[one-shot] Hoping to Find [Chiitaro]
Title: Hoping to Find
Author: aishi~
Fandom: Hey! Say! JUMP, various juniors
Pairing: Ryutaro-centric. glimpses of Takabu, Hikainoo, Yamajima, TaigaxCasey, AsakaxDaiki, Yamabu, Kikujima[FumaxKento], ShoonxTaiyou. and EVENTUALLY, Chiitaro.
Genre: fluff-different kinds of it. an angst-ish part. pretty much romance.
Rating: PG
Warning: suck-ish. desperately done in a hurry.long-ish
Notes: some lines are taken from the song “Hoping to Find” by Kristy Lee Cook. i like her. 8D she’s such a great singer. :DDD so this is pretty much a songfic, but the lines from the song aren’t obvious until you hear or know the song itself [except for the end part, maybe]. XD it’s a nice song. 8DDD plus, i was desperate to finish this. =3=” bear with me.
*Other Notes: i seriously need a chiitaro icon…oh, oh! and this is my very first chiitaro fic. X3 so yeah. ryutaro seme-ish…though chinen is STILL seme~! he pwns over ryutaro so bad~! *shotshotshot* keibai~
It doesn’t make sense, he thinks. So he goes to ask other people about it.
“Ne, Yabu-kun.” He approaches the eldest member of JUMP, thinking that he may have the most experience out of everyone anyway.
Yabu looks up from their schedule when he hears a familiar voice call his name. He smiles. “Ryutaro, do you need anything?”
The youngest nods hesitantly, forming the question in his head. “W-What’s love like?” he asks a bit shyly.
Yabu’s eyes widen in surprise. He looks thoughtful for a moment before patting the seat next to him on the couch. Ryutaro sits down and waits. “Well…” Yabu answers. “It comes along when you least expect it. And when it did come to me, it feels just like how I imagined it.”
Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Takaki butts in, leaning on the back of the couch. “It sounds so good, ne?” he says. “Just like it would if that were me.”
Yabu looks up at the other member and gave him a small smile. “Yeah..?”
Takaki leans down and kisses Yabu’s hair softly. “But,” Takaki continues. “I’ve already found it.”
If that were me…
Ryutaro sighs. He sees Inoo on the couch, looking like he’s studying. Inoo’s smart. Maybe his answers would make more sense.
As he approaches Inoo, he says, “I’m sorry for disturbing you.”
Inoo looks up, glasses sliding down a little on the bridge of his nose. He places a bookmark on his textbook. “It’s okay. What is it?”
“I was wondering…”
“Hm?”
“What’s love for you like?”
Inoo beams at the question, and Ryutaro thinks that Inoo must be really happy. Before Inoo could answer, someone else does so. “It’s like there’re shooting stars every night.”
Inoo didn’t need to look up to know who spoke. “True.” Inoo adds, “’Cause who wouldn’t want stars shooting in the night?”
“You feel the same way that Inoo-chan does, Hikaru-kun?”
Hikaru sits down on the foldable chair next to Inoo’s, a grin plastered on his face. “Of course.” He holds onto Inoo’s hand. “It also feels like fireworks in your hands.”
Ryutaro’s eyes widen. Inoo gives off a soft laugh. “No, no,” the older boy adds. “It’s a good thing. It’s like when you hold hands, it gives off a feeling of fireworks. Sparks. A good kind.”
Hikaru adds, “A shower of meteorites.” He gets a soft flick on the forehead.
“Stop confusing Ryutaro.”
Ryutaro’s eyebrows furrow. He nods slowly, understanding only a bit.
Again, Ryutaro walks around, still thinking about it. Why did it have to be this messed up?
He notices a familiar figure by the vending machines. He guesses that that’ll be his next target.
“Yama-chan,” he calls out.
The other boy, just as he inserts the coin he was holding into the machine, turns around. He gives a curious look, but smiles, nonetheless. “Hey.”
He sits down on the bench in front of the vending machine. “Yama-chan, can I ask you something?”
Yamada presses the numbers on the machine. “Sure.”
“What’s love like to you?”
A can of strawberry soda falls from the machine. Yamada turns to look at Ryutaro with wide eyes. “Eh?” Slowly, he turns back to the machine and picks up the can below. He sits down beside the younger. “What made you ask that?”
