Come On! Koibito! 14/21
Nagase was not looking forward to making this announcement. Kimura was supposed to do it, said he was going to do it but of course, when the moment came, a phone call came from nowhere and it fell on his shoulders to talk to the gathered contestants. Of course it did.
Okay, he knew that Kimura had kind of fallen out of spirits after the call had come in yesterday that they had to delay their epic challenge one week because the higher ups had said they needed a little bit more time to set up. Nagase had been there when Kimura's phone had rung and had seen the way that his mood had instantly dropped with the pronouncement. It wasn't like the challenge wasn't going to happen; it was all set up for the next week. But Kimura had thought up this plan years ago and had never gotten clearance for it so Nagase kind of understood why he was upset about it. Kind of.
But this week was going to be good; Nagase had thought up this challenge himself and always grinned when he thought about it. He really wanted to see how Tegoshi in particular reacted, mainly because he couldn't stand that kid. And beyond that, it was going to be the first week where they'd be broadcasting behind the scenes footage. There was no doubt that she'd pick up some ratings through that, something that always brought a smile to Kimura's face (and his own, naturally).
Of course, that brought him back to the task at hand which was facing all the contestants, glancing at him so curiously from their side conversations, and tell them that they were no longer allowed to watch television or use the internet. This must be what a sacrifice felt like.
"If I could have your attention, please," he began, not making eye contact with any of them. "I have a quick announcement from production."
Everyone stopped milling around, attention gradually moving towards Nagase's person and for once, Nagase felt a little uncomfortable about it. Not that he would ever show weakness in front of these kids. They'd walk all over him.
"Unfortunately, starting from today, we are enforcing a new policy that is going to limit your television viewing and internet usage."
"Limit it by how much?" Ninomiya piped up from the corner. Nagase refused to look at him as he knew the rule was pretty much only because of (and hurtful to) that kid.
"Completely." He replied bluntly. "You're not allowed to watch television or be on the internet anymore." And, as expected, the room broke out in groans and complaints. He tried to quell it a bit.
"I know, I know you're unhappy. I know it sucks. But it's a good thing. I means we're getting down to the serious bits of this show and you guys made it far enough to the 'basically cut off from the outside world' stage. So stop complaining, pat yourselves on the back, and get on with your lives."
His voice was kind of gruff and he knew it had come out a bit harsh but there was nothing he could do. He hated having to make announcements like that to the contestants. It was the worst part of the job.
Feeling that he had done enough for this, Nagase walked off set, towards the production booths. Not surprisingly, he found Kimura skulking around the video editing tent, obviously waiting for Nagase to come back.
"Oh, you're back?" the older man began nonchalantly. "I just got off the phone. It was from the producers, you know. Very important that I take it."
"Yeah, yeah," Nagase grumbled. "I made the announcement. It's done. So you can stop hiding."
"Good," Kimura grinned. "So we can show hidden camera footage now! Let's go watch the feed from Sho's lapel camera! I hear he's in with Jun so it should be good." And Kimura bounced off towards the feed tent.
"You're evil, you know that?" Nagase called, following after him a bit more slowly. Kimura just turned around with a smile and winked at him. Nagase honestly didn't expect anything more.
-------
"Nino? I know you're in there!" Aiba called from the hallway, banging on his best friend's door. Although Nino had come down for the announcement from Nagase earlier in the day, he'd been holed up in his room since he came back from his day out (date?) with Ohno two days prior. Aiba had tried to ferret out some details about the day when he had returned but Nino claimed to be tired and hadn't said anything that day. Aiba, contrary to his normal personality, had let it rest, sure that he'd be able to hear about it in the next day or so. But Nino hadn't really come out in awhile and Aiba had waited long enough.
"Go away, Aiba. I'm too tired to deal with you right now," a weary voice called from inside. Aiba grinned. Although it outwardly sounded hostile, he had said something and as long as Nino was talking, Aiba'd be able to do whatever he wanted. He'd realized that around high school and had profited from it ever since.
"I'm coming in~" Aiba announced, opening the door (which he should have realized would be unlocked) before Nino would have a chance to respond. The scene that met his eyes was unsurprising: Nino sat curled on his bed, DS in hand and piles of candy surrounding him. His eyes were sporting dark circles and he had changed into an old pair of sweats that Aiba knew usually was the harbinger of a serious breakdown. Nino didn't go out for two weeks the last time he wore those. That wasn't going to fly right now.
"I said go away, Aiba," Nino sighed, no real force behind his words as he saved his game, knowing that when Aiba wanted to talk, Aiba was going to talk and the DS was going to have to wait. Aiba smiled, sauntering over to the bed and settling himself down next to his friend who glared at him before sinking backward against Aiba's side.
