fic for sashjun
Gift fic for: sashjun
From: nanyakanya
Title: Where There's Smoke
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ryo/Massu
Warnings: do Nino-inspired shenanigans count?
Summary: Ryo liked it better when Johnny covered up his rumors, not added to them.
Notes: This is straight up silly, but I hope you like it, sashjun! ♥ Thanks to the usual suspects for their support.
-----
"This is all your fault, pig."
Massu frowned over at Ryo, twiddling his thumbs nervously. The two of them were seated just outside of Johnny's office, waiting to be called in like the bad kids sent to see the principal. In a sense, that scenario wasn't too far off from the truth.
It had been completely innocent, their alleged "rendezvous." They hadn't even expected to meet each other that day; Ryo had been looking for a new belt and Massu just happened to be in the first clothes store he popped into. Ryo didn't particularly like shopping with Massu seeing as making the choice between slightly different shades of one color could be an hour long process (and, really, who gave a shit if it was Amber, Lemon, or Citrine? It was all yellow.) But it would be rude to snub him, so he went over and said hello.
Massu, on the other hand, looked thrilled to see Ryo there, flashing him an easy smile and gladly offering his help when Ryo revealed his mission for the day. Much to Ryo's surprise, Massu was much better at shopping for others than himself, and within a few minutes, Ryo had two belts slung over his shoulder, ready to be bought. He was turning to do just that when Massu stopped him and asked if he was going to try them on first. Ryo didn't really think he needed to do any trying on--they were just belts, after all, and Ryo was a pretty skinny guy anyway--but Massu was giving him that look that implied he would be crazy to buy them without modeling them first. He'd try them on just wipe that incredulous expression off his face.
The first belt went on easily, Ryo whipping it off smugly once he'd shown Massu that the fit was perfect. The second belt, however, had a belt buckle that must have been created by M.C. Escher because Ryo couldn't figure out how to close it for the life of him. Massu, master of making any and every situation awkward, had crouched down into Ryo's space and busied his fingers with the belt buckle. Luckily for them both, Ryo quickly realized how weird this probably looked and pulled Massu into one of the dressing stalls with him, tugging the curtain shut behind them. Between the two of them they managed to figure out how to close the buckle, though not before Ryo decided this was not the belt for him. Ryo had to admit, Massu had been right.
As a reward for helping him, Ryo had treated Massu to fried rice and gyoza at the new, hip Chinese place down the street, followed by a stop at a nearby music shop when Massu had mentioned wanting some new bands to listen to. By the time they were done, the sun had long since sunk below the horizon, so they had thanked each other for an unexpectedly nice time, gone home with their purchases, and completely forgotten about their afternoon together.
At least, until Ryo woke up two days later to a couple frantic calls from his manager. All he had really gotten out of the conversations were the words "tabloids," "trouble," "Johnny-san's office," and "now."
He was surprised to see Massu sitting in the company car that had come to pick him up, looking nervous and confused. Ryo's mind flashed back to the last two times he'd been involved in a scandal along with the other members of NEWS. There was a brief moment of relief when he remembered that all the members were of legal drinking age now, but his inner cynic was quick to remind him that all that meant was the scandal had to be bigger than a little underage drinking.
If Pi had knocked someone up, so help him, Ryo was going to kill his friend.
Surprisingly, no other NEWS members were picked up on the way to the office. Now Ryo was really confused. He tried asking Massu if he had any idea about what was going on but the younger man had just shook his head and babbled something about their manager having said they'd find out at the office. The explanation didn't exactly put Ryo's mind at ease.
It wasn't until they were outside of Johnny's office that the reason for them being called there became apparent. Their manager waited until they were seated before handing them an open copy of Josei Seven. The page it was opened to was your typical gossip rag scoop: a two page splash full of grainy black and white pictures and inflammatory statements. Ryo had seen his fair share of these things over the course of his career. The contents of this article were much different than any of the rumors he'd been in previously.
There in big block lettering were the words NEWS' Nishikido, Masuda on Lovey-Dovey Rendezvous?! Beneath it in slightly smaller print was A Night Inside the Secret World!
Ryo skimmed the article, reading up on how he and Massu were supposedly much, much more than friends. The fabrication was even complete with an eyewitness account from a waitress citing how "doting" Ryo had seemed over dinner and uncredited comments from staff member B-san and makeup artist A-san stating that they'd always wondered about those two. Though staff member C-san had joked that he'd "always thought that if anyone was going to be the first to be outed in NEWS, it would be Kato and Koyama."
Most damning were the images, pictures taken from compromising angles to maximize the shock factor. Shots of Massu kneeling before Ryo in the clothes store, his hands and face hovering dangerously close to Ryo's crotch; them crammed into the dressing room, one of Ryo's hands tugging the curtain closed while the other was on Massu's bicep; Ryo grinning and forcing a spoon full of his fried rice into Massu's mouth as they sat shoulder to shoulder in a cozy little booth; the two of them in the music shop with their heads close together, sharing a set of earphones. All images they had perfectly reasonable explanations for, but looked highly suspicious when taken out of context.
Ryo groaned and placed his head in his hands. Of all the people to be stuck in a gay rumor with, they had to choose Massu? He could already hear the mocking laughter of his friends in his head.
As for his supposed gay lover, Massu was looking more and more desperate the longer he looked at the article. Having your big rumor debut be something like this must have been traumatizing for someone with such a squeaky clean image. "But it's a lie! We're not..." Massu looked over to Ryo but turned away just as quickly, face flushed. "It should be fine once we tell them the truth, right?"
Ryo sighed, feeling too frustrated to deal with the hysteria of a tabloid virgin. "You don't visit the tabloids that often, so I'll be nice and spell it out for you. They never listen. Trying to talk your way out of it just makes you look like a giant liar." Sitting back up in his chair, Ryo fixed his attention on the ceiling above them as he continued, "The only hope we have is to pretend it didn't happen and let the company PR people do their best to sweep it under the rug."
"But it did happen. Just... not like they said."
Ryo had opened his mouth to berate Massu for being naive, but then the door to Johnny's office opened and the CEO's secretary ushered the two of them in.
Being in Johnny's office always made Ryo nervous. Idols really only came there for big things. Career-changing things, debuts and disbandments. Considering the reason for Ryo and Massu currently standing before Johnny, Ryo wasn't sure which option was the better one.
The good thing about Johnny is that he was always blunt. If they were going to get dragged through hell, at least it would be a short ride.
Kitagawa barely acknowledged their arrival before he pulled a sizeable stack of papers from his desk drawer, plopping it down in front of the two idols. "We've done some research. You, look at these."
They were page upon page of what looked to be 2chan comments. Some had usernames attached to them but most were from anonymous posters and almost all of them were variations off of three central themes. Those being RYOMASU IS THE BEST, HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT, and I CAAAAAAAAAAME!!, coupled with an assortment of excited emoticons. Ryo could feel his stomach sinking down to his knees.
At his side, Massu blinked up at their boss. "They're... not angry?"
"Of course some of them were. But the overwhelming consensus was that the two of you together are..." Johnny picked up a sheet from the stack, "'Really fucking hot.' And as you both know, we are in the business of profiting off girls' happiness."
Ryo shot Massu a nervous glance. The younger boy was pale as a sheet and about as lifeless, too. Johnny stood up from his chair, continuing on despite the unbelieving faces on the two idols. "Boys, times are tough. If we want to stay afloat, we're going to have to start looking into markets we previously ignored. Going after the special interest groups."
"Sir?" Massu asked, voice cracking.
Johnny placed both hands down on his desk, looking at the two of them with shrewd eyes. "How familiar are you two with the concept of Boys Love?"
-----
Ryo and Massu walked down the halls of the company building woodenly, looking like they had both just seen a ghost. After dropping the initial bombshell, Johnny had introduced them to a well-dressed man he referred to as a 'consultant on the niche market' they were aiming for. It had been surreal listening to the very prim, very academic-looking man describe the homosexual fantasies of fangirls. Ryo was pretty sure his brain had stopped working by the time he got to 'the height rule vs. the age rule.' He had always wondered how Johnny made the decisions he did, and wasn't sure if knowing there was a think tank behind his seemingly arbitrary whims was comforting or not.
Massu seemed to be just as dazed as Ryo. Nishikido had thought he would have put up more of a fight, but it seemed even Massu had a limit to his stubbornness. That or he was too shell-shocked to say anything. It was a lot easier to argue with a choreographer than the man who paid your salary every week.
Thankfully, Johnny hadn't come up with many suggestions on how exactly to reach out to their new demographic. Yet. All Ryo was encouraged to do for the moment was show up on an episode or two of Master Hits and the two of them were told to lay on the flirtation when NEWS appeared on variety shows. Though there was already talk of getting zopp to pen a duet for them for the upcoming concert tour.
They had been forced to do a lot of questionable shit in their time as members of Johnny's & Associates, but all of this was barring on insane as far as Ryo was concerned.
As soon as they entered the practice room, Tegoshi had hopped up from his seat and approached them. He looked Ryo up and down, eyes seeming to scrutinize every inch of him, before finally giving Massu a pat on the shoulder. "I suppose I can allow you to date my Massu."
"He's not your daughter! And we're not dating!" Ryo cried. He was beginning to think everyone in this damn company was out of their mind.
It seemed their manager had clued the rest of their band mates in while Ryo and Massu were in Johnny's office. NEWS were taking the new directives fairly well. Meaning that they had mostly taken to snickering and making bad jokes at Ryo and Massu's expense. Koyama had cooed something about Ryo bringing the concept of member ai to a whole new level (Ryo thought that Koyama of all people should really not talk.) Meanwhile, Tegoshi had thrown the term homewrecker at them, though whether he meant Ryo or Massu was unclear. Ryo just sighed. He didn't even want to think about how Kanjani would react when he met them next week.
Massu broke away from them wordlessly, shuffling over to the couch and sinking down into the cushions like his body was made of lead. He was soon flanked by Tegoshi and Shige on either side, the two youngest members trading out their smirks for more sober expressions when they saw the lost look on Massu's face.
"So what are you going to do?" Pi asked, watching as Koyama went to join the rest of his Soukon co-stars, kneeling down in front of Massu to place a hand on the younger man's knee.
Ryo shrugged. "What can I do? The orders are coming from Johnny himself. You know that what he says goes."
Pi made a distracted humming noise at the back of his throat. On the couch, Shige had thrown a protective arm over Massu's shoulder, talking in low, hushed tones that Ryo couldn't make out. Massu shook his head and said miserably, "But what will my family think?"
"Well," Pi said, pulling Ryo's attention back from the distressed face Massu was making, "if you think it's hopeless, it's hopeless. But I thought you were smarter than that."
Ryo cocked an eyebrow. There was something challenging in Pi's eyes, something that not only made Ryo want to believe that there was some solution to this problem, but pushed him to find it just so he could prove Pi wrong. Ryo almost smiled. Stupid Pi always did know how to light a fire under his ass.
"I guess you're not such a crappy leader after all."
