In Close Quarters - Koyama/Aragaki Yui [PG]
In Close Quarters
tinyangl, 2783 words
Koyama/Aragaki Yui. "Sit closer, Koyama-kun. We should get to know each other if we're going to be stuck here for a while."
A/N: Originally posted here. Written for holdstheace for je_whiteday2010.
They're trapped.
Yui doesn't really have a problem with elevators or small places or darkness, but in her current situation, she's definitely not fond of any of those things. She's only glad she's not the only one in the elevator because then she'd just go crazy hearing the sound of her own voice.
"It'll be okay," Koyama says--his voice confident, although Yui can pick up a bit of uncertainty in there. He'd just spent the last couple of minutes on the intercom trying to get someone, anyone to help them. The response is a curt, "we're working on it, but it'll take time." "We'll be fine, right?"
"Right," she echoes. "I'm sure they're fixing it up right now."
Even though she can't see him, she knows he nods in response. With a sigh, Yui plops herself on the floor, sitting indian-style without restraint. Both of them had just finished performing on Music Station (it was the TV Asahi elevator they were stuck in) and she was exhausted. She leans her head back and feels her dress shift upwards very slightly. Koyama makes this choking noise from the other side of the elevator.
"Are you okay, Koyama-kun?" she asks, concerned.
"Just fine," he chokes out. "Um, should you be sitting on the floor?"
"Ahh," Yui murmurs. "It's been a long day, Koyama-kun. Wouldn't you sit too?" He pauses and Yui almost strains to hear his response of "Sure" before hearing him shift into a sitting position. Still halfway across the elevator. Yui almost laughs. "Sit closer, Koyama-kun. We should get to know each other if we're going to be stuck here for a while."
She can tell he's hesitating, but he does end up shuffling over to where she is, sitting indian-style a few inches away from her. Like he can't bear to touch her. Yui shifts closer, unable to resist from leaning against the only warmth in the elevator. It's not a cold day, nor is it even cold in the building, but her skin is tingling and she can't resist from holding her arms tightly to her body.
There's silence between them. "Well," Yui murmurs, eyes closing, "If I had to be stuck in an elevator with someone, I'm glad it's you, Koyama-kun."
Koyama gives this strained kind-of laugh. "We've never even met, Aragaki-chan."
"With as much as your group members talk about you, I think I have." She turns to him and smiles. With their close proximity, she can see Koyama's surprised expression change to bashful. It makes her want to laugh again.
*****
"What are you doing?" Yui asks as she's standing around set, holding a bottle of water. Shige's pulled out his cell phone again. He's been doing that on and off for the past two hours and Yui's a little more than curious. "Girlfriend?"
Shige snorts. "Some people may call him that. I just say best friend."
Yui laughs. "Ah, Koyama-kun then?"
Shige looks a little startled. "How did--"
"I hear some things, Kato-kun." Yui beams. "Not much, but then again, who doesn't know about your friendship with Koyama-kun?"
"It's not exactly something people note."
"But I want to know everything about you, Kato-kun," she teases, relishing in the way Shige's cheeks go red.
"Very funny, Aragaki-chan," he grumbles. "You just like seeing me squirm."
"It is kind of fun," she admits. "What was he texting about?"
"Just reminding me about my test tomorrow and to make sure to eat lunch because I'd forgotten the day before," Shige says, shaking his head. "The usual, in other words."
Yui grins. "Need someone to take care of you, huh?"
Shige snorts. "More like he likes taking care of others." Yui hides her smile as she looks down at her hands. They get the call that they're going to start shooting again a second later. Yui puts her bottle back down on the table and watches as Shige walks ahead of her. She wasn't entirely lying about wanting to know everything. It was just the person that was different.
*****
Koyama's a lot quieter than Yui has ever suspected. That is, he's being quiet at this very moment. Yui's broken the silence one too many times and left wondering if maybe Koyama's just not interested in her. "You're awfully quiet," Yui murmurs. She's still leaning against Koyama's shoulder which is stiff and slightly uncomfortable, but she refuses to move.
"Ah, am I?" Koyama says lightly. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's just... I've always thought you were more talkative than this though."
"Sorry, sorry," he only repeats. "I'm slightly distracted." She feels his head shift above her and she looks up, catching his eyes. Yui doesn't mean to, but she holds in her breath. A beat later, Koyama turns away. "Does it scare you a little to be stuck here?"
