088. Magazine
Notes: RockStar!Weiss pt1. Written on a train from Champaign, IL, to St. Louis, MO.
*
The name Weiss was a form of hero worship they never thought the world would hear about. But now their names and pictures are splashed across every jrock and pop culture magazine in Japan, and people are asking: “Why Weiss?”
Omi is clearly embarrassed, but not as embarrassed as Ran. “We saw the movie with the assassin group Schwarz,” he begins, “and Ran-”
“Ran loved it,” Yohji cuts in.
Ran shoves him against the arm of the couch with a glare. “I wanted us to be Weiss as a sort of tribute,” he admits for the third interview in a row. “I thought if we were as good a singing group as they were good at being assassins-”
“Evil assassins,” Yohji cuts in again.
“We were all rooting for Schwarz anyway,” Ken laughs.
Ran smiles softly. “Yeah. Anyway, then we’d be proud of our accomplishments.”
“Did you ever think one day you’d end up here?” the reporter asks.
Weiss looks at each other, and Ran blushes. The rest laugh: “Ran didn’t!”
The reporter laughs with them and then clears her throat. “So I saw your concert last night, and I have to say: Ran, Omi, your stage personas are almost completely opposite the way you are now. Is that where the nicknames started?”
“Ken,” Ran growls, “Die.”
“I didn’t mean to!”
“Didn’t mean to what?” the reporter asks.
“The nicknames were supposed to be a secret,” Omi says apologetically. “We don’t really talk about them.”
“Do they have to do with the Schwarz codenames?” the reporter asks. “Because that’s the rumor going around…”
Ran leans back against the couch and glares stonily at the ceiling.
Yohji pats Ran’s knee. “They have more to do with the flower shop where we used to work.” Ran puts his head up and looks thankfully at Yohji. Then Yohji winks, and Ran rolls his eyes and drops his head back again.
Ken laughs.
“So,” the reporter says, “Last question: have you ever met the actors who played Schwarz? If you haven’t, what do you think you’d say to them? Omi?”
“I’d be too nervous, honestly.” The youngest member of Weiss shrugs and smiles.
“Ken?”
“Aah.” He scratches the back of his head. “I’d ask for an autograph. Ne, Yohji? What about you?”
Yohji smirks. “Ask for a date, of course.”
The reporter giggles and turns to Ran. “And what about you, Ran? You’ve been conspicuously silent. What would you do?”
Ran blushes again. “Honestly?”
“Honestly.”
Yohji titters. Omi hides a grin behind his hand. Ken smirks and nudges Ran. “Ne, Ran? We told ours.”
Ran smiles mysteriously. “I would probably die.”