"Oi," Yamapi deadpanned. "Is that any way to thank me?"
"I'll deal with you later," Ryo said, the smirk finally finding its way onto his lips. He looked over to Massu, took in his drooping shoulders and tired expression. Ryo would be damned if he let this charade go on for much longer. "First, I've got to find out how to outsmart our boss."
-----
Despite his growing sense of distrust for the company, Ryo had been surprised when the drama offer had come in a few days later. But his shock soon turned back to suspicion when he entered the casting room and saw Massu already seated in one of the chairs. Massu seemed to be thinking along the same lines if the uneasy look on his face meant anything. He appeared less dazed than he had a couple days ago, more wary and nervous. Massu nodded silently to Ryo, giving him a weak wave of the hand as if he would be punished for showing any emotion beyond that. Ryo huffed and sat down in the chair next to his nervous band mate. Might as well get this over with.
The screenwriter, Aoki, was so inexperienced he should have had "sucker" written on his head in bright green ink; the man was fresh out of school and with all the eagerness of someone who had yet to learn just how harsh the entertainment industry could be. The two idols had barely sat down before he dove right into his pitch. Not that there was much to sell. The company had already signed them on for the drama.
"Nishikido-kun will play the part of Hirosuke, the pampered son of a yakuza family who has everything but is unsatisfied with life. One day, he meets Jiro," the man smiled and nodded his head in Massu's direction, "played by Masuda-kun, who is an eccentric painter who, despite having a tragic past which left him up to his eyeballs in debt, has an unshakable faith in the goodness of people. Of course, his idealism often gets him into trouble, further compounding his debt problems, and Hirosuke usually has to help him out. Hirosuke and Jiro see the things they lack in each other, and together, the two meet and grow as humans." Aoki grinned and clasped his hands together as if signifying Hirosuke and Jiro's bond. Ryo tried to keep the disbelief from showing on his face.
Undeterred, Aoki continued his rapid fire speech. "There's also a side cast of wacky characters, like Hirosuke's yakuza underlings and the people of the artist commune Jiro lives in. It's a heartwarming comedy with elements of real-life drama, sort of like Tiger & Dragon meets Nodame Cantabile meets Honey & Clover. We're in talks right now to get Kudo Kankuro to direct!"
Ryo nodded along indifferently. The plot was pretty cliche, but then again, what drama wasn't these days? If they really were getting Kudo, perhaps he could save it. His eyes skimmed the list of actors signed on thus far, noting the lack of any big female names. "Who'll be playing the love interest?"
Aoki suddenly turned sheepish. "Um, about that..."
"There's not one?"
"No, there definitely is."
They waited patiently for an answer as to who the mystery leading lady was but Aoki seemed hesitant to speak on the matter. Instead, the screenwriter's eyes flicked over in Massu's direction. Ryo suddenly wanted to punch something very, very badly. Preferably Aoki's stupid face. "Oh come on!"
"Wait, me?" Massu's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.
Ryo frowned, looking from his increasingly ill-looking band member to the mousy man who was causing Massu's discomfort. "Don't worry. There's no way the company would allow it."
"A-Actually," Aoki hedged, gripping a copy of the script as if it would shield him from Ryo's furor, "they were the ones who suggested it in the first place. We were looking at getting Ayase Haruka but the company was very interested in trying out the Boys Love angle. They think it's, um," Aoki coughed, "edgy."
Silence filled the room, Aoki hesitant and the two idols shocked by the knowledge that their company had once again just sold them down the river. Little bits of fanservice at concerts was one thing; playing a gay couple on national television...
"Will there," Massu swallowed, "will there be a kissing scene?"
Aoki averted his eyes, looking down at the script in his hand, shamefaced. "Not in the first episode?"
"And there better not be any in the other episodes either," Ryo growled. He stood up from his chair, grabbing Massu by the arm and pulling him out of the room. "C'mon, let's get you some air."
As they left the conference room, Ryo could hear Aoki squeaking behind them, "It worked for TOKIO and KinKi Kids!"
-----
"Maybe we could just run away."
Ryo stared down at the hunched form on the bench before him. In the seven years he had known him, Ryo had never seen Massu look so utterly miserable before. He couldn't help but wish there was more he could do about the matter, nor could he quell his frustration at knowing that the problem was almost entirely out of his hands. Like it or not, whatever Johnny said was as good as law to them. Johnny said to jump, you jumped; if he told you to debut in see-through clothing, you put on the clear vinyl hotpants and sang your heart out. And if Johnny commanded you to suck face with another man then, by god, you better start reaching for the lip balm.
Ryo snorted and handed Massu the bottle of water he'd gone to fetch from the vending machine. "Yeah right. They'd probably just say that we eloped or something."
The roof of the TV studio was mostly abandoned, only a couple female office workers chatting over lunch and a lone salaryman smoking near the railing. Ryo could feel the eyes of the women on them from across the roof and forced himself not to be bothered by it. As long as they kept their distance, Ryo didn't really care. Let them stare; the damage had already been done the day the article hit newsstands.
With a sigh, Ryo sat down on the bench, sipping his can of coffee and watching Massu through the corner of his eye. He looked dejected, as if the gallows were waiting for him once he left the building. A dead man walking in star-patterned pants.
Ryo shrugged uncomfortably, forcing an air of nonchalance in hopes it would bring Massu's mood back up. "It's not even a real kiss. Just... I don't know. Pretend I'm Tegoshi or something."
"Tegoshi and I never had to play a gay couple in a drama."
"You sure? I saw bits and pieces of Gachibaka..."
Massu actually scowled at Ryo. Nishikido balked, bringing the coffee can to his lips as a way to escape the unusually hard look Massu was throwing at him. He hadn't even thought Massu capable of making a face like that.
Ryo cleared his throat, pointedly not looking at the man sitting next to him. "Which way do you swing, anyway?"
He felt Massu stiffen at his side. When he bothered to look, the other was staring down at his shoes nervously. "Why do you need to know that?"
"It'll make it easier on both of us if we know how far we can take this."
"I," Massu started before shutting his mouth, lips thinning. Ryo watched Massu's eyes skim back and forth over the roof, working out equations invisible to everyone but him. Licking his lips, Massu said softly, "I don't know what I am."
Ryo quirked an eyebrow. He hadn't really had an opinion on Massu's sexuality before this moment, but he hadn't exactly pegged him as asexual either. Well, maybe not entirely. "You're not attracted to people at all?"
Massu shook his head. "No. It's. I don't." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, his body sagging with the exhale. "It doesn't really matter. Boys or girls."
"So... you're bi?"
"I, I guess so," Massu muttered, face coloring like a cherry tomato.
Ryo hummed, sipping his coffee and staring off into the Tokyo skyline. He knew quite a few of their co-workers seemed to identify that way (or at least the ones who were willing to admit it.) Hell, he was in the same boat, really. Sometimes he wondered if the industry didn't draw people of a certain sexuality or if the penchant for experimentation was more a biproduct of the type of work they did. Ryo figured it probably had something to do with spending half their lives in a company where their public interaction with women wasn't expected to go beyond sappy love songs and the occasional drama role, while skinship with their fellow male idols was encouraged. One could only participate in so many half-naked photo shoots with similarly clad handsome boys before they started considering certain alternatives to the No Girlfriends Allowed rule.
Either way, knowing Massu wasn't as straight as a board made things at least a little easier. Ryo felt less like some sort of sexual predator in a bad gay porno trying to tempt the pure little straight boy into his world of debauchery. "Then kissing a dude shouldn't be that big of a deal for you."
"You don't understand!" Massu cried, surprising Ryo with the passion behind his words. He wasn't used to seeing awkward, goofy little Massu so unbalanced. It seemed Massu realized this, immediately ducking his head and bringing his hands up to scrub his face. Ryo could hear him start muttering through his fingers, "My mom watches everything I'm in. How am I going to explain this to her?"
Ah. The mom issue. Ryo sighed. He should've known Massu's Oedipus complex would come in to play sooner or later. "Don't worry. I'm working on a plan to get us out of this."
"You really think you can change Johnny-san's mind?" Massu said softly. For the first time since the news hit, Ryo thought he could hear the tiniest hint of hope in his voice.
Ryo shrugged, allowing himself a tiny smirk. "I have to. Don't worry, I'll have you back to clutching your mom's apron strings in no time."
-----
Despite Ryo's initial determination, he soon found himself hitting the proverbial brick wall when it came to figuring out a way around their forced fanservice. Every idea he came up with seemed too silly, too likely to fail. As frustrating as it was, he realized he'd have to get outside help on figuring all of this out. Solid help. Someone who had played the Johnny's game and come out on top more times than not.
He called Nino.
As expected, they had barely dispensed with the niceties when Nino brought up the subject, his voice dripping with amusement. "I ran into Massu the other day. He seemed pretty upset about the whole kissing scene in that drama you two got."
Ryo almost sighed. The speed at which news flew around the company could be pretty unsettling at times. "What'd you tell him?"
"I offered to let him practice on me, of course."
Ryo couldn't help but snort. He could clearly picture Massu's dumbstruck face when Nino had said that line. "What happened to our undying love?"
"Sorry Nishiki, but Massu is super hot this year," Nino deadpanned. "But if it's any consolation, I can think of you while I deflower your make believe boyfriend."
"Thanks for that mental image," Ryo groaned.
He could hear Nino chuckle on the other end. "I try. So what's your take on the whole faux gay thing?"
"Actually," Ryo hedged, sitting up straight on his couch. Not that Nino could see him, but he figured this wasn't the kind of thing you asked while sitting down. "I was wondering if you couldn't help me figure out a way out of this."
"What makes you think I'm the expert on something like this?"
"Well, I mean, you know how Johnny thinks."
"You'd be better off asking Jun about that one."
Ryo frowned. "He never answers my calls. Besides, you're more experienced here. The higher ups hate it when you do your Ohnomiya--"
"Ohmiya."
"Eh?"
"Ohmiya SK," Nino repeated calmly. "The name of the skit Oh-chan and I do."
"Yeah, that. They hate it when you do that stuff."
The other end was silent; Ryo hoped it was due to Nino trying to think up a way to help him. Nevertheless, it couldn't hurt to give him a final push over to his side. Ryo hated begging, but what the company was forcing Massu and him to do left a much worse taste in his mouth. "Please. You're the only one I can trust right now."
More silence, and then a sigh. "You know," Nino drawled, "you're lucky I like you."
Ryo smiled. "I tell myself that every day."
"You better." Ryo could hear Nino exhale loudly then cluck his tongue. "Alright. The way you deal with it is pretty easy. What are the basics of fanservice?"
"To make girls squeal, right?"
"Of course, but beyond that."
Ryo paused, not really sure where Nino was going with this. On the other end, Nino let out yet another put-upon sigh. If the sound had come out of anyone other than Nino, Ryo would actually feel a little bad. "It's about teasing, Nishiki. You give the girls just enough to spark their interest and let their imagination take it the rest of the way. They just want a taste, and the company knows that. We're not marketable if we look unattainable."
