I may or may not have projected myself onto Ritsu just a little bit (a lot).
Disclaimer: this is honestly my last one, because after all the stories I've written, I'm pretty sure everyone gets the idea that I don't own them.
Ritsu's hand shook as he lifted the sacred ticket up to eye level, gaze quickly scanning over the large bolded letters placed in the bottom left-hand corner to the various pieces of information stating the venue, time and date, and seat number. Much to the distress of his bank account, he'd wasted no time in purchasing the most expensive possible ticket—nearly 51,000 yen—at the earliest possible opportunity, even going so far as to stay up until the early hours of the morning in order to be one of the first to get a ticket. As soon as he caught wind of this band about 6 months ago, he was immediately hooked and often checked the members' twitters, Instagram's, and live feeds, just to watch what was quickly becoming his four favorite people even if it was only for a few minutes and through a screen.
Well…he'd be lying if he loved all four of them equally. The one he looked forward to seeing the most went by the stage name Moon, and after a quick Google search, Ritsu found that the guy's real name was Takano Masamune. Unfortunately, the dark-haired man made very sparse appearances apart from their official videos, only popping in to say a few words on their random live feeds or posting tweets that didn't feature his own face. Still, that didn't make him any less popular, especially with the female fans. Especially with the female fans.
And now Ritsu was finally going to see them in one of their concerts, and afterwards, be able to meet them and maybe get a picture or two. Just the thought of it was enough to force him to stifle a wide smile and the beginnings of a fanboy attack—which was not only a girl thing, thank you very much.
"It's tonight," Ritsu repeated to his childhood friend, Kohinata An, when she came over later that afternoon. "God, I can't wait. When do you think I should get ready? It's not for another 4 hours. I should get ready now, shouldn't I? I need to look good for them. Oh god, what if I end up looking terrible and embarrass myself in front of them? I'd never be able to see them again. An, help me!"
Throughout Ritsu's increasingly-panicked dialogue, An only sat perfectly still, used to her friend's ramblings about the greatest band in the entire universe, they're so hot oh god. She sighed and grabbed his shoulders. "Ricchan!"
He turned frightened eyes towards her, nearly hyperventilating. "What?"
She smiled reassuringly. "You'll be fine. You're cute so whatever you wear will still look amazing on you."
Ritsu's face twisted in disbelief as she removed her hands and laughed. "That's not funny, An-chan!"
"Really, though. You're fine. It's just a concert, and they're probably used to their fans freaking out or even fainting, so this won't be any different." An rolled her eyes, sliding her phone back into her purse.
"I-I…who says I'm going to faint?!" Ritsu demanded, ears burning.
"Ricchan," An began in a long-suffering tone, "you fainted when you saw a sliver of what's-his-face's stomach in that one dance video."
Ritsu could only flush a deeper red. His shoulders rose up in defense as he muttered, "W-well, it was really hot in the room and I didn't get enough air."
An rolled her eyes again, giving Ritsu a quick hug and standing up. "Sure, that's happened. Anyways, I have to get going. Tetsu made a date for us and I don't want to be late."
"Have fun," Ritsu said, giving her a kind smile. He escorted her to the main street where, after making sure she got into a taxi safely, he stood there for a moment, trying not to burst into a million pieces before tonight.
The first thing Ritsu noticed about the place was that it was 98% female. Tall girls, short girls, girls with brown hair, girls with black hair, all sorts of girls. Fact is, most of Emerald's fanbase was of the female gender. Now that he thought about it, he should've already known this considering the band was full of attractive males who were no closer to 30 than Ritsu was a girl. Well, one of them was 30, but that's beside the point.
Tugging on his short-sleeved black top—Emerald's distinct logo smack dab in the center in silver, the outline of a bunny's face, which he'd eagerly wait for every time a new video was about to be uploaded—Ritsu trembled with equal parts nervousness and excitement as the security at the front checked his ticket and let him in. He decided to get there 45 minutes early in order to find his seat so he wouldn't be swamped by the massive crowd that was sure to follow if he went any later. Plus he sat right near the front. Who wouldn't dream of that?
