[Fic] Really Nao
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I've written enough disclaimers. EXILE TRIBE belongs to LDH. Behold my failed attempt after running out of juice.
Summary: “Naoto-san, everyone thinks we’re, you know, involved. Romantically.” In which everyone confronts Naoki about the validity of the relationship. Poor Naoki.
Pairing: What pairing.
Rating: T for language
It started with a casual comment.
Which then spread like wildfire.
And now everyone is speculating the multiple possibilities and discussing the many ways implying that The NaoNao Combi (TNC) has taken their relationship several steps further. Look at them wearing the same shirts during rehearsals. Is that Naoto’s fedora Naoki wore during Sandaime J Soul Brothers’ first concert? Oh my god, remember the time Naoki handfed Naoto ice cream?
Hiro smirks knowingly without saying a word.
-----
Akira
Akira confronts Naoki, of course, being the kind and caring senpai he is. Cue the gagging sounds and snorts.
“So, Naoki, I heard that Naoto is quite the catch. Wouldn’t you be angry if your boyfriend is hit on, or even molested by others?”
He sounds so reasonable that Naoki says, “Well, I might be-” before remembering that Naoto is not his boyfriend “-what the fuck, Akira-san!”
“Language, Naoki.”
“Naoto-san isn’t my boyfriend! Where did that even come from?” Naoki protests. “Also, you swear more than I do, don’t pretend.”
“Of course.” There is a knowing glint in Akira’s eyes which he doesn’t like, that has absolutely nothing to do with Akira’s colourful vocabulary.
“If you have nothing to do, please go away and bother Tetsuya-san-”
“So, who tops?”
Naoki grabs the nearest object - a soaked towel - and chucks it at Akira, who skillfully dodges and flees the vicinity, cackling like a witch, that asshole.
-----
Takahiro
The resident ero prince struts into the music room where he’s practising his guitar solo and draws a chair beside him. Takahiro is almost as bad as Akira when he opens his mouth.
"So, I heard about you and Naoto-"
Naoki feels a migraine coming. "No. Just, no." He pinches his nose bridge and exhales noisily, but Takahiro is a bastard and he knows it and he continues as if he hasn't been interrupted.
"All the pent-up tension, the UST. You two need to get laid-"
“Takahiro, please do me a favour and stop talking.” His voice comes out strained. He's too tired to deal with this right now and all the blood seems to be rushing to his head. Also, he has Takahiro's song to practise and he's not getting the running notes correct-
“Oh? Trying to keep it a secret?" says Takahiro slyly. "Don't worry, everyone knows. Go wild, Naoki-kun~"
Scratch that, Takahiro’s worse than Akira.
-----
Makidai
“The question is,” Makidai muses over a bento lunch, “Why not Naoto-kun?”
“I’m not going to pretend I understood your question, Makidai-san.” Naoki pauses. “We are NOT a thing.”
“Not yet.”
Naoki groans. “Not you too. Also you bully him. A lot. Back then. Even till now.”
Makidai doesn’t even bother denying the accusation, if the shit-eating grin plastered on his face is any indication. Or maybe he’s entertaining himself with unholy thoughts.
Inwardly, Naoki snorts. The DJ is a prime example of a devil.
“See, so defensive of your boyfriend. If you need tips, feel free to approach me.”
“...What kind of tips?” he asks warily. He’s tired of correcting people that Naoto isn’t his boyfriend, lover, whatever.
“You know what I mean.” Makidai leers, wiggling his eyebrows.
Cheeks warming, Naoki barely resists the urge to facepalm. Just barely.
-----
Tetsuya
“Tetsuya-san…”
“Oh no, stay away from me. I’m not getting involved.”
“There was that one time you molested Naoto-san on screen! How did no one pick up on that?” Naoki almost wails. Almost.
“And there were several other times you two were practically groping each other. Of course everyone picked up on that. But it’s not as delicious as you almost kissing him in the pub, or what Naoto calls you when you’re not around, or how he bullies you...”
“Please don’t use the word ‘delicious’, it sounds wrong coming from you.”
“My coffee is delicious. Also, stop pouting, you look horrible.”
“There you go,” says Naoki miserably. “Tetsuya-san’s a better match for Naoto-san than me, why am I the one getting paired with him instead?”
“Because two polar opposites are infinitely more interesting."
"Tetsuya-saaaaaan........."
"Please leave me out of this.”
-----
Generations
“Naoki-san, you know we’ll still support you no matter what,” says Reo earnestly. His cheeks are dusted pink and so are the rest of Generations. Yuta absolutely refuses to look at him in the eye, and Mendy is squatted in a corner and drawing circles on the floor.
