Center Stage
Installment 4 of the Romantic Fics Challenge! Now, only the Ariyama is left, ayang902 ! ;)
I decided to post this one Takaki's birthday because it's quite unashamedly Takabu! ^^
So, have a happy 21st, our lovable Bakaki! <3
Center Stage
Takaki Yuya has never been center stage in his life.
When Yuya was put into J.J. Express as a Johnny’s Junior, he wasn’t the center of attention: too-adorable-for-words Nakajima Yuto was. He wasn’t even the leader of J.J. Express, despite him being older than actual leader. At the time, Yuya had shrugged off this new development in his life and put it all up as fate. Fate had dictated him to just be one of the “others”; it had told him that it wasn’t his time.
When Yuya was upgraded and put into Hey! Say! 7, with the other popular juniors of the age, he still wasn’t the center of attention. Sure, he was grateful for being chosen at all, but still, a tiny part of him still yearned for that limelight, for that little bit of extra attention that he felt that he deserved. Fate had told him to bide his time, and so, he did.
Finally, when Yuya was debuted in Hey! Say! JUMP, he wasn’t really expecting much. When you’ve been passed over twice already, you tend to lose hope. Still, he was debuting with a whole host of juniors that he had gradually befriended over the years, and that was exciting enough as it was. Maybe this is what fate had intended - he would be able to spend the rest of his days laughing and performing with his friends, forever in their shadow.
However, he had not counted on one gift fate brought him, and that gift came in the form of one Yabu Kota.
When Yuya had first met Kota all those years ago, when Yuya was still in J.J. Express and Kota was in Ya-Ya-Yah, he could barely believe what was happening. Kota was the lead singer of Ya-Ya-Yah, someone whom Yuya genuinely respected, despite the fact that they were close in age. Whenever Ya-Ya-Yah had to sing a song, Kota’s angelic vocals would always be the most prominent. When they were introduced, Yuya felt like he was meeting a celebrity, and when he was told that he would be backdancing for Kota, Yuya felt truly honored. When they shook hands, Kota had a wide, appreciative grin that Yuya would etch into his memory for the rest of his days as Johnny’s Junior. Yuya felt so happy that he couldn’t help but smile goofily at the older boy like the stupid little Bakaki that he was.
Now that was someone who was center stage.
Later on, they were asked to film the “Dreams come true” PV together a day before the others. Yuya was elated; he would be able to spend more time with Kota and get to know him better. When he arrived on set, Kota treated him with another flash of a grin, and Yuya felt all the previous nervousness he had toward filming a PV vanish. Somehow, he just knew that everything would be okay, that fate would take care of him.
Suddenly, the Making camera focused on him - Kota had just asked him what his dream was. Yuya mentally kicked himself for letting his mind wander in the middle of work. He should have been expecting someone to ask him a question like this; the song was about dreams, after all!
Without putting much thought into his answer, Yuya replied honestly, “My dream is…to become a big star.”
Smiling at Yuya as if they were sharing a secret, Kota announced playfully, “Well, then, my dream is to make Takaki a big star!”
“You’ll produce me?” Yuya asked jokingly.
Kota laughed. “Of course! I would be happy to see our Yuyan become a big star.”
Yuya blushed upon hearing this. It really meant a lot to him that Kota was accepting him as one of his band mates so easily, that he had his support. He felt his face heating up even more as he realized that Kota had used a familiar name when addressing him.
Kota must have noticed Yuya’s face reddening and mistook it for shame because he immediately asked, “Is it okay if I call you that? I mean, I heard Kei-chan call you ‘Yuyan’ once when we were talking, so I figured…”
“No,” said Yuya self-consciously, his tomato-red face hidden behind his long, brown hair, “it’s okay. You can call me ‘Yuyan’ if you want, Yabu-kun.”
“Great!” exclaimed Kota happily, glad that he had not transgressed. “I think it’s a cute name…Yuyan...” Kota’s voice trailed off at the end, as if he was savoring every syllable of his new nickname for Yuya. His eyes closed, and for a second, Yuya could have sworn that Kota must have entered into some realm of bliss.