He swallowed thickly and sat down as if it were a throne instead of some cheap plastic seat nailed into the concrete floor. A shaky breath escaped his smiling lips. It was finally going to happen. He was finally going to see his idols, the ones whom had made him smile and laugh and even cry so many times. All he had to do now was wait, just for…he checked the time—25 minutes. 25 minutes and he would experience something he would never forget.
When Emerald appeared on the stage as if by magic, there were deafening screams all around Ritsu, some of the fans even crying tears of joy, but the only thing he could do was stare in awe. He could hardly breathe as he took in the figures of the 4 people he'd been waiting so long to see. There was Mino Kanade, the drummer in the group, and—and Kisa Shouta, whose high, pleasant voice made him the main vocalist. Standing near the side was Hatori Yoshiyuki, his serious but caring demeanor lending to his own share of fans as the member on the keyboard.
And the piece de resistance…the youngest out of the 4 but not any less talented, Takano Masamune, the band's visual and guitarist. The way his fingers glided over the strings always made Ritsu feel all hot and bothered, and often he wondered what they would be like when put to use at a different kind of instrument.
…ok, now was not the time to get a hard on, not when his favorite band of all time was about to play their most popular song, Tomorrow I Will Go to Meet You.
The opening music began, and then Kisa started to sing.
Listening to the song live instead of on a video felt so much more alive, more electric because Ritsu could hear every single voice echo out into the audience, and it wasn't as smooth as in the recording studio which made it all the more real. The fans' cheering and screaming filled him with some kind of exhilarating energy that made him almost want to cry because it was so…unforgettable. That feeling of being in a concert, of being a part of something only certain people were able to participate in—that was the best thing about all of this. Vaguely, he heard himself singing out the lyrics as well, his voice blending in with all the other female fans in a clear, rich undertone. This was amazing. He even thought that when he went to go see them later, he would be perfectly fine if they never remembered him afterwards, as long as he would remember this experience for a long time.
His heart skipped when Takano met his eyes for just a nanosecond, not even a full moment in time, then turned away again to another side of the audience. In just that space of time, Ritsu could feel himself falling for that magnetic energy all over again, and he let out a swoon-worthy sigh that did not embarrass him in the least.
The song was over before he knew it, and they moved onto the next one, Words of Love, which was his personal favorite because it felt like they were singing to him, even if they were all straight—or so the media said—males singing to their theoretical sweethearts. The cheerful and peppy beat always made him want to fall in love, just so he could feel all the wonderful, awkward things that the lyrics suggested. Of course, love was never that easy but he only wanted to dream it could happen.
The audience sang along to this song much better than the last one, which must have been due to the quieter beats of the drums and keyboard in this song, and the almost…softer way each member stood on the stage, like they were under the effects of the music as well. Ritsu could feel himself swaying along to the rhythm, eyes locked on the band in front of him as he silently mouthed the words. It was horribly cheesy, and girly, and too much like shoujo manga—the thought brought him chills, as if he'd just experienced something in another life—but he loved all of it. He was a romantic at heart, after all.
Finally, the ending notes of the song signaled that the concert was—regretfully—over for most of the fans. For a select number of them, including Ritsu, it was the beginning of the second part of the concert—the fanmeet.
Oh god, Ritsu thought as his hands grew sweaty, following the other fans to a separate door where they would sit down and wait to be called up to meet their idols. This is it, I actually get to meet them in person. Do I look ok? Did I bring everything? He mentally checked that he had the photobook for them to sign and the cat stuffed animal that he'd give as a gift to none other than Takano Masamune. His heart clattered against his ribs as he took his seat in the second row of chairs.
2 minutes. That's how long I get with each member. Make it count, Ritsu.
He could barely keep his vision from blurring as the members came in to take their seats and the row of fans in front of them went up to get their autographs. I guess I don't get a photo with them, he pondered idly as he tried to yank his mind back to the present instead of drifting off into his own daydreams of meeting up with Kisa after this, or having a normal conversation with Hatori about nothing in particular with no security guards, or even—and this is the daydream that never failed to make him blush up to his ears—going on a date with Takano and...k-kissing him. Just thinking of the word made his heart freeze up and a deep pink hue cover his cheeks.