“I’m perfectly alright with it. I fully approve of Naoto-san and Naoki-san,” says Hayato with a huge grin.
“Maybe we can call them otousan and okaasan for real now.” Ryota is sporting a similarly huge grin and Ryuto is shaking his head in amusement. Naoki almost forgets the vocalists still meet up to gossip about their own groups, having known each other since VBA2 days.
He sighs. Ryuji you big mouth.
-----
Kenchi
Naoki feels Hiro's punishment for Kenchi's prank is too light - a week's worth of toilet cleaning duty for sticking colourful post-it notes that read
Naoto and Naoki
Sitting on a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
all over his assigned dressing table.
In English.
Thank the heavens Naoto is hosting VIKING tonight and not physically present to witness his utter mortification. Or everyone in the vicinity (who understands the English poem, that is) making catcalls and wolf-whistles.
That idiotic Mexican Hurricane should just be bound, gagged and left dangling over the Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba for a week instead.
-----
After a whole week of harassment, Naoki summons the courage to bring up the topic to his co-leader.
“Naoto-san, everyone thinks we’re, you know, involved. Romantically.”
There is a pause. “Do you mean, everyone thinks we’re lovers?”
“Yeah.”
The silence stretches uncomfortably between them for eternity. Then Naoto clears his throat and says, “Well.”
“Yes?” Naoki dislikes how his voice carries something like a mix between wariness and hope. It is pathetic.
“I’m not opposed to that.”
Naoto doesn’t think he’ll live to see the day his co-leader is flushed like a ripe tomato. “Just teasing you, Naoki-kun.”
“Oiiiiiii!”
-----
Several days pass. Rehearsals have just ended and they’re slumped on the dance floor, worn out from the intensive practices. Naoki stares at Naoto contemplatively.
"Naoto-san."
"Hmm?"
“We're bros, aren't we?”
“Yep. Definitely bros. Nothing more, nothing less.”
They brofist. Naoki smiles just a little when Naoto shifts closer and sags against him, shoulders brushing.
“You know, if Hiro-san intends to marry us, I wouldn’t say no-”
Naoto laughs uproariously when Naoki suddenly jumps as if electrocuted and knocks his head against the mirror behind him. The deer-in-the-headlights look on Naoki’s face makes him laugh even harder.
“NAOTO-SAN!”
Damn, his stomach hurts.
Summary: “Naoto-san, everyone thinks we’re, you know, involved. Romantically.” In which everyone confronts Naoki about the validity of the relationship. Poor Naoki.
Pairing: What pairing.
Rating: T for language
It started with a casual comment.
Which then spread like wildfire.
And now everyone is speculating the multiple possibilities and discussing the many ways implying that The NaoNao Combi (TNC) has taken their relationship several steps further. Look at them wearing the same shirts during rehearsals. Is that Naoto’s fedora Naoki wore during Sandaime J Soul Brothers’ first concert? Oh my god, remember the time Naoki handfed Naoto ice cream?
Hiro smirks knowingly without saying a word.
-----
Akira
Akira confronts Naoki, of course, being the kind and caring senpai he is. Cue the gagging sounds and snorts.
“So, Naoki, I heard that Naoto is quite the catch. Wouldn’t you be angry if your boyfriend is hit on, or even molested by others?”
He sounds so reasonable that Naoki says, “Well, I might be-” before remembering that Naoto is not his boyfriend “-what the fuck, Akira-san!”
“Language, Naoki.”
“Naoto-san isn’t my boyfriend! Where did that even come from?” Naoki protests. “Also, you swear more than I do, don’t pretend.”
“Of course.” There is a knowing glint in Akira’s eyes which he doesn’t like, that has absolutely nothing to do with Akira’s colourful vocabulary.
“If you have nothing to do, please go away and bother Tetsuya-san-”
“So, who tops?”
Naoki grabs the nearest object - a soaked towel - and chucks it at Akira, who skillfully dodges and flees the vicinity, cackling like a witch, that asshole.
-----
Takahiro
The resident ero prince struts into the music room where he’s practising his guitar solo and draws a chair beside him. Takahiro is almost as bad as Akira when he opens his mouth.
"So, I heard about you and Naoto-"
Naoki feels a migraine coming. "No. Just, no." He pinches his nose bridge and exhales noisily, but Takahiro is a bastard and he knows it and he continues as if he hasn't been interrupted.
