.
Kame fidgeted in his wooden seat nervously, avoiding Johnny’s demanding gaze.
“So?” the old man sat back in his large black, cushioned chair and put his arms across his chest. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Kame stole a quick look at Johnny, to see if he looked angry. Johnny didn’t look angry. He didn’t look like anything, and through the years that Kame has known the man, this unreadability was rather bad news. Kame then looked back down.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a bare whisper.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of Johnny. It was more of he didn’t want Johnny to get mad at him. Johnny Kitagawa was his boss, but then he was also someone that Kame looked up to for guidance and advice. He was basically the one who took Kame out of that orphanage and set him upon the career track that had led to the comfortable life that he was enjoying now.
There were a few more minutes (or maybe they were seconds that just seemed to last an eternity) of excruciating silence, and Kame felt himself being measured up. It seemed that the boss was not satisfied with just an apology. Kame steeled himself and braved a look into Johnny’s face. He was relieved to see that the tension on the old man’s face had disappeared, and it gave him the courage to speak up.
“I understand why you’re mad,” he started tentatively. “It won’t happen again. After all, I can take care of myself - ”
“You cannot.”
Johnny spoke in that simple tone of his, and yet the message seemed so vehemently driven that Kame recoiled a little.
“You cannot take care of yourself, and you have proven it with your irresponsible actions last night.”
When the old man spoke so plainly as that, Kame knew him enough to know that this was his version of an outburst, and Kame was a little ticked off by this, but kept his mouth firmly shut.
“I don’t think you understand the danger you put yourself in,” Johnny continued, surveying the young man. “What if somebody took advantage of you?”
Kame looked up suddenly, fear coursing through his veins. Did Johnny somehow know about that kiss he had shared with Jin? But nothing was betrayed by the cold hard lines on his boss’s face.
“And besides,” and the old man’s face softened somewhat. “What would your parents think of such behavior?”
At this, Kame sighed. He barely remembers his parents. Not that he wasn’t looking. He wanted to know what happened, why he ended up in an orphanage, and sure enough, he wanted to be a scandal-free idol if the day that he met his parents should come.
Kame was about to reply a promise to be more careful in the future because he wanted to be ready for when he finds his parents (or maybe what’s left of them, he didn’t want to think that way but he really didn’t know), when the door burst open without so much as a knock and in came, to Kame’s utter disdain, Taguchi Junnosuke in all his tall, catwalk-swagger glory.
“Boss,” the idol casually greeted Johnny with a gleaming smile. “Ara-chan said you wanted to talk to me?”
The president looked at him, emotionless as ever, and for a moment Kame was thankful because he thought Johnny was going to reprimand Taguchi for barging in. But then Johnny merely motioned for the actor to have a seat. Kame looked daggers at the taller man who merely smiled back annoyingly as he sat down.
“I read the draft for your proposed tour,” Johnny began seriously, and Kame couldn’t really be less interested.
He didn’t understand why Johnny would discuss this in front of him at all, when usually Kame’s own projects were discussed in confidentiality. “You must understand that, in this agency, tours are hosted usually for singers, and it is uncommon for actors such as yourself to hold tours on such a grand scale, but I think your proposal is good. We’re going to give it a try - ”
Kame’s head snapped in Johnny’s direction, incredulity ringing in his head. Had Johnny just granted Taguchi Junnosuke a tour without so much as a “Do you understand the cost-benefit proportions of this?” argument? Kame glanced at Taguchi and was met yet again with an annoying fake grin.
“Thank you, Boss!” the actor exclaimed excitedly, although Kame could tell he was quite expecting that exact answer from Johnny. “I was thinking maybe we could bring a couple of Juniors for - ”
“Excuse me.”
Kame spoke in a tone that defied all the politeness his sentence attempted to convey.
“If I’m not needed for anything at this point, I’ll be going now.”
He rose from his seat as he addressed Johnny. The old man returned his gaze with a weird look, like Johnny was suddenly sorry for him or something. He didn’t understand.
“Yes, you may go,” Johnny said in his calm old voice.
“Bye, Kame-chan~!” he heard Taguchi say in a repulsive singsong tune, but Kame didn’t spare a glance, walking out of the room without ado.
