*◦°˙✧ HSJ Scenarios

You sat surrounded by the flowy tail of your white dress, your fingers played with the petals of a red tulip as your eyes looked at the man before you. Somehow, you trusted his charming smile, yet watched him attentively. He was a stranger after all.

“Would you like to know who I am first?” You didn’t speak, instead merely nodded. Hesitantly at that but intrigued nonetheless, “I am the forest keeper, and your one and only servant.”

It took only a few seconds before you would burst into laughter, it was uncontrollable yet ever so delightful to hear. You cared very little as to how you’d look or sounded, you laughed freely. Indeed you found his words whimsical.

But the charming young man simply looked at you almost bewitched by your entire being. Unfortunately, each day was a pain to live. Each day he would see you, spend time with you and talk, but his days with you were fruitless .. you never remembered him.

“Please, do tell me your name young man!” Breathless, you requested. In return a painful smile tugged the corners of his lips. In truth, he was holding on by a thread his tears.

“Ryosuke. Yamada Ryosuke,” His smile softened afterwards, a hint of sadness behind his lips as he did so. His eyes looked at you adoringly, yet with lost hope as you lifted yourself off the ground. You were leaving once again ..

“Well, Ryosuke; it was nice meeting you! Will you be here tomorrow by any chance? I very much enjoyed your company,” A wide smile spread across your reddish lips as you dusted your hands from dirt and lifted your eyes to meet his. A strange sadness within them you noticed.

“I ..” Ryosuke began, but lost his way around what he wanted to say. He felt ultimately helpless, “Yes .. I will be here tomorrow” He then attempted a smile, an almost painful one. “I’m always here.”

“Alright then, Ryosuke! I promise to come by tomorrow at noon.” He agreed to your proposal, the same one he had been hearing for months now. But even so, he would agree a thousand more times if it meant seeing you again.

Ryosuke watched your silhouette leave, you walked the same trail you’d walk all those months, carelessly and blissfully, happy as always. But tomorrow he would see you again and you would not remember him, tomorrow he would be a stranger, just like today and yesterday, and all those past times.

‘The princess has been cursed’ Ryosuke remembered that phrase, it was engraved in his mind and it echoed every day. Driven by jealousy and rage the forest princess was curse to forget, your memories erased each day to relive and have a monotonous life without your knowing. Ryosuke felt useless, he didn’t know how to break such evil eye, he was merely the forest keeper and your servant, the one who was supposed to protect you. Now, he could only watch from afar ..

Ryosuke would live his days searching for ways to break the curse, but in the meantime he’d have no choice but to humor your undying curiosity and little by little help you remember who you truly are. So far, you haven’t believed him but somehow, he still has hope that someday his words will reach you.

Truth be told, you were exhausted and the hot cup of coffee in your hand was excellent proof. Sleepy and tired you couldn’t help but wonder who could be knocking on your door so late—or early, without calling first.

As you open the door you were met with an awfully familiar face although he was undoubtedly a stranger to you, “Sorry to bother you, I’m not sure if you’re busy at the moment,” The stranger began with a force smile, “but I really need to sleep and it’s been nearly three weeks or so since I’ve been woken up by your loud music. Is there any way we can resolve this issue?” He asked ever so politely, but even so, you could sense some form of hostility lingering in his tone.

Out of habit you rubbed your eyes, in a way trying your best to shake off the sleepiness and put all your attention on the stranger and his request. In all honesty you weren’t sure of what he spoke, as far as you knew your music was in an acceptable volume. It seemed, however, that you were wrong.

“My music? But it’s not even that loud,” You weren’t trying to start an argument with the guy, you genuinely thought no one would hear.

“Look. It’s four in the morning and I have to get up in about two hours, can you at least let me sleep for two freaking hours before blasting your music off my bedroom walls? I’d greatly appreciate it.” There it was, the hostility lingering around his previous tone.

Certainly, his awful attitude woke you up much better than the freshly brewed coffee in your hands. He noticed your wide eyes and immediately regretted using such a hostile tone, truthfully it wasn’t like him at all. He sighed upon the realization, “I apologize. Maybe you haven’t noticed your music is loud but I live two doors away from your apartment and it kinda bounces off the walls .. I probably should blame the paper thin walls if anything,” He tried sneaking in some light humor into the apology, to which at least, it soothed your surprised expression away.

For short seconds you stayed quiet, still trying to figure out why the stranger in front of you looked so familiar to you. He seemed like a regular guy, he wore glasses and looked disheveled, quite tired looking as well. “I’m so sorry but, have we met before?” You asked with slight bewilderment, and he noticed how you were trying to pinpoint something within the way you looked at him. You caught him off guard considering he came to ask for you to lower the music, nonetheless, he chuckled.

“I doubt it. Though I’m fairly new here! My name’s Yamada Ryosuke,” And then it finally clicked.

He’s a goddamn celebrity holy shi–

“This is very odd but I suppose it’s nice to meet you,” He continued his introduction while your mind was slowly but surely being blown away, in reality you were trying to keep your cool and not act a fool.

“Crap; of course I’ve seen you before!” You finally snapped out of your thoughts, at last pinpointing where you had seen him before.

“Hey Say Jump, is it?” You asked, still not entirely sure. To your defense, last time you saw a picture of him he had bleach blonde hair, the Yamada Ryosuke before you currently had almost jet black hair, and short compared to last time. In truth, you knew the guy more for his films rather than music.