But the moment passed, and Kota was called to film some more of the PV, leaving a lonely Yuya behind. However, even though Kota had left his side, Yuya still felt some residual warmth spreading through his chest. Yuya grasped his chest with one hand where his heart was beating away furiously.
For once in his life, he had gotten center stage.
* * *
Time passed, and soon, everyone in JUMP had become inseparable friends. Kota was now the group’s established Yabumama, and looked after the other members, while still keeping himself young at heart. Whenever Kota asked something of him, Yuya couldn’t help but follow through; he could never bring himself to refuse him, even though he usually botched whatever it was up. As fate would have it, however, he still watched Kota admiringly from the sidelines of the group, as JUMP became more and more famous with the increasing popularity of the one called Yamada Ryosuke.
Before he knew it, Yuya and the other JUMP members were preparing themselves for the Hey! Say! JUMP-ing ’08-’09 Concert Tour.
Every day leading up to the first show was grueling, as their rehearsals increased in time and energy spent. It wasn’t like they resented the hard work; they knew it was necessary in order for them to put on a good show, and that was the most important thing of all. During the rehearsals, Yuya would watch Kota trying his hardest to improve with each practice, and this would spur him on to improve also. At the end of each day, all of his hard work would pay off when Kota would come over and thank him for it, rewarding Yuya with a bright smile that made his eyes turn into cheerful half-moons.
At the actual concerts, things were no different. Yuya still drew much of his inspiration from his “Yabucchi-sensei”, and loved seeing Kota walking around in his red sweater vest on stage, trying to get him to see the error of his delinquent “Gokusen” ways. When JUMP was singing and dancing, he would watch Kota shine as he took center stage, his beautiful voice carrying through the speakers, way above the audience’s heads. It was fate, Yuya decided, that made truly remarkable people able to get the recognition that they deserved and take center stage.
* * *
After the last show, JUMP had crashed backstage. Their adrenaline rush had finally deserted them, and now they were just tired and happy to have lived to tell the tale. Yuya was sprawled on the couch in their dressing room, too far gone to care that he was taking up two of the spots on the three-seater couch. He had put his all in the last show and had sung and danced his heart out - He had earned the right to take up two spaces on that couch!
Before he could stop it from happening, Yuya felt a sudden heaviness overtake him as his eyelids drooped to a fluttering close.
* * *
Yuya felt his eyes slowly open, his eyelashes batting groggily as he gradually woke from his nap. He drew one arm across his eyes, wiping the sleep from them as he struggled to clear his head. He turned his head a little and found his cheek touching something unexpectedly warm.
Wide awake now, Yuya jerked his head upwards forcefully. He found himself facing a surprised-looking Yabu Kota, whose leg his head had been lying on.
“Oh, you’re awake, Yuyan!” Kota exclaimed.
Yuya stared back at him in shock. “Yeah, I am! What are you doing here?”
“Oh…about that,” said Kota sheepishly. “You had fallen asleep on the couch and I realized that you had no pillow, so I just…” His voice trailed off as he avoided Yuya’s gaze. “You just looked so lovely lying there, so I just…decided to help out a little. I had no idea that you would be out for two hours! My leg’s kind of asleep now…”
Yuya flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Yabu-kun! I didn’t...I mean…I didn’t count on…” Yuya cut himself off before he could babble on any further. Swiftly changing the subject, Yuya said guardedly, “So, where have the others gone?”
Kota replied, still not looking at him. “They went home already. I told them that they could, that I would look after you. Besides -” He paused and looked at Yuya full-on, and for the first time, Yuya felt that he could detect something different about that way Kota was looking at him. “-I needed to talk to you about something.”
“About what?” asked Yuya, cocking his head to one side in confusion.
Kota looked as if he was having difficulty forming his words as he shifted from one foot to the other. Finally, he murmured, “I need to talk to you about…how I want to make you my Yuyan, and mine alone.”
Yuya looked back at him blankly. “W-what?” he stuttered.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I love you, Yuyan,” said Kota shyly. “I’ve loved you ever since we first met.”
