Sun Kissed
By
Chibijem
Disclaimed: I do not own the characters herein and am making no financial gain from this work of fiction.
A few weeks after the award ceremony, Starish and their composer were lazing the days away on the tropical island they had all first visited when they were students at the academy. Shining Saotome was giving his most successful group a much needed break and had lent them use of his island. Nanami Haruka was laying partially under an umbrella on the beach watching the volleyball game which was suffering due to the lack of honoring the rules. She was laughing at the antics of the group she had brought together. Her attention was then drawn to the figure emerging from the surf-Ichinose Tokiya had forgone the game to take a swim. He bypassed his partners who were still ribbing him about the bruising his chest had taken from the suspender tug she had given him on awards night.
"Hai, hai. Just you wait. When you have women of you own…." He warned, laughing at his friend's antics. He reached his lady love and sat next to her, leaning over to press a kiss to her lips. "I am never going to live that down, you know." He told her, rubbing the proffered towel over his soaking hair.
"Gomen nasai, anata." Haruka replied, contrite. She reached into the picnic basket and took out a bottle of cold tea and offered it. "I really didn't think I was pulling that hard."
"I still owe you for that." The singer replied, sipping the icy drink. He looked out of the corner of his eye, taking Haruka in in her swim suit. He reached around her back and gently snapped the elastic band securing her top, "Gotcha." He said as he released the fabric.
"Tokiya!" Sun-kissed eyes went wide at her companion's playfulness, normally reserved for their private time.
"Now we are even." His steely eyes sparkling with happiness. He looked at his partners still playing and grew quiet. He reached for his love's hand; taking it, he pressed a kiss to her palm and held it to his cheek.
"Daijobu desu ka?" Golden eyes showing concern at this abrupt change in Tokiya's demeanor.
"Heki desu…Sometimes I feel like this is all a dream…I'll wake and still be Hayato, not singing…trapped…."
Haruka turned her singer's head with the hand he still held against his cheek. "This is a dream." She told him. "A dream come true for all of us. We all wanted to debut; I wanted to write music and songs for you—Hai, you-would sing. You are singing and everyone is listening and are happy for it all."
A small smile graced the idol's striking face. "Arigato, koiishi." He said softly. "It is all because of you."
The composer returned the smile, "I am but one part of the whole."
"A very large part."
"Let's agree to be equals, ne. If any single part was missing, it would not be the same."
Just then the rest of the group descended en masse upon them, "Everything okay, Icchi?" Jinguji Ren asked, smiling as he accepted the icy, bottled water from Haruka as she handed out drinks to everyone.
"Daijobu desu," Tokiya nodded, smiling at Kurusu Syo and Aijima Cecil's antics fighting over the bowl of fruit his love set out.
"Ne, Tokiya-kun? This feels like such a dream: who would have thought we would be sitting here, together, successful in our lives beyond imagining….." Shinomiya Natsuki sighed.
Tokiya just stared at the blonde who was sporting a Piyo-chan t-shirt. It amazed him to hear his thoughts voiced aloud. He didn't think he was so transparent. "I was just reminded of that." He gazed at the orange-haired lady member as she mocked scolded Syo and Cecil. "A dream come true."
"One that would not have been if not for all of us working together." Hijirikawa Masato added, sipping at his cold tea.
"It would not have been the same if one of us were not here." Cecil echoed Haruka's words with his characteristic smile as he came to sit beside the once and current idol. "It makes me happy we are all together and friends."
"We are, aren't we?" Syo added, sitting before Tokiya and Haruka, who claimed her place at her love's side.
Tokiya looked to the men who, at first he had fought against getting to know, but were now closest to him and then to their composer. "We definitely are." He affirmed. "I could not imagine it being any other way."
"Then we so need to get you out to play." Ren announced as he stood with an evil grin as Ittoki Otoya joined him, mischief sparkling in his rosy eyes. The two pounced on their unofficial leader, pulling him up and hauling him to the water's edge. The rest of Starish joined them and picked Tokiya up and moved into deeper water. Ren started to count.
"You wouldn't?!" Tokiya cried out, laughing.