Kame made his way to the set of the PV shoot, fuming inwardly. What right did that Taguchi have to act so flippant* towards the president? Nobody, not even Kame, was allowed to treat the old boss that way. He fleetingly wondered what Taguchi might have done to get on Johnny’s “good” side, and his mind reluctantly remembered rumors about Johnny asking for sexual favors from his talents.
Those rumors came out when Crimson Glory was just about to debut, and Kame was scared as shit. But then, a few years later, Kame found Johnny to be safe. Sure, the special treatment Johnny sometimes gave Kame, like said transportation service after a night out, sometimes creeped Kame out, but he had always considered them genial and nothing more. Seeing how Johnny tolerated Taguchi, though…
Kame shivered and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind.
oOo
Jin was a little distracted at work that day. Well, more than a little, actually.
From across the table, the interviewer from a well-known idol magazine smiled at him through her spectacles, “So, Akanishi-kun, is there anyone you like right now?”
Jin opened his mouth to speak a prepared reply, but paused midway. Suddenly, he realized he didn’t have an answer. While it had always been easy to deliver his standard statement of “No, I don’t have anyone I like,” this time, well, Jin wasn’t quite sure that it still held true.
He had been fairly drunk last night, but he could recall perfectly what happened and what he did. More importantly, this time he remembered with whom he had done it. He had to admit that he had a tendency to make out with random strangers when intoxicated, but last night was… different.
Jin had never really given much thought about his relationship with Kame. They met as fellow talents at the agency, and eventually became good friends. Kame, who was already well-established at that time, was kind enough to occasionally offer professional advice and help with Jin’s on the rise career, and who was Jin to turn down the help of such an artist who practically defined success?
Even so, he thought amusedly that Kamenashi’s support was superfluous. There had been a time that he felt like he was beneficiary to the younger man’s charity work, and Jin was sure he didn’t need that. But then, Jin found that he liked being in Kame’s company more so than others.
Jin enjoyed Kame’s friendship. Last night’s kiss, though… It was not the act itself that bothered him (god knows how many people he’d dared kiss in his lifetime), but the fact that he enjoyed it… enough to actually remember at all. Jin smirked a little, remembering the feel of those soft pliant lips, and that hot little tongue gliding over his own -
“Excuse me?” said the interviewer, still smiling.
It was only then that Jin realized that he had spaced out.
“Sorry,” replied Jin, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “I was up late last night writing lyrics,” and Jin added, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry, what was the question again?”
The lady was positively grinning now, “I asked if there was anyone you liked, Akanishi-kun.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, sadly there’s no one at the moment.”
Jin tried his best to look the part of someone who was sad to be single.
“Right,” replied the lady, smile not fading from her face.
Jin groaned inwardly. The magazine was sure to capitalize on his hesitation upon answering that question and invent some sort of theory. He could just imagine the article title ‘Akanishi Jin, Secretly in Love?’
“Thank you so much for your time, Akanishi-kun!” the interviewer finally bowed to him.
“Are we done?” asked Jin, a little snappishly.
“Yes, the interview is concluded - ”
Jin immediately stood up, bowed to her and made a quick exit before any of the staff could stop him.
oOo
The studio was at its busiest with the staff for the PV working to be able to finish the scenes for the deadline. The crew was adjusting the lighting and the set for the dance sequence scheduled to be shot that afternoon.
Jin was left awkwardly standing at the door, not really knowing what he wanted to do or why he was even there in the first place. He saw Kame standing by in the corner, letting the stylists do a last check on his costume. By chance, the idol glanced over in his direction and their eyes met.
Now, in Kame’s imagination, he thought that his next meeting with Jin would’ve been disastrously awkward on an epic scale. The idol stood frozen, not knowing how to react. He simply watched what the solo artist would do. From the doorway, Jin raised a rather shaky hand in a friendly greeting. Kame relaxed, the tension leaving his previously raised shoulders. That went surprisingly well. If anything, it was really rather anticlimactic.
Kame grinned and thought for a bit. And then he motioned for Jin to come over to where he was.
“Get a hangover?”
Jin’s brows came together in confusion at Kame’s words, “What?”
