[multichapter] baby blue: part 5: chapter 11
Title: Baby Blue: Part 5: Chapter 11
Pairing: JunDa
Rating: G
Word Count: 1754
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and only the words are mine.
Summary: They knew that moving forward would be hard, but with each hurdle the happiness they deserve seems further and further away.
May 15th 2015
Ueda still didn't even really know what was in store for them when the morning of the press conference arrived. They'd been called into the Jimusho on three different occasions to discuss the press conference and to talk about details of the poll, and Ueda had listened intently and still somehow not taken any of it in.
“Are you scared?” Maru asked him as they waited in the dressing room. Taguchi was getting some air while Koki was smoking and Kame was pacing the room with his cue cards in his hands.
“Yeah.” Ueda answered honestly. He looked down at his own cue card. Their speeches were already written, and edited twice over by the Jimusho staff, and Ueda had learnt the words but he'd been over them so many times that he somehow felt detached from them.
“Everything will be fine.” Kame assured him with a smile, coming to stop in front of his chair. “We don't need to worry about the results or the future right now, just relax and concentrate on the press conference...we've got this.”
Ueda was sure Kame couldn't feel as confident as he looked but years of acting and live broadcasts made Kame look infallible. Taguchi, when he finally re-entered looked nowhere near as infallible but with only ten minutes left until the start of the conference, they didn't have time to give into their nerves.
“Baby...” Taguchi said quietly, pulling up a seat beside Ueda. “We're going to be OK.” His words lacked the confidence of Kame's, but there was a magnitude of emotion behind them that made them more believable.
“I know.” Ueda answered, only having to half force his smile, and he reached for Taguchi's hand.
It didn't feel like ten minutes later that a staff member came to fetch them, leading them towards the conference room and Ueda barely had chance to take in the number of press waiting for them before the camera flashes started.
They each took their places behind the podium, Kame in the centre, Ueda and Taguchi to his left with Koki and Maru to his right. They waited patiently until the room full of reporters quieted and took their seats, and then Kame cleared his throat.
“Thank you all for coming today. I'm sure you're all wondering what you've been asked here today for, and I'm sure it will indeed surprise you. Today, KAT-TUN have a rather unorthodox announcement and also a proposition for our fans. Shortly I will hand over to Taguchi and Ueda for the announcement, and then Koki and Nakamaru will explain the proposition. I ask you to please refrain from commenting or asking questions until after they have finished speaking, and then we will turn over to you to answer whatever questions we can...Taguchi, Ueda, if you please...”
He knew the cue, and yet his feet wouldn't move, he looked out at the sea of faces, all of them greedily waiting for a scoop, eager for the chance to report the downfall of the group and he froze. “UePi.” Taguchi said gently, nudging him, and then his hand was resting gently on the small of Ueda's back encouraging him to step forward.
“Thank you.” he said shakily when he reached the microphones, all of them squeaking hideously at his words. “Taguchi and I have been chosen to deliver this announcement because it concerns the both of us. It is a rather personal announcement, and I hope that you will all respect that when we turn to your questions...” he saw the cameras raising and looked down, his confidence fading. The silence dragged on for what felt like hours and he felt Taguchi's hand rubbing soothingly at his back. He looked up at Taguchi's face, and he still couldn't remember the words but he remembered the feeling and he looked back out at the crowd. “Taguchi and I are in love.”
The room was in instant uproar, the flashes so bright that Ueda couldn't even see the movement behind them, the chaos that such a simple statement had caused.
“Please.” It was Kame's voice, raised against the rabble of the reporters and as he continued the noise started to die down. “Please, we're not finished yet, please reserve your comments until we have finished the announcement. Taguchi...”
It wasn't supposed to be Taguchi's turn yet, but Ueda wasn't supposed to come right out with it like that either. He understood why they were handing over and he let go of his cue cards in his pocket.