Ryutaro shrugs. “I’m just curious.”
Yamada smiles as he opens the can he is holding. “I don’t know.” He takes a sip. “But I think the moment you fall…I mean, right when it hits, you’d know eventually.”
A pair of arms wraps around Yamada’s shoulders, and his smile becomes wider-brighter. Ryutaro notices. Yamada needn’t look up to know who it is. “Ne, Yuto.”
Yuto doesn’t let go. Instead, he places his chin gently on Yamada’s head. “Watcha doin’?” Yamada chuckles, making Yuto lift his head up. He sits beside the older boy on the bench.
Ryutaro asks, “When do you think you’re in love, Yuto-kun?”
Yuto furrows his eyebrows. “Eh?” He turns to Yamada who just nods with a smile, urging Yuto for an answer. “I…Well…It’s…” Ryutaro tilts his head, expecting. Yuto gives a smile and continues, “When love lays its very first sweet touch right on your lips.”
Yamada beams and Yuto wraps an arm around his shoulder. The two of them can really be sappy sometimes, Ryutaro thinks. On the other hand, they seem really happy.
Ryutaro sighs for the umpteenth time that day. He heads to the juniors’ dressing room, a place he usually goes to. He may have debuted, but he still likes hanging around there. There, he spots Taiga chatting with Casey. Taiga seems to be beaming at what Casey said. Ryutaro decides to approach them.
“Kyomo-chan. Anderson,” he greets. The two juniors turn to him.
“Ne, Ryutaro,” Taiga greets back.
“Hi, Morimoto-kun,” Casey says after.
“Did I interrupt anything? Sorry.”
Taiga shakes his head, still smiling. “No. It’s fine.”
“Kyomo-chan and I were just planning stuff. That’s all,” Casey adds.
“Ah. I heard you two got together.”
A blush creeps across Taiga’s cheeks. Casey wraps an arm around Ryutaro’s shoulder. “So how have you been? Found anyone you’re interested in?”
Ryutaro sighs. “No.”
Casey and Taiga stand shocked. “Eh? Really?” Casey asks.
Ryutaro nods. Taiga gives a small smile. “Don’t worry, ne. You’ll find someone.”
“What’s it like for the two of you?”
Casey removes his hand from Ryutaro’s shoulders. He turns to Taiga, who just looks at him expectantly. Casey thinks before answering, “Something that lights up in the sky.”
Taiga face palms. “You should stop your psychological way of talking.”
“What?” Casey replies. “I’m merely stating what I think.”
“And what exactly is that?”
“It’s like you’re a star.” Taiga raises an eyebrow. “You light up my night sky.”
Taiga throws a random pen cap at Casey. “Sap.” He grins.
“And you love me for that.”
Taiga rolls his eyes. “Of course.”
By Ryutaro’s observation, he just got more confused. He decides to leave the two. Then he sees Daiki in one corner, talking to Shoon. He doesn’t know why, but he approaches them too.
“Dai-chan.”
“Ah. Ryutaro.” Daiki’s smile is gentle. “What’s up?”
“Hey, Ryutaro,” Shoon greets.
Ryutaro gives Shoon a small smile before saying, “I’m confused.”
The two older boys exchange glances before turning back to the younger. “With what?” Daiki asks. “Need help with homework?”
Ryutaro shakes his head. “What’s love like?”
Shoon gapes at the question which came from a ‘kid’. Daiki merely chuckles. “Why do you want to know, huh?”
“Like I said, I’m confused,” Ryutaro merely answers. “Opinions, opinions.”
Shoon leans down a bit closer to Ryutaro. “Remember when Yabu and I got together?” Ryutaro nods. “Well I was so happy that nothing else in the world mattered.”
“Say,” Daiki butts in. “What made you two break-up anyway?”
“We decided that it’s for the best. It’s hard since he debuted.” Shoon gives a small smile. “We remained friends, though.”
“Which is a good thing,” Daiki comments.
“What about Dai-chan?” Ryutaro asks.
“After all these years, Asaka and I still meet up once in awhile. If we couldn’t, he’d call me up or I’d be the one to call him.” Ryutaro tries to let the older member’s words sink in. He nods. Daiki continues, “Love slows down time.” Ryutaro tilts his head in confusion.
Shoon gives a soft laugh. “He means when you’re together with the person you like, time doesn’t seem to matter anymore.”