"It's creepy how you know all this stuff."
"I'm not creepy, just observant. Do you want my help or not?"
"Yes, yes. Sorry," Ryo said, bowing his head reflexively. "So, we should tease them extra hard then?"
Nino's voice had taken on a more amused tone. "It's obvious, isn't it, Nishiki? Just go beyond the bounds of decency."
"How the hell do I do that?"
He could hear Nino chuckle under his breath and could picture in his mind the shit-eating grin he was sure Nino was wearing at the moment. "You're in Kanjani. I'm sure you can think up something."
-----
Massu hadn't taken to the idea kindly at first. Even telling him that it was Nino who helped devise the plan couldn't sway him. It seemed his sense of self-image outweighed even his fanboy love for Arashi.
He couldn't blame Massu entirely; the idea of preventing fanservice by doing even worse fanservice seemed counterproductive. But Ryo persisted, driving home that they had the option of doing intense fanservice for a short amount of time or be faced with keeping up this stupid charade for however long Johnny thought the gay angle could work. And since they were signed on to start shooting on the drama in a little under two months, and filming could last an entire season--maybe more if the show did well enough--they could be pretending to date each other for a very long time.
Even with the logic backing him up, it still took Ryo a good week of nagging before Massu begrudgingly agreed to the plan, and only after the younger man had stubbornly laid out some ground rules of his own. There would be no kissing on the lips and hands had to stay above the belt. Ryo didn't really see what the problem was with either of those, especially knowing how undiscriminating Massu was when it came to genders, but if it got Massu to play along, it would have to do. They could still do plenty without those two signs of affection. And Massu had only said his lips were off limits. Everywhere else was still fair game as far as Ryo was concerned.
They started their assault small, using their television appearances as testing grounds for how much they could push on camera. All they'd been instructed to do when it came to music shows was sit next to each other, maybe share a shy smile or brush hands. Tiny little moments perfectly designed to plant the seeds of delusion in the fangirl mind, seeds that would flower into fully formed fantasy, which theoretically would drive their fans to buy more goods. All because girls equated shy glances with them sleeping together.
Well, if they were going to feed the delusions, they might as well give the girls something really substantial to chew on. Forget simply planting seeds--they were going to transplant whole trees.
They were standing backstage during Music Station, shooting the pre-show promo when they set their plan into motion. Ryo reached over and linked their pinkies together, swinging their hands between them happily, just high enough for the cameras to catch as they passed. The next time the cameras started travelling around, Ryo grabbed Massu's arms and slung them around his belly, making the boy hug him from behind. He could feel Massu stiffen, hear him suck in a sharp breath, but Ryo had just smiled and hissed, "Cameras." There was a moment's hesitation and then Massu's arms tightened around his middle, accompanied by the weight of Massu's chin on Ryo's shoulder just in time for the cameras to pass and Ryo to throw them a shy smile.
From then on, as long as there was an audience anywhere near the two of them, they were inseparable. They would snuggle on set and stage alike, nuzzle, whisper stupid things into each other's ears. Ryo seemed to instigate the bulk of the public displays of affection, but he was fine with that. As long as Massu continued to play along with the plan then Ryo was happy.
Even so, Ryo had jumped the first time he felt Massu's hand fall lightly--and more importantly, willingly--against the curve of his hip, thumb hooking in one of his belt loops and pulling him close as they listened to Koyama yammer through their MC. Massu had given him a genuine, unsure smile and Ryo had to remind himself that this was all just an act. Still, he could help but shiver when Massu leaned in close enough that Ryo could feel his breath tickling his cheek, and asked if they should "go further" in a breathy whisper.
Massu was a better actor than he'd remembered. Then again, desperation could be quite the motivator. Not for the first time, he wondered if he shouldn't have told Massu that he also fancied men. Though that might have made things even weirder. He could save the niggling little half-thoughts forming in his brain every time Massu touched him for a time when Massu didn't have to touch him. At least, not against his will.
Right. Focus on the plan. Work before play and all that.
The rest of NEWS were easy enough to recruit for their mission. All Ryo had to do was get Massu to ask them in a sincerely if not a little bumbling and they were falling all over themselves to help. It was a good thing Massu had never realized what power he could wield if only he presented himself a certain way. It was already hard enough to deal with Tegoshi's whims; a self-aware Massu would make Tegomasu unbearable.
Things became even easier when NEWS was armed with cameras for the prerequisite backstage tour documentary. Halfway into the tour and they already had more than enough footage of scenes of them being clingy to the point of disgust. Scenes of Ryo hand feeding Massu affectionately or napping on his lap during off time, or the two of them huddled together under the blankets when the other members decided on an impromptu ghost story night in the hotel after one show; it was all on camera in crystal clear HD format. They even tried to get Massu to join them in the traditional NEWS naked at the bath scene, but it seemed even Massu had limits to how far he'd go for his freedom. Ryo spent the night watching One Piece reruns with him instead.
The more time he spent with Massu, the better Ryo got to know the man behind the sunshine smiles and loud clothing. It wasn't like they were total strangers before the whole scandal hit, but they weren't exactly the best of friends either. They just didn't really talk before. He could still say with confidence that they were very different people who didn't always see eye to eye on a lot of subjects, but after all the time he'd spent with Massu, Ryo had to admit that the did have some common ground.
Honestly, Ryo felt a little embarrassed that it had taken this long for them to move past the co-workers stage into actual friends, but he supposed it was a case of better late than never. Or at least that's what he told himself to feel less guilt about the subject.
Even so, he was surprised when he was suddenly invited to the Masuda family home for dinner. Their relationship was still in the process of forming into something a little more solid; meeting Massu's parents felt a bit like telling them to run when they'd barely learned to walk, but Massu had said his mother had insisted. As if that made Ryo feel any less nervous at the prospect.
Against his better judgement, Ryo accepted the invitation. He might as well meet (and possibly apologize to) the people whose son he was molesting on national television. That was how he found himself in the kitchen of the Masuda house two days later, helping Mrs. Masuda chop vegetables. Her son had tried to join but she had shooed him away, telling him to take the family car and go pick up his older sister on the other side of town. His mother said she wanted to 'get to know the handsome Nishikido-kun.' Massu shot Ryo an apprehensive look but Nishikido had just told him to stop being a baby and go pick up his sister. Only after Massu had left did Ryo realize that he had walked straight into the parental interrogation trap.
Mrs. Masuda smiled serenely, slicing the meat for the sukiyaki dinner they were going to be partaking of soon. "So you've been spending a lot of time with Takahisa lately."
Ryo blanched, hands stilling in their chopping work. He had been hoping for a little more time to think up good excuses. "Um, about that..."
"Don't worry," she grinned, laughing that same distinctive breathy chuckle that Ryo had hitherto only associated with her son. "Taka told me everything already. Your secret is safe with me."
Ryo tried not to look too relieved, covering his sigh with a smile. He should've known 'Taka' would have spilled everything to his mom already. Feeling more at ease, he resumed his chopping duty as Mrs. Masuda continued to speak. "He's lucky to have a good friend like you."
He was a little surprised at how much the term 'good friend' stung. It was the truth--they were friends--but nowhere as friendly as he felt they should be. Nor did it help the weird, jittery feeling that seemed to plague him every time he and Massu would play fool around. Ryo knew what it was just as he was sure that he really shouldn't be feeling it. They were barely friends. Pursuing anything beyond that was way too far out of the question for them at the moment. Especially when it was exactly what Johnny wanted.
He suddenly recalled something Massu had said to him not longer after the scandal hit. Something that had bothered him a little ever since a distressed Massu had said it on the roof of the Fuji TV station. "Masuda-san, how would you feel if the rumors were true?"
Massu's mom paused, making a soft humming noise while she thought and pursing her lips. It was interesting seeing the same mannerisms Ryo had come to identify with Massu on a different person. "As long as Taka is happy, then I'm happy." She laughed then, moving on from the beef to chopping up a side of pork. "Of course, my husband might not accept it so easily, but I think he'd see the light soon enough."
Ryo let a tiny smile cross his lips. Suddenly, the reasoning behind why Massu was such a mama's boy was much clearer. "You really love him a lot."
"Of course. He's my precious little boy." She looked up from her work long enough to spare Ryo a proud smile. Just looking at it caused the corners of Ryo's mouth turn up in response. Massu really was a lucky guy to be surrounded by people who doted on him so much. No wonder he always seemed to have a smile on his face.
"But is there any reason for me to believe the rumors might be true?"
Ryo almost lost his grip on the knife. He hadn't expected to be thrown a curveball so soon after that touching moment. So the ability to kill the mood at any given moment was also hereditary. He looked down at his hands, trying not to blush. "Ah, no, we're just friends."
Mrs. Masuda laughed, lips curling up in an expression that was half-smile, half-pout. "And here I thought I'd get to brag about having two handsome sons."
Thankfully she changed the subject to less embarrassing things after that, but Ryo couldn't help but repeat what she'd said over and over in his mind. Even after Massu had arrived home with his older sister and they'd all sat down to dinner, he continued to replay her words over and over, a bothersome soundtrack on loop that made Ryo feel strangely guilty every time he and Massu interacted directly and caused him to miss quite a bit of the over dinner conversation. The Masudas probably thought he was flighty and disinterested, but they were kind to him nonetheless, continuously inviting him into the conversation and laughing at him when he would slip and say something sharp. They were the kind of warm, wholesome people Ryo thought didn't exist outside of small towns in dramas, couldn't exist in a huge metropolis like Tokyo, full of vipers and vultures as it was.
Ryo, with his sex appeal and carefully crafted asshole persona and liar's tongue, felt out of place around the Masuda table, a wolf in sheep's clothing trying to mingle with the flock. What right did he have to drag their son down with him? Or even worse--that he kind of wanted to drag him down?
With all these thoughts bouncing around in his head, Ryo felt worn thin before Massu's mom even cleared the dinner plates from the table. Seeing an opportunity to flee, Ryo thanked them for the meal but insisted he had to leave, citing work in the morning. Massu's family tried to convince him to at least stay for dessert, but he was having a hard enough time keeping himself from running out the door at breakneck speed. Thankfully, Massu corroborated Ryo's excuse of hating sweets, and Nishikido was sent on his way with a plastic container of leftovers and an invitation to return at any time. Ryo smiled and tried to ignore the offer; if he let down his guard and returned, he was afraid he might find himself not wanting to leave. Which, when compounded with his growingly complicated feelings for the youngest Masuda child, really only made matters worse.
He couldn't escape Massu walking him out to his car however. They slipped out into the evening calm, Massu shutting the door closed behind them and walking silently at Ryo's side. The neighborhood Massu lived in was quiet at this time of night, the roads mostly empty, people tucked away in their quaint little houses to eat and sleep and rest up for the coming morning. A soft breeze wafted past them, rustling Massu's hair as it glinted golden brown in the light from a nearby street lamp. "Hey, thanks for coming tonight, Nishikido-kun."
Ryo shrugged. "It's nothing. Tell your mom thanks for the food."