“The truth is...” Taguchi started, clearing his throat. “It's true that we're in love...” That wasn't part of Taguchi's speech either but he quickly gets it back on track. “Against the better judgement of our friends and colleagues, Three years ago, Tatsuya and I began a casual relationship, one that very quickly escalated into something serious. In that time, our relationship has been impacted numerous times, causing us to break up, we feel, to the detriment of the group. We have come through the hardships though, with the help of our friends, and with the support of the fans and by eventually gaining consent to date from the company, however we felt it was time to come clean to you all.” He looked over at Ueda, silently asking him if he was OK to pick up as planned and while Ueda didn't feel confident on the inside, seeing Taguchi's collectedness gave him a sense of responsibility.
Ueda nodded. “Until now, we've been unable to tell the public about our relationship for fear of losing...not just our jobs, our livelihoods, for fear of losing KAT-TUN, but we don't want to lie any more, and we don't want to have to sneak around behind the backs of our fans, so with the companies consent, we decided, as a group, to present the truth to you all. We want everyone to know about our relationship and to ask for you to support us in it, from here.” he took a deep breath as he bowed, his band-mates bowing along right beside him.
“Please support us.” Taguchi echoed and they all bowed again to the sound of camera shutters and murmurs.
Ueda and Taguchi moved over to the side, their part, for the most part, finished, and let Kame take centre stage again. “We hope that with the increase in tolerance that Japan has proudly shown over the last few years, homosexuality will not give you cause to turn against these two men. And we implore our fans to remember us over the coming weeks. I'll now hand over to Nakamaru for details of how you can support us.”
Nakamaru cleared his throat as he stepped forward. “When I first found out about Ueda and Taguchi’s relationship, I was hurt and angry. Not because they were together, as weird as I thought that was, but because they didn’t tell me. I’d always thought we were close, I’d always thought that we cared about each other as friends and as members…and to find out that they had been lying to me…that we’d faced each other countless times and they’d hidden this dark secret from me…I felt…deceived. I felt untrusted. And that was after only months of secrecy. I’m speaking to our fans when I say that I understand how hurt you must be feeling right now. We all lied to you, we all knew about this relationship and we kept it from you, it’s understandable that you’ll be hurt and angry. But I’m begging you to please try and understand. We never wanted to deceive you. We were scared of what would happen to this group if society at large found out about this relationship, we were scared of what would happen to our friends, of how the publicity of it might impact their relationship and their happiness. It was the media we were afraid of, not our loyal and trusting fans. We never mistrusted our fans, we never will, and to prove that to you we want to entrust our future, entirely to you.”
Maru bowed low and stepped back, his hands folded neatly in his lap around the cue cards that he hadn’t even glanced at. Koki stepped forward right away, his own cue cards tucked into his pocket.
“If we could have extended this invitation to every one of our fans around the world, please believe me that we would have done. Unfortunately, in the name of organisation and fluidity, we will have to restrict participation to our fan club only.” Koki started. “As Yuichi has already mentioned, we are doing this for our fans, as an apology for the lies we had to tell you, and as a gesture of the trust we hope to maintain with you. Starting one week from today, a poll will open to our fan club members giving you the opportunity to vote on how you would like the group to proceed from here. Your options are as follows. Option A - have the group continue the way we are. Option B - have Ueda and Taguchi leave the group which will continue as a three-member group. Or option C - have the group disband. In the eventuality of the group disbanding, or Taguchi and Ueda leaving, the individuals will remain Johnny’s employees as long as they wish too, but the future of their careers will of course fall to whatever work industry professionals offer them. Now, to those industry professionals, to the directors and producers, casting agencies and editors and all those that we rely on for support in our careers and in our everyday lives. We beseech you to continue your support of us, regardless of the outcome of this poll. We extend our apologies to all of you for our deception and we hope that you too can understand why we had to do it, and that you will not let the very thing we were afraid of influence any decisions you make regarding working with us in the future.”
“Thank you Koki and Nakamaru.” Kame says with a nod as Koki moves back to stand in line. “And finally, to everyone else, to the media and the general public, we are deeply sorry for the things we kept from you and for being afraid for so long of your reaction. We sincerely hope you’ll prove all of our fear and worry unnecessary.” Kame bows deeply and the others mirror him. “Thank you for your patience, we’ll now turn over to your questions.”
---------------------------------------------------
Sorry once again for the long explanations, and for my dismal speech writing skills. Also there may be a delay with next weeks chapter since I'm going to be away for the weekend, and possibly most of next week, without my laptop.