In return, Ryosuke actually seemed a bit amused, a little baffled but amused nevertheless. “I’d take it you’re a fan?” He asked with a smile. Strangely, he didn’t feel as uncomfortable as other times when bumping into fans in public.

You smiled in return and quickly shook your head, “Well, not entirely, I’m still new to your music. In all honesty I’m not too sure it’s my taste but I have enjoyed the few movies I’ve seen you in, I’ll give you props for doing Edward Elric justice though! Big Fullmetal Alchemist fan here.” You rambled with your trademark honesty tagging along each word you utter, surprising him in the process. But truth be told, Ryosuke enjoyed the honesty, appreciated, too.

Ryosuke finally took the time to give you a proper look. You wore some very baggy black sweatpants with some evident dried paint smeared on it along a black tank top and your hair was up in a very lazy bun, you seemed to be around his age, yet similar to him you also looked like you’ve been missing a few nights of sleep; or at least the coffee in your hands couldn’t possibly be helping those bags under your eyes. Certainly, he got curious.

“Can I ask why you’re drinking coffee at four in the morning? Not that it’s any of my business ..” Sudden shyness made him clear his throat. Secretly he found the oddness of the situation kind of amusing, more so when he doesn’t go around asking neighbors questions that don’t pertain him. This wasn’t like him, but then again, it’s four in the morning and he was already awake, might as well go along with it.

“Oh, the coffee?” You looked down on your cup, almost forgetting you were even holding the hot thing to begin with, “I’m actually painting right now! It’s also why I have music blasting at the moment, I’m a struggling college student who has an art show next month.” You explained with a sense of humor as you mentioned your struggles.

“And you wake up at this hour to paint?” Ryosuke asked, baffled actually. Though in some ways, he could relate. Waking up at ungodly hours for dance rehearsals isn’t anything unknown to him.

“Yup! Although at this point I’m so stressed my body simply wakes up at this hour; no alarms needed. But I do make myself some coffee and turn on music just in case my body decides to shut down,” Ryosuke couldn’t help but smile upon your chirpiness despite how evidentially drained you looked. More than anyone, he could very well relate to that.

“Well, sorry to bother you, Yamada-san. I promise I’ll lower my music or wear headphones next time,” After a moment of silence you thought it be best to cut conversation short, after all Ryosuke mostly stood in silence and stared at you a bit strangely. Plus you had to continue on your work.

“Oh .. uh, yeah, of course no problem! I’m sorry if this seemed rude or something, I just really need to sleep. Y’know, idol stuff,” Sheepishly, he chuckled upon trying to say goodbye smoothly. It wasn’t a complete fail though, he managed a broad smile out of you.

“Not rude at all, sorry for the inconvenience. I guess I’ll see you around,” In response he quickly nodded in agreement, “Well goodnight then, Yamada-san!”

“Goodnight.” By the time you both exchange farewell smiles and bows, Ryosuke realized he didn’t get your name, by then the door had been closed and he felt a little too embarrassed to knock for an 8th time and interrupt your work. His best guess was that there might be a chance you’d bump into each other despite never seeing you before around the neighborhood, let alone the same hallway. In any case, Ryosuke knew where you lived, two doors away from him in fact.

“At least I got a story for tomorrow ..” Finally his walls didn’t vibrate with the music coming from your apartment and his sleepiness was intact, at last he managed to catch some shut eye for the following hours.

Class was over for the day, finally. You were tired and more than ready to throw yourself back on your comfy bed and drift off to sleep. But currently you were walking to the elevator up your apartment with a bit of a struggle, two large canvas on each arm wasn’t entirely difficult but they were indeed heavy, not to mention your packed tote bag didn’t make the walking all too easy neither. Some help could’ve been appreciated but you continued your way into the elevator nonetheless.

“Why the hell did I pick such large canvas for the paintings?” You huffed to yourself while carefully placing one canvas down to quickly give your arm a rest. You did walk all the way home with each under your arms, you were incredibly tired—sweaty, too, the heat was insufferable lately.

For the short while that it took the elevator to reach your floor you leaned against the wall and closed your eyes, I really need to stop drinking coffee at four in the morning. You thought. The habit was indeed unhealthy and didn’t quite help your messed up sleeping schedule.

Before you knew it you’d reached your destination, however, the day had taken a toll on you and while you closed your eyes for mere seconds, your body thought otherwise. You had almost fallen asleep, “Hey!” A voiced called. Surely enough it was loud enough to bring you back with a jump, a bit disoriented as well as you looked around you. But you found no one besides you, just one person before you holding the elevator doors.

“Oh, hi! Did I .. did I fall asleep or something?” You asked the not so unfamiliar face in front of you, a bit embarrassed as you did. Ryosuke then smile back at you, a broad and friendly smile as he watched you having a bit of a struggle gathering your items. “Uh, yeah I believe so. Do you need any help with those?” He asked genuinely concerned. You looked way too tired and truly drained to even carry the two canvas.

And anyways, the moment he offered and your eyes glimmered with new found hope, Ryosuke knew he really needed to help you. It was almost a desperate gaze you gave him, it could’ve been laughable honestly. But he merely took the two canvases and made way for you to walk out the elevator, Ryosuke didn’t even wait for you to answer his question, your eyes spoke louder.

“Thank you for helping! I probably seem like a weakling but