"Sure," Massu said with a nod. He stopped just short of Ryo's car and rocked back on his heels. "Um, she didn't say anything weird to you earlier, did she?"
Ryo paused and turned to look at Massu, a little surprised by the question. Even in the dim light, Ryo could make out the concerned look on Massu's face. Either Ryo had been more visibly distracted than he'd hoped or Massu's mom had a bad habit of snooping in her son's business. He sincerely hoped it was the latter. "Nah, just typical parent stuff. Your mom's pretty cool, actually."
That seemed to placate Massu. The younger boy beamed. "Of course she is. She's my mom. So, see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Ryo said, unlocking the door to his car. He had one foot in the door, watching Massu trot back up to his house, when the urge to call out to his band mate overcame him. "Hey, Massu. I meant it when I said I'd get us out of this."
Massu looked surprised, but it quickly melted into a softer, more relaxed expression. "I know. I trust you, Nishikido-kun." He said, grinning hard enough to cause his dimple to appear, eyes crinkling into twin crescent moons. An expression he'd seen countless times, sometimes even directed at him. So why the hell did seeing it now make his stomach feel like it was trying to crawl up into his throat.
Ryo scrambled into his car, offering Massu a strangled sound that was supposed to be 'good night' but probably sounded like a garbled, embarrassed squawk. This was bad. Really, really bad.
He sat in the driveway long after Massu had gone inside, willing himself to calm down enough that he could be sure he wouldn't accidentally drive into a telephone pole. Once he was sure the jitters had mostly subsided, he put the key in the ignition and started up the car. And despite himself, as he pulled out of the driveway, he couldn't help but entertain the idea that maybe a second dinner with the Masudas wouldn't be such a terrible thing after all.
-----
Nearly two months after the scandal dropped and Ryo was beginning to lose hope.
Despite doing everything short of making out on national TV, they had yet to earn their freedom. If anything, the company only seemed spurred on by the footage they had already shot. Ryo was beginning to think he'd have to rip Massu's pants off and blow him in the middle of HEYx3 before they did something. Then again, that could have been the sexual frustration talking.
Pestering Nino for more help had only earned him a headache and threats of starting an additional rumor that they had turned one of the old practice rooms in the Johnny's & Associates building into a love nest if Ryo continued to whine at him. Ryo was reasonably sure that Nino was just kidding, but he'd still rather not risk it. It was bad enough that Yoko and the rest of Kanjani had jokingly offered to play the scandal off as a dokkiri for their next DVD. Ryo really didn't need two of the company's most notorious pranksters working against him.
All the same, Ryo couldn't help but feel dissatisfied and more than a little angry. It was the helplessness that really got to him. The gay jokes he could put up with--that was nothing really that new, after all--but he had promised Massu he'd put an end to this ludicrous Boys Love plan. As it was, they already had the scripts for the drama in their hands, and shooting was scheduled to start in the next week and a half. Massu had looked lifeless when they'd first been handed the scripts, though Ryo had to hand it to the kid, he was putting considerable effort into learning his role despite despising the story. When asked, he had just smiled sadly and responded that he still believed in Ryo, but it didn't hurt to be safe just in case.
Nearly two months of necking and all Ryo had to show for it was a lot of embarrassing footage and a severe case of unrequited... something for Massu. Not quite like, but he was apprehensive to break out the word 'love' in their context. He almost wished he could write it off as pure lust--then it'd be easier to deal with. Less feelings to trip over, quicker to get out of his system.
He was still struggling with all of this when he woke up early one Saturday to someone knocking on his front door. He had stayed up late the previous night mulling the whole Massu situation over only to crash out on the couch at close to 4:00 AM. Being roused a little under four hours later was not at all how Ryo had planned one of his precious days off to start.
His first instinct was to ignore the knocking, and it was working quite well up until the noise started again. And then a third time, soft but insistent. After the fourth bout of rapping he knew that no amount of will power would help him any more. He was hopelessly awake by that point. All he could do now was find out who the hell had woken him up and incur his half-dead wrath upon them.
Rolling off the couch with a groan and barely opened eyes, Ryo stumbled to the door with a lurch that would make a zombie proud. He fumbled with the locks, fingers feeling as groggy as he was, and yanked the door open with a cranky 'What?'
His eyes were still trying to regain normal function, lids feeling like they were stuffed with scratchy fiber and sand. Thankfully, his ears were much more up to the job, and identified his visitor easily the minute he spoke. "Ah, I didn't mean to wake you."
"Massu?" Ryo mumbled and rubbed his eyes. Now that he could actually distinguish Massu as more than a purple-cream-black blob, he noticed the way the boy seemed to be all but bouncing on the balls of his feet. "What're you doing here?"
"Nishikido-kun, it's over."
"Eh?"
Massu shifted from foot to foot. "Um, can I come in?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry." Ryo stepped out of the way, shutting the door after Massu had entered the apartment. Massu definitely seemed excited about something, and Ryo wasn't sure if he was awake enough to deal with it at the moment. "What d'you mean, 'it's over'?"
"Didn't you get the message?"
Ryo cast a look at his abandoned cell phone lying on his coffee table. He looked over to Massu but the boy only bit down on his lip, as if having to keep the words from bursting out of him. It was obvious Massu wanted Ryo to read it for himself. Nishikido frowned and moved to pick the device up, unlocking the display. Sure enough there were several new messages on his phone. Four, to be exact: two from his manager, one from Nino--how the hell did he manage to find out things so quickly?--and one from Massu. Since the man in question was standing there staring at him expectantly, Ryo decided to open his mail first.
Nishikido-kun! We're free!
Johnny-san is ending the fanservice!
The reason... is pretty funny.
Mind if I come tell you about it?
Ryo felt his jaw drop, having to reread the message three times before his brain caught up. He moved on to the other messages but they all said more or less the same thing. Ryo read them all twice, even Nino's mail stating that they were now indebted to him. How...? "Is this for real?"
Massu nodded, hair bobbing along merrily and an ear to ear grin on his face. "Apparently my mom talked to your mom, and they both went to talk to Johnny-san." He laughed, voice almost lyrical. "Mom says they told him to take responsibility for turning us gay. That they wanted reimbursement for us not being able to give them grandchildren."
Never underestimate the love of a mother for her child. Ryo wished he could've been there.
"What about the drama?"
"Ah, well," Massu said, scratching his cheek and sobering a little. He still looked happier than Ryo could remember seeing him since this whole thing started. "They said it's too late to change the script, so they're keeping it the same and saying the tabloids and fanservice were viral marketing. Apparently Johnny-san paid the reporter a lot to get him to go along with it."
Ryo whistled and shook his head. "It's a good thing these guys are on our side." A pause. "Well, most of the time."
The two of them broke out into smiles, Massu chuckling and rocking back on his heels.
"So, I guess... back to normal?"
"Ah, yeah. 'Suppose so."
They fell into silence, neither really sure just what constituted normal between them anymore. Ryo scratched at his arm, eyes on the floor, trying to decide just where they should go from there.
"Um--"
"Massu--"
The two idols smiled at each other again, this time much more nervous than the prior exchange. Ryo nodded his head to signal that Massu should talk first. Massu bit down on his lip, one hand going up to scratch the back of his neck.
"Um, well, I know you're probably sick and tired of me. I mean, I would be too. But I thought maybe we could still hang out? Not like a couple, but, you know. Normally. As fr--"
Ryo really wasn't sure what he was thinking--if he had been thinking at all--when he bridged the distance between them and leaned up for a kiss. All he knew was that it felt good and Massu wasn't pulling away, so he figured those were both good enough indications that he should continue.
It was gentle despite being forced, long and chaste. With the drama looming over their heads, Ryo had spent more than a fair amount of time wondering how it would feel when they finally had to do the kissing scene, if they'd have to practice, how many takes it would be to get all the right angles. Kissing actresses was always a little awkward; would kissing someone he was friends with, someone he liked be worse or better?
Standing there, lips pressed against Massu's, he realized that none of that really mattered. Massu's lips tasted like disgustingly sweet pastries and Ryo had morning breath but no one was forcing them to do it this time and that instantly made the kiss better than anything he'd previously imagined.
When he finally decided to pull away, Ryo focused on the curve of Massu's lips, not sure if he could meet Massu's eyes. "That felt pretty normal to me."
Ryo wasn't really sure what he expected after that, but the thing was, he still though Massu would react. The silence he was greeted with made him feel anxious, unsure. After he worked up the nerve to look up for some sort of visual cue, he noticed that Massu was staring at him with wide eyes, the apples of his cheeks turning a soft pink. "But... we don't have to...
"I never did like being told what I could and couldn't do," Ryo said sheepishly, eyes once again returning to Massu's lips. He took a step forward, intruding on Massu's space and feeling relieved when Massu didn't automatically step away. "And I don't want to make your mother a liar."
"I'm not sure I want to know what that means," Massu said dryly. He still looked a little flushed, but the deer in the headlights look was gone, appearing more curious than anything. Ryo bit back a grin. If Massu was feeling comfortable enough to sass him, that meant Nishikido could be a little bold.
He brought a hand up to rest against the small of Massu's back, the same way he had repeatedly over the past couple of months, but his intent less murky this time. There were no cameras, no fangirls, nothing but his own thoughts motivating him. "It means I want to kiss you again, you dumb pig."
"Really?" Massu's voice was soft, as unsure as the fingers sliding up Ryo's hips, settling on his waist like transients; not sure if they should be there but eager to stay for as long as they were allowed to. Ryo thought that description encapsulated their relationship perfectly.
"Yeah."
Ryo watched as Massu ducked his head and licked his lips nervously. He glanced up through his bangs, hesitated, and then tentatively placed his lips on Ryo's own, little more than an innocent peck. Ryo would have complained that that barely constituted a kiss, but Massu only pulled away for a moment, returning with a little more confidence the second time, tugging so their bodies were flush against each other. Well, they certainly wouldn't need to practice much for the drama. Then again, Ryo wasn't about to turn down practice when it felt like this.
He smiled, laughing a little when they finally pulled away. "If I had known shopping with you would turn out like this, I would've done it more often."
"We can do it again if you like. Among other things."
Ryo's jaw went slack at the feel of Massu's thumb running under the waistband of his shorts, tracing the skin over his hip bone. It made sense that Massu would have had similar thoughts to Ryo--it wasn't hard to let the mind wander along with their fingers when they'd been feeling each other up--but Ryo still couldn't help but feel a little scandalized. To think that Massu was hiding very adult intentions under that sweet little baby face. Part of Ryo wondered just how long the other man had been harboring these thoughts. "I though you said nothing below the belt."
Massu gave Ryo a nervous smile. "I don't really like being told what to do either."
"Even if it's me doing the telling?" Ryo chuckled, pulling Massu backwards toward the couch. Lack of sleep notwithstanding, Ryo thought his day off was shaping up pretty great thus far, and if the way Massu was eagerly following him was any indication, he had a feeling the rest of the day would be following in a similar vein.
Massu just smiled and allowed himself to be lead. "I could probably be persuaded."
