Romeo & Juliet
Title: Romeo & Juliet
Fandom: Kanjani 8
Pairing: Maruyama Ryuhei x Murakami Shingo
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Summary: Yokoyama Yu sometimes has ideas that are pretty dangerous. But this one could be the most dangerous yet.
Author's Note: Written as a pinch hit for airairo for k8_exchange
Yokoyama Yu watches.
He wouldn’t say he is ‘stalking’. After all, he never goes out of his way to follow people around - most of the time - and if people want to display their emotions so clearly, or have loud conversations in his presence, that can hardly be considered his fault, can it? It’s also not his fault that his band-mates are so fascinating to watch. Sometimes he compares it to a visit to the zoo.
They’ve arrived at their location early in the morning for what could turn out to be a long but interesting day filming the PV for their newest single TWL. It’s that time of morning where everyone is still partly asleep and not really in the mood for conversation, and that makes it perfect for observing.
Ohkura Tadayoshi is spread out across the entire length of one of the couches in the makeshift dressing room, on his stomach and with his legs sprawled half on and half off, he looks as though he has literally collapsed there. Yoko thinks he can see him drooling in his sleep and assumes he is dreaming of food far more tasty than the somewhat cardboard tasting bentos the management has provided for their lunch.
Yasuda Shota is sitting on the arm of the same couch, his blue sock covered feet dangerously close to the sleeping man’s head, and is playing some monotonous game on his cell phone that seems to be providing him with both great entertainment and endless frustration.
Shibutani Subaru and Nishikido Ryo are perched in a corner together, each with a guitar in their hands and are practicing some song or other that no one seems to recognise. They’ve played the same few lines so many times by now that even Yoko, who will admit to not being very musically inclined, could sing along perfectly if he wanted to.
Murakami Shingo has just finished in the shower, and is padding around with only a towel wrapped around his waist. It is a sight that the band are more than used to by now, and the only one who shows the slightest bit of notice is Ryo, who glances up each time the man bends down to pick something up, just to make sure the towel hasn’t become loose.
And then there is Maruyama Ryuhei. He is also watching, Yoko notices. He allows his gaze to rest on the other for a little longer than usual, and watches where his own gaze is directed. He says ‘gaze’ in his head, but Maru’s eye movements can hardly be called that. He is watching one thing in particular, and he watches for a moment, then his glance moves temporarily elsewhere, and then back again. It’s like he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s watching, but for an expert in observation like Yoko, it is very obvious.
Ohkura stirs in his sleep and opens one eye after the other, and as he looks up, Yoko’s glance turns to him. The half-asleep man wipes the dampness from his face with the back of his hand and then his head flops back down against the cushions. "What are you looking at," he mutters, and Yoko turns back to look at Maru. He has settled down again now, as the one he was staring at has left the room again.
---------------
Maru is sprawled out on his stomach on the wooden platform that is part of their PV set. Hina is half crouched over him and is repeatedly hitting him over the head. Of course, his fist is not really coming into contact with him at all, they’re making all the right noises and facial expressions, but this is simply a part of what will eventually become a three minute video.
Yoko is performing for a camera nearby, but he is still watching. Hina and Maru stand up and step aside, standing next to each other as they watch their performance back on screen. He watches as Maru glances up at the other momentarily and then turns his gaze back to the screen, and he can see from the look in the man's eyes that he is desperate to move just a little bit closer.
A lot of the time, observation brings Yoko a lot of amusement, but just occasionally he sees something he wishes he didn't have to see. The longing look in Maru's eyes when he looks at the other man is one of those moments. These moments remind him of the time he watched Hina enviously watching other agency members in CMs.
When one of those moments occurs, all he can think to do is to do something about it.
---------------
"I have an idea," Yoko announces when he’s finally managed to get Maru on his own. It’s taken a number of excuses and slightly rearranged schedules to make it happen, but finally no one else is nearby and Yoko grabs Maru’s arm and pulls him into the dressing room.
The other knows that most of Yoko’s announcements of these kinds lead to embarrassment of some sort, and glances around suspiciously, checking for hidden cameras or someone ready to leap out at him. "What idea?" he asks, one eyebrow raised, and the cunning look that appears on his band mate’s face only serves to make him even more nervous.
"Hit me," Yoko states bluntly.
"Eh?"
"Hit me," he repeats, and goes on to clarify. "Not too hard. Like a Hina-slap. Go on."