"Not really," she says. "I mean, if I'd been alone, probably. But... I have someone here with me. Doesn't everything seem a little better when you're not alone?"
Koyama chuckles. "Yeah, that's true."
"Are you scared?"
"Yes," he says softly. "But it'll be okay."
"Of course it will," Yui says enthusiastically. "They're not going to leave two idols in an elevator without helping them."
It isn't until Koyama chuckles--it's different somehow to Yui's ears--that she realizes that she might've misunderstood.
*****
Tegoshi's the only one who realizes it. "Ne, Aragaki-chan, do you like Kei-chan?" His eyes are wide--like his character's--and his head is tilted and he looks so annoyingly innocent at that moment that Yui wishes he'd just go away.
She sputters instead, trying to keep her cheeks from going red. "What? What would even make you think that?"
Tegoshi starts counting with his fingers as he speaks. "Well, you're always really interested when I talk about him or have just talked to him. Or you bring him up randomly in conversations. And I'm pretty sure I saw you reading his Wink Up article just the other day."
"I was reading yours too," Yui points out. "Does that mean I'm interested in you?"
"Are you?" Tegoshi asks.
"No!" she says vehemently.
"Are you interested in Kei-chan?"
Yui goes quiet. She wants to deny it, but that would be lying. Instead she changes topics. "If I was or wasn't, it wouldn't matter."
"I can introduce you!" Tegoshi says, whipping out his cell phone.
"No!" Yui nearly shrieks, reaching to grab the phone. "Tegoshi-kun, you have to promise me that you won't do anything."
Tegoshi's face drops. "But?"
"No," Yui insists. "I just think he's interesting. That is all there is to it."
"But he--"
"Drop it, Tegoshi-kun." Her voice is firm, unlike the shaking of her legs. She's never been caught before and she'd like to keep it that way. Tegoshi looks dejected, but he nods in agreement.
That doesn't stop him from bringing Koyama to set every now and then--or maybe it's more of Koyama dropping by to check up on him. Yui manages to side-step the pair every time.
*****
"Is there anyone you'd like to be stuck in an elevator with?" Koyama asks--starting up a conversation. Finally to Yui's mind.
"What?" she asks.
"Rather than me, who would you like to be in an elevator with?"
Yui lifts her head from Koyama's shoulder again, looking him square in the eye. Even in the darkness, Yui can just see the seriousness in his question. She bites her lower lip. "Yamashita-kun."
It's not the answer Koyama seems to expect--his eyes go wide before his eyebrows slowly furrow at the middle. "Really?"
"Ah, but not in the way you might be thinking. We've just been stuck in an elevator together before," she laughs.
Koyama looks even more surprised. "What? He's never mentioned something like that ever happened."
Yui shrugs. "It wasn't a big deal. We were in there for maybe 10, 15 minutes tops? And he spent most of the time practicing his lines. I almost thought he didn't even notice, just staring at his hand and mumbling under his breath, until he asked me what was taking them so long." She shakes her head.
"Sounds like him," Koyama laughs.
"But if it wasn't for that," Yui says going back to the original point. "I think being stuck in an elevator with you, Koyama-kun, is the best that could happen." She grins before leaning on his shoulder again. It's comfortable and warm so Yui presses her cheek against it. She wonders if she imagines it getting warmer somehow.
*****
It's Yamapi she can't read at all. Despite the fact that she worked with him three years before Code Blue, he had been an awkward "just became 20 and trying to be an adult." Now he is 23 and much more capable, it seems. The awkwardness, the way he carried himself, the way he spoke and worked--while not entirely different is different enough for Yui to feel like she's working with someone else entirely. She also doesn't remember him being so close to his group members before, but it seems that had changed as well as she watches him pick up his cell and text someone again. "Who is it this time?" she asks--just ten minutes ago, it had been a message to Ryo.
"Koyama," Yamapi says so off-handedly, all his attention obviously focused on his message.
"Ah? Didn't you text him an hour ago?"
Yamapi chuckles. "Yes, but I remembered something else I wanted to talk to him about." He does all this while still punching into his cell phone.
"Oh, I see," Yui says before turning away and paying attention to something else, like the magazine in front of her.
