Title: Fujoshi
Characters/Pairings: Takami/Sakuraba, fangirls
Disclaimer: Eyeshield 21 belongs to Riichiro Inagaki, Yusuke Murata, and Shueisha. No one is profiting from anything written in this story.
Notes: Fujoshi is the Japanese term for yaoi fans. Wakana Koharu is Oujo's manager.
"Oh my God!"
"Pinch me, I'm dreaming …"
"Kyaa! I can't believe it!"
Takami just dimly noted the girls speaking in the background with their faux whispers. He was concentrating on finding the right book on the store shelf, and after a year of hanging around Sakuraba he had adjusted to simply ignoring loud female sound effects.
He was surprised, though, that when he turned around, book in hand, a group of girls had surrounded him, their eyes shining in a way that made him more than a tad uncomfortable. One chubby, braided girl suddenly fell to the ground in a dead faint.
"Anou… are you Takami-kun?" he was shyly questioned by another before he could see if she was okay.
"That would be me," Takami answered, quite bemused. It wasn't that he was disliked by girls; on the contrary, he had often been teased by his teammates for his popularity. It was just that he usually attracted a certain "type" – generally modest, down to earth girls who admired his good natured personality or saw an aspiring doctor as husband material. This sort of wild adulation, well, that was more for…
"Wow, it's really Sakuraba-kun's boyfriend!"
Okay, so that was the reason. It wasn't like Sakuraba (who had returned to being an idol, with some stipulations of his own) had a press conference outing himself or anything. A couple of Sakuraba's female classmates had gained great internet notoriety by blogging about his every move in school; his relationship with his partner could hardly escape their scrutiny. Takami had at first been extremely apologetic about the matter, worrying that their relationship would affect his standing at Jerry Productions, but Sakuraba wouldn't hear anything of the sort.
"Ah, yes…" Takami really couldn't think of anything to say to Sakuraba's fangirls. He was, after all, dating the man they had probably fantasized about for years. They could get violent, too, as he recalled how once police had to be called to get a group of girls off Oujo property during school hours.
One of the group, though, was quick to set his fears at rest. "You know, when I heard that Sakuraba-kun was dating, I really thought 'who does she think she is? I'm going to end her.'" Everyone was nodding in unison. "But then we heard it was a he instead and, well, that's really, well…" She trailed off, face turning scarlet. Takami wondered if he should feel violated that so many people were apparently imagining him and Sakuraba having sex.
"Oh, and Whiteprincess16 told us all about you! You're Sakuraba-kun's senpai in the football club and you work as partners during games and got so close since you spent all your time practicing together!"
The girl trailed off, breathless. He had been told that a glow in a woman's eyes was a sight to behold, but Takami couldn't help but think it was creepy more than anything else.
The blonde who had originally approached him continued on for her friend. "And how you encouraged him when he was at his lowest point and then made a promise to win together… it's really too cute!"
"Oh, and Takami-kun is very handsome too, and taller than even Sakuraba-kun. You make such a hot couple!" Another pitched in. She had a magazine and pen in her hand, as though waiting for an opportunity to ask for his autograph.
Takami wondered if it were possible to die of mortification. Beyond any logic, he prayed that their closely knit teamwork could have given him and Sakuraba some telepathic link, and mentally begged his boyfriend to stay in the bathroom for just a few more minutes.
"Oh my God!"
"It's Sakuraba-kun!"
"Kiss! Kiss! Please kiss!"
No such luck.
~*~*~*~
"Um, I'm really sorry for the trouble, Takami-san," Sakuraba said half an hour later, after finally losing their audience. He looked so cute and apologetic that the quarterback couldn't help but reach over and scruff his hair (which was now back at its normal length.)
"Don't worry about it," he simply laughed. "Though I have to admit, I thought being gay would hurt your career." At Sakuraba's confused look, he continued. "It seems your fans wouldn't have accepted me if I was a woman."
"Yeah, I've gotten lots of mail asking for pictures of us together and… um… stuff like that since it came out," Sakuraba said with a bit of a blush on his face.
Takami suddenly remembered some of what the fangirls had been saying. The fact that they were partners on the field or that they practiced together – that would be easy to find out. But their promise and his interference during Sakuraba's pity parade…
"Eh? Takami-san, what's wrong?"
Takami smiled and impulsively kissed the tip of his boyfriend's nose. "Nothing, I just remembered a little chat I need to have with Wakana sometime."