Go on, d@zz!e me (Matsumiya) - A kaze exchange fic
For: riidaaisbest
Title: Go on, d@zz!e me
Summary: A story in which Riisa and Nino own the clothing show that makes all the shiny sparkling things for the idols, and in which Nino endeavors to get Jun’s attention
Pairing: Matsumiya, hints of Juntoshi and Ohba
Rating: PG/PG13
Authors note: I hope you like me office AU, though its a liberal interpretation of office. But i tried my best. I hope you are pleased.
Much thanks to my most epic beta thoroughlynerdy , for putting up with me during this exchange.
Thanks to the kaze_exchange mod(s) for running this and putting up with me for it!
When they went into business together, neither Nino nor Riisa thought that they would be quite as successful as they were. Being the go to designers for the costuming needs of the entertainment industry (including pop and rock music, anime/video game cosplay, and live action anime to movie/drama adaptations) was a much needed endeavor, as it turned out. And D@zz!e pretty much had a monopoly on the entire glitter, sequin, sparkle, bedazzle and shine textile industry in Japan. Despite the workload they were a small business, consisting of four of their college friends. Nino and Riisa worked along side with their employees, Ohno and Riisa were designer (but Riisa did most of it, Ohno just helped with the color schemes), while Sho, Aiba, and Toma took care of most of the production. Nino had a hand in all the anime/video game cosplay designs, as well as the finances.
But business was picking up and Riisa had commented that she was looking for another full time designer to help keep up with the increased workload they were experiencing as they became more and more popular. Nino had not paid much mind to it, as they could afford it, but he had been shocked when she had hired Matsumoto Jun on the spot.
When he got a good look at the man he understood a bit better. He was dressed well in fitted aubergine slacks, the metallic stitching catching the lights in the shop, a fitted shirt and vest, with dark rimmed glasses and a fedora, leather cuffs that sparkled with rhinestones, rings that glinted in the light, and nailpolish. He would fit right in with Riisa’s style. Nino looked over the man appraisingly, his gaze lingering on the nailpolish (black holographic it appeared) and was slightly intrigued when the other caught him staring, and merely raised a distinctly thick eyebrow, daring Nino to comment on his appearance.
Nino became even more interested when Riisa promoted Jun from her assistant designer to lead designer after he commented thoughtfully, chewing on the end of his pen as they stared at the mannequin thoughtfully, while the magenta and fuschia sequins were fabulous, hot pink sequins were probably needed to complete the look, though some chartreuse tulle would really make it pop. Riisa had stared at Jun for a moment, her eyes sparkling and mouth agape, before promoting him on the spot.
But he truly started paying attention to Jun when he overheard the other scolding Sho for his choice in work attire.
“We are a professional environment, and we dress idols and stars. In what world would an idol wear a double parkas, Sakurai?” Jun’s voice was sharp. “And those pants, don’t get me started on the pants.”
“The parka on parka is trendy.”
Nino could hear the pout in Sho’s voice and the snickers of Toma and Aiba as he slid his chair closer to the door, peeking out. From across the office Riisa was not nearly as subtle, leaning against her doorframe, her smile wide as her gaze bounced between the two.
“If you will not wear something that we make here, you should at least wear something that an idol would not be ashamed to walk down the street in.” Jun went on, looking at Sho in disgust and Sho crossed his arms across his chest.
“They would not be ashamed of this outfit.” Sho insisted.
Jun shook his head.
“Denim. Printed. SWEAT. PANTS!” His voice grew louder at the last two words and Sho shifted back slightly, obviously startled at just how much Jun disliked the pants.
“But they are comfortable.” Sho’s voice was small. “And besides,” His voice gained volume as he snapped. “Satoshi-kun wears clothing that his mother picked out.”
“Are you saying Ohno-kun’s mother has bad taste in clothing?” Jun’s tone was mild, inquisitive, but loud enough to have Ohno shuffle over to the two, looking to Sho with an expression that indicated that he should choose his answer with care.
“Of course I think she had good taste, but --”
“Those sweats are an atrocity to all things fashion related.” Jun’s voice was firm.
“I am not sure glitter would even help his pants.” Aiba called out helpfully from where he and Toma were adding glitter to some t-shirts.
“Just -- you have to remember, that for D@zz!e to do well, we have to hook our clients from the moment they enter the store. We create bright, bold, beautiful, sparkling designs, and nothing about a double grey on grey parka and denim sweats screams dazzling.” Jun’s voice was normal tones now, and Sho pouted.
“But Satoshi-kun is in denim and t-shirts. I am in denim sweats. It’s still denim.” He insisted and Jun shook his head.
“Sweats will never be work appropriate, Sakurai. And besides, Ohno-kun has the best bangs.”
“Bangs?” Sho blinked. “What does that have to do with--” His voice trailed off as Ohno turned, beaming up and Jun, and slowly reached a hand up to muss the others hair, playing with the tufts of hair that fell across his forehead.
“I bet MatsuJun has adorable bangs. He should show them to me, sometime.” Ohno shuffled away after Jun nodded his assent, and Nino was struck at how attractive Jun looked with a blush.