Maru looks utterly confused, but raises his hand for a moment, hesitating as he tries to figure out if this is some kind of trick. But he doesn’t think even Yoko is the kind of person who would ask someone to hit him as a trick. So he raises his hand further, and gives Yoko a somewhat weak slap on the top of his head. He could have done it with more force, but Yoko did tell him not to do it hard, and the last thing he wants is an excuse for Yoko to whine at him.
He is unsure as to exactly what is going to happen now, but he quickly finds out. He watches with a mix of horror and confusion as Yoko howls in pain and brings his hand to his head, his face contorted in over-exaggerated agony. He drops onto his knees, and then onto his back, and writhes and twitches on the ground for another few seconds before going deathly still.
"Yuuchin…?" Maru speaks unsurely, and pokes the other’s still body with his foot. When Yoko doesn’t move at all, his eyes widen a little, and he glances around the room and then back at his band-mate again. "Yuuchin? Are you okay? Are you dead? Oh my god! Someone call an ambulance!" he yells in panic at no one in particular, and kneels down beside the other, fumbling in his pocket for his phone.
As he opens up his phone to make the call, a hand reaches up and grabs the phone from him, and Maru hears a familiar chuckle. The man on the ground is twitching again, but this time it is not in agony. There is a wide grin on his face, and the chuckling is coming from between his lips. "I’m a great actor, right?" Yoko grins.
"Yeah..." Maru responds, and attempts to calm his fast beating heart. "I can see why you get those drama roles," he adds flatly for lack of anything else to say. Besides, he’s still traumatised.
Yoko starts again as if he hasn’t just scared Maru half to death. "Now you lie on the couch," he orders, pulling the other to his feet by one arm.
"I don’t see what -" Maru starts, and he looks like he’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but Yoko’s long-suffering look gets the better of him and he sits himself down on the couch, bunching up his legs and then spreading himself out across the cushions. He gives Yoko an expectant glance.
Yoko’s facial expression changes again as he drops onto his knees beside the couch, but this time he is not in pain, he is grieving. "Maru... Oh, Maru!" he speaks dramatically, and Maru is sure he can see a couple of tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "You can’t die, I love you!"
Maru thinks by now either Yoko is going completely crazy, or he is. There is absolutely nothing about this scenario that makes any sense. He stares at the other incredulously, and then despite his best efforts, bursts into laughter.
Yoko recovers from his grief quickly and sits back resting on his heels. He says simply, "so, that’s the plan."
As Maru is about to reply, their manager peeks his head around the doorway, and tells Yoko that he is needed for a shoot. "The plan for what?" he asks himself, once he is alone.
---------------
"The plan for what?" Maru repeats the question to Yoko the moment he is able to corner him. They’re not quite alone, and the corner of the studio where the other band members are nearby doesn’t provide much privacy or much camouflage, given that they’re wearing their rather bright blue costumes. However, Maru has been concerned he might just blurt the question out at random, if he doesn’t get an answer soon, and so he feels it is worth the risk.
Yoko glances around to check that no one is nearby and listening, and then leans close to Maru’s ear and whispers, "to get Hina to confess," as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
"Confess to what?"
"Confess to liking you."
"I know he likes me!"
"I mean like like."
"Eh? Like like?" Maru’s voice becomes a little too loud, and he clamps his hand over his mouth. Luckily, the other group members are not listening and he breathes a loud sigh of relief. "Like like?" he hisses more quietly. His eyes are on stalks.
"You do know that Hina likes you, don’t you?" Yoko asks. He thinks he may be stretching the truth just a little bit but he is certain he can make this work somehow. And after all, don’t people usually violently hit the ones they like like around the head? Something about an unusual form of affection. "And I know you like him as well."
"What? Me? Oh, no! No no no," Maru shakes his head violently. "I don’t like Shin-chan! I mean, I like him, but not like like. Definitely not. No. Not at all."
"For someone who doesn’t like him, you certainly spend a lot of time staring at him."
"Ehhhh? How do you know I stare at him?" Maru points accusingly at Yoko, a fierce look forming in his eyes, although he is becoming slightly flustered. "Maybe you like like me too!"
"So you do stare at him."
"I -" Maru starts, and then realises he has been tricked and exhales deeply. "Okay, so what’s the plan again?"
--------
The next time the pair manages to find time alone again, Maru approaches something he has been thinking about while they have been filming.
"I see a problem," he speaks hesitantly, and his head is bowed. He knows that questioning Yoko’s brilliant plans is very dangerous.
"What?"
"T-this is Shin-chan," Maru replies awkwardly. "We’re not -"
"What?" Yoko is becoming impatient. He folds his arms across his chest.
"...... Romeo and Juliet."