Daiki nods. “It’s like we don’t want that moment to end.” He sighs. “It all seems so easy when we were all still juniors, ne?” Shoon merely nods, sadness evident in his eyes, but disappears quickly that Ryutaro isn’t sure whether it was there in the first place. Ryutaro figures that it was.
Walking back to their own dressing room, Ryutaro mumbles incoherent words along the lines of how he hasn’t found the answer he actually understood. He passes by the hallways and notices something. Is that…?
“Kento-kun,” someone starts. Slowly, careful not to make any noise, Ryutaro creeps closer. He doesn’t mean to be eavesdropping. He was just…curious. At least, that’s what he told himself.
“Fuma..?”
“I...I like you.”
…A confession scene.
Ryutaro notices a bright smile gracing Kento’s lips. “I like you, too.”
Fuma looks up from the floor, eyes wide in surprise. “Y-You do..?”
Kento nods, giving Fuma a hug. Fuma blinks-once, twice-before smiling and hugging the other back.
Ryutaro continues on to JUMP’s dressing room. I’m doing alright without it, he thinks. Not spending my time trying to find it. And sometimes I let on like I don’t need it. But I won’t lie… He looks around; it seems like almost everyone has someone they like-love. He enters their dressing room. Sighing, he plops down on the couch. It’d be nice to be in…
“Ryu-chan?”
Ryutaro looks up from his position on the couch. He turns to the door where the person who called him stands. He just stares at first, waiting for the other to continue. When the other doesn't, he asks, “What?”
The other gives a small smile and shakes his head. “Nothing.” He bounces over to the couch and sits next to Ryutaro. “What’s up?”
Ryutaro sighs. “Chinen-kun, I’m confused.”
“I heard.” The other merely smiles. “You’ve been asking around.”
“Who told you?”
“People.” Chinen laughs a little. “But don’t worry. You’re getting to that stage. You just might be a little late. That’s all.”
“Hey!” Ryutaro retorts, but knows the other was only teasing. “I’m not late!”
“Believe what you want.”
There is silence before Ryutaro breaks it. “What’s up with everyone, anyway?”
“What do you mean?” Chinen tilts his head to the side.
“Everyone today seems…sappy.”
Chinen laughs again. “You don’t know?” he asks. “It’s the annual ‘Sap Day’.”
“What the…”
“I’m kidding.” Chinen adds. “I’m not really sure, but I heard there’ll be shooting stars tonight. They say it’s the right time to confess to the person you like, and watch it together. Couples who do usually end up together for a long time, maybe.”
“Isn’t that from…”
“No, it’s not from Scrap Teacher. I actually forgot about that already.”
Ryutaro looks thoughtful for awhile before nodding. He continues to look back at nothing when Chinen interrupts his train of thought again. “Ne, Ryu-chan.”
“Hm?” Ryutaro doesn’t look.
“Let’s watch the stars tonight, too.”
That made Ryutaro look. “Eh?”
“Well, people are going. And I don’t have anything better to do tonight,” Chinen says. “If you don’t want to, then you don’t have to. It was only a suggestion.”
Ryutaro turns to look at nothing again, a smile forming his lips. “Nah, it’s okay. Let’s go.”
That night, after practice and after they had eaten dinner at some place, Ryutaro and Chinen head to watch the stars. More likely, Ryutaro follows behind as Chinen skips ahead. Chinen comes to a halt, and so did Ryutaro. They stop on a hill, a good view of Tokyo right below them, city lights shining like stars on the ground. Chinen bounces over under the tree and drops his bag there. Ryutaro follows Chinen’s pattern and sits down beside the older boy on the grass after.
Chinen lifts his arm up to check his watch. 9:30. Ryutaro leans back on his arms and steals a glance at Chinen. The other boy has his arms wrapped around his legs, and is staring at the dark sky. Only a few stars are out, Ryutaro notices.
“Look!” Chinen suddenly says, pointing to the dark evening sky. Ryutaro shoots his head up. A beam of moving light. “We made it just in time,” Chinen adds.
‘Cause who wouldn’t want stars shooting in the sky.