No, stop it. You know that would never happen. Still…
Ritsu gasped softly and jolted in his seat as his row was called up to see them. With shaking knees, he clenched the photobook between his hands, the bag holding the cat plush swinging against his thigh, and stood up, walking jerkily over to the long table in front where they were waiting.
Kisa smiled at him kindly from where he was sitting in the seat farthest to the left. "Hey there," he greeted, a small, pale hand already extended. To his utmost hope that he didn't just thrust it at the singer, Ritsu gave the photobook to Kisa, who flipped skillfully to the page where there was a full-page picture of him posing cutely for the camera. "And who shall I make it out to?"
"R-ritsu," he managed to reply, keeping his hands fisted at his sides.
Kisa looked up from his signing to flash him another smile, this one a bit smaller. "Hey, don't be so nervous. I'm just a person, like you."
Much to his dismay, Ritsu only tensed up more. "I-I didn't mean to make you feel that way! Very sorry!"
The vocalist only chuckled, and Ritsu felt lightheaded from how cute it was. "Ah, no worries. Don't apologize for nothing." He handed the photobook back to the flustered male. "Have a nice rest of your night."
"Yes! Thank you so very much." Ritsu bowed and moved to the next spot, in which Mino was sitting in front of.
What Ritsu had always liked about Mino was that the guy had a perpetual smile on his face which consistently brightened his day when he felt at his worst. And even now, standing right in front of him, he was just a tad bit relaxed by that same smile.
"Hi," Mino simply said, waving with the hand that carried his pen. "Need a signature?" He joked.
Ritsu nearly smiled so widely his face would break in two. Instead he gave a smile that was a tad less extreme and handed the photobook to Mino. The drummer opened to a page that, surprisingly, did not have his face on it, but Hatori's. He then began to sign in large, loopy hiragana all over the guy's face.
"Wait, you don't need my name?" Ritsu couldn't help but blurt out.
Mino paused, tilted his head. "Do I? That doesn't make you any less special in my eyes, does it?"
Oh, Ritsu knew it was just a harmless line that idols used on their fans, but he still couldn't help but feel really flattered. His smile turned somewhat shy, and he answered lowly, "No, it doesn't. Sorry."
"Now what do you have to apologize for?" Mino questioned as he gave the photobook back. "It doesn't look good on your cute face."
Well… Ritsu had to stuff the urge to hide his face in his hands like some blushing schoolgirl, even though he certainly felt like one at the moment. "O-ok," he stuttered. "Thank you so very much."
"I hope your dreams come true," Mino said as he waved goodbye to Ritsu, who shuffled over to where Hatori was sitting. What a unique farewell.
Ritsu wasn't sure how to greet Hatori. The man didn't seem to talk too much off the stage, as demonstrated by Emerald's videos, but he had the same air of Ritsu's mother sometimes, so maybe that was a good sign? "Um hi," Ritsu said hesitantly. He offered his photobook to Hatori, who took it without a word.
Silence. Then, "Have you been eating enough?"
Part of him wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question. The other part was very confused, then remembered that Hatori often worried over the other members' health and well-being. So he went with his knee-jerk reaction, which was, "E-excuse me?!"
Hatori thought for a moment. "Your hipbones are showing a bit, and your eyes look tired in a way that you don't have a lot of energy. I just thought that you haven't been eating enough lately."
What an astute observation. "Oh." Ritsu's lips curled into a sheepish smile. "No, not really. My job has been keeping me too busy for meals sometimes."
The guy tut-tutted. "That's not good. Here," he said as he leaned over behind the table and brought up a bag of…were those red bean cakes?! "these aren't homemade but they'll do." He presented the package out to Ritsu, who only took it with a shy smile different from the one earlier.
"Hey, that's cheating!" came a voice from the end of the table. Kisa had stopped signing the girl's poster in front of him when he happened to see what was happening. "No bribing the fans."