Yoko laughs at this, despite the serious tone to Maru’s voice. "Well you do look good in women’s underwear."
"T-that’s beside the point!" Maru huffs, and wonders why Yoko immediately came to the conclusion that he would be Juliet. It’s not really helping that Yoko is finding the entire situation very amusing, and Maru is beginning to wonder whether he has plotted this for his own benefit.
"Look," Yoko states. "It's simple. Just get Hina so worked up that he hits you. The rest will happen naturally."
"Naturally? I have to pretend to be seriously injured! Nothing about this is natural, Yuuchin. It's all going to go wrong, I know it," Maru frets, but Yoko pays no attention and dismisses him as he returns for more filming.
Hina is hovering at the other side of the studio and Maru watches him. He feels so far away and his heart sinks. Yoko's 'genius' plan is his only hope.
--------
Hina is in an excellent mood today. Usually this is something to be celebrated and the rest of the band cannot figure out why Yoko and Maru are becoming increasingly irritated every time he so much as smiles.
Maru has tried his best. He has been annoying, he’s followed him around, stolen bits of his lunch, even gone so far as to blatantly insult the older man, but Hina’s hand has gone nowhere near his head. Pleading looks that he has directed at Yoko have been returned only with a shrug; it seems that even the group’s genius is at a loss. Yoko himself has fed Hina completely untrue pieces of information about things Maru may possibly have said against him, but that hasn't worked either.
It’s only late afternoon when they’ve finished the shoot and Hina suggests they go out for dinner at their favourite restaurant to celebrate the completion of the PV that Yoko comes up with another one of his brilliant plans.
That’s a great idea," Yoko says. "Maru, why don’t you drive Hina there and the rest of us can go together?" Yoko suggests and he gives Maru a subtle wink. If there’s anything that is likely to get Hina worked up enough to hit Maru, it’s putting them in a car together.
"Hey, why just me?" Hina asks suspiciously, and Maru doesn’t look happy with this idea at all.
"Guys," Yoko speaks and glances over the rest of the group members. "Who wants to ride there with Maru?" he asks, and is met with complete silence. No one quite wants to say no, but it’s obvious that none of them want to go near a car Maru is at the wheel of. "Okay. We’ll see you guys there. Try not to get yourselves killed," he snickers as they leave. A sour look appears on Maru's face as he and Hina head to his car.
--------
Yoko takes a call on his cell phone as the pair sit at a large table in the restaurant. There are two empty seats although Hina and Maru should have arrived shortly after them. No one seems particularly concerned, and. Ohkura is starting to whine about how he might starve to death if they don’t order their dinner soon.
"Hello?" Yoko answers the call. The name on the caller display reads Maru’s name.
Maru’s voice is shaky on the line, and in the distance there is the sound of a siren an there seems to be commotion all around, as if he is standing in a frantic crowd. "There’s been an accident."
--------
It is Yoko who goes to see Maru first when the group are finally allowed to see their band mate, after being made to wait for an endless amount of time for news. Maru has quite a bad headache, and it would be too much for all of them to be in their at once, the nurse says, not that she's accusing them of being loud or anything, of course. The patient is sitting up on the bed in his cubicle, a bruise creeping around his left eye and stitches in a wound above his head. He is looking how he feels; very sorry for himself.
"What happened?" Yoko asks.
"I was driving too slowly and Hina hit me around the head. I was so nervous that I put my foot on the accelerator and crashed into a wall a little way down the road,” he explains, his tone apologetic and guilty and a bit shaky. He is still in shock, no matter how bad his driving might be sometimes he has never once crashed until now.
"It’s a good thing it was only you two in the -"
“Where is Hina?” Maru asks, his eyes widening in concern. Yoko’s expression goes suddenly grim.
--------
Maru sits down on a chair beside the bed next to Hina’s bed, and folds his arms on the sheets, resting his head in them and staring at the unconscious figure lying in front of him. There are tears threatening to escape the corner of his eyes and as he stares at a bruise on the other man’s forehead, they begin to run down his cheeks.
"I’m sorry, Shin-chan… I’ve really been trying hard with my driving and I didn’t mean to drive so slowly. It’s just that… I really like you, and I didn’t know what to do, so Yoko came up with this idea and I told him it was going to wrong, and it did! You can’t die!" Maru exclaims, and he realises his last words almost echo what Yoko said to him earlier that day, but that was acting and this is real. "I really like like you."
It seems so long ago since he had that conversation with Yoko earlier that day and he never meant for things to go this far. All he wanted was for Hina to share the same feelings as him. And now it seems he never will.