The stars continue to fall with people in different places watching. At the park, Inoo leans his head on Hikaru’s shoulder as they sit on one of the benches. Yamada has his head on Yuto’s lap as they both stare at the glittering night sky. Yabu and Takaki have a good view of the shooting stars from their seats in a Tokyo district coffee shop. Daiki spots a star and points to it as he walks home with Asaka. Shoon sighs as he watches from the balcony of his room; he later receives a text from Taiyou, asking if he is also watching the shooting stars tonight. Casey has his arms wrapped around Taiga’s waist as they sit on a coast of the beach with a perfect view of both the ocean and the sky. Coincidentally, Kento shyly holds onto Fuma’s hand as they walk by the shores of the same beach, glancing up once in awhile to catch a glimpse of the stars.
Chinen leans back on his arms, a smile gracing his lips. As Ryutaro leans back on his, he accidentally brushes his fingers with Chinen’s.
Fireworks in your hands.
Sparks.
He remembers what Hikaru and Inoo were telling him that morning.
Ryutaro suddenly moves away, to Chinen’s surprise.
“What’s wrong, Ryu-chan?”
“N-Nothing.” He settles on wrapping his arms around his legs.
A shower of meteorites.
Soon, more stars begin falling. The night sky is lit up beautifully, contrasting to the city lights down below. The lights from the shooting stars seem to look brighter now. The stars seem to look like they’re playing a harmless game of tag-star after star.
Chinen sighs in contentment. “It’s really pretty, ne?”
Ryutaro nods. He realizes that Chinen doesn’t see, so he settles for, “Yeah.”
The moment you fall, I mean right when it hits.
After a comfortable silence, Ryutaro manages to sneak a glance at Chinen. The other has a content smile gracing his lips as he watches the shower of stars. Ryuataro tilts his head as he continues to stare. Chinen doesn’t notice.
Slowly, Ryutaro moves closer and places his hand on top of Chinen’s. The other’s smile merely becomes wider, but still doesn’t look. Ryutaro slowly lifts his other hand and carefully places it on Chinen’s cheek. Gently, he turns the other’s face around to face him. On instinct-though Ryutaro isn’t sure why exactly-he gently places his lips on Chinen’s. Chinen’s eyes widen, though he slowly leans in to the kiss after.
When love lays its very first sweet touch right on your lips.
At that moment-he remembers what Yuto said-Ryutaro realizes that he is in love.
He pulls away from Chinen, and slowly gazes into the other’s dark brown eyes. His hand never left the other’s. “Ch-Chinen-kun…”
“I love you.”
Ryutaro moves back a little. “W-What?”
Chinen looks down on the grass, tightening his grip on Ryutaro’s hand. “I love you, Ryu-chan.”
“I…” Ryutaro stutters a bit. “I love you, too.”
Something that lights up in the sky.
Just like what Casey had said earlier, something did light up-too brightly to be stars-in the sky. It makes the two boys look up in an instant. Different colors tinted the black evening sky, splashing onto it like paint on canvas.
“Oh right,” Chinen says, smiling again. “Tonight’s the fireworks festival, too.”
Ryutaro turns back to Chinen, giving him another soft peck on the lips. “You light up my night sky.”
Chinen chuckles. “You got that from Anderson, didn’t you?”
Ryutaro shrugs. “Well, it was worth a try.”
Chinen moves closer to Ryutaro, their hands still intertwined, and leans his head on Ryutaro’s shoulder. “It sounds cuter when you say it.”
Ryutaro doesn’t reply with anything, but just leans his head on Chinen’s.
Slows down time.
And just like what Shoon and Daiki said, too, it does seem like time slowed down. Nothing in the world matters, just the time they spend together. That moment is the only thing that’s important right now.
“Ne, Ryu-chan,” Chinen begins after awhile.
“Hm?”
“I told you that you were late.”
Ryutaro grins. “Yeah right.”
Chinen straightens up and sticks his tongue out. “Well you are.”
That’s what I…
“Whatever.”
Chinen leans back on his hands again, still holding onto Ryutaro’s hand. “By the way,” he says. “Did you find the answer you were looking for?”
Ryutaro looks thoughtful for a minute. “I wasn’t sure if it would’ve really happened, and if it would’ve made much sense, but what everyone told me earlier, I didn’t know those things were stuff that I was hoping to find.”
Chinen grins as he turns to the younger. “And...?”
Ryutaro smiles. “I’ve found it.”
That’s what I’m hoping to find.