Yuya couldn’t believe his ears. Could this really be happening? Could the boy he’d been crushing on for all these years really feel the same way about him? “B-but what about Inoo-chan or Hikaru-kun? I thought you liked them more.”
“Where did you get that idea from?” asked Kota, his eyes wide.
“Well, you talk and hang out with them all the time and stuff…”
“So? That doesn’t mean I love them!” exclaimed Kota. He sighed. “You see, I’ve been talking to Kei-chan a lot because I wanted to find out more about you. You two have been in the same unit for a while now, and I figured he’d be a good person to ask. As for Hikaru-kun, I’ve been asking him for relationship advice,” answered Kota blushingly. “You see, I wanted to tell you about my feelings, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. So, I asked Hikaru-kun. He said that I had to get you alone somehow and just tell you, so that’s what I did.”
“But…I still don’t understand,” said Yuya quietly. “Why would you love me? I’m nothing compared to you. I’m not one of the lead singers, and I’m never in the center of formations or anything. When the fans are asked who their favorite member is, it’s rarely ever me. I’m just…not worthy.”
Kota placed both hands on Yuya’s shoulders. “Stop talking nonsense, Yuyan! I don’t care if you don’t get to sing a lot or show off your amazing dancing skills! I don’t care if you’re not a fan favorite! I think you’re beautiful in every way possible. When you pose for magazine shoots or are dancing your hardest during practice, I always have to forcefully calm myself down because you always look amazing. When you clear up a dispute between the members or consign yourself to being Chinen’s playmate, I always can’t help but admire your kind personality. And of course, when you do something stupid, I always feel like I have to protect you. All of this is because, even if you don’t think you’re worthy of it, you’re center stage in my heart.
“I love you, Yuyan.”
Yuya felt his heart beat abnormally fast in his chest as he heard Kota’s confession. However, he felt his heart go into overdrive when Kota leaned in and captured his lips in a passionate kiss that surpassed anything that Yuya had ever experienced before.
Now that is how one cheats fate and becomes center stage.
---
I hope you liked it! :3
I decided to post this one Takaki's birthday because it's quite unashamedly Takabu! ^^
So, have a happy 21st, our lovable Bakaki! <3
Center Stage
Takaki Yuya has never been center stage in his life.
When Yuya was put into J.J. Express as a Johnny’s Junior, he wasn’t the center of attention: too-adorable-for-words Nakajima Yuto was. He wasn’t even the leader of J.J. Express, despite him being older than actual leader. At the time, Yuya had shrugged off this new development in his life and put it all up as fate. Fate had dictated him to just be one of the “others”; it had told him that it wasn’t his time.
When Yuya was upgraded and put into Hey! Say! 7, with the other popular juniors of the age, he still wasn’t the center of attention. Sure, he was grateful for being chosen at all, but still, a tiny part of him still yearned for that limelight, for that little bit of extra attention that he felt that he deserved. Fate had told him to bide his time, and so, he did.
Finally, when Yuya was debuted in Hey! Say! JUMP, he wasn’t really expecting much. When you’ve been passed over twice already, you tend to lose hope. Still, he was debuting with a whole host of juniors that he had gradually befriended over the years, and that was exciting enough as it was. Maybe this is what fate had intended - he would be able to spend the rest of his days laughing and performing with his friends, forever in their shadow.
However, he had not counted on one gift fate brought him, and that gift came in the form of one Yabu Kota.
When Yuya had first met Kota all those years ago, when Yuya was still in J.J. Express and Kota was in Ya-Ya-Yah, he could barely believe what was happening. Kota was the lead singer of Ya-Ya-Yah, someone whom Yuya genuinely respected, despite the fact that they were close in age. Whenever Ya-Ya-Yah had to sing a song, Kota’s angelic vocals would always be the most prominent. When they were introduced, Yuya felt like he was meeting a celebrity, and when he was told that he would be backdancing for Kota, Yuya felt truly honored. When they shook hands, Kota had a wide, appreciative grin that Yuya would etch into his memory for the rest of his days as Johnny’s Junior. Yuya felt so happy that he couldn’t help but smile goofily at the older boy like the stupid little Bakaki that he was.
