[Fic] A Beige View of Yellow
Title : A Biege View of Yellow
Fandom : NEWS
Pairing : RyoShige
Genre : None
Rating : G
Summary : Shige thinks of being the Beige Ranger
Notes : Thanks again to Gem for looking this over for me and always dealing with my randomness so wonderfully :] There's no real genre for this because I'm just not sure what to label it as. It doesn't have fluff or any romantic features, it's just a sort of introspective piece on Shige's thoughts of Ryo. I'd be glad if anyone does think of a suitable genre for this!
Disclaimer : Johnny's owns my wallet, sanity and these boys.
The first time Shige declares himself the Beige Ranger, it was meant as a joke. By the seventh time, he's ready to admit that maybe he means something else entirely. Shige's almost sure it's not jealousy he feels towards the other Kanjani8 members, they're easy going and funny, and their group dynamics are so akin to that of a loud but familiar family that it's hard to find any hidden meaning beneath all the fanservice they do. Shige thinks that it's Ryo he craves or more precisely, it's the side of Ryo that Eito gets to see and he doesn't.
Shige's initial encounter with all the members of Ryo's other group was backstage, just moments before their first Tokyo Dome Concert. Shige had been polite and especially cautious, knowing that somehow this meeting had more importance than one with Ryo's parents. He had immediately taken a liking to Yokoyama-kun and Maruyama-kun, their cheerful smiles contagious and continuous jokes lightened the potential awkwardness.
After wishing them luck and giving Ryo a hug, he had slipped back into his seat, somewhat out of place amongst the cosplayed fangirls and little children with their grandmothers. Shige supported the group as he did any other Johnny's group but he couldn't separate one Enka song from the other and was at a loss throughout the first half of the concert. It wasn't until an hour into the show that Shige really started paying attention. The arena had darkened and he had barely heard the opening notes of their new song when the audience of 50,000 suddenly erupted into loud cheers.
Shige blinked and in front of him he saw seven rainbow clad men in what he could only assume were their "Eighting Outfits". He sat back and observed the infamous Eito Rangers in action and observed in awe at the creativity and comedic prowess of this group. As the skit continued on, Shige caught a glimpse of Ryo that he didn't realize existed. Imprinted in his mind was the Nishikido Ryo of NEWS, the cool and suave poison-tongued young man that never hesitated in being sexy or desirable. The Ryo that stood in front of him now was none of those; shy and adorable, he was almost child-like in his petulance and dorky in demeanor. Shige started count after that of how many wide, dimpled smiles Ryo gave and lost track half an hour later.
Ever since then he's subconsciously been on the lookout for that Ryo, the one who is unabashed and loudly affectionate. Like a scientist observing his experiment, Shige takes note and hypothesizes that Ryo is more likely to be like that in front of his Kansai bandmates so he arranges for ways to test his theory. He appears on Yokoyama and Hina's radio show repeated times, he randomly drops by to surprise Ryo in Osaka and has even dragged Koyama along as an excuse for a visit once.
Ryo is not oblivious to such acts simply because Shige is not half as sneaky or secretive as he thought he was. Shige returns home from classes on Wednesday to find a cardboard box sitting at the dinner table with his name scrawled on it with black marker. In it he finds a non-refundable Shinkansen ticket for the 10:00 pm to Osaka and a suspicious looking heavy bag that is heavily taped at the sides.
Shige arrives at the Shin-Osaka station shortly after midnight and finds a taxi waiting in front with a mysteriously vague signboard reading "Beige Ranger". He scurries into the taxi as it takes off for its destination without a word. Shige stretches numerous holes in the plastic until he manages to rip it apart and what he finds inside invokes warm sentiments; a shiny helmet, a figured eight belt and a jumpsuit, a complete Eighting suit for him in his own color, the Beige Ranger.
That night Shige's previous image of the calm and collected Nishikido Ryo is replaced completely by the free and uninhibited Ryo he didn't realize he had begun to love. The kind of person who snorts loudly and giggles at Maru's Paaaan! while simultaneously stealing Ohkura's food and smirking at the lost puppy look that appears on the his face. A Ryo who'll stuff his mouth full of cake so he can run around giving dirty wet kisses before finally settling across Shige's lap to give him a delicious looking grin full of after party ideas.
Ryo has always said that he doesn't do anything particularly different when he's with each of his groups, he stays the same and it's just the bandmates that are different so therefore his response to them is the only thing that differs. Shige thinks he finally understands that Nishikido Ryo, similar to the multi-colored Rubiks cube he loves so much, is multi-facted himself and composed of more sides than he could have realized.