The more days passed, the more he found himself watching Jun. The more he watched, the more it occurred to him that he might want to be the cause of such an expression on Jun’s face, cause the soft flush to travel down his cheeks, perhaps even spread to his neck and ears. But he did not have adorable bangs like Oh-chan. He didn’t have much of anything, except a one pack of undefined abs and pale skin that rarely saw the light of day.
To top things off, he just didn’t know how to approach Jun and get closer to him to find out what made Jun tick, as he always worked with Riisa.
And so Nino took the direct approach. He pulled Riisa into his office for a business meeting, the door closed firmly behind them, before he confessed his mild curiosity in Matsumoto Jun.
“You certainly have your work cut out for you, Kazu-chan.” Riisa tapped a brightly painted finger against the desk as she thought. “I have only seen MatsuJun express interest in glitter, sequins and fashion. He turned Toma down on a date, saying that casual dating was a distraction from work, and that if things went badly it would destroy the work environment and their working relationship, so he wasn’t even willing to try.”
“So no casual work flings. And he only expressed interest in fashion. But then, I will just have to become the kind of fashion that you cannot ignore.” Nino looked to Riisa, and her eyes widened.
“You are going to try and become me? You cannot raid my closet, Kazu-chan. I don’t care that we have been the same size since we were in middle school.”
“This is a good cause, Riisa. What kind of best friend and business partner are you if you won’t help me do this?”
“You know it’s possible that the only thing that this will accomplish is you making a fool of yourself.” She leaned across the desk, her expression open and caring, and Nino nodded.
“He might like this job too much to even consider dating me seriously, as I am co-owner. But I think it’s a risk I want to take.” His voice was soft, and Riisa smirked at him, her eyes twinkling, and Nino knew that smirk. He was in trouble. “Then I will help you.”
Plan One
Even before the first attempt at help from Riisa, Nino knew this was a bad idea. He was skeptical that a giant sweatshirt with an apple on it would be able to get Jun’s attention, then he walked into the door of their shop and everything stopped. As everyone stared at him. Riisa did a much better job at hiding her smile than Toma, and Aiba was giggling openly. Jun paused, his mouth falling open as he started at Nino, his pen hovering over the paper that he was writing on.
“You look like a kid.” Were the first words he spoke, then something on his face changed, and he looked to the others, excited. “But giant fruit just might be the answer we need for this costuming set. They could wear clear suits, and dance around on stage with giant vegetables.”
“What?” Nino gaped, and Riisa nodded, her smile widening.
“That just might work. No one has tried that with an idol group before,” Aiba mused, and Toma nodded his agreement.
“Thanks, Nino,” Jun called out causally, smiling brightly. “We were stuck on a design idea, and that atrocity you are wearing was just the inspiration that we needed.”
Jun turned back around, and Nino proceeded to glare beams of death and pain at Riisa until she smiled, walking over to him on her way to grab a coffee.
“He noticed you, and you inspired him. Wasn’t that the point?”
“But atrocity?” Nino hissed back and Riisa looked at him, smirking.
“You are in a giant blue sweatshirt with an apple on it. What do you call it?”
“But it’s yours!” His growled and she nodded.
“I make it look good.” She winked and sauntered off.
Nino cursed under his breath.
Onto plan two.
Plan Two:
“That onsie makes you look even more underage than usual. Was that your point?” Was Jun’s sharp comment as Nino walked in with a black jumper with gold and white lettering, and a hoodie over the top.
“That or he is raiding Riisa’s closet.” Sho commented, his voice sharp and Nino wondered if Sho was bitter that Jun had scolded him about the denim sweats while Nino was wearing a jumper to work.
“I do not look underage.” Nino snapped back, and Jun shook his head in disbelief.
“Whatever helps you get out of bed in the morning.” Jun’s voice was not as sharp as usual, and as Nino took off the hoodie, Jun eyed him warily.
“A little sunlight wouldn’t hurt. You have as much color as a vampire.” He looked Nino over, and Nino was suddenly self conscious. He knew that he was not golden tanned like Ohno, and muscled like Sho (though the muscles seemed to be mostly for show as he was useless at lifting anything heavy around the office), and that morning he had been a little concerned that the jumper, which was a little snug fitting, drew a bit too much attention to his one pack. But he knew that the lines of his neck were great, and this jumper showed off his collarbones.
“Why would I want to increase my risk of skin cancer? Pale smooth skin is all the rage these days” Nino snapped back, sliding up to the work bench beside Riisa, and across from Jun, to provide Jun with the optimal view of said pale smooth skin and killer collarbones. As they worked, Nino was certain that Jun was looking.
Plan Three:
“I take it back, wearing a giant teddy bear sweatshirt makes you seem like even more of a kid than the other day.” Jun was deriding Nino’s choice of clothing even before the door to the office was closed, and Nino didn’t even bother to argue with him.
“Though, we could design some animal costumes for one of the younger groups. They would look cute in bunny, bear and cat costumes. What do you think, Nino?”
Nino paused for a moment. This was the first time that Jun asked him for input on a design even though Riisa was standing right next to him.