“Did you get a hangover from last night?” Kame repeated, kicking himself mentally for blurting out an incomplete and somewhat incoherent question. Not to mention flirtatious if taken the wrong way.
“Nah, I’m used to it.”
Jin laughed, dark eyes crinkling with amusement.
“How about you?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” replied Kame.
There was a short silence, because neither of them knew what to say or what they could talk about that was not about last night. Finally, Jin pointed a finger at his friend Ryo, who was currently engrossed in a conversation with Ueda across the set.
“Those two are getting close, aren’t they?” Jin observed with a smile.
“I’ve noticed that as well,” Kame agreed, nodding his head as he followed Jin’s gaze. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”
“Ryo’s probably asking if he could have some glitter too.”
Kame threw his head back and laughed with abandon, his brown hair falling into his eyes. Jin watched this childlike side to the idol, utterly fascinated to have a glimpse of the person behind the lacqusered image.
“Nishikido-san in glitter? I’d pay to see that,” said Kame, snorting.
“I’d pay not to see that,” Jin replied immediately.
The idol looked back at Jin, eyes twinkling with amusement. They locked eyes for a moment, and then Jin averted his gaze, suddenly feeling shy. He found that he couldn’t wipe away the grin that was plastered on his face.
oOo
Ryo lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “So, when you look at someone, do you know right away?”
He was sitting at one of the tables along the set. They had been granted a water break from the shoot.
“Know what?” Ueda asked, cocking his head to the side, bemused at the actor’s behavior.
“Do you know if they’re,” Ryo hesitated, having difficulty finding the right words. “If they’re like... that.”
In truth, Ueda already had an idea of what Ryo was hinting at, but the idol was waiting for him to say it out loud.
“What exactly are you talking about?” Ueda asked again. He raised an eyebrow before taking a drink from his water bottle.
“You know. Can you tell right away if they’re, uh, gay?”
Ryo’s voice got so quiet at the last word that Ueda shook his head, smiling.
“Why are you acting so weird?” asked the idol. “You could be a little open-minded about these things.”
“I am open-minded,” replied Ryo, making an emphatic gesture with his hand. “That’s why I’m asking you about it. I’m curious.”
Ueda looked at him and sighed, “Fine. Usually, I can guess pretty easily, but there are also times when I can’t.”
The actor nodded seriously, his brow knitted in concentration.
“Basically, you just said that there are times when you know and times when you don’t know,” Ryo pointed out. “That’s a useless answer.”
Ueda made a noise that sounded like a mix of exasperation and amusement.
“Next question,” Ryo said. “What kind of guys do you like?”
At this, Ueda’s eyes widened.
“ You’re like a reporter for a tabloid newspaper.”
“Aww, come on, tell me!”
“No comment,” replied Ueda firmly. “That’s far too personal.”
“Okay then, tell me this,” Ryo continued, suddenly leaning in closer. “Am I your type?”
Ueda froze. Suddenly, it felt like Ryo was standing too close to him. The idol became aware of details he hadn’t really paid conscious attention to before. It was as if everything sharpened into focus. The way Ryo’s clothes clung to his lean body. Those dark eyes. That confident grin. Ryo’s scent. Of course, Ueda was not completely unaware of how attractive the actor was.
The idol opened his mouth to answer - but what would he say?
Part 2
Authors: superhero0008, carboncastel, cascadingmerrygoround @ Tumblr
Pairing: Akame, MaruDa, RyoDa (plus others)
Rating: NC-17
Genre: AU, Romance, Drama, Smut
Disclaimer: We own no one in this fic except some minor OC. We own the plot.
Summary: World of Johnny’s Entertainment is burning with glitz and glamour. At the very top is Crimson Glory, the famous pop duo made up of the incredibly charismatic Kamenashi Kazuya and the enthralling Ueda Tatsuya. They are alike in that they follow where their hearts take them. Akanishi Jin is a solo artist who just recently debuted, slowly working his way to the top. Nishikido Ryo is an actor, and he goes for what he wants. Nakamaru Yuichi is the agency’s official photographer, and he’s happy with what he has. And Johnny Kitagawa. He doesn't make it easy for any of them. Well, except for his favorites, Shirota Yuu and Taguchi Junnosuke, and most especially, Kamenashi. What is true and what is false in this industry of illusions? What will they hold onto and what should they let go of?