Out of the blue, Yamapi comments, "He's a good guy, you know."
She's only lucky that she doesn't have a violent knee-jerk reaction because she's sure she would've dropped her magazine, spilled her water, and fallen out of her chair. Instead she just glances up at him and eyes him with what she hopes is nonchalance. "Ah, is that so? I've always heard as much."
"Mm-hmm, he's always nice and takes care of the other members, including me."
Yui doesn't really know where this conversation is going so she only laughs. "I guess the leader needs someone to take care of him too." Yamapi blinks, and Yui catches a glimpse of surprise in his eyes--like he hadn't been expecting that kind of comment.
"Er, well, yes, but--"
"Aragaki-san, you're being called back to set!" a voice yells from somewhere across the room. She hollers out a "Hai!" before hopping out of her chair and dashing out the door before Yamapi has a chance to continue talking about Koyama. Out the corner of her eye though, she catches sight of a pensive Yamapi who, as she rounds the corner, is back to punching something into his cell phone.
*****
It's been at least an hour. Not that Yui's been checking a watch or anything, but it feels like it's been at least that long. She pulls her legs up, clutching them to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. While she had felt more than warm enough before, the adrenaline and the furious pounding of her heart has since calmed down and all she's left with is a sleeveless dress and a boy who doesn't seem to acknowledge her. Yui resists from sighing. Instead, she shuts her eyes and yawns.
"You can rest if you'd like, Aragaki-chan," Koyama murmurs above her. A warmth then covers over her shoulders and Yui opens an eye to see that he's taken off his outer shirt and given it to her. "I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier that you were so cold."
Yui shakes her head, clutching the sides of the shirt around her. It's warm and comfortable and she feels better again. "It's okay, Koyama-kun. I didn't really notice until now. Thanks for the shirt." He looks bashful again, Yui notes in amusement. "You always notice everything, don't you?"
"Huh?" He blinks at her and at this point, Yui's no longer leaning on him. She's sitting beside him, looking up at him with a smile.
Yui continues, thinking that now would probably be the best time to say this. The only time really. "The first time I ever saw you was on the Dragonzakura set. You came by to talk to Yamashita-kun, something about school, I don't remember." He's staring at her and Yui thinks she's losing her courage, so she closes her eyes instead, clutching the ends of his shirt. "I remember you greeting everyone--and there was me. I'd had a bad day or I just wasn't feeling well. Whatever it was, you noticed." She laughs at this point, shaking her head, and now stares at her hands on her lap. "Even though I'd been trying to hide it, somehow you noticed. You were concerned and asked me if I was okay."
"And you said that every day is an okay day," Koyama murmurs.
She laughs then, laughter that slowly fade into a sigh. "Such a lame thing to say. And I think I even gave you a thumbs-up too." Koyama laughs. "But it made me notice you too."
"What?"
"Well," Yui says. "Who's going to take care of the one noticing everyone else but himself?" She thinks it's lame, just as lame as the first thing she's ever said to him, but Koyama's hand is covering hers and Yui feels the urge to look up. So she does and Koyama is staring at her, eyes fully on her as though now she's got his full attention.
"Aragaki-chan," he starts. And as soon as he does, Yui half-expects the elevator to start up and the doors to open up and this whole little scene will just be forgotten. It doesn't though. Instead, Koyama continues. "I think this is half my fault."
Yui stares. "Huh?"
In the dark of the room, Yui watches as Koyama scratches his head. He takes a deep breath before he speaks. "They knew." Yui waits, expects for more, but Koyama looks intent on not looking at her and apparently not continuing.
"Knew what?" she asks.
"That I liked you. That I did since that day actually," Koyama answers. "And so everyone kept having jobs with you. Tegoshi with My Boss, My Hero. Shige with Papa to Musume. Then again with Yamapi in Code Blue. So each time, they vowed to get you to notice me. To... um," he hesitates. "Talk me up." For some reason Yui can't understand, Koyama actually looks miserable. "So, I think that it's just because they--"
She laughs at that moment, cutting him off. Koyama looks startled and Yui would be too if the person she was talking to, near-confessing to, just started laughing like a maniac. "Oh, Koyama-kun. Are you trying to say that this is just them talking?"
Koyama stares. "Yes?"