"Hai, we would." Masato replied, laughing as well. With that, the steely-eyed singer was tossed into the waves amid much laughter.
Tokiya gained his feet, sputtering and pushing his sopping wet hair out of his eyes. "You are all in so much trouble." A massive water battle began with much chasing, tossing and pushing-all accompanied by happy merriment. Haruka watched from the beach, smiling at everyone's antics. It always gratified her to see the seven men in her life so happy in their own lives and for her to be included was a bonus.
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After dinner, the group gathered around the fire on the deck of the main house. "Lady, you are a bit sun-kissed," Ren mentioned, seeing the redness on her shoulders.
"Mmmmmm, a bit of a sun-burn." Haruka acknowledged.
"Ne, Haru-chan?" Natsuki started, frowning. "I have something for that."
"Arigato, Shinomiya-san."
"You're supposed to taking care of her, Ichinose." Masato accused.
"I am."
"Tokiya…" Syo accused.
Haruka remembered a similar situation before the fireworks they had all gone to just before the Uta Pri. They had all ganged up on her love for not telling what they had been doing when Tokiya had taken her to the matsuri to get her to relax. "Ano….." She interrupted. Seven pairs of eyes turned to her. "He takes very good care of me-you all do." She told them.
"Well, well…." The blue-eyed saxophonist teased.
"Jinguji-san," the petite composer wailed.
"You do the same for us." Cecil stated for the group. "You always make us feel better when we are feeling down."
"Aijima is correct." Masato added. "You always seem to know just what to say."
"And when to say it." Syo continued, smiling across the fire at Starish's founder.
Otoya leaned over and rested a gentle hand on her knee, "You are the heart of us, Nanami."
"Ittoki-kun is right." Natsuki said, nudging his glasses down his nose to peer over the rims at her. "Without you, we would not be."
"Hai, we would still be struggling, probably fighting amongst ourselves." Ren mused, sipping at a drink.
'Mmmmmm," Tokiya's arms tightened around her. "I don't know where I or any of us would have ended up."
"I shudder to think….." Haruka sighed. She studied each handsome face around her. "I am just happy we are together and happy."
An hour later, Tokiya was resting on the chaise in their bedroom when his lady slipped through the door and closed it behind her. He set aside the book he was reading as Haruka took her usual place in his lap. "Alright?" He asked, kissing her forehead.
"Hai, Shinomiya-san said to apply it gently." She handed him a tube of cream. "Would you…?"
Tokiya smiled and slipped the shoulder straps of her top down her slim arms. "My pleasure to be at your service." He pressed a soft kiss to her slightly sunburned skin. He started applying the cream as gently as he could. "Hurt?"
"Iie," Orange curls brushed his fingers as Haruka shook her head. "Feels good."
"I know something else that would feel good." Tokiya's voice dropped sensuously.
Golden eyes met blue, "Being at my service, of course?" She teased with a smile.
Tokiya stopped, head turned down. "You know you are in every beat of my heart." He said seriously. "Without you, I….." His emotions tightening his throat.
"Tokiya," she began, raising his face to meet hers, love in her eyes. "Gomen ne, I shouldn't tease you so about our love." She pressed a kiss to each eyelid. "You saved me too, you know. When I first came to the city, I was lost and then I looked up and saw you—Hayato-singing and I knew right then and there I wanted to make music. I wanted to write for you. And I will remind you however many times you need to hear it."
"Gomen ne….I should be sure of our success, of everything."
"Sometimes it's scary when all our dreams come true." Haruka told him. "Know this Ichinose Tokiya: I am happy; you make me so very happy."
Tokiya pulled her close, burying his face against her. "You do the same for me, koiishi. Aishteru, Haruka."
"Tokiya…" his love sighed into the thickness of the midnight hair caressing her. "Aishteru." She could feel him tremble slightly against her. "Alright now?" She asked when he pulled away. He nodded and took a breath. "Now, maybe I can make you feel better." She suggested, playing with the open placket of his shirt.
"We can both feel better," he replied, setting aside the tube of cream and setting Haruka on her tiny feet. He stood, shedding his shirt. Neither noticing it as the fabric caught on the slight breeze, fluttering to the floor.
FIN