As he cries into the sheets, wetting them with his tears, from somewhere nearby a hand comes out of nowhere and slaps him hard around the head. It is a familiar feeling, and without even thinking about it, he whines, "Shin-chan, that hurt."
"So it should," a rough voice speaks, and Maru’s eyes widen as he glances up to see where the familiar voice is coming from. Has Hina died already? Is he a ghost? He looks across at the bed, and he meets Hina’s eyes, and he screams. Hina’s hand reaches out and clamps over his mouth.
"Shhhh, this is a hospital, people might be sleeping, idiot," Hina warns him, and Maru quietens down but his eyes still look like they might just pop right out of his head. Once Hina is sure he isn’t going to make any noise, he lets go and shifts into a seated position on the bed.
"I thought you were - I thought you were going to die!" Maru exclaims. He thinks if he gets any more horrible surprises like this, he might just die prematurely of a heart attack. A nurse peeks her head around the curtain to check that Maru isn’t being brutally murdered. Hina waves her away with one hand.
Hina huffs once they’re alone again. "It’d take more than a bruised head to kill me, believe me."
"But Yoko said…" he trails off. Yoko says a lot of things, and not all of them are necessarily true.
"Yoko said that you like like me."
"You hit me," Maru whines again, as a dull ache appears in the spot Hina hit, close to the spot he was bruised in the accident. It then occurs to him what the other has just said. "H-he told you that? That wasn't part of the plan!" he protests, and he thinks that he might have to use his own hitting skills on their fellow band member later.
"You just told me as well," Hina points out. "Is it true?" His tone is suddenly serious, and as soft as Hina can manage.
"I thought you were going to die," Maru mumbles. He's still in shock and he's sure he has concussion or something that is affecting his mental state. Hina responds by slapping his head again. Maru puts his head in his hands for a moment to try and calm himself down and stop his head from pounding.
"Is it true?" Hina persists.
Maru knows that the only reason they are in this position was because he hadn't been able to tell the truth, and so he lowers his hands again and he gives Hina an awkward nod. "It's - it's okay though, it doesn't matter, it's just me being silly and -"
He stops talking as Hina leans forwards and presses a somewhat rough kiss against his lips. They linger there together for a moment, Maru can taste the other man's lips and it's different to what he expected but not in a bad way. He smells of antiseptic and aftershave. One of Hina's hands is on his cheek and he's wiping at the tears still lingering on his face. Maru's lips taste like salt.
"Of course you're silly," Hina whispers as they part for breath. He resists the urge to use violence against the other again. "I wouldn't like like you if you weren't, idiot," he adds, and then he leans in to kiss him again.
Outside the cubicle, the sounds of five cheers ring out through the hospital ward. The newly love-struck pair inside can't see it, but there is a smug smile on Yoko's face.
--------
Earlier that morning.
It is when Yoko and Hina end up alone together in the dressing room that Yoko decides to act. Since his observations in the same room an hour or so earlier, a plan has been slowly forming in his cunning mind and so long as her can persuade both Maru and Hina to go along with it, he thinks it might actually work.
"I have an idea," Yoko announces, and pushes Hina down into a seated position on one of the couches.
Yoko flops down onto the cushion beside him and holds his hands out in front of him, gripping at something invisible. "Hit me," he orders. Hina doesn't need to be told twice. He reaches out, and gives the other a firm slap across the top of his head. He has no idea what is going on but Yoko's 'ideas' usually mean trouble, and that is reason enough to give him a good whack.
What follows, much to Hina's astonishment, is a rather over dramatised demonstration of Yoko losing control of an imaginary car, complete with flailing arm movements and loud sound effects. Hina goes to hit him again but then recoils, not wanting to touch the other in case he catches some of the crazy.
"Okay, now you lie on the couch."
"Eh? Are you drunk? "
Yoko’s eyes narrow. "I couldn’t come up with ideas this good under the influence of alcohol," he points out, and Hina can’t even think of a way to begin arguing against that statement. He doesn’t even have time to speak again, because deciding that he isn’t going to be able to get Hina to do what he wants just by asking, he pushes him down onto his back on the couch.
"Hina… Oh Hina!" he speaks dramatically, gripping hold of both of the other man’s hands, if only because he’s concerned they might make contact with his head otherwise. “You can’t die, I love you!”
Yoko is used to being looked at as though he is crazy, and so he barely reacts when Hina can’t quite work out whether to laugh or call for an ambulance to cart the other away.
As if nothing has happened, Yoko lets go of Hina’s hand, and stands up straight, hands on his hips.
"So,” he finishes, and pauses for a moment before adding, "That is the plan."