From: nanyakanya
Title: Where There's Smoke
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Ryo/Massu
Warnings: do Nino-inspired shenanigans count?
Summary: Ryo liked it better when Johnny covered up his rumors, not added to them.
Notes: This is straight up silly, but I hope you like it, sashjun! ♥ Thanks to the usual suspects for their support.
-----
"This is all your fault, pig."
Massu frowned over at Ryo, twiddling his thumbs nervously. The two of them were seated just outside of Johnny's office, waiting to be called in like the bad kids sent to see the principal. In a sense, that scenario wasn't too far off from the truth.
It had been completely innocent, their alleged "rendezvous." They hadn't even expected to meet each other that day; Ryo had been looking for a new belt and Massu just happened to be in the first clothes store he popped into. Ryo didn't particularly like shopping with Massu seeing as making the choice between slightly different shades of one color could be an hour long process (and, really, who gave a shit if it was Amber, Lemon, or Citrine? It was all yellow.) But it would be rude to snub him, so he went over and said hello.
Massu, on the other hand, looked thrilled to see Ryo there, flashing him an easy smile and gladly offering his help when Ryo revealed his mission for the day. Much to Ryo's surprise, Massu was much better at shopping for others than himself, and within a few minutes, Ryo had two belts slung over his shoulder, ready to be bought. He was turning to do just that when Massu stopped him and asked if he was going to try them on first. Ryo didn't really think he needed to do any trying on--they were just belts, after all, and Ryo was a pretty skinny guy anyway--but Massu was giving him that look that implied he would be crazy to buy them without modeling them first. He'd try them on just wipe that incredulous expression off his face.
The first belt went on easily, Ryo whipping it off smugly once he'd shown Massu that the fit was perfect. The second belt, however, had a belt buckle that must have been created by M.C. Escher because Ryo couldn't figure out how to close it for the life of him. Massu, master of making any and every situation awkward, had crouched down into Ryo's space and busied his fingers with the belt buckle. Luckily for them both, Ryo quickly realized how weird this probably looked and pulled Massu into one of the dressing stalls with him, tugging the curtain shut behind them. Between the two of them they managed to figure out how to close the buckle, though not before Ryo decided this was not the belt for him. Ryo had to admit, Massu had been right.
As a reward for helping him, Ryo had treated Massu to fried rice and gyoza at the new, hip Chinese place down the street, followed by a stop at a nearby music shop when Massu had mentioned wanting some new bands to listen to. By the time they were done, the sun had long since sunk below the horizon, so they had thanked each other for an unexpectedly nice time, gone home with their purchases, and completely forgotten about their afternoon together.
At least, until Ryo woke up two days later to a couple frantic calls from his manager. All he had really gotten out of the conversations were the words "tabloids," "trouble," "Johnny-san's office," and "now."
He was surprised to see Massu sitting in the company car that had come to pick him up, looking nervous and confused. Ryo's mind flashed back to the last two times he'd been involved in a scandal along with the other members of NEWS. There was a brief moment of relief when he remembered that all the members were of legal drinking age now, but his inner cynic was quick to remind him that all that meant was the scandal had to be bigger than a little underage drinking.
If Pi had knocked someone up, so help him, Ryo was going to kill his friend.
Surprisingly, no other NEWS members were picked up on the way to the office. Now Ryo was really confused. He tried asking Massu if he had any idea about what was going on but the younger man had just shook his head and babbled something about their manager having said they'd find out at the office. The explanation didn't exactly put Ryo's mind at ease.
It wasn't until they were outside of Johnny's office that the reason for them being called there became apparent. Their manager waited until they were seated before handing them an open copy of Josei Seven. The page it was opened to was your typical gossip rag scoop: a two page splash full of grainy black and white pictures and inflammatory statements. Ryo had seen his fair share of these things over the course of his career. The contents of this article were much different than any of the rumors he'd been in previously.
There in big block lettering were the words NEWS' Nishikido, Masuda on Lovey-Dovey Rendezvous?! Beneath it in slightly smaller print was A Night Inside the Secret World!
Ryo skimmed the article, reading up on how he and Massu were supposedly much, much more than friends. The fabrication was even complete with an eyewitness account from a waitress citing how "doting" Ryo had seemed over dinner and uncredited comments from staff member B-san and makeup artist A-san stating that they'd always wondered about those two. Though staff member C-san had joked that he'd "always thought that if anyone was going to be the first to be outed in NEWS, it would be Kato and Koyama."
Most damning were the images, pictures taken from compromising angles to maximize the shock factor. Shots of Massu kneeling before Ryo in the clothes store, his hands and face hovering dangerously close to Ryo's crotch; them crammed into the dressing room, one of Ryo's hands tugging the curtain closed while the other was on Massu's bicep; Ryo grinning and forcing a spoon full of his fried rice into Massu's mouth as they sat shoulder to shoulder in a cozy little booth; the two of them in the music shop with their heads close together, sharing a set of earphones. All images they had perfectly reasonable explanations for, but looked highly suspicious when taken out of context.
Ryo groaned and placed his head in his hands. Of all the people to be stuck in a gay rumor with, they had to choose Massu? He could already hear the mocking laughter of his friends in his head.
As for his supposed gay lover, Massu was looking more and more desperate the longer he looked at the article. Having your big rumor debut be something like this must have been traumatizing for someone with such a squeaky clean image. "But it's a lie! We're not..." Massu looked over to Ryo but turned away just as quickly, face flushed. "It should be fine once we tell them the truth, right?"
Ryo sighed, feeling too frustrated to deal with the hysteria of a tabloid virgin. "You don't visit the tabloids that often, so I'll be nice and spell it out for you. They never listen. Trying to talk your way out of it just makes you look like a giant liar." Sitting back up in his chair, Ryo fixed his attention on the ceiling above them as he continued, "The only hope we have is to pretend it didn't happen and let the company PR people do their best to sweep it under the rug."
"But it did happen. Just... not like they said."
Ryo had opened his mouth to berate Massu for being naive, but then the door to Johnny's office opened and the CEO's secretary ushered the two of them in.
Being in Johnny's office always made Ryo nervous. Idols really only came there for big things. Career-changing things, debuts and disbandments. Considering the reason for Ryo and Massu currently standing before Johnny, Ryo wasn't sure which option was the better one.
The good thing about Johnny is that he was always blunt. If they were going to get dragged through hell, at least it would be a short ride.
Kitagawa barely acknowledged their arrival before he pulled a sizeable stack of papers from his desk drawer, plopping it down in front of the two idols. "We've done some research. You, look at these."
They were page upon page of what looked to be 2chan comments. Some had usernames attached to them but most were from anonymous posters and almost all of them were variations off of three central themes. Those being RYOMASU IS THE BEST, HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT, and I CAAAAAAAAAAME!!, coupled with an assortment of excited emoticons. Ryo could feel his stomach sinking down to his knees.
At his side, Massu blinked up at their boss. "They're... not angry?"
"Of course some of them were. But the overwhelming consensus was that the two of you together are..." Johnny picked up a sheet from the stack, "'Really fucking hot.' And as you both know, we are in the business of profiting off girls' happiness."
Ryo shot Massu a nervous glance. The younger boy was pale as a sheet and about as lifeless, too. Johnny stood up from his chair, continuing on despite the unbelieving faces on the two idols. "Boys, times are tough. If we want to stay afloat, we're going to have to start looking into markets we previously ignored. Going after the special interest groups."
"Sir?" Massu asked, voice cracking.
Johnny placed both hands down on his desk, looking at the two of them with shrewd eyes. "How familiar are you two with the concept of Boys Love?"
-----
Ryo and Massu walked down the halls of the company building woodenly, looking like they had both just seen a ghost. After dropping the initial bombshell, Johnny had introduced them to a well-dressed man he referred to as a 'consultant on the niche market' they were aiming for. It had been surreal listening to the very prim, very academic-looking man describe the homosexual fantasies of fangirls. Ryo was pretty sure his brain had stopped working by the time he got to 'the height rule vs. the age rule.' He had always wondered how Johnny made the decisions he did, and wasn't sure if knowing there was a think tank behind his seemingly arbitrary whims was comforting or not.
Massu seemed to be just as dazed as Ryo. Nishikido had thought he would have put up more of a fight, but it seemed even Massu had a limit to his stubbornness. That or he was too shell-shocked to say anything. It was a lot easier to argue with a choreographer than the man who paid your salary every week.
Thankfully, Johnny hadn't come up with many suggestions on how exactly to reach out to their new demographic. Yet. All Ryo was encouraged to do for the moment was show up on an episode or two of Master Hits and the two of them were told to lay on the flirtation when NEWS appeared on variety shows. Though there was already talk of getting zopp to pen a duet for them for the upcoming concert tour.
They had been forced to do a lot of questionable shit in their time as members of Johnny's & Associates, but all of this was barring on insane as far as Ryo was concerned.
As soon as they entered the practice room, Tegoshi had hopped up from his seat and approached them. He looked Ryo up and down, eyes seeming to scrutinize every inch of him, before finally giving Massu a pat on the shoulder. "I suppose I can allow you to date my Massu."
"He's not your daughter! And we're not dating!" Ryo cried. He was beginning to think everyone in this damn company was out of their mind.
It seemed their manager had clued the rest of their band mates in while Ryo and Massu were in Johnny's office. NEWS were taking the new directives fairly well. Meaning that they had mostly taken to snickering and making bad jokes at Ryo and Massu's expense. Koyama had cooed something about Ryo bringing the concept of member ai to a whole new level (Ryo thought that Koyama of all people should really not talk.) Meanwhile, Tegoshi had thrown the term homewrecker at them, though whether he meant Ryo or Massu was unclear. Ryo just sighed. He didn't even want to think about how Kanjani would react when he met them next week.
Massu broke away from them wordlessly, shuffling over to the couch and sinking down into the cushions like his body was made of lead. He was soon flanked by Tegoshi and Shige on either side, the two youngest members trading out their smirks for more sober expressions when they saw the lost look on Massu's face.
"So what are you going to do?" Pi asked, watching as Koyama went to join the rest of his Soukon co-stars, kneeling down in front of Massu to place a hand on the younger man's knee.
Ryo shrugged. "What can I do? The orders are coming from Johnny himself. You know that what he says goes."
Pi made a distracted humming noise at the back of his throat. On the couch, Shige had thrown a protective arm over Massu's shoulder, talking in low, hushed tones that Ryo couldn't make out. Massu shook his head and said miserably, "But what will my family think?"
"Well," Pi said, pulling Ryo's attention back from the distressed face Massu was making, "if you think it's hopeless, it's hopeless. But I thought you were smarter than that."
Ryo cocked an eyebrow. There was something challenging in Pi's eyes, something that not only made Ryo want to believe that there was some solution to this problem, but pushed him to find it just so he could prove Pi wrong. Ryo almost smiled. Stupid Pi always did know how to light a fire under his ass.
"I guess you're not such a crappy leader after all."
"Oi," Yamapi deadpanned. "Is that any way to thank me?"