“I think it could--” Nino stopped talking as he heard the door open, and turning he was greeted with the unexpected sight of a young woman entering the store. Her long curled brown hair highlighted a slightly sleepy face. A brown jacket hid the shirt she was wearing, but Nino could see a dark miniskirt, and tall boots. She was quite striking, and very well put together, but she was no one that he recognized.
“Welcome to D@zz!e, can we help you?” Nino asked, pouring on his charm, and he could hear Sho making a choked noise behind him. The woman didn’t answer, just took a few tentative steps into the store, and Nino noticed that Jun was staring at the woman, clearly liking what he was seeing.
This was not good. He could not compete with a woman in a miniskirt and tall boots. He could not compete with a woman period, that was for sure.
“Satoko?” Aiba’s voice was hesitant and the woman nodded, taking a few more steps into the store, and Aiba’s face broke out into a wide grin. “Everyone, this is my cousin Satoko--” Aiba’s voice was cheerful, and Nino was surprised, as he had never heard of a cousin Satoko in all the years that they had been friends. “--and she is here visiting from Kyoto. I wanted her to see where I worked.”
“No, she isn’t,” Jun’s voice was soft and he walked over to where Aiba and Satoko stood. Satoko’s eyes grew wide as Jun stepped close, into her personal space.
Nino was crying out before he realized what he was doing. “Jun, what the hell are you doing to her?” Even as Jun’s hand went to to tangle in Satoko’s hair, pulling hard.
Nino gaped as the hair fell away, and Satoshi was staring at up Jun with a pleased smile.
“How did you know?” His voice was soft and Jun just smiled.
“The bangs look wrong on you.”
Ohno nodded and turned to Aiba, holding out a hand.
“Pay up, I told you they wouldn’t believe it.” Ohno grinned as Aiba whined about it not being fair that MatsuJun was obsessed with Ohno’s bangs, and it really should have worked, since Ohno was such a convincing female.
Oho worked like that the rest of the day, and Aiba kept having to step between Sho and Ohno, as Sho was far too distracted by, and far too interested, in Ohno for Aiba’s liking. As Ohno and Aiba left together that day, the wig firmly back in place, Nino was sure that he heard Aiba inform Ohno that next time, he was dressing up only for him, and that he heard Ohno hmm his agreement to that.
Crossdressing. That would be a sure fire way to make sure that Jun looked at him, and when he informed Riisa that he needed to borrow a dress, she laughed until she cried, but took him back to her place anyways.
Plan Four
This had been such a better plan in his head. And he was certain that Ohno pulled this off MUCH better than he did.
Nino stared at himself in the mirror of the changing rooms at D@zz!e, since there was no way in hell he was going to wear a dress to work on the train.
He jumped slightly as the door to the changing room opened, and someone stumbled inside, the door slamming shut and locking from the outside.
“Oi, what the hell!” An angry voice growled, and Nino stiffened, realizing that it was Jun, locked in the room with him as he was wearing a red chinese style dress that accentuated his lack of a feminine figure.
“Just put him out of his misery already. I cannot deal with this anymore.” Riisa snapped back, and Jun pounded on the door a few times before turning. Nino had paled at Riisa’s words, and he was watching Jun in the mirror, afraid of what he could see when the other turned around.
Put him out of his misery was not at all comforting.
Jun didn’t look up, but instead took a tentative step into the room while Nino continued to watch him in the mirror. He noted the hesitant way that Jun was moving towards him.
“It’s OK, you don’t have to say anything. I understand.” Nino chose to break the silence when Jun was a few steps from him, and at the words Jun’s head snapped up, his eyes meeting Nino’s in the mirror. Jun stared at him, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“I am not sure that you do.” His voice was soft. “This really is a horrible idea.” He continued, moving closer to Nino and Nino closed his eyes.
“I know, which is why I said you don’t have to say anything. I will drop it.” His voice was softer than he would have liked, and he stiffened when he felt Jun step closer, pressing slightly against his back, his voice a whisper against his cheek.
“I meant the dress, it looks horrid on you.”
Nino’s eyes flew open and he was sure that he felt lips brush against his cheek, but Jun was now standing a few steps back, cheeks flushed with a blush and looking anywhere but at Nino.
“So this....?” Nino questioned, and Jun shrugged.
“I have never had someone try so hard to get my attention. You could have just asked, you know.” He wouldn’t look at Nino, his hands in his pockets, and Nino finally relaxed.
“I wanted to find a way to make you look at me. It seemed a good idea at the time.” His voice was teasing and Jun glanced up at him before glancing away.
“I was never not looking.” Nino was not sure that he heard correctly, but the way that Jun shifted, his blush deepening was too cute to resist.
“Good. keep it that way.” Nino slid up to Jun, stretching up slightly to kiss the other, but Jun’s words gave him pause.
“This really is a bad idea though.”
Nino shrugged. “I don’t give a damn.” And Nino kissed him, pleased with the way that Jun melted into the embrace. Good idea or not, it was what he wanted, and all the horrible outfits just might have been worth it.
As soon as he got Riisa to delete all the photographic evidence.