Pairing: JunDa
Rating: G
Word Count: 1754
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, and only the words are mine.
Summary: They knew that moving forward would be hard, but with each hurdle the happiness they deserve seems further and further away.
May 15th 2015
Ueda still didn't even really know what was in store for them when the morning of the press conference arrived. They'd been called into the Jimusho on three different occasions to discuss the press conference and to talk about details of the poll, and Ueda had listened intently and still somehow not taken any of it in.
“Are you scared?” Maru asked him as they waited in the dressing room. Taguchi was getting some air while Koki was smoking and Kame was pacing the room with his cue cards in his hands.
“Yeah.” Ueda answered honestly. He looked down at his own cue card. Their speeches were already written, and edited twice over by the Jimusho staff, and Ueda had learnt the words but he'd been over them so many times that he somehow felt detached from them.
“Everything will be fine.” Kame assured him with a smile, coming to stop in front of his chair. “We don't need to worry about the results or the future right now, just relax and concentrate on the press conference...we've got this.”
Ueda was sure Kame couldn't feel as confident as he looked but years of acting and live broadcasts made Kame look infallible. Taguchi, when he finally re-entered looked nowhere near as infallible but with only ten minutes left until the start of the conference, they didn't have time to give into their nerves.
“Baby...” Taguchi said quietly, pulling up a seat beside Ueda. “We're going to be OK.” His words lacked the confidence of Kame's, but there was a magnitude of emotion behind them that made them more believable.
“I know.” Ueda answered, only having to half force his smile, and he reached for Taguchi's hand.
It didn't feel like ten minutes later that a staff member came to fetch them, leading them towards the conference room and Ueda barely had chance to take in the number of press waiting for them before the camera flashes started.
They each took their places behind the podium, Kame in the centre, Ueda and Taguchi to his left with Koki and Maru to his right. They waited patiently until the room full of reporters quieted and took their seats, and then Kame cleared his throat.
“Thank you all for coming today. I'm sure you're all wondering what you've been asked here today for, and I'm sure it will indeed surprise you. Today, KAT-TUN have a rather unorthodox announcement and also a proposition for our fans. Shortly I will hand over to Taguchi and Ueda for the announcement, and then Koki and Nakamaru will explain the proposition. I ask you to please refrain from commenting or asking questions until after they have finished speaking, and then we will turn over to you to answer whatever questions we can...Taguchi, Ueda, if you please...”
He knew the cue, and yet his feet wouldn't move, he looked out at the sea of faces, all of them greedily waiting for a scoop, eager for the chance to report the downfall of the group and he froze. “UePi.” Taguchi said gently, nudging him, and then his hand was resting gently on the small of Ueda's back encouraging him to step forward.
“Thank you.” he said shakily when he reached the microphones, all of them squeaking hideously at his words. “Taguchi and I have been chosen to deliver this announcement because it concerns the both of us. It is a rather personal announcement, and I hope that you will all respect that when we turn to your questions...” he saw the cameras raising and looked down, his confidence fading. The silence dragged on for what felt like hours and he felt Taguchi's hand rubbing soothingly at his back. He looked up at Taguchi's face, and he still couldn't remember the words but he remembered the feeling and he looked back out at the crowd. “Taguchi and I are in love.”
The room was in instant uproar, the flashes so bright that Ueda couldn't even see the movement behind them, the chaos that such a simple statement had caused.
“Please.” It was Kame's voice, raised against the rabble of the reporters and as he continued the noise started to die down. “Please, we're not finished yet, please reserve your comments until we have finished the announcement. Taguchi...”
It wasn't supposed to be Taguchi's turn yet, but Ueda wasn't supposed to come right out with it like that either. He understood why they were handing over and he let go of his cue cards in his pocket.
“The truth is...” Taguchi started, clearing his throat. “It's true that we're in love...” That wasn't part of Taguchi's speech either but he quickly gets it back on track. “Against the better judgement of our friends and colleagues, Three years ago, Tatsuya and I began a casual relationship, one that very quickly escalated into something serious. In that time, our relationship has been impacted numerous times, causing us to break up, we feel, to the detriment of the group. We have come through the hardships though, with the help of our friends, and with the support of the fans and by eventually gaining consent to date from the company, however we felt it was time to come clean to you all.” He looked over at Ueda, silently asking him if he was OK to pick up as planned and while Ueda didn't feel confident on the inside, seeing Taguchi's collectedness gave him a sense of responsibility.