"I'll deal with you later," Ryo said, the smirk finally finding its way onto his lips. He looked over to Massu, took in his drooping shoulders and tired expression. Ryo would be damned if he let this charade go on for much longer. "First, I've got to find out how to outsmart our boss."
-----
Despite his growing sense of distrust for the company, Ryo had been surprised when the drama offer had come in a few days later. But his shock soon turned back to suspicion when he entered the casting room and saw Massu already seated in one of the chairs. Massu seemed to be thinking along the same lines if the uneasy look on his face meant anything. He appeared less dazed than he had a couple days ago, more wary and nervous. Massu nodded silently to Ryo, giving him a weak wave of the hand as if he would be punished for showing any emotion beyond that. Ryo huffed and sat down in the chair next to his nervous band mate. Might as well get this over with.
The screenwriter, Aoki, was so inexperienced he should have had "sucker" written on his head in bright green ink; the man was fresh out of school and with all the eagerness of someone who had yet to learn just how harsh the entertainment industry could be. The two idols had barely sat down before he dove right into his pitch. Not that there was much to sell. The company had already signed them on for the drama.
"Nishikido-kun will play the part of Hirosuke, the pampered son of a yakuza family who has everything but is unsatisfied with life. One day, he meets Jiro," the man smiled and nodded his head in Massu's direction, "played by Masuda-kun, who is an eccentric painter who, despite having a tragic past which left him up to his eyeballs in debt, has an unshakable faith in the goodness of people. Of course, his idealism often gets him into trouble, further compounding his debt problems, and Hirosuke usually has to help him out. Hirosuke and Jiro see the things they lack in each other, and together, the two meet and grow as humans." Aoki grinned and clasped his hands together as if signifying Hirosuke and Jiro's bond. Ryo tried to keep the disbelief from showing on his face.
Undeterred, Aoki continued his rapid fire speech. "There's also a side cast of wacky characters, like Hirosuke's yakuza underlings and the people of the artist commune Jiro lives in. It's a heartwarming comedy with elements of real-life drama, sort of like Tiger & Dragon meets Nodame Cantabile meets Honey & Clover. We're in talks right now to get Kudo Kankuro to direct!"
Ryo nodded along indifferently. The plot was pretty cliche, but then again, what drama wasn't these days? If they really were getting Kudo, perhaps he could save it. His eyes skimmed the list of actors signed on thus far, noting the lack of any big female names. "Who'll be playing the love interest?"
Aoki suddenly turned sheepish. "Um, about that..."
"There's not one?"
"No, there definitely is."
They waited patiently for an answer as to who the mystery leading lady was but Aoki seemed hesitant to speak on the matter. Instead, the screenwriter's eyes flicked over in Massu's direction. Ryo suddenly wanted to punch something very, very badly. Preferably Aoki's stupid face. "Oh come on!"
"Wait, me?" Massu's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his skull.
Ryo frowned, looking from his increasingly ill-looking band member to the mousy man who was causing Massu's discomfort. "Don't worry. There's no way the company would allow it."
"A-Actually," Aoki hedged, gripping a copy of the script as if it would shield him from Ryo's furor, "they were the ones who suggested it in the first place. We were looking at getting Ayase Haruka but the company was very interested in trying out the Boys Love angle. They think it's, um," Aoki coughed, "edgy."
Silence filled the room, Aoki hesitant and the two idols shocked by the knowledge that their company had once again just sold them down the river. Little bits of fanservice at concerts was one thing; playing a gay couple on national television...
"Will there," Massu swallowed, "will there be a kissing scene?"
Aoki averted his eyes, looking down at the script in his hand, shamefaced. "Not in the first episode?"
"And there better not be any in the other episodes either," Ryo growled. He stood up from his chair, grabbing Massu by the arm and pulling him out of the room. "C'mon, let's get you some air."
As they left the conference room, Ryo could hear Aoki squeaking behind them, "It worked for TOKIO and KinKi Kids!"
-----
"Maybe we could just run away."
Ryo stared down at the hunched form on the bench before him. In the seven years he had known him, Ryo had never seen Massu look so utterly miserable before. He couldn't help but wish there was more he could do about the matter, nor could he quell his frustration at knowing that the problem was almost entirely out of his hands. Like it or not, whatever Johnny said was as good as law to them. Johnny said to jump, you jumped; if he told you to debut in see-through clothing, you put on the clear vinyl hotpants and sang your heart out. And if Johnny commanded you to suck face with another man then, by god, you better start reaching for the lip balm.
Ryo snorted and handed Massu the bottle of water he'd gone to fetch from the vending machine. "Yeah right. They'd probably just say that we eloped or something."
The roof of the TV studio was mostly abandoned, only a couple female office workers chatting over lunch and a lone salaryman smoking near the railing. Ryo could feel the eyes of the women on them from across the roof and forced himself not to be bothered by it. As long as they kept their distance, Ryo didn't really care. Let them stare; the damage had already been done the day the article hit newsstands.
With a sigh, Ryo sat down on the bench, sipping his can of coffee and watching Massu through the corner of his eye. He looked dejected, as if the gallows were waiting for him once he left the building. A dead man walking in star-patterned pants.
Ryo shrugged uncomfortably, forcing an air of nonchalance in hopes it would bring Massu's mood back up. "It's not even a real kiss. Just... I don't know. Pretend I'm Tegoshi or something."
"Tegoshi and I never had to play a gay couple in a drama."
"You sure? I saw bits and pieces of Gachibaka..."
Massu actually scowled at Ryo. Nishikido balked, bringing the coffee can to his lips as a way to escape the unusually hard look Massu was throwing at him. He hadn't even thought Massu capable of making a face like that.
Ryo cleared his throat, pointedly not looking at the man sitting next to him. "Which way do you swing, anyway?"
He felt Massu stiffen at his side. When he bothered to look, the other was staring down at his shoes nervously. "Why do you need to know that?"
"It'll make it easier on both of us if we know how far we can take this."
"I," Massu started before shutting his mouth, lips thinning. Ryo watched Massu's eyes skim back and forth over the roof, working out equations invisible to everyone but him. Licking his lips, Massu said softly, "I don't know what I am."
Ryo quirked an eyebrow. He hadn't really had an opinion on Massu's sexuality before this moment, but he hadn't exactly pegged him as asexual either. Well, maybe not entirely. "You're not attracted to people at all?"
Massu shook his head. "No. It's. I don't." He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, his body sagging with the exhale. "It doesn't really matter. Boys or girls."
"So... you're bi?"
"I, I guess so," Massu muttered, face coloring like a cherry tomato.
Ryo hummed, sipping his coffee and staring off into the Tokyo skyline. He knew quite a few of their co-workers seemed to identify that way (or at least the ones who were willing to admit it.) Hell, he was in the same boat, really. Sometimes he wondered if the industry didn't draw people of a certain sexuality or if the penchant for experimentation was more a biproduct of the type of work they did. Ryo figured it probably had something to do with spending half their lives in a company where their public interaction with women wasn't expected to go beyond sappy love songs and the occasional drama role, while skinship with their fellow male idols was encouraged. One could only participate in so many half-naked photo shoots with similarly clad handsome boys before they started considering certain alternatives to the No Girlfriends Allowed rule.
Either way, knowing Massu wasn't as straight as a board made things at least a little easier. Ryo felt less like some sort of sexual predator in a bad gay porno trying to tempt the pure little straight boy into his world of debauchery. "Then kissing a dude shouldn't be that big of a deal for you."
"You don't understand!" Massu cried, surprising Ryo with the passion behind his words. He wasn't used to seeing awkward, goofy little Massu so unbalanced. It seemed Massu realized this, immediately ducking his head and bringing his hands up to scrub his face. Ryo could hear him start muttering through his fingers, "My mom watches everything I'm in. How am I going to explain this to her?"
Ah. The mom issue. Ryo sighed. He should've known Massu's Oedipus complex would come in to play sooner or later. "Don't worry. I'm working on a plan to get us out of this."
"You really think you can change Johnny-san's mind?" Massu said softly. For the first time since the news hit, Ryo thought he could hear the tiniest hint of hope in his voice.
Ryo shrugged, allowing himself a tiny smirk. "I have to. Don't worry, I'll have you back to clutching your mom's apron strings in no time."
-----
Despite Ryo's initial determination, he soon found himself hitting the proverbial brick wall when it came to figuring out a way around their forced fanservice. Every idea he came up with seemed too silly, too likely to fail. As frustrating as it was, he realized he'd have to get outside help on figuring all of this out. Solid help. Someone who had played the Johnny's game and come out on top more times than not.
He called Nino.
As expected, they had barely dispensed with the niceties when Nino brought up the subject, his voice dripping with amusement. "I ran into Massu the other day. He seemed pretty upset about the whole kissing scene in that drama you two got."
Ryo almost sighed. The speed at which news flew around the company could be pretty unsettling at times. "What'd you tell him?"
"I offered to let him practice on me, of course."
Ryo couldn't help but snort. He could clearly picture Massu's dumbstruck face when Nino had said that line. "What happened to our undying love?"
"Sorry Nishiki, but Massu is super hot this year," Nino deadpanned. "But if it's any consolation, I can think of you while I deflower your make believe boyfriend."
"Thanks for that mental image," Ryo groaned.
He could hear Nino chuckle on the other end. "I try. So what's your take on the whole faux gay thing?"
"Actually," Ryo hedged, sitting up straight on his couch. Not that Nino could see him, but he figured this wasn't the kind of thing you asked while sitting down. "I was wondering if you couldn't help me figure out a way out of this."
"What makes you think I'm the expert on something like this?"
"Well, I mean, you know how Johnny thinks."
"You'd be better off asking Jun about that one."
Ryo frowned. "He never answers my calls. Besides, you're more experienced here. The higher ups hate it when you do your Ohnomiya--"
"Ohmiya."
"Eh?"
"Ohmiya SK," Nino repeated calmly. "The name of the skit Oh-chan and I do."
"Yeah, that. They hate it when you do that stuff."
The other end was silent; Ryo hoped it was due to Nino trying to think up a way to help him. Nevertheless, it couldn't hurt to give him a final push over to his side. Ryo hated begging, but what the company was forcing Massu and him to do left a much worse taste in his mouth. "Please. You're the only one I can trust right now."
More silence, and then a sigh. "You know," Nino drawled, "you're lucky I like you."
Ryo smiled. "I tell myself that every day."
"You better." Ryo could hear Nino exhale loudly then cluck his tongue. "Alright. The way you deal with it is pretty easy. What are the basics of fanservice?"
"To make girls squeal, right?"
"Of course, but beyond that."
Ryo paused, not really sure where Nino was going with this. On the other end, Nino let out yet another put-upon sigh. If the sound had come out of anyone other than Nino, Ryo would actually feel a little bad. "It's about teasing, Nishiki. You give the girls just enough to spark their interest and let their imagination take it the rest of the way. They just want a taste, and the company knows that. We're not marketable if we look unattainable."
"It's creepy how you know all this stuff."