It seemed that Hatori almost…smirked. He shrugged. Kisa went back to his own fan with a disgruntled expression
"A-are you sure?" Ritsu wondered after that whole interaction. "I wouldn't want you to get into trouble."
With only a nod, Hatori slid the photobook back to Ritsu's possession. When did he sign it? Ritsu had no idea, as he was so busy trying not to feel ashamed about his less-than-perfect habits. "Make sure to eat more. I wouldn't want you to fall ill."
His heart melted a bit from that, even as the more rational part of his brain shouted that it was just an act to lure him in to buy more albums and merchandise. Still, he loved the concern, false or not. He grew nervous again when he reached the last spot on the table—Takano Masamune's. Taking a quivery breath, Ritsu glanced up only to find a severely-unimpressed gaze meeting his.
He felt…offended. Wait, how is that possible? He loved him! Takano was his favorite out of all of them! How could Ritsu feel something negative towards the guitarist? He struggled to paste a pleasant smile on his face, only succeeding a half-smile, half-grimace. Irritated with himself—and somehow the man in front of him—Ritsu just handed him the photobook.
"Oi, what's with that look for?" Takano grunted as he snatched Ritsu's photobook from his hands, opened it to a random page, and scribbled something in it, all in the span of 10 seconds.
Ritsu couldn't help but feel a little…disappointed. No, not a little. Very much so. Takano wasn't what he thought he was at all. He grew upset, but mostly he was just annoyed. "Hah? What do you mean 'that look'? It's my normal face!"
"Like I just stepped over your dog or something," Takano replied as he snapped the book closed and basically threw it back at Ritsu.
Said male was too insulted to think about his words and the fact that he was arguing with an idol, one that had many connections and a lot of money. "Well, excuse me for offending you," he grumbled. Only then did he remember the gift he was supposed to give to the other. He shoved his hand into the bag and took the cat toy out, almost slamming it on the table in front of Takano. "I forgot," Ritsu muttered, feeling unhappy now instead of aggravated, "this is for you."
As he was turning to go back to his seat though, a strong hand whipped out to grab his wrist, and the small touch alone was enough to send shivers up his spine. "Wait."
He forced himself to turn back around and then came nearly face to face with the other man. (Faintly, he thought he could hear both Kisa and Mino making "Ooooh…" noises, like they were viewing something particularly scandalous.) Ritsu could feel his breath on his face… "W-what?" Takano wasn't going to kiss him. He was not about to kiss Onodera Ritsu in front of over a hundred dedicated fans. That would cause so much trouble he would still be knee-deep in it by the time he retired.
Takano's mesmerizing eyes searched over him lazily. "I'm going to make you fall in love with me."
Ritsu would be lying if the sentence didn't make his heart soar with hope, but he only scoffed and shook the hand off. "As if."
"Well, you're here right now, aren't you? That means I'm already halfway there."
Cue horrifying blush. "S-sure, that's what it is."
"Remember not to take it too far, Moon," Hatori stated matter-of-factly, his attention not even straying for a second from the fan in front of him. It sounded like a reminder that the other members had said many times before.
The older male only waved a hand ("Hai, hai, I know") and smirked, just the smallest of expressions, yet it still made Ritsu's mouth dry like cotton. "Nice to meet you, usagi chiisai (1)."
As he left the front, Ritsu could see the other members giving various reactions to what Takano had just done. Kisa was oddly overjoyed, Mino was put-out—though Ritsu would bet all his money that it was just for show—and Hatori was only the smallest bit…knowing. This is going to be a whirlwind, Ritsu thought, already tired.
Later, he choked on his own spit when he saw a phone number in the very center of his photobook, so small he wouldn't have noticed it if he wasn't looking more closely.
A/N: This is honestly one of my top 5 favorite fanfictions that I've ever written because it's just so great and funny and it feels like all of us when we're being fangirls/guys. Aaahhh, I love this so much.
Last note; this may or may not be completed. I'm still deciding.
(1) little rabbit
-ChemicallyEnhanced