Fandom: Kanjani 8
Pairing: Maruyama Ryuhei x Murakami Shingo
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Summary: Yokoyama Yu sometimes has ideas that are pretty dangerous. But this one could be the most dangerous yet.
Author's Note: Written as a pinch hit for airairo for k8_exchange
Yokoyama Yu watches.
He wouldn’t say he is ‘stalking’. After all, he never goes out of his way to follow people around - most of the time - and if people want to display their emotions so clearly, or have loud conversations in his presence, that can hardly be considered his fault, can it? It’s also not his fault that his band-mates are so fascinating to watch. Sometimes he compares it to a visit to the zoo.
They’ve arrived at their location early in the morning for what could turn out to be a long but interesting day filming the PV for their newest single TWL. It’s that time of morning where everyone is still partly asleep and not really in the mood for conversation, and that makes it perfect for observing.
Ohkura Tadayoshi is spread out across the entire length of one of the couches in the makeshift dressing room, on his stomach and with his legs sprawled half on and half off, he looks as though he has literally collapsed there. Yoko thinks he can see him drooling in his sleep and assumes he is dreaming of food far more tasty than the somewhat cardboard tasting bentos the management has provided for their lunch.
Yasuda Shota is sitting on the arm of the same couch, his blue sock covered feet dangerously close to the sleeping man’s head, and is playing some monotonous game on his cell phone that seems to be providing him with both great entertainment and endless frustration.
Shibutani Subaru and Nishikido Ryo are perched in a corner together, each with a guitar in their hands and are practicing some song or other that no one seems to recognise. They’ve played the same few lines so many times by now that even Yoko, who will admit to not being very musically inclined, could sing along perfectly if he wanted to.
Murakami Shingo has just finished in the shower, and is padding around with only a towel wrapped around his waist. It is a sight that the band are more than used to by now, and the only one who shows the slightest bit of notice is Ryo, who glances up each time the man bends down to pick something up, just to make sure the towel hasn’t become loose.
And then there is Maruyama Ryuhei. He is also watching, Yoko notices. He allows his gaze to rest on the other for a little longer than usual, and watches where his own gaze is directed. He says ‘gaze’ in his head, but Maru’s eye movements can hardly be called that. He is watching one thing in particular, and he watches for a moment, then his glance moves temporarily elsewhere, and then back again. It’s like he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s watching, but for an expert in observation like Yoko, it is very obvious.
Ohkura stirs in his sleep and opens one eye after the other, and as he looks up, Yoko’s glance turns to him. The half-asleep man wipes the dampness from his face with the back of his hand and then his head flops back down against the cushions. "What are you looking at," he mutters, and Yoko turns back to look at Maru. He has settled down again now, as the one he was staring at has left the room again.
---------------
Maru is sprawled out on his stomach on the wooden platform that is part of their PV set. Hina is half crouched over him and is repeatedly hitting him over the head. Of course, his fist is not really coming into contact with him at all, they’re making all the right noises and facial expressions, but this is simply a part of what will eventually become a three minute video.
Yoko is performing for a camera nearby, but he is still watching. Hina and Maru stand up and step aside, standing next to each other as they watch their performance back on screen. He watches as Maru glances up at the other momentarily and then turns his gaze back to the screen, and he can see from the look in the man's eyes that he is desperate to move just a little bit closer.
A lot of the time, observation brings Yoko a lot of amusement, but just occasionally he sees something he wishes he didn't have to see. The longing look in Maru's eyes when he looks at the other man is one of those moments. These moments remind him of the time he watched Hina enviously watching other agency members in CMs.
When one of those moments occurs, all he can think to do is to do something about it.
---------------
"I have an idea," Yoko announces when he’s finally managed to get Maru on his own. It’s taken a number of excuses and slightly rearranged schedules to make it happen, but finally no one else is nearby and Yoko grabs Maru’s arm and pulls him into the dressing room.
The other knows that most of Yoko’s announcements of these kinds lead to embarrassment of some sort, and glances around suspiciously, checking for hidden cameras or someone ready to leap out at him. "What idea?" he asks, one eyebrow raised, and the cunning look that appears on his band mate’s face only serves to make him even more nervous.
"Hit me," Yoko states bluntly.
"Eh?"
"Hit me," he repeats, and goes on to clarify. "Not too hard. Like a Hina-slap. Go on."