"I'm not creepy, just observant. Do you want my help or not?"
"Yes, yes. Sorry," Ryo said, bowing his head reflexively. "So, we should tease them extra hard then?"
Nino's voice had taken on a more amused tone. "It's obvious, isn't it, Nishiki? Just go beyond the bounds of decency."
"How the hell do I do that?"
He could hear Nino chuckle under his breath and could picture in his mind the shit-eating grin he was sure Nino was wearing at the moment. "You're in Kanjani. I'm sure you can think up something."
-----
Massu hadn't taken to the idea kindly at first. Even telling him that it was Nino who helped devise the plan couldn't sway him. It seemed his sense of self-image outweighed even his fanboy love for Arashi.
He couldn't blame Massu entirely; the idea of preventing fanservice by doing even worse fanservice seemed counterproductive. But Ryo persisted, driving home that they had the option of doing intense fanservice for a short amount of time or be faced with keeping up this stupid charade for however long Johnny thought the gay angle could work. And since they were signed on to start shooting on the drama in a little under two months, and filming could last an entire season--maybe more if the show did well enough--they could be pretending to date each other for a very long time.
Even with the logic backing him up, it still took Ryo a good week of nagging before Massu begrudgingly agreed to the plan, and only after the younger man had stubbornly laid out some ground rules of his own. There would be no kissing on the lips and hands had to stay above the belt. Ryo didn't really see what the problem was with either of those, especially knowing how undiscriminating Massu was when it came to genders, but if it got Massu to play along, it would have to do. They could still do plenty without those two signs of affection. And Massu had only said his lips were off limits. Everywhere else was still fair game as far as Ryo was concerned.
They started their assault small, using their television appearances as testing grounds for how much they could push on camera. All they'd been instructed to do when it came to music shows was sit next to each other, maybe share a shy smile or brush hands. Tiny little moments perfectly designed to plant the seeds of delusion in the fangirl mind, seeds that would flower into fully formed fantasy, which theoretically would drive their fans to buy more goods. All because girls equated shy glances with them sleeping together.
Well, if they were going to feed the delusions, they might as well give the girls something really substantial to chew on. Forget simply planting seeds--they were going to transplant whole trees.
They were standing backstage during Music Station, shooting the pre-show promo when they set their plan into motion. Ryo reached over and linked their pinkies together, swinging their hands between them happily, just high enough for the cameras to catch as they passed. The next time the cameras started travelling around, Ryo grabbed Massu's arms and slung them around his belly, making the boy hug him from behind. He could feel Massu stiffen, hear him suck in a sharp breath, but Ryo had just smiled and hissed, "Cameras." There was a moment's hesitation and then Massu's arms tightened around his middle, accompanied by the weight of Massu's chin on Ryo's shoulder just in time for the cameras to pass and Ryo to throw them a shy smile.
From then on, as long as there was an audience anywhere near the two of them, they were inseparable. They would snuggle on set and stage alike, nuzzle, whisper stupid things into each other's ears. Ryo seemed to instigate the bulk of the public displays of affection, but he was fine with that. As long as Massu continued to play along with the plan then Ryo was happy.
Even so, Ryo had jumped the first time he felt Massu's hand fall lightly--and more importantly, willingly--against the curve of his hip, thumb hooking in one of his belt loops and pulling him close as they listened to Koyama yammer through their MC. Massu had given him a genuine, unsure smile and Ryo had to remind himself that this was all just an act. Still, he could help but shiver when Massu leaned in close enough that Ryo could feel his breath tickling his cheek, and asked if they should "go further" in a breathy whisper.
Massu was a better actor than he'd remembered. Then again, desperation could be quite the motivator. Not for the first time, he wondered if he shouldn't have told Massu that he also fancied men. Though that might have made things even weirder. He could save the niggling little half-thoughts forming in his brain every time Massu touched him for a time when Massu didn't have to touch him. At least, not against his will.
Right. Focus on the plan. Work before play and all that.
The rest of NEWS were easy enough to recruit for their mission. All Ryo had to do was get Massu to ask them in a sincerely if not a little bumbling and they were falling all over themselves to help. It was a good thing Massu had never realized what power he could wield if only he presented himself a certain way. It was already hard enough to deal with Tegoshi's whims; a self-aware Massu would make Tegomasu unbearable.
Things became even easier when NEWS was armed with cameras for the prerequisite backstage tour documentary. Halfway into the tour and they already had more than enough footage of scenes of them being clingy to the point of disgust. Scenes of Ryo hand feeding Massu affectionately or napping on his lap during off time, or the two of them huddled together under the blankets when the other members decided on an impromptu ghost story night in the hotel after one show; it was all on camera in crystal clear HD format. They even tried to get Massu to join them in the traditional NEWS naked at the bath scene, but it seemed even Massu had limits to how far he'd go for his freedom. Ryo spent the night watching One Piece reruns with him instead.
The more time he spent with Massu, the better Ryo got to know the man behind the sunshine smiles and loud clothing. It wasn't like they were total strangers before the whole scandal hit, but they weren't exactly the best of friends either. They just didn't really talk before. He could still say with confidence that they were very different people who didn't always see eye to eye on a lot of subjects, but after all the time he'd spent with Massu, Ryo had to admit that the did have some common ground.
Honestly, Ryo felt a little embarrassed that it had taken this long for them to move past the co-workers stage into actual friends, but he supposed it was a case of better late than never. Or at least that's what he told himself to feel less guilt about the subject.
Even so, he was surprised when he was suddenly invited to the Masuda family home for dinner. Their relationship was still in the process of forming into something a little more solid; meeting Massu's parents felt a bit like telling them to run when they'd barely learned to walk, but Massu had said his mother had insisted. As if that made Ryo feel any less nervous at the prospect.
Against his better judgement, Ryo accepted the invitation. He might as well meet (and possibly apologize to) the people whose son he was molesting on national television. That was how he found himself in the kitchen of the Masuda house two days later, helping Mrs. Masuda chop vegetables. Her son had tried to join but she had shooed him away, telling him to take the family car and go pick up his older sister on the other side of town. His mother said she wanted to 'get to know the handsome Nishikido-kun.' Massu shot Ryo an apprehensive look but Nishikido had just told him to stop being a baby and go pick up his sister. Only after Massu had left did Ryo realize that he had walked straight into the parental interrogation trap.
Mrs. Masuda smiled serenely, slicing the meat for the sukiyaki dinner they were going to be partaking of soon. "So you've been spending a lot of time with Takahisa lately."
Ryo blanched, hands stilling in their chopping work. He had been hoping for a little more time to think up good excuses. "Um, about that..."
"Don't worry," she grinned, laughing that same distinctive breathy chuckle that Ryo had hitherto only associated with her son. "Taka told me everything already. Your secret is safe with me."
Ryo tried not to look too relieved, covering his sigh with a smile. He should've known 'Taka' would have spilled everything to his mom already. Feeling more at ease, he resumed his chopping duty as Mrs. Masuda continued to speak. "He's lucky to have a good friend like you."
He was a little surprised at how much the term 'good friend' stung. It was the truth--they were friends--but nowhere as friendly as he felt they should be. Nor did it help the weird, jittery feeling that seemed to plague him every time he and Massu would play fool around. Ryo knew what it was just as he was sure that he really shouldn't be feeling it. They were barely friends. Pursuing anything beyond that was way too far out of the question for them at the moment. Especially when it was exactly what Johnny wanted.
He suddenly recalled something Massu had said to him not longer after the scandal hit. Something that had bothered him a little ever since a distressed Massu had said it on the roof of the Fuji TV station. "Masuda-san, how would you feel if the rumors were true?"
Massu's mom paused, making a soft humming noise while she thought and pursing her lips. It was interesting seeing the same mannerisms Ryo had come to identify with Massu on a different person. "As long as Taka is happy, then I'm happy." She laughed then, moving on from the beef to chopping up a side of pork. "Of course, my husband might not accept it so easily, but I think he'd see the light soon enough."
Ryo let a tiny smile cross his lips. Suddenly, the reasoning behind why Massu was such a mama's boy was much clearer. "You really love him a lot."
"Of course. He's my precious little boy." She looked up from her work long enough to spare Ryo a proud smile. Just looking at it caused the corners of Ryo's mouth turn up in response. Massu really was a lucky guy to be surrounded by people who doted on him so much. No wonder he always seemed to have a smile on his face.
"But is there any reason for me to believe the rumors might be true?"
Ryo almost lost his grip on the knife. He hadn't expected to be thrown a curveball so soon after that touching moment. So the ability to kill the mood at any given moment was also hereditary. He looked down at his hands, trying not to blush. "Ah, no, we're just friends."
Mrs. Masuda laughed, lips curling up in an expression that was half-smile, half-pout. "And here I thought I'd get to brag about having two handsome sons."
Thankfully she changed the subject to less embarrassing things after that, but Ryo couldn't help but repeat what she'd said over and over in his mind. Even after Massu had arrived home with his older sister and they'd all sat down to dinner, he continued to replay her words over and over, a bothersome soundtrack on loop that made Ryo feel strangely guilty every time he and Massu interacted directly and caused him to miss quite a bit of the over dinner conversation. The Masudas probably thought he was flighty and disinterested, but they were kind to him nonetheless, continuously inviting him into the conversation and laughing at him when he would slip and say something sharp. They were the kind of warm, wholesome people Ryo thought didn't exist outside of small towns in dramas, couldn't exist in a huge metropolis like Tokyo, full of vipers and vultures as it was.
Ryo, with his sex appeal and carefully crafted asshole persona and liar's tongue, felt out of place around the Masuda table, a wolf in sheep's clothing trying to mingle with the flock. What right did he have to drag their son down with him? Or even worse--that he kind of wanted to drag him down?
With all these thoughts bouncing around in his head, Ryo felt worn thin before Massu's mom even cleared the dinner plates from the table. Seeing an opportunity to flee, Ryo thanked them for the meal but insisted he had to leave, citing work in the morning. Massu's family tried to convince him to at least stay for dessert, but he was having a hard enough time keeping himself from running out the door at breakneck speed. Thankfully, Massu corroborated Ryo's excuse of hating sweets, and Nishikido was sent on his way with a plastic container of leftovers and an invitation to return at any time. Ryo smiled and tried to ignore the offer; if he let down his guard and returned, he was afraid he might find himself not wanting to leave. Which, when compounded with his growingly complicated feelings for the youngest Masuda child, really only made matters worse.
He couldn't escape Massu walking him out to his car however. They slipped out into the evening calm, Massu shutting the door closed behind them and walking silently at Ryo's side. The neighborhood Massu lived in was quiet at this time of night, the roads mostly empty, people tucked away in their quaint little houses to eat and sleep and rest up for the coming morning. A soft breeze wafted past them, rustling Massu's hair as it glinted golden brown in the light from a nearby street lamp. "Hey, thanks for coming tonight, Nishikido-kun."
Ryo shrugged. "It's nothing. Tell your mom thanks for the food."