Now that was someone who was center stage.
Later on, they were asked to film the “Dreams come true” PV together a day before the others. Yuya was elated; he would be able to spend more time with Kota and get to know him better. When he arrived on set, Kota treated him with another flash of a grin, and Yuya felt all the previous nervousness he had toward filming a PV vanish. Somehow, he just knew that everything would be okay, that fate would take care of him.
Suddenly, the Making camera focused on him - Kota had just asked him what his dream was. Yuya mentally kicked himself for letting his mind wander in the middle of work. He should have been expecting someone to ask him a question like this; the song was about dreams, after all!
Without putting much thought into his answer, Yuya replied honestly, “My dream is…to become a big star.”
Smiling at Yuya as if they were sharing a secret, Kota announced playfully, “Well, then, my dream is to make Takaki a big star!”
“You’ll produce me?” Yuya asked jokingly.
Kota laughed. “Of course! I would be happy to see our Yuyan become a big star.”
Yuya blushed upon hearing this. It really meant a lot to him that Kota was accepting him as one of his band mates so easily, that he had his support. He felt his face heating up even more as he realized that Kota had used a familiar name when addressing him.
Kota must have noticed Yuya’s face reddening and mistook it for shame because he immediately asked, “Is it okay if I call you that? I mean, I heard Kei-chan call you ‘Yuyan’ once when we were talking, so I figured…”
“No,” said Yuya self-consciously, his tomato-red face hidden behind his long, brown hair, “it’s okay. You can call me ‘Yuyan’ if you want, Yabu-kun.”
“Great!” exclaimed Kota happily, glad that he had not transgressed. “I think it’s a cute name…Yuyan...” Kota’s voice trailed off at the end, as if he was savoring every syllable of his new nickname for Yuya. His eyes closed, and for a second, Yuya could have sworn that Kota must have entered into some realm of bliss.
But the moment passed, and Kota was called to film some more of the PV, leaving a lonely Yuya behind. However, even though Kota had left his side, Yuya still felt some residual warmth spreading through his chest. Yuya grasped his chest with one hand where his heart was beating away furiously.
For once in his life, he had gotten center stage.
* * *
Time passed, and soon, everyone in JUMP had become inseparable friends. Kota was now the group’s established Yabumama, and looked after the other members, while still keeping himself young at heart. Whenever Kota asked something of him, Yuya couldn’t help but follow through; he could never bring himself to refuse him, even though he usually botched whatever it was up. As fate would have it, however, he still watched Kota admiringly from the sidelines of the group, as JUMP became more and more famous with the increasing popularity of the one called Yamada Ryosuke.
Before he knew it, Yuya and the other JUMP members were preparing themselves for the Hey! Say! JUMP-ing ’08-’09 Concert Tour.
Every day leading up to the first show was grueling, as their rehearsals increased in time and energy spent. It wasn’t like they resented the hard work; they knew it was necessary in order for them to put on a good show, and that was the most important thing of all. During the rehearsals, Yuya would watch Kota trying his hardest to improve with each practice, and this would spur him on to improve also. At the end of each day, all of his hard work would pay off when Kota would come over and thank him for it, rewarding Yuya with a bright smile that made his eyes turn into cheerful half-moons.
At the actual concerts, things were no different. Yuya still drew much of his inspiration from his “Yabucchi-sensei”, and loved seeing Kota walking around in his red sweater vest on stage, trying to get him to see the error of his delinquent “Gokusen” ways. When JUMP was singing and dancing, he would watch Kota shine as he took center stage, his beautiful voice carrying through the speakers, way above the audience’s heads. It was fate, Yuya decided, that made truly remarkable people able to get the recognition that they deserved and take center stage.
* * *
After the last show, JUMP had crashed backstage. Their adrenaline rush had finally deserted them, and now they were just tired and happy to have lived to tell the tale. Yuya was sprawled on the couch in their dressing room, too far gone to care that he was taking up two of the spots on the three-seater couch. He had put his all in the last show and had sung and danced his heart out - He had earned the right to take up two spaces on that couch!