A/N: superhero0008 here again posting, but probably carboncastel is going to be the one to reply to comments! Thanks and please do enjoy this chapter! :]
Without You is How I Disappear
Chapter 2
“The driver reported how drunk you were last night,” Johnny said pointedly, and Kame’s heart hammered in his chest as he stared at the floor.
He was summoned to the president’s office as soon as he arrived at the agency this morning, and it wasn’t exactly difficult to guess why. He only wished that Johnny was angry solely about him being drunk last night. Not about being seen in public kissing a guy.
Kame fidgeted in his wooden seat nervously, avoiding Johnny’s demanding gaze.
“So?” the old man sat back in his large black, cushioned chair and put his arms across his chest. “What do you have to say for yourself?”
Kame stole a quick look at Johnny, to see if he looked angry. Johnny didn’t look angry. He didn’t look like anything, and through the years that Kame has known the man, this unreadability was rather bad news. Kame then looked back down.
“I’m sorry,” he said in a bare whisper.
It wasn’t that he was afraid of Johnny. It was more of he didn’t want Johnny to get mad at him. Johnny Kitagawa was his boss, but then he was also someone that Kame looked up to for guidance and advice. He was basically the one who took Kame out of that orphanage and set him upon the career track that had led to the comfortable life that he was enjoying now.
There were a few more minutes (or maybe they were seconds that just seemed to last an eternity) of excruciating silence, and Kame felt himself being measured up. It seemed that the boss was not satisfied with just an apology. Kame steeled himself and braved a look into Johnny’s face. He was relieved to see that the tension on the old man’s face had disappeared, and it gave him the courage to speak up.
“I understand why you’re mad,” he started tentatively. “It won’t happen again. After all, I can take care of myself - ”
“You cannot.”
Johnny spoke in that simple tone of his, and yet the message seemed so vehemently driven that Kame recoiled a little.
“You cannot take care of yourself, and you have proven it with your irresponsible actions last night.”
When the old man spoke so plainly as that, Kame knew him enough to know that this was his version of an outburst, and Kame was a little ticked off by this, but kept his mouth firmly shut.
“I don’t think you understand the danger you put yourself in,” Johnny continued, surveying the young man. “What if somebody took advantage of you?”
Kame looked up suddenly, fear coursing through his veins. Did Johnny somehow know about that kiss he had shared with Jin? But nothing was betrayed by the cold hard lines on his boss’s face.
“And besides,” and the old man’s face softened somewhat. “What would your parents think of such behavior?”
At this, Kame sighed. He barely remembers his parents. Not that he wasn’t looking. He wanted to know what happened, why he ended up in an orphanage, and sure enough, he wanted to be a scandal-free idol if the day that he met his parents should come.
Kame was about to reply a promise to be more careful in the future because he wanted to be ready for when he finds his parents (or maybe what’s left of them, he didn’t want to think that way but he really didn’t know), when the door burst open without so much as a knock and in came, to Kame’s utter disdain, Taguchi Junnosuke in all his tall, catwalk-swagger glory.
“Boss,” the idol casually greeted Johnny with a gleaming smile. “Ara-chan said you wanted to talk to me?”
The president looked at him, emotionless as ever, and for a moment Kame was thankful because he thought Johnny was going to reprimand Taguchi for barging in. But then Johnny merely motioned for the actor to have a seat. Kame looked daggers at the taller man who merely smiled back annoyingly as he sat down.
“I read the draft for your proposed tour,” Johnny began seriously, and Kame couldn’t really be less interested.
He didn’t understand why Johnny would discuss this in front of him at all, when usually Kame’s own projects were discussed in confidentiality. “You must understand that, in this agency, tours are hosted usually for singers, and it is uncommon for actors such as yourself to hold tours on such a grand scale, but I think your proposal is good. We’re going to give it a try - ”
Kame’s head snapped in Johnny’s direction, incredulity ringing in his head. Had Johnny just granted Taguchi Junnosuke a tour without so much as a “Do you understand the cost-benefit proportions of this?” argument? Kame glanced at Taguchi and was met yet again with an annoying fake grin.