Ueda nodded. “Until now, we've been unable to tell the public about our relationship for fear of losing...not just our jobs, our livelihoods, for fear of losing KAT-TUN, but we don't want to lie any more, and we don't want to have to sneak around behind the backs of our fans, so with the companies consent, we decided, as a group, to present the truth to you all. We want everyone to know about our relationship and to ask for you to support us in it, from here.” he took a deep breath as he bowed, his band-mates bowing along right beside him.
“Please support us.” Taguchi echoed and they all bowed again to the sound of camera shutters and murmurs.
Ueda and Taguchi moved over to the side, their part, for the most part, finished, and let Kame take centre stage again. “We hope that with the increase in tolerance that Japan has proudly shown over the last few years, homosexuality will not give you cause to turn against these two men. And we implore our fans to remember us over the coming weeks. I'll now hand over to Nakamaru for details of how you can support us.”
Nakamaru cleared his throat as he stepped forward. “When I first found out about Ueda and Taguchi’s relationship, I was hurt and angry. Not because they were together, as weird as I thought that was, but because they didn’t tell me. I’d always thought we were close, I’d always thought that we cared about each other as friends and as members…and to find out that they had been lying to me…that we’d faced each other countless times and they’d hidden this dark secret from me…I felt…deceived. I felt untrusted. And that was after only months of secrecy. I’m speaking to our fans when I say that I understand how hurt you must be feeling right now. We all lied to you, we all knew about this relationship and we kept it from you, it’s understandable that you’ll be hurt and angry. But I’m begging you to please try and understand. We never wanted to deceive you. We were scared of what would happen to this group if society at large found out about this relationship, we were scared of what would happen to our friends, of how the publicity of it might impact their relationship and their happiness. It was the media we were afraid of, not our loyal and trusting fans. We never mistrusted our fans, we never will, and to prove that to you we want to entrust our future, entirely to you.”
Maru bowed low and stepped back, his hands folded neatly in his lap around the cue cards that he hadn’t even glanced at. Koki stepped forward right away, his own cue cards tucked into his pocket.
“If we could have extended this invitation to every one of our fans around the world, please believe me that we would have done. Unfortunately, in the name of organisation and fluidity, we will have to restrict participation to our fan club only.” Koki started. “As Yuichi has already mentioned, we are doing this for our fans, as an apology for the lies we had to tell you, and as a gesture of the trust we hope to maintain with you. Starting one week from today, a poll will open to our fan club members giving you the opportunity to vote on how you would like the group to proceed from here. Your options are as follows. Option A - have the group continue the way we are. Option B - have Ueda and Taguchi leave the group which will continue as a three-member group. Or option C - have the group disband. In the eventuality of the group disbanding, or Taguchi and Ueda leaving, the individuals will remain Johnny’s employees as long as they wish too, but the future of their careers will of course fall to whatever work industry professionals offer them. Now, to those industry professionals, to the directors and producers, casting agencies and editors and all those that we rely on for support in our careers and in our everyday lives. We beseech you to continue your support of us, regardless of the outcome of this poll. We extend our apologies to all of you for our deception and we hope that you too can understand why we had to do it, and that you will not let the very thing we were afraid of influence any decisions you make regarding working with us in the future.”
“Thank you Koki and Nakamaru.” Kame says with a nod as Koki moves back to stand in line. “And finally, to everyone else, to the media and the general public, we are deeply sorry for the things we kept from you and for being afraid for so long of your reaction. We sincerely hope you’ll prove all of our fear and worry unnecessary.” Kame bows deeply and the others mirror him. “Thank you for your patience, we’ll now turn over to your questions.”
---------------------------------------------------
Sorry once again for the long explanations, and for my dismal speech writing skills. Also there may be a delay with next weeks chapter since I'm going to be away for the weekend, and possibly most of next week, without my laptop.