Before he could stop it from happening, Yuya felt a sudden heaviness overtake him as his eyelids drooped to a fluttering close.
* * *
Yuya felt his eyes slowly open, his eyelashes batting groggily as he gradually woke from his nap. He drew one arm across his eyes, wiping the sleep from them as he struggled to clear his head. He turned his head a little and found his cheek touching something unexpectedly warm.
Wide awake now, Yuya jerked his head upwards forcefully. He found himself facing a surprised-looking Yabu Kota, whose leg his head had been lying on.
“Oh, you’re awake, Yuyan!” Kota exclaimed.
Yuya stared back at him in shock. “Yeah, I am! What are you doing here?”
“Oh…about that,” said Kota sheepishly. “You had fallen asleep on the couch and I realized that you had no pillow, so I just…” His voice trailed off as he avoided Yuya’s gaze. “You just looked so lovely lying there, so I just…decided to help out a little. I had no idea that you would be out for two hours! My leg’s kind of asleep now…”
Yuya flushed in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Yabu-kun! I didn’t...I mean…I didn’t count on…” Yuya cut himself off before he could babble on any further. Swiftly changing the subject, Yuya said guardedly, “So, where have the others gone?”
Kota replied, still not looking at him. “They went home already. I told them that they could, that I would look after you. Besides -” He paused and looked at Yuya full-on, and for the first time, Yuya felt that he could detect something different about that way Kota was looking at him. “-I needed to talk to you about something.”
“About what?” asked Yuya, cocking his head to one side in confusion.
Kota looked as if he was having difficulty forming his words as he shifted from one foot to the other. Finally, he murmured, “I need to talk to you about…how I want to make you my Yuyan, and mine alone.”
Yuya looked back at him blankly. “W-what?” he stuttered.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I love you, Yuyan,” said Kota shyly. “I’ve loved you ever since we first met.”
Yuya couldn’t believe his ears. Could this really be happening? Could the boy he’d been crushing on for all these years really feel the same way about him? “B-but what about Inoo-chan or Hikaru-kun? I thought you liked them more.”
“Where did you get that idea from?” asked Kota, his eyes wide.
“Well, you talk and hang out with them all the time and stuff…”
“So? That doesn’t mean I love them!” exclaimed Kota. He sighed. “You see, I’ve been talking to Kei-chan a lot because I wanted to find out more about you. You two have been in the same unit for a while now, and I figured he’d be a good person to ask. As for Hikaru-kun, I’ve been asking him for relationship advice,” answered Kota blushingly. “You see, I wanted to tell you about my feelings, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. So, I asked Hikaru-kun. He said that I had to get you alone somehow and just tell you, so that’s what I did.”
“But…I still don’t understand,” said Yuya quietly. “Why would you love me? I’m nothing compared to you. I’m not one of the lead singers, and I’m never in the center of formations or anything. When the fans are asked who their favorite member is, it’s rarely ever me. I’m just…not worthy.”
Kota placed both hands on Yuya’s shoulders. “Stop talking nonsense, Yuyan! I don’t care if you don’t get to sing a lot or show off your amazing dancing skills! I don’t care if you’re not a fan favorite! I think you’re beautiful in every way possible. When you pose for magazine shoots or are dancing your hardest during practice, I always have to forcefully calm myself down because you always look amazing. When you clear up a dispute between the members or consign yourself to being Chinen’s playmate, I always can’t help but admire your kind personality. And of course, when you do something stupid, I always feel like I have to protect you. All of this is because, even if you don’t think you’re worthy of it, you’re center stage in my heart.
“I love you, Yuyan.”
Yuya felt his heart beat abnormally fast in his chest as he heard Kota’s confession. However, he felt his heart go into overdrive when Kota leaned in and captured his lips in a passionate kiss that surpassed anything that Yuya had ever experienced before.
Now that is how one cheats fate and becomes center stage.
---
I hope you liked it! :3