“Thank you, Boss!” the actor exclaimed excitedly, although Kame could tell he was quite expecting that exact answer from Johnny. “I was thinking maybe we could bring a couple of Juniors for - ”
“Excuse me.”
Kame spoke in a tone that defied all the politeness his sentence attempted to convey.
“If I’m not needed for anything at this point, I’ll be going now.”
He rose from his seat as he addressed Johnny. The old man returned his gaze with a weird look, like Johnny was suddenly sorry for him or something. He didn’t understand.
“Yes, you may go,” Johnny said in his calm old voice.
“Bye, Kame-chan~!” he heard Taguchi say in a repulsive singsong tune, but Kame didn’t spare a glance, walking out of the room without ado.
Kame made his way to the set of the PV shoot, fuming inwardly. What right did that Taguchi have to act so flippant* towards the president? Nobody, not even Kame, was allowed to treat the old boss that way. He fleetingly wondered what Taguchi might have done to get on Johnny’s “good” side, and his mind reluctantly remembered rumors about Johnny asking for sexual favors from his talents.
Those rumors came out when Crimson Glory was just about to debut, and Kame was scared as shit. But then, a few years later, Kame found Johnny to be safe. Sure, the special treatment Johnny sometimes gave Kame, like said transportation service after a night out, sometimes creeped Kame out, but he had always considered them genial and nothing more. Seeing how Johnny tolerated Taguchi, though…
Kame shivered and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind.
oOo
Jin was a little distracted at work that day. Well, more than a little, actually.
From across the table, the interviewer from a well-known idol magazine smiled at him through her spectacles, “So, Akanishi-kun, is there anyone you like right now?”
Jin opened his mouth to speak a prepared reply, but paused midway. Suddenly, he realized he didn’t have an answer. While it had always been easy to deliver his standard statement of “No, I don’t have anyone I like,” this time, well, Jin wasn’t quite sure that it still held true.
He had been fairly drunk last night, but he could recall perfectly what happened and what he did. More importantly, this time he remembered with whom he had done it. He had to admit that he had a tendency to make out with random strangers when intoxicated, but last night was… different.
Jin had never really given much thought about his relationship with Kame. They met as fellow talents at the agency, and eventually became good friends. Kame, who was already well-established at that time, was kind enough to occasionally offer professional advice and help with Jin’s on the rise career, and who was Jin to turn down the help of such an artist who practically defined success?
Even so, he thought amusedly that Kamenashi’s support was superfluous. There had been a time that he felt like he was beneficiary to the younger man’s charity work, and Jin was sure he didn’t need that. But then, Jin found that he liked being in Kame’s company more so than others.
Jin enjoyed Kame’s friendship. Last night’s kiss, though… It was not the act itself that bothered him (god knows how many people he’d dared kiss in his lifetime), but the fact that he enjoyed it… enough to actually remember at all. Jin smirked a little, remembering the feel of those soft pliant lips, and that hot little tongue gliding over his own -
“Excuse me?” said the interviewer, still smiling.
It was only then that Jin realized that he had spaced out.
“Sorry,” replied Jin, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. “I was up late last night writing lyrics,” and Jin added, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry, what was the question again?”
The lady was positively grinning now, “I asked if there was anyone you liked, Akanishi-kun.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, sadly there’s no one at the moment.”
Jin tried his best to look the part of someone who was sad to be single.
“Right,” replied the lady, smile not fading from her face.
Jin groaned inwardly. The magazine was sure to capitalize on his hesitation upon answering that question and invent some sort of theory. He could just imagine the article title ‘Akanishi Jin, Secretly in Love?’
“Thank you so much for your time, Akanishi-kun!” the interviewer finally bowed to him.
“Are we done?” asked Jin, a little snappishly.
“Yes, the interview is concluded - ”
Jin immediately stood up, bowed to her and made a quick exit before any of the staff could stop him.
oOo
The studio was at its busiest with the staff for the PV working to be able to finish the scenes for the deadline. The crew was adjusting the lighting and the set for the dance sequence scheduled to be shot that afternoon.