Maru looks utterly confused, but raises his hand for a moment, hesitating as he tries to figure out if this is some kind of trick. But he doesn’t think even Yoko is the kind of person who would ask someone to hit him as a trick. So he raises his hand further, and gives Yoko a somewhat weak slap on the top of his head. He could have done it with more force, but Yoko did tell him not to do it hard, and the last thing he wants is an excuse for Yoko to whine at him.
He is unsure as to exactly what is going to happen now, but he quickly finds out. He watches with a mix of horror and confusion as Yoko howls in pain and brings his hand to his head, his face contorted in over-exaggerated agony. He drops onto his knees, and then onto his back, and writhes and twitches on the ground for another few seconds before going deathly still.
"Yuuchin…?" Maru speaks unsurely, and pokes the other’s still body with his foot. When Yoko doesn’t move at all, his eyes widen a little, and he glances around the room and then back at his band-mate again. "Yuuchin? Are you okay? Are you dead? Oh my god! Someone call an ambulance!" he yells in panic at no one in particular, and kneels down beside the other, fumbling in his pocket for his phone.
As he opens up his phone to make the call, a hand reaches up and grabs the phone from him, and Maru hears a familiar chuckle. The man on the ground is twitching again, but this time it is not in agony. There is a wide grin on his face, and the chuckling is coming from between his lips. "I’m a great actor, right?" Yoko grins.
"Yeah..." Maru responds, and attempts to calm his fast beating heart. "I can see why you get those drama roles," he adds flatly for lack of anything else to say. Besides, he’s still traumatised.
Yoko starts again as if he hasn’t just scared Maru half to death. "Now you lie on the couch," he orders, pulling the other to his feet by one arm.
"I don’t see what -" Maru starts, and he looks like he’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but Yoko’s long-suffering look gets the better of him and he sits himself down on the couch, bunching up his legs and then spreading himself out across the cushions. He gives Yoko an expectant glance.
Yoko’s facial expression changes again as he drops onto his knees beside the couch, but this time he is not in pain, he is grieving. "Maru... Oh, Maru!" he speaks dramatically, and Maru is sure he can see a couple of tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "You can’t die, I love you!"
Maru thinks by now either Yoko is going completely crazy, or he is. There is absolutely nothing about this scenario that makes any sense. He stares at the other incredulously, and then despite his best efforts, bursts into laughter.
Yoko recovers from his grief quickly and sits back resting on his heels. He says simply, "so, that’s the plan."
As Maru is about to reply, their manager peeks his head around the doorway, and tells Yoko that he is needed for a shoot. "The plan for what?" he asks himself, once he is alone.
---------------
"The plan for what?" Maru repeats the question to Yoko the moment he is able to corner him. They’re not quite alone, and the corner of the studio where the other band members are nearby doesn’t provide much privacy or much camouflage, given that they’re wearing their rather bright blue costumes. However, Maru has been concerned he might just blurt the question out at random, if he doesn’t get an answer soon, and so he feels it is worth the risk.
Yoko glances around to check that no one is nearby and listening, and then leans close to Maru’s ear and whispers, "to get Hina to confess," as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
"Confess to what?"
"Confess to liking you."
"I know he likes me!"
"I mean like like."
"Eh? Like like?" Maru’s voice becomes a little too loud, and he clamps his hand over his mouth. Luckily, the other group members are not listening and he breathes a loud sigh of relief. "Like like?" he hisses more quietly. His eyes are on stalks.
"You do know that Hina likes you, don’t you?" Yoko asks. He thinks he may be stretching the truth just a little bit but he is certain he can make this work somehow. And after all, don’t people usually violently hit the ones they like like around the head? Something about an unusual form of affection. "And I know you like him as well."
"What? Me? Oh, no! No no no," Maru shakes his head violently. "I don’t like Shin-chan! I mean, I like him, but not like like. Definitely not. No. Not at all."
"For someone who doesn’t like him, you certainly spend a lot of time staring at him."
"Ehhhh? How do you know I stare at him?" Maru points accusingly at Yoko, a fierce look forming in his eyes, although he is becoming slightly flustered. "Maybe you like like me too!"
"So you do stare at him."
"I -" Maru starts, and then realises he has been tricked and exhales deeply. "Okay, so what’s the plan again?"
--------
The next time the pair manages to find time alone again, Maru approaches something he has been thinking about while they have been filming.
"I see a problem," he speaks hesitantly, and his head is bowed. He knows that questioning Yoko’s brilliant plans is very dangerous.
"What?"
"T-this is Shin-chan," Maru replies awkwardly. "We’re not -"
"What?" Yoko is becoming impatient. He folds his arms across his chest.
"...... Romeo and Juliet."
Yoko laughs at this, despite the serious tone to Maru’s voice. "Well you do look good in women’s underwear."