"All the pent-up tension, the UST. You two need to get laid-"
“Takahiro, please do me a favour and stop talking.” His voice comes out strained. He's too tired to deal with this right now and all the blood seems to be rushing to his head. Also, he has Takahiro's song to practise and he's not getting the running notes correct-
“Oh? Trying to keep it a secret?" says Takahiro slyly. "Don't worry, everyone knows. Go wild, Naoki-kun~"
Scratch that, Takahiro’s worse than Akira.
-----
Makidai
“The question is,” Makidai muses over a bento lunch, “Why not Naoto-kun?”
“I’m not going to pretend I understood your question, Makidai-san.” Naoki pauses. “We are NOT a thing.”
“Not yet.”
Naoki groans. “Not you too. Also you bully him. A lot. Back then. Even till now.”
Makidai doesn’t even bother denying the accusation, if the shit-eating grin plastered on his face is any indication. Or maybe he’s entertaining himself with unholy thoughts.
Inwardly, Naoki snorts. The DJ is a prime example of a devil.
“See, so defensive of your boyfriend. If you need tips, feel free to approach me.”
“...What kind of tips?” he asks warily. He’s tired of correcting people that Naoto isn’t his boyfriend, lover, whatever.
“You know what I mean.” Makidai leers, wiggling his eyebrows.
Cheeks warming, Naoki barely resists the urge to facepalm. Just barely.
-----
Tetsuya
“Tetsuya-san…”
“Oh no, stay away from me. I’m not getting involved.”
“There was that one time you molested Naoto-san on screen! How did no one pick up on that?” Naoki almost wails. Almost.
“And there were several other times you two were practically groping each other. Of course everyone picked up on that. But it’s not as delicious as you almost kissing him in the pub, or what Naoto calls you when you’re not around, or how he bullies you...”
“Please don’t use the word ‘delicious’, it sounds wrong coming from you.”
“My coffee is delicious. Also, stop pouting, you look horrible.”
“There you go,” says Naoki miserably. “Tetsuya-san’s a better match for Naoto-san than me, why am I the one getting paired with him instead?”
“Because two polar opposites are infinitely more interesting."
"Tetsuya-saaaaaan........."
"Please leave me out of this.”
-----
Generations
“Naoki-san, you know we’ll still support you no matter what,” says Reo earnestly. His cheeks are dusted pink and so are the rest of Generations. Yuta absolutely refuses to look at him in the eye, and Mendy is squatted in a corner and drawing circles on the floor.
“I’m perfectly alright with it. I fully approve of Naoto-san and Naoki-san,” says Hayato with a huge grin.
“Maybe we can call them otousan and okaasan for real now.” Ryota is sporting a similarly huge grin and Ryuto is shaking his head in amusement. Naoki almost forgets the vocalists still meet up to gossip about their own groups, having known each other since VBA2 days.
He sighs. Ryuji you big mouth.
-----
Kenchi
Naoki feels Hiro's punishment for Kenchi's prank is too light - a week's worth of toilet cleaning duty for sticking colourful post-it notes that read
Naoto and Naoki
Sitting on a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G
all over his assigned dressing table.
In English.
Thank the heavens Naoto is hosting VIKING tonight and not physically present to witness his utter mortification. Or everyone in the vicinity (who understands the English poem, that is) making catcalls and wolf-whistles.
That idiotic Mexican Hurricane should just be bound, gagged and left dangling over the Rainbow Bridge in Odaiba for a week instead.
-----
After a whole week of harassment, Naoki summons the courage to bring up the topic to his co-leader.
“Naoto-san, everyone thinks we’re, you know, involved. Romantically.”
There is a pause. “Do you mean, everyone thinks we’re lovers?”
“Yeah.”
The silence stretches uncomfortably between them for eternity. Then Naoto clears his throat and says, “Well.”
“Yes?” Naoki dislikes how his voice carries something like a mix between wariness and hope. It is pathetic.
“I’m not opposed to that.”
Naoto doesn’t think he’ll live to see the day his co-leader is flushed like a ripe tomato. “Just teasing you, Naoki-kun.”
“Oiiiiiii!”
-----
Several days pass. Rehearsals have just ended and they’re slumped on the dance floor, worn out from the intensive practices. Naoki stares at Naoto contemplatively.
"Naoto-san."
"Hmm?"
“We're bros, aren't we?”
“Yep. Definitely bros. Nothing more, nothing less.”
They brofist. Naoki smiles just a little when Naoto shifts closer and sags against him, shoulders brushing.
“You know, if Hiro-san intends to marry us, I wouldn’t say no-”
Naoto laughs uproariously when Naoki suddenly jumps as if electrocuted and knocks his head against the mirror behind him. The deer-in-the-headlights look on Naoki’s face makes him laugh even harder.
“NAOTO-SAN!”
Damn, his stomach hurts.