Jin was left awkwardly standing at the door, not really knowing what he wanted to do or why he was even there in the first place. He saw Kame standing by in the corner, letting the stylists do a last check on his costume. By chance, the idol glanced over in his direction and their eyes met.
Now, in Kame’s imagination, he thought that his next meeting with Jin would’ve been disastrously awkward on an epic scale. The idol stood frozen, not knowing how to react. He simply watched what the solo artist would do. From the doorway, Jin raised a rather shaky hand in a friendly greeting. Kame relaxed, the tension leaving his previously raised shoulders. That went surprisingly well. If anything, it was really rather anticlimactic.
Kame grinned and thought for a bit. And then he motioned for Jin to come over to where he was.
“Get a hangover?”
Jin’s brows came together in confusion at Kame’s words, “What?”
“Did you get a hangover from last night?” Kame repeated, kicking himself mentally for blurting out an incomplete and somewhat incoherent question. Not to mention flirtatious if taken the wrong way.
“Nah, I’m used to it.”
Jin laughed, dark eyes crinkling with amusement.
“How about you?”
“I’m fine, thanks,” replied Kame.
There was a short silence, because neither of them knew what to say or what they could talk about that was not about last night. Finally, Jin pointed a finger at his friend Ryo, who was currently engrossed in a conversation with Ueda across the set.
“Those two are getting close, aren’t they?” Jin observed with a smile.
“I’ve noticed that as well,” Kame agreed, nodding his head as he followed Jin’s gaze. “I wonder what they’re talking about.”
“Ryo’s probably asking if he could have some glitter too.”
Kame threw his head back and laughed with abandon, his brown hair falling into his eyes. Jin watched this childlike side to the idol, utterly fascinated to have a glimpse of the person behind the lacqusered image.
“Nishikido-san in glitter? I’d pay to see that,” said Kame, snorting.
“I’d pay not to see that,” Jin replied immediately.
The idol looked back at Jin, eyes twinkling with amusement. They locked eyes for a moment, and then Jin averted his gaze, suddenly feeling shy. He found that he couldn’t wipe away the grin that was plastered on his face.
oOo
Ryo lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “So, when you look at someone, do you know right away?”
He was sitting at one of the tables along the set. They had been granted a water break from the shoot.
“Know what?” Ueda asked, cocking his head to the side, bemused at the actor’s behavior.
“Do you know if they’re,” Ryo hesitated, having difficulty finding the right words. “If they’re like... that.”
In truth, Ueda already had an idea of what Ryo was hinting at, but the idol was waiting for him to say it out loud.
“What exactly are you talking about?” Ueda asked again. He raised an eyebrow before taking a drink from his water bottle.
“You know. Can you tell right away if they’re, uh, gay?”
Ryo’s voice got so quiet at the last word that Ueda shook his head, smiling.
“Why are you acting so weird?” asked the idol. “You could be a little open-minded about these things.”
“I am open-minded,” replied Ryo, making an emphatic gesture with his hand. “That’s why I’m asking you about it. I’m curious.”
Ueda looked at him and sighed, “Fine. Usually, I can guess pretty easily, but there are also times when I can’t.”
The actor nodded seriously, his brow knitted in concentration.
“Basically, you just said that there are times when you know and times when you don’t know,” Ryo pointed out. “That’s a useless answer.”
Ueda made a noise that sounded like a mix of exasperation and amusement.
“Next question,” Ryo said. “What kind of guys do you like?”
At this, Ueda’s eyes widened.
“ You’re like a reporter for a tabloid newspaper.”
“Aww, come on, tell me!”
“No comment,” replied Ueda firmly. “That’s far too personal.”
“Okay then, tell me this,” Ryo continued, suddenly leaning in closer. “Am I your type?”
Ueda froze. Suddenly, it felt like Ryo was standing too close to him. The idol became aware of details he hadn’t really paid conscious attention to before. It was as if everything sharpened into focus. The way Ryo’s clothes clung to his lean body. Those dark eyes. That confident grin. Ryo’s scent. Of course, Ueda was not completely unaware of how attractive the actor was.
The idol opened his mouth to answer - but what would he say?
Part 2