Yui shakes her head, shifts forward so that she has her hands firmly on his cheeks, eyes meeting eyes. "I noticed you that first day too, you know. They didn't shove your interviews in my face. Didn't make me watch your dramas or your shows or listen to your radio show. They just helped me get a closer connection to you. One that I could never have gotten just by watching your shows. I like you, Koyama-kun. It's not your bandmates, but me." Koyama looks more than a little relieved. It's then she realizes just how close they are and she exhales shakily. "Um," she starts. But Koyama's hands cover her own and Yui can only blink, blink, blink, then slowly her eyes flutter closed.
She jerks forward then, but not of her own doing. Yui winces, having knocked her head against Koyama's nose. "Sorry, sorry!" she hisses, but Koyama's already shaking his head.
"Are you okay?" he asks, hands on her shoulder. She nods and he looks at the now functioning elevator that is steadily rising and rising until it finally stops and the doors open.
"Kei-chan!" is the first thing Yui hears from a voice way too familiar. "Aragaki-chan?" is what follows, from another voice.
"Did we disturb something?"
Yui looks up to find the members of NEWS eying her and Koyama in what must look very strange--the two of them on the floor, Yui with Koyama's shirt over her and Koyama's hands still holding onto her arms. Their eyes meet and quickly Koyama pulls back and stands, flushing a violent red.
"Not exactly...." he starts, but the words die quickly.
Yui laughs. "Almost exactly what you're thinking."
Shige and Tegoshi exchange smirks while Yamapi just gives Koyama a pleased smile. Koyama looks over at that point, cheeks red and holds out his hand, pulling her to her feet.
"Thanks," she says. "This would've been unbearable if it hadn't been for you."
Koyama shakes his head. "I should be saying that to you, Aragaki-chan."
"Yui," she corrects. "You should call me Yui."
It's then that the whooping starts and Yui shakes her head as she realizes that the NEWS members had never left. "Maybe we can continue this next time? Preferably not in an elevator or in front of your band mates?"
Koyama laughs and nods. "Sounds like a plan." Ryo lets out a loud "Finally" and a sigh which only has Koyama looking even more embarrassed. Yui wants to laugh again and again.
tinyangl, 2783 words
Koyama/Aragaki Yui. "Sit closer, Koyama-kun. We should get to know each other if we're going to be stuck here for a while."
A/N: Originally posted here. Written for holdstheace for je_whiteday2010.
They're trapped.
Yui doesn't really have a problem with elevators or small places or darkness, but in her current situation, she's definitely not fond of any of those things. She's only glad she's not the only one in the elevator because then she'd just go crazy hearing the sound of her own voice.
"It'll be okay," Koyama says--his voice confident, although Yui can pick up a bit of uncertainty in there. He'd just spent the last couple of minutes on the intercom trying to get someone, anyone to help them. The response is a curt, "we're working on it, but it'll take time." "We'll be fine, right?"
"Right," she echoes. "I'm sure they're fixing it up right now."
Even though she can't see him, she knows he nods in response. With a sigh, Yui plops herself on the floor, sitting indian-style without restraint. Both of them had just finished performing on Music Station (it was the TV Asahi elevator they were stuck in) and she was exhausted. She leans her head back and feels her dress shift upwards very slightly. Koyama makes this choking noise from the other side of the elevator.
"Are you okay, Koyama-kun?" she asks, concerned.
"Just fine," he chokes out. "Um, should you be sitting on the floor?"
"Ahh," Yui murmurs. "It's been a long day, Koyama-kun. Wouldn't you sit too?" He pauses and Yui almost strains to hear his response of "Sure" before hearing him shift into a sitting position. Still halfway across the elevator. Yui almost laughs. "Sit closer, Koyama-kun. We should get to know each other if we're going to be stuck here for a while."
She can tell he's hesitating, but he does end up shuffling over to where she is, sitting indian-style a few inches away from her. Like he can't bear to touch her. Yui shifts closer, unable to resist from leaning against the only warmth in the elevator. It's not a cold day, nor is it even cold in the building, but her skin is tingling and she can't resist from holding her arms tightly to her body.
There's silence between them. "Well," Yui murmurs, eyes closing, "If I had to be stuck in an elevator with someone, I'm glad it's you, Koyama-kun."
Koyama gives this strained kind-of laugh. "We've never even met, Aragaki-chan."
"With as much as your group members talk about you, I think I have." She turns to him and smiles. With their close proximity, she can see Koyama's surprised expression change to bashful. It makes her want to laugh again.
*****
"What are you doing?" Yui asks as she's standing around set, holding a bottle of water. Shige's pulled out his cell phone again. He's been doing that on and off for the past two hours and Yui's a little more than curious. "Girlfriend?"
Shige snorts. "Some people may call him that. I just say best friend."
Yui laughs. "Ah, Koyama-kun then?"
Shige looks a little startled. "How did--"
"I hear some things, Kato-kun." Yui beams. "Not much, but then again, who doesn't know about your friendship with Koyama-kun?"
"It's not exactly something people note."
"But I want to know everything about you, Kato-kun," she teases, relishing in the way Shige's cheeks go red.
"Very funny, Aragaki-chan," he grumbles. "You just like seeing me squirm."
"It is kind of fun," she admits. "What was he texting about?"
"Just reminding me about my test tomorrow and to make sure to eat lunch because I'd forgotten the day before," Shige says, shaking his head. "The usual, in other words."
Yui grins. "Need someone to take care of you, huh?"
Shige snorts. "More like he likes taking care of others." Yui hides her smile as she looks down at her hands. They get the call that they're going to start shooting again a second later. Yui puts her bottle back down on the table and watches as Shige walks ahead of her. She wasn't entirely lying about wanting to know everything. It was just the person that was different.
*****
Koyama's a lot quieter than Yui has ever suspected. That is, he's being quiet at this very moment. Yui's broken the silence one too many times and left wondering if maybe Koyama's just not interested in her. "You're awfully quiet," Yui murmurs. She's still leaning against Koyama's shoulder which is stiff and slightly uncomfortable, but she refuses to move.
"Ah, am I?" Koyama says lightly. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's just... I've always thought you were more talkative than this though."
"Sorry, sorry," he only repeats. "I'm slightly distracted." She feels his head shift above her and she looks up, catching his eyes. Yui doesn't mean to, but she holds in her breath. A beat later, Koyama turns away. "Does it scare you a little to be stuck here?"
"Not really," she says. "I mean, if I'd been alone, probably. But... I have someone here with me. Doesn't everything seem a little better when you're not alone?"
Koyama chuckles. "Yeah, that's true."
"Are you scared?"
"Yes," he says softly. "But it'll be okay."
"Of course it will," Yui says enthusiastically. "They're not going to leave two idols in an elevator without helping them."
It isn't until Koyama chuckles--it's different somehow to Yui's ears--that she realizes that she might've misunderstood.
*****
Tegoshi's the only one who realizes it. "Ne, Aragaki-chan, do you like Kei-chan?" His eyes are wide--like his character's--and his head is tilted and he looks so annoyingly innocent at that moment that Yui wishes he'd just go away.
She sputters instead, trying to keep her cheeks from going red. "What? What would even make you think that?"
Tegoshi starts counting with his fingers as he speaks. "Well, you're always really interested when I talk about him or have just talked to him. Or you bring him up randomly in conversations. And I'm pretty sure I saw you reading his Wink Up article just the other day."
"I was reading yours too," Yui points out. "Does that mean I'm interested in you?"
"Are you?" Tegoshi asks.
"No!" she says vehemently.
"Are you interested in Kei-chan?"
Yui goes quiet. She wants to deny it, but that would be lying. Instead she changes topics. "If I was or wasn't, it wouldn't matter."
"I can introduce you!" Tegoshi says, whipping out his cell phone.
"No!" Yui nearly shrieks, reaching to grab the phone. "Tegoshi-kun, you have to promise me that you won't do anything."
Tegoshi's face drops. "But?"
"No," Yui insists. "I just think he's interesting. That is all there is to it."
"But he--"
"Drop it, Tegoshi-kun." Her voice is firm, unlike the shaking of her legs. She's never been caught before and she'd like to keep it that way. Tegoshi looks dejected, but he nods in agreement.
That doesn't stop him from bringing Koyama to set every now and then--or maybe it's more of Koyama dropping by to check up on him. Yui manages to side-step the pair every time.
*****
"Is there anyone you'd like to be stuck in an elevator with?" Koyama asks--starting up a conversation. Finally to Yui's mind.
"What?" she asks.
"Rather than me, who would you like to be in an elevator with?"
Yui lifts her head from Koyama's shoulder again, looking him square in the eye. Even in the darkness, Yui can just see the seriousness in his question. She bites her lower lip. "Yamashita-kun."
It's not the answer Koyama seems to expect--his eyes go wide before his eyebrows slowly furrow at the middle. "Really?"
"Ah, but not in the way you might be thinking. We've just been stuck in an elevator together before," she laughs.
Koyama looks even more surprised. "What? He's never mentioned something like that ever happened."
Yui shrugs. "It wasn't a big deal. We were in there for maybe 10, 15 minutes tops? And he spent most of the time practicing his lines. I almost thought he didn't even notice, just staring at his hand and mumbling under his breath, until he asked me what was taking them so long." She shakes her head.
"Sounds like him," Koyama laughs.
"But if it wasn't for that," Yui says going back to the original point. "I think being stuck in an elevator with you, Koyama-kun, is the best that could happen." She grins before leaning on his shoulder again. It's comfortable and warm so Yui presses her cheek against it. She wonders if she imagines it getting warmer somehow.
*****
It's Yamapi she can't read at all. Despite the fact that she worked with him three years before Code Blue, he had been an awkward "just became 20 and trying to be an adult." Now he is 23 and much more capable, it seems. The awkwardness, the way he carried himself, the way he spoke and worked--while not entirely different is different enough for Yui to feel like she's working with someone else entirely. She also doesn't remember him being so close to his group members before, but it seems that had changed as well as she watches him pick up his cell and text someone again. "Who is it this time?" she asks--just ten minutes ago, it had been a message to Ryo.
"Koyama," Yamapi says so off-handedly, all his attention obviously focused on his message.
"Ah? Didn't you text him an hour ago?"
Yamapi chuckles. "Yes, but I remembered something else I wanted to talk to him about." He does all this while still punching into his cell phone.
"Oh, I see," Yui says before turning away and paying attention to something else, like the magazine in front of her.
Out of the blue, Yamapi comments, "He's a good guy, you know."
She's only lucky that she doesn't have a violent knee-jerk reaction because she's sure she would've dropped her magazine, spilled her water, and fallen out of her chair. Instead she just glances up at him and eyes him with what she hopes is nonchalance. "Ah, is that so? I've always heard as much."
"Mm-hmm, he's always nice and takes care of the other members, including me."
Yui doesn't really know where this conversation is going so she only laughs. "I guess the leader needs someone to take care of him too." Yamapi blinks, and Yui catches a glimpse of surprise in his eyes--like he hadn't been expecting that kind of comment.
"Er, well, yes, but--"
"Aragaki-san, you're being called back to set!" a voice yells from somewhere across the room. She hollers out a "Hai!" before hopping out of her chair and dashing out the door before Yamapi has a chance to continue talking about Koyama. Out the corner of her eye though, she catches sight of a pensive Yamapi who, as she rounds the corner, is back to punching something into his cell phone.
*****
It's been at least an hour. Not that Yui's been checking a watch or anything, but it feels like it's been at least that long. She pulls her legs up, clutching them to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. While she had felt more than warm enough before, the adrenaline and the furious pounding of her heart has since calmed down and all she's left with is a sleeveless dress and a boy who doesn't seem to acknowledge her. Yui resists from sighing. Instead, she shuts her eyes and yawns.
"You can rest if you'd like, Aragaki-chan," Koyama murmurs above her. A warmth then covers over her shoulders and Yui opens an eye to see that he's taken off his outer shirt and given it to her. "I'm sorry I didn't notice earlier that you were so cold."
Yui shakes her head, clutching the sides of the shirt around her. It's warm and comfortable and she feels better again. "It's okay, Koyama-kun. I didn't really notice until now. Thanks for the shirt." He looks bashful again, Yui notes in amusement. "You always notice everything, don't you?"
"Huh?" He blinks at her and at this point, Yui's no longer leaning on him. She's sitting beside him, looking up at him with a smile.