"Sure," Massu said with a nod. He stopped just short of Ryo's car and rocked back on his heels. "Um, she didn't say anything weird to you earlier, did she?"
Ryo paused and turned to look at Massu, a little surprised by the question. Even in the dim light, Ryo could make out the concerned look on Massu's face. Either Ryo had been more visibly distracted than he'd hoped or Massu's mom had a bad habit of snooping in her son's business. He sincerely hoped it was the latter. "Nah, just typical parent stuff. Your mom's pretty cool, actually."
That seemed to placate Massu. The younger boy beamed. "Of course she is. She's my mom. So, see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah." Ryo said, unlocking the door to his car. He had one foot in the door, watching Massu trot back up to his house, when the urge to call out to his band mate overcame him. "Hey, Massu. I meant it when I said I'd get us out of this."
Massu looked surprised, but it quickly melted into a softer, more relaxed expression. "I know. I trust you, Nishikido-kun." He said, grinning hard enough to cause his dimple to appear, eyes crinkling into twin crescent moons. An expression he'd seen countless times, sometimes even directed at him. So why the hell did seeing it now make his stomach feel like it was trying to crawl up into his throat.
Ryo scrambled into his car, offering Massu a strangled sound that was supposed to be 'good night' but probably sounded like a garbled, embarrassed squawk. This was bad. Really, really bad.
He sat in the driveway long after Massu had gone inside, willing himself to calm down enough that he could be sure he wouldn't accidentally drive into a telephone pole. Once he was sure the jitters had mostly subsided, he put the key in the ignition and started up the car. And despite himself, as he pulled out of the driveway, he couldn't help but entertain the idea that maybe a second dinner with the Masudas wouldn't be such a terrible thing after all.
-----
Nearly two months after the scandal dropped and Ryo was beginning to lose hope.
Despite doing everything short of making out on national TV, they had yet to earn their freedom. If anything, the company only seemed spurred on by the footage they had already shot. Ryo was beginning to think he'd have to rip Massu's pants off and blow him in the middle of HEYx3 before they did something. Then again, that could have been the sexual frustration talking.
Pestering Nino for more help had only earned him a headache and threats of starting an additional rumor that they had turned one of the old practice rooms in the Johnny's & Associates building into a love nest if Ryo continued to whine at him. Ryo was reasonably sure that Nino was just kidding, but he'd still rather not risk it. It was bad enough that Yoko and the rest of Kanjani had jokingly offered to play the scandal off as a dokkiri for their next DVD. Ryo really didn't need two of the company's most notorious pranksters working against him.
All the same, Ryo couldn't help but feel dissatisfied and more than a little angry. It was the helplessness that really got to him. The gay jokes he could put up with--that was nothing really that new, after all--but he had promised Massu he'd put an end to this ludicrous Boys Love plan. As it was, they already had the scripts for the drama in their hands, and shooting was scheduled to start in the next week and a half. Massu had looked lifeless when they'd first been handed the scripts, though Ryo had to hand it to the kid, he was putting considerable effort into learning his role despite despising the story. When asked, he had just smiled sadly and responded that he still believed in Ryo, but it didn't hurt to be safe just in case.
Nearly two months of necking and all Ryo had to show for it was a lot of embarrassing footage and a severe case of unrequited... something for Massu. Not quite like, but he was apprehensive to break out the word 'love' in their context. He almost wished he could write it off as pure lust--then it'd be easier to deal with. Less feelings to trip over, quicker to get out of his system.
He was still struggling with all of this when he woke up early one Saturday to someone knocking on his front door. He had stayed up late the previous night mulling the whole Massu situation over only to crash out on the couch at close to 4:00 AM. Being roused a little under four hours later was not at all how Ryo had planned one of his precious days off to start.
His first instinct was to ignore the knocking, and it was working quite well up until the noise started again. And then a third time, soft but insistent. After the fourth bout of rapping he knew that no amount of will power would help him any more. He was hopelessly awake by that point. All he could do now was find out who the hell had woken him up and incur his half-dead wrath upon them.
Rolling off the couch with a groan and barely opened eyes, Ryo stumbled to the door with a lurch that would make a zombie proud. He fumbled with the locks, fingers feeling as groggy as he was, and yanked the door open with a cranky 'What?'
His eyes were still trying to regain normal function, lids feeling like they were stuffed with scratchy fiber and sand. Thankfully, his ears were much more up to the job, and identified his visitor easily the minute he spoke. "Ah, I didn't mean to wake you."
"Massu?" Ryo mumbled and rubbed his eyes. Now that he could actually distinguish Massu as more than a purple-cream-black blob, he noticed the way the boy seemed to be all but bouncing on the balls of his feet. "What're you doing here?"
"Nishikido-kun, it's over."
"Eh?"
Massu shifted from foot to foot. "Um, can I come in?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sorry." Ryo stepped out of the way, shutting the door after Massu had entered the apartment. Massu definitely seemed excited about something, and Ryo wasn't sure if he was awake enough to deal with it at the moment. "What d'you mean, 'it's over'?"
"Didn't you get the message?"
Ryo cast a look at his abandoned cell phone lying on his coffee table. He looked over to Massu but the boy only bit down on his lip, as if having to keep the words from bursting out of him. It was obvious Massu wanted Ryo to read it for himself. Nishikido frowned and moved to pick the device up, unlocking the display. Sure enough there were several new messages on his phone. Four, to be exact: two from his manager, one from Nino--how the hell did he manage to find out things so quickly?--and one from Massu. Since the man in question was standing there staring at him expectantly, Ryo decided to open his mail first.
Nishikido-kun! We're free!
Johnny-san is ending the fanservice!
The reason... is pretty funny.
Mind if I come tell you about it?
Ryo felt his jaw drop, having to reread the message three times before his brain caught up. He moved on to the other messages but they all said more or less the same thing. Ryo read them all twice, even Nino's mail stating that they were now indebted to him. How...? "Is this for real?"
Massu nodded, hair bobbing along merrily and an ear to ear grin on his face. "Apparently my mom talked to your mom, and they both went to talk to Johnny-san." He laughed, voice almost lyrical. "Mom says they told him to take responsibility for turning us gay. That they wanted reimbursement for us not being able to give them grandchildren."
Never underestimate the love of a mother for her child. Ryo wished he could've been there.
"What about the drama?"
"Ah, well," Massu said, scratching his cheek and sobering a little. He still looked happier than Ryo could remember seeing him since this whole thing started. "They said it's too late to change the script, so they're keeping it the same and saying the tabloids and fanservice were viral marketing. Apparently Johnny-san paid the reporter a lot to get him to go along with it."
Ryo whistled and shook his head. "It's a good thing these guys are on our side." A pause. "Well, most of the time."
The two of them broke out into smiles, Massu chuckling and rocking back on his heels.
"So, I guess... back to normal?"
"Ah, yeah. 'Suppose so."
They fell into silence, neither really sure just what constituted normal between them anymore. Ryo scratched at his arm, eyes on the floor, trying to decide just where they should go from there.
"Um--"
"Massu--"
The two idols smiled at each other again, this time much more nervous than the prior exchange. Ryo nodded his head to signal that Massu should talk first. Massu bit down on his lip, one hand going up to scratch the back of his neck.
"Um, well, I know you're probably sick and tired of me. I mean, I would be too. But I thought maybe we could still hang out? Not like a couple, but, you know. Normally. As fr--"
Ryo really wasn't sure what he was thinking--if he had been thinking at all--when he bridged the distance between them and leaned up for a kiss. All he knew was that it felt good and Massu wasn't pulling away, so he figured those were both good enough indications that he should continue.
It was gentle despite being forced, long and chaste. With the drama looming over their heads, Ryo had spent more than a fair amount of time wondering how it would feel when they finally had to do the kissing scene, if they'd have to practice, how many takes it would be to get all the right angles. Kissing actresses was always a little awkward; would kissing someone he was friends with, someone he liked be worse or better?
Standing there, lips pressed against Massu's, he realized that none of that really mattered. Massu's lips tasted like disgustingly sweet pastries and Ryo had morning breath but no one was forcing them to do it this time and that instantly made the kiss better than anything he'd previously imagined.
When he finally decided to pull away, Ryo focused on the curve of Massu's lips, not sure if he could meet Massu's eyes. "That felt pretty normal to me."
Ryo wasn't really sure what he expected after that, but the thing was, he still though Massu would react. The silence he was greeted with made him feel anxious, unsure. After he worked up the nerve to look up for some sort of visual cue, he noticed that Massu was staring at him with wide eyes, the apples of his cheeks turning a soft pink. "But... we don't have to...
"I never did like being told what I could and couldn't do," Ryo said sheepishly, eyes once again returning to Massu's lips. He took a step forward, intruding on Massu's space and feeling relieved when Massu didn't automatically step away. "And I don't want to make your mother a liar."
"I'm not sure I want to know what that means," Massu said dryly. He still looked a little flushed, but the deer in the headlights look was gone, appearing more curious than anything. Ryo bit back a grin. If Massu was feeling comfortable enough to sass him, that meant Nishikido could be a little bold.
He brought a hand up to rest against the small of Massu's back, the same way he had repeatedly over the past couple of months, but his intent less murky this time. There were no cameras, no fangirls, nothing but his own thoughts motivating him. "It means I want to kiss you again, you dumb pig."
"Really?" Massu's voice was soft, as unsure as the fingers sliding up Ryo's hips, settling on his waist like transients; not sure if they should be there but eager to stay for as long as they were allowed to. Ryo thought that description encapsulated their relationship perfectly.
"Yeah."
Ryo watched as Massu ducked his head and licked his lips nervously. He glanced up through his bangs, hesitated, and then tentatively placed his lips on Ryo's own, little more than an innocent peck. Ryo would have complained that that barely constituted a kiss, but Massu only pulled away for a moment, returning with a little more confidence the second time, tugging so their bodies were flush against each other. Well, they certainly wouldn't need to practice much for the drama. Then again, Ryo wasn't about to turn down practice when it felt like this.
He smiled, laughing a little when they finally pulled away. "If I had known shopping with you would turn out like this, I would've done it more often."
"We can do it again if you like. Among other things."
Ryo's jaw went slack at the feel of Massu's thumb running under the waistband of his shorts, tracing the skin over his hip bone. It made sense that Massu would have had similar thoughts to Ryo--it wasn't hard to let the mind wander along with their fingers when they'd been feeling each other up--but Ryo still couldn't help but feel a little scandalized. To think that Massu was hiding very adult intentions under that sweet little baby face. Part of Ryo wondered just how long the other man had been harboring these thoughts. "I though you said nothing below the belt."
Massu gave Ryo a nervous smile. "I don't really like being told what to do either."
"Even if it's me doing the telling?" Ryo chuckled, pulling Massu backwards toward the couch. Lack of sleep notwithstanding, Ryo thought his day off was shaping up pretty great thus far, and if the way Massu was eagerly following him was any indication, he had a feeling the rest of the day would be following in a similar vein.
Massu just smiled and allowed himself to be lead. "I could probably be persuaded."