"What happened?" Aiba asked, knowing that something big must have occurred to upset Nino this badly. Nino just sighed, turning slightly so that his head was buried in Aiba's shoulder and mumbled something that the older man couldn't make out.
"You're going to have to try harder than that," Aiba laughed, nuzzling Nino's hair, making the younger man chuckle and shake his friend off.
"It's nothing big," Nino began, turning his head so that he could actually let himself be understood. "It was a nice day. It was a really nice day." Nino paused, a weary smile on his face. "it's just..." He trailed off and Aiba frowned.
"It's just...?" Aiba prompted, nudging Nino in the back with his shoulder.
"Well, the day was winding down, he'd just finished painting me," Nino took a breath and Aiba couldn't help but jump in.
"Painting you?" He asked incredulously. Nino just gave him a look.
"Let it be." Aiba nodded. "Anyways, we had been having a good time and we were already in a park and Ohno decided it would be a good idea to surprise me."
"What's wrong with that?" Aiba asked, confused.
"He surprised me with a paddleboat ride." Aiba grimaced. "Yeah, I know. And I know he doesn't know and I know that there's no reason I should be so upset about this--"
"--you have every right to be upset about this--," Aiba tried to interject.
"--but I'm just tired of everything, Aiba. I'm tired of the cameras and I'm tired of being two people and now I can't even see how well I'm doing on the internet? I don't even know why I'm doing this anymore." All the strength seemed to drain out of Nino at that moment, the words out of his mouth and hanging in the air, waiting to be challenged.
"You're doing this for a lot of reasons, Nino," Aiba began as seriously as he could. "You're doing this to actually have some money in your savings for once. You're doing this because you're my best friend and you worry that I might make a fool out of myself if I'm here alone. You're doing this because you have a stupid amount of pride and once you commit yourself to doing something, you follow through with it. You're doing this because you hate to lose. But most of all," Aiba grinned, "you're doing this because you're ridiculously in love with your cameraman and every second you're on this show is one more second with him."
Aiba turned to face Nino, a brilliant smile on his face, just waiting for his oldest friend to blatantly deny it, like he always did when Aiba brought up the younger man's affections for Ohno but for once, Nino just ducked his head in the other direction, a tell-tale redness climbing up his ears.
"I'm not ridiculously in love," Nino muttered, trying his hardest not to make eye contact with Aiba but it didn't matter. This was a victory, clear and simple. Nino was actually admitting to it. That meant something.
Aiba, however, knew when not to push his luck and recognized that this was the point to back off. He slid off the bed silently, flipping open his phone and scrolling through his message inbox, searching for a bit of good news to reward Nino's revelation with.
Finding the text he was looking for, he handed the phone to Nino who accepted it with a confused glance. As he read, however, his face brightened immediately, the first grin Aiba had seen in days relaxing on his face.
"You didn't have to do that," Nino said simply, handing the phone back to Aiba who accepted it with a shrug.
"He wanted to," Aiba teased and Nino threw a pillow at him. Aiba laughed and headed towards the door, turning as he reached toward the handle. "I'm going to go grab some ice cream from the kitchen to eat while we await your knight in shining armor. What kind of flavor evokes that 'I'm waiting for my maybe-boyfriend to return with my Playstation' feeling?"
Apparently, that flavor was Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.
-------
"I know it was just for ratings," Sho was sighing, running a hand through his hair, "but you might want to tone it down a little bit. We don't want people getting the wrong idea."
"What wrong idea?" Jun asked, genuinely confused. "This is a dating show. Isn't showing some affection giving people the right idea?" Jun adjusted his cuff links, his eyes glancing down at his wrists so as to avoid giving Sho a knowing smirk.
"Well, I guess," Sho admitted, obviously a little flustered. "Yeah, okay, that makes sense, now that I think about it. But, just, ... be careful," he finished lamely and he knew it, the wind visibly leaving his sails as he kind of folded in on himself. Jun stifled a chuckle.
"Of course I'm careful, idiot," Jun lightly bumped into Sho, trying to ease the pressure the older man was feeling. "What do you think I'm doing? It was just a kiss on the cheek. That's not going to get him pregnant or anything." Sho laughed out loud.
"I know, I know," Sho agreed weakly. "It's just ... it bugs me, I don't know." Sho took a second to think about what he was saying and shook his head. "I'm being stupid. Ignore me. I think I just haven't gotten enough sleep this week. Nagase keeps briefing me about next week and--"
"--next week?" Jun asked curiously. "What happens next week? I haven't been briefed on anything yet."
"Oh, um, not much," Sho lied, quite obviously, realization flashing over his face. "Just the next challenge, you know. I have to film intro spots and that kind of thing. I'm sure someone'll tell you soon enough. I don't know why they haven't yet, actually. It's not like you've been too preoccupied with this coming one or anything."
"Okay, Sho," Jun laughed. "They'll tell me when they tell me. Calm down."
"Anyways," Sho relaxed, slouching a bit in the motion, "I think Nagase said something about going over some shots with me at ten after and it's already five past. I should get going. See you later?"
"Of course," Jun agreed, grabbing a comb off the back table and mock saluting the host. Sho laughed and turned to go but Jun had one last word in mind.
"Oh, and Sho?" Jun called and the older man turned, the question on his face. "Things never bug a person without reason, you know."
Sho opened his mouth to respond but Jun just tapped his watch, watching Sho's face contort in a frown. The other man turned on his heel and exited the tent but not before Jun swore he heard him mutter "I know."
-------
"Welcome," Sho smiled at all the gathered contestants, once again decked to the nines in a suit complete with sparkly bowtie, "to the first annual Matsumoto Family Dinner~!" Sho led a round of applause as all the contestants murmured to themselves, having not been informed of what the challenge was beforehand.
It became obvious what was happening within seconds, however, as Jun descended the stairs, followed by two strangers that weren't exactly hiding their identity. The man, hair graying around the edges but still carrying an air of self importance, held the woman's hand as if she were a porcelain doll as they walked, frowning down at the contestants. The woman, as well, looked vaguely displeased with the men waiting on the ground, her light purple kimono fluttering with every step she took. There was no question what their opinion of the situation was. Aiba floundered a little; Nino nudged him in the side and he immediately straightened.
"Gentlemen, may I introduce to you Hiroshi and Misako Matsumoto." It wasn't like this wasn't expected but the contestants still reacted theatrically, gasping and gaping as if the older couple were some sort of fascinating new exhibit at the zoo and they hadn't gone since they were kids. Nino frowned, not liking the awkward atmosphere that it was creating. The couple looked uncomfortably disgruntled.
"Now," Sho continued, drawing everyone's attention back to him, "the show has arranged for all of you to have dinner with Jun and his parents in a local shop down the road. Remember to have fun and make a good impression." Sho winked towards the group, even if Nino felt the smile didn't quite meet his eyes. A sideways glance at Aiba showed the other man grinning. Nino wasn't quite sure what to make of the sudden reversal of fortune between the idiotic couple but it was much too much to worry about just then.
"Follow me to the cars!" Nagase hollered from the back, once the cameras had shut off. Nino threw one last look over his shoulder at the disapproving parents and shuffled off to the cars with Aiba.
~~
"And what do you do, Matsuda?" Matsujun's mother was asking Sho-tan over dinner. Although it was a simple question, disdain laced her tone and her face was eyeing Aiba's friend with general distaste. Sho-tan actually shivered under her gaze and sent a panicked plea at Aiba with his eyes which Aiba wasn't entirely sure how to reply to.
"Um," Shota began, "I work in an Italian restaurant."
"So you're a chef?" Matsujun's father butted in, seeming almost impressed. Shota coughed.
"Um, no, actually. I'm a waiter." Shota ducked his head in embarrassment which might have been for the best as neither of Mattsun's parents looked very impressed, the father actually coughing a bit out of awkwardness.
"Can I get anyone anything else to eat?" Jun asked, walking out of the kitchen. The staff had thrown him back there when everyone had arrived, their reasoning being that Jun couldn't say anything to defend himself that way, Nagase had laughed. Although it had been funny at first, Aiba was quickly beginning to suspect that it was more to make sure that Jun didn't pull any of his parents' punches. They may be older and although in Aiba's mind, older always combined with kindly, they weren't nice in the least, somehow knowing exactly what everyone was most embarrassed about and making sure it came out in the open.
"I think we're fine, Matsujun," Aiba smiled back, doing his best to keep the atmosphere as light as possible, even if that was like swimming against the tide. Everyone gave him a grateful smile, feeling the pressure lighten if only a smidge, before the comment brought the unwanted attention upon himself.
"And what do you do with yourself, young Aiba?" Jun's mother asked knowingly, as if she didn't expect much from him. He resisted the urge to frown, replacing the instinct with a grin.
"I work in a pet shop!" Aiba replied proudly, almost defiantly and completely ignored the scoff he heard from Jun's parents' direction. He wasn't going to be ashamed of who he was, thank you very much.
"And I work in an Animate," Nino added. "I mean, I knew you were going to ask eventually. Figured I'd beat you to the punch." Aiba turned to give Nino a grateful smile and his friend just winked.
"Jun~?" Jun's mother called, obviously trying to change the subject. Nino snickered. "Jun, are you there?"
"What can I do for you, mother?" Jun asked, wiping his hands on his apron as he emerged from another room. He looked kind of cute; the apron was pink with lace. Jun caught Aiba's eye and raised an eyebrow. Aiba wiggled his in response. Jun chuckled.
"I don't think the fowl was cooked enough, darling. It tastes," her face scrunched up in distaste, "stringy."
"The chicken is done, mother," Jun intoned, as if he'd heard the same complaints millions of times (and he probably had). "We have trained chefs in the kitchen. We know what we're doing."
"Why don't you send back Matsuda here? He'll make sure they're cooking it well," Jun's father laughed, as if he'd made the best joke ever. Shota shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"Just eat your dinner," Jun sighed, sinking into a chair at the end of the table. He raised a hand to his temple, attempting to massage the stress away. His mother, a worried look on her face, got up and shuffled over to him, rubbing his shoulders. Jun jumped a bit at the touch.
"Jun, dear," she smiled saccharinely, "you're concentrating too hard on this show. You need to relax. Your father and I are worried about you."
"Leave me be, mother," Jun shrugged his shoulders to release his mother's hands. "I'm doing fine so will you and father just leave these nice people alone?"
Jun's mom frowned and returned to her seat. Jun took one more deep breath before rising out of his chair and turning back towards the kitchen.
"I'll get everyone some more food then," he smiled, throwing a wink back at Aiba. Aiba nodded in response before turning back to the table.
"This is boring. Who's up for Twenty Questions?"
-------
"...ohmygoditwasfake," all the words rushed out of Nino at once as realization hit him. Jun just grinned like the cat that ate the canary over the table at him before taking another bite of his pasta. Nino glared in response.
"Not my fault if you couldn't figure it out," Jun shrugged, still smiling slyly. "I thought I dropped enough hints." Nino scoffed. "Oh, come on. You really think I come from a home life that warped? Don't answer that," he quickly added to Nino's raised eyebrows.
"I swear," Nino sighed, twirling some spaghetti around his fork. "One of these days I'm going to do something and this whole staff won't be able to say boo. Turnabout is fair play."
"Aw, don't be a spoilsport," Jun teased. "It's not like it didn't pay off. You won the personal date, didn't you?"
"I guess," Nino conceded, slipping an unconscious sideways glance at Ohno who was standing awkwardly at the side of the table filming the whole thing. It felt really weird, going on a date with another man while having Ohno right there. But Ohno just grinned back at him, as if everything was fine. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse.
"Oh, get off your pedestal and have a drink," Jun tried to lighten the mood, pouring Nino a little more wine. "Let's drink to your fallen comrades. Who was gone last week? Kame?"
"If you don't even remember," Nino replied dryly, "I don't know how seriously you're taking this game."
"I think I'm playing a different game than you are," Jun smiled icily, something Nino wasn't expecting, "so you really can't judge." Nino felt a chill go down his back. There was a reason he'd never liked Jun. Regardless, he clinked their glasses together and gulped down the liquid. Jun did the same.
"Can we --- I'm sorry --- can we cut for a second?" Ohno spoke up out of nowhere, startling both Jun and Nino. Jun shrugged, putting down his glass and turning his attention elsewhere, fiddling with his cuffs.
"You okay?" Nino asked, watching Ohno lift the camera off his shoulder and set it down onto the table next to them. He looked fine but the older man had always been somewhat of a mystery. Nino was really bad at reading him.
"I'm okay," Ohno replied, massaging his shoulder and looking anywhere but Nino's face. "I just need to run to the bathroom really quickly. Sorry. I know I'm the only camera on set."
"Just hurry the hell up!" Nakai yelled from a few tables over, obviously not really paying attention, only having looked up when he noticed that the feed was cut. "I don't pay for you to take breaks!"
"You don't pay me at all," Ohno muttered under his breath before turning back, yelling a quick "of course!" and scurrying off. Nino watched his back disappear around a corner and frowned.
"Maybe he's not feeling well?" Jun wondered aloud but Nino didn't quite buy it. Ohno was usually nothing but professionalism, sacrificing sleep, food and comfort until the shoot was over; why had he broken character now?
It was a few silent minutes later when Ohno came dashing back, clearly having run all the way to and from the bathroom. Nino grinned at his return and for a brief second, their eyes met. Ohno's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he nodded his head in acknowledgement but Nino nodded back, curious about what almost seemed like restraint in Ohno's posture. But sadly, that didn't have time to be explored.
Ohno about threw the camera back on his shoulder, quickly restarting the feed and nodding at Jun to continue.
"So," Jun drawled, "what are your thoughts on scarves?"
Oh hell, this was going to be a long night.
~
Chapter 14 is out! And just a heads up: as much as I enjoy this weekly Friday update (it kind of feels like a real show that way), I might be a little late next week since I am going home for the weekend. It should be fine, though. We'll see how it goes. In other news, one of our lovely readers, kazugieyo, made CoKoi a promotional banner! I am ridiculously impressed and flattered! I meant to post this last chapter but it somehow escaped me. Much love to you. ♥ Thanks everyone for reading and see you here next week! ♥