Yui continues, thinking that now would probably be the best time to say this. The only time really. "The first time I ever saw you was on the Dragonzakura set. You came by to talk to Yamashita-kun, something about school, I don't remember." He's staring at her and Yui thinks she's losing her courage, so she closes her eyes instead, clutching the ends of his shirt. "I remember you greeting everyone--and there was me. I'd had a bad day or I just wasn't feeling well. Whatever it was, you noticed." She laughs at this point, shaking her head, and now stares at her hands on her lap. "Even though I'd been trying to hide it, somehow you noticed. You were concerned and asked me if I was okay."
"And you said that every day is an okay day," Koyama murmurs.
She laughs then, laughter that slowly fade into a sigh. "Such a lame thing to say. And I think I even gave you a thumbs-up too." Koyama laughs. "But it made me notice you too."
"What?"
"Well," Yui says. "Who's going to take care of the one noticing everyone else but himself?" She thinks it's lame, just as lame as the first thing she's ever said to him, but Koyama's hand is covering hers and Yui feels the urge to look up. So she does and Koyama is staring at her, eyes fully on her as though now she's got his full attention.
"Aragaki-chan," he starts. And as soon as he does, Yui half-expects the elevator to start up and the doors to open up and this whole little scene will just be forgotten. It doesn't though. Instead, Koyama continues. "I think this is half my fault."
Yui stares. "Huh?"
In the dark of the room, Yui watches as Koyama scratches his head. He takes a deep breath before he speaks. "They knew." Yui waits, expects for more, but Koyama looks intent on not looking at her and apparently not continuing.
"Knew what?" she asks.
"That I liked you. That I did since that day actually," Koyama answers. "And so everyone kept having jobs with you. Tegoshi with My Boss, My Hero. Shige with Papa to Musume. Then again with Yamapi in Code Blue. So each time, they vowed to get you to notice me. To... um," he hesitates. "Talk me up." For some reason Yui can't understand, Koyama actually looks miserable. "So, I think that it's just because they--"
She laughs at that moment, cutting him off. Koyama looks startled and Yui would be too if the person she was talking to, near-confessing to, just started laughing like a maniac. "Oh, Koyama-kun. Are you trying to say that this is just them talking?"
Koyama stares. "Yes?"
Yui shakes her head, shifts forward so that she has her hands firmly on his cheeks, eyes meeting eyes. "I noticed you that first day too, you know. They didn't shove your interviews in my face. Didn't make me watch your dramas or your shows or listen to your radio show. They just helped me get a closer connection to you. One that I could never have gotten just by watching your shows. I like you, Koyama-kun. It's not your bandmates, but me." Koyama looks more than a little relieved. It's then she realizes just how close they are and she exhales shakily. "Um," she starts. But Koyama's hands cover her own and Yui can only blink, blink, blink, then slowly her eyes flutter closed.
She jerks forward then, but not of her own doing. Yui winces, having knocked her head against Koyama's nose. "Sorry, sorry!" she hisses, but Koyama's already shaking his head.
"Are you okay?" he asks, hands on her shoulder. She nods and he looks at the now functioning elevator that is steadily rising and rising until it finally stops and the doors open.
"Kei-chan!" is the first thing Yui hears from a voice way too familiar. "Aragaki-chan?" is what follows, from another voice.
"Did we disturb something?"
Yui looks up to find the members of NEWS eying her and Koyama in what must look very strange--the two of them on the floor, Yui with Koyama's shirt over her and Koyama's hands still holding onto her arms. Their eyes meet and quickly Koyama pulls back and stands, flushing a violent red.
"Not exactly...." he starts, but the words die quickly.
Yui laughs. "Almost exactly what you're thinking."
Shige and Tegoshi exchange smirks while Yamapi just gives Koyama a pleased smile. Koyama looks over at that point, cheeks red and holds out his hand, pulling her to her feet.
"Thanks," she says. "This would've been unbearable if it hadn't been for you."
Koyama shakes his head. "I should be saying that to you, Aragaki-chan."
"Yui," she corrects. "You should call me Yui."
It's then that the whooping starts and Yui shakes her head as she realizes that the NEWS members had never left. "Maybe we can continue this next time? Preferably not in an elevator or in front of your band mates?"
Koyama laughs and nods. "Sounds like a plan." Ryo lets out a loud "Finally" and a sigh which only has Koyama looking even more embarrassed. Yui wants to laugh again and again.