"T-that’s beside the point!" Maru huffs, and wonders why Yoko immediately came to the conclusion that he would be Juliet. It’s not really helping that Yoko is finding the entire situation very amusing, and Maru is beginning to wonder whether he has plotted this for his own benefit.
"Look," Yoko states. "It's simple. Just get Hina so worked up that he hits you. The rest will happen naturally."
"Naturally? I have to pretend to be seriously injured! Nothing about this is natural, Yuuchin. It's all going to go wrong, I know it," Maru frets, but Yoko pays no attention and dismisses him as he returns for more filming.
Hina is hovering at the other side of the studio and Maru watches him. He feels so far away and his heart sinks. Yoko's 'genius' plan is his only hope.
--------
Hina is in an excellent mood today. Usually this is something to be celebrated and the rest of the band cannot figure out why Yoko and Maru are becoming increasingly irritated every time he so much as smiles.
Maru has tried his best. He has been annoying, he’s followed him around, stolen bits of his lunch, even gone so far as to blatantly insult the older man, but Hina’s hand has gone nowhere near his head. Pleading looks that he has directed at Yoko have been returned only with a shrug; it seems that even the group’s genius is at a loss. Yoko himself has fed Hina completely untrue pieces of information about things Maru may possibly have said against him, but that hasn't worked either.
It’s only late afternoon when they’ve finished the shoot and Hina suggests they go out for dinner at their favourite restaurant to celebrate the completion of the PV that Yoko comes up with another one of his brilliant plans.
That’s a great idea," Yoko says. "Maru, why don’t you drive Hina there and the rest of us can go together?" Yoko suggests and he gives Maru a subtle wink. If there’s anything that is likely to get Hina worked up enough to hit Maru, it’s putting them in a car together.
"Hey, why just me?" Hina asks suspiciously, and Maru doesn’t look happy with this idea at all.
"Guys," Yoko speaks and glances over the rest of the group members. "Who wants to ride there with Maru?" he asks, and is met with complete silence. No one quite wants to say no, but it’s obvious that none of them want to go near a car Maru is at the wheel of. "Okay. We’ll see you guys there. Try not to get yourselves killed," he snickers as they leave. A sour look appears on Maru's face as he and Hina head to his car.
--------
Yoko takes a call on his cell phone as the pair sit at a large table in the restaurant. There are two empty seats although Hina and Maru should have arrived shortly after them. No one seems particularly concerned, and. Ohkura is starting to whine about how he might starve to death if they don’t order their dinner soon.
"Hello?" Yoko answers the call. The name on the caller display reads Maru’s name.
Maru’s voice is shaky on the line, and in the distance there is the sound of a siren an there seems to be commotion all around, as if he is standing in a frantic crowd. "There’s been an accident."
--------
It is Yoko who goes to see Maru first when the group are finally allowed to see their band mate, after being made to wait for an endless amount of time for news. Maru has quite a bad headache, and it would be too much for all of them to be in their at once, the nurse says, not that she's accusing them of being loud or anything, of course. The patient is sitting up on the bed in his cubicle, a bruise creeping around his left eye and stitches in a wound above his head. He is looking how he feels; very sorry for himself.
"What happened?" Yoko asks.
"I was driving too slowly and Hina hit me around the head. I was so nervous that I put my foot on the accelerator and crashed into a wall a little way down the road,” he explains, his tone apologetic and guilty and a bit shaky. He is still in shock, no matter how bad his driving might be sometimes he has never once crashed until now.
"It’s a good thing it was only you two in the -"
“Where is Hina?” Maru asks, his eyes widening in concern. Yoko’s expression goes suddenly grim.
--------
Maru sits down on a chair beside the bed next to Hina’s bed, and folds his arms on the sheets, resting his head in them and staring at the unconscious figure lying in front of him. There are tears threatening to escape the corner of his eyes and as he stares at a bruise on the other man’s forehead, they begin to run down his cheeks.
"I’m sorry, Shin-chan… I’ve really been trying hard with my driving and I didn’t mean to drive so slowly. It’s just that… I really like you, and I didn’t know what to do, so Yoko came up with this idea and I told him it was going to wrong, and it did! You can’t die!" Maru exclaims, and he realises his last words almost echo what Yoko said to him earlier that day, but that was acting and this is real. "I really like like you."
It seems so long ago since he had that conversation with Yoko earlier that day and he never meant for things to go this far. All he wanted was for Hina to share the same feelings as him. And now it seems he never will.
As he cries into the sheets, wetting them with his tears, from somewhere nearby a hand comes out of nowhere and slaps him hard around the head. It is a familiar feeling, and without even thinking about it, he whines, "Shin-chan, that hurt."
"So it should," a rough voice speaks, and Maru’s eyes widen as he glances up to see where the familiar voice is coming from. Has Hina died already? Is he a ghost? He looks across at the bed, and he meets Hina’s eyes, and he screams. Hina’s hand reaches out and clamps over his mouth.
"Shhhh, this is a hospital, people might be sleeping, idiot," Hina warns him, and Maru quietens down but his eyes still look like they might just pop right out of his head. Once Hina is sure he isn’t going to make any noise, he lets go and shifts into a seated position on the bed.
"I thought you were - I thought you were going to die!" Maru exclaims. He thinks if he gets any more horrible surprises like this, he might just die prematurely of a heart attack. A nurse peeks her head around the curtain to check that Maru isn’t being brutally murdered. Hina waves her away with one hand.
Hina huffs once they’re alone again. "It’d take more than a bruised head to kill me, believe me."
"But Yoko said…" he trails off. Yoko says a lot of things, and not all of them are necessarily true.
"Yoko said that you like like me."
"You hit me," Maru whines again, as a dull ache appears in the spot Hina hit, close to the spot he was bruised in the accident. It then occurs to him what the other has just said. "H-he told you that? That wasn't part of the plan!" he protests, and he thinks that he might have to use his own hitting skills on their fellow band member later.
"You just told me as well," Hina points out. "Is it true?" His tone is suddenly serious, and as soft as Hina can manage.
"I thought you were going to die," Maru mumbles. He's still in shock and he's sure he has concussion or something that is affecting his mental state. Hina responds by slapping his head again. Maru puts his head in his hands for a moment to try and calm himself down and stop his head from pounding.
"Is it true?" Hina persists.
Maru knows that the only reason they are in this position was because he hadn't been able to tell the truth, and so he lowers his hands again and he gives Hina an awkward nod. "It's - it's okay though, it doesn't matter, it's just me being silly and -"
He stops talking as Hina leans forwards and presses a somewhat rough kiss against his lips. They linger there together for a moment, Maru can taste the other man's lips and it's different to what he expected but not in a bad way. He smells of antiseptic and aftershave. One of Hina's hands is on his cheek and he's wiping at the tears still lingering on his face. Maru's lips taste like salt.
"Of course you're silly," Hina whispers as they part for breath. He resists the urge to use violence against the other again. "I wouldn't like like you if you weren't, idiot," he adds, and then he leans in to kiss him again.
Outside the cubicle, the sounds of five cheers ring out through the hospital ward. The newly love-struck pair inside can't see it, but there is a smug smile on Yoko's face.
--------
Earlier that morning.
It is when Yoko and Hina end up alone together in the dressing room that Yoko decides to act. Since his observations in the same room an hour or so earlier, a plan has been slowly forming in his cunning mind and so long as her can persuade both Maru and Hina to go along with it, he thinks it might actually work.
"I have an idea," Yoko announces, and pushes Hina down into a seated position on one of the couches.
Yoko flops down onto the cushion beside him and holds his hands out in front of him, gripping at something invisible. "Hit me," he orders. Hina doesn't need to be told twice. He reaches out, and gives the other a firm slap across the top of his head. He has no idea what is going on but Yoko's 'ideas' usually mean trouble, and that is reason enough to give him a good whack.
What follows, much to Hina's astonishment, is a rather over dramatised demonstration of Yoko losing control of an imaginary car, complete with flailing arm movements and loud sound effects. Hina goes to hit him again but then recoils, not wanting to touch the other in case he catches some of the crazy.
"Okay, now you lie on the couch."
"Eh? Are you drunk? "
Yoko’s eyes narrow. "I couldn’t come up with ideas this good under the influence of alcohol," he points out, and Hina can’t even think of a way to begin arguing against that statement. He doesn’t even have time to speak again, because deciding that he isn’t going to be able to get Hina to do what he wants just by asking, he pushes him down onto his back on the couch.
"Hina… Oh Hina!" he speaks dramatically, gripping hold of both of the other man’s hands, if only because he’s concerned they might make contact with his head otherwise. “You can’t die, I love you!”
Yoko is used to being looked at as though he is crazy, and so he barely reacts when Hina can’t quite work out whether to laugh or call for an ambulance to cart the other away.
As if nothing has happened, Yoko lets go of Hina’s hand, and stands up straight, hands on his hips.
"So,” he finishes, and pauses for a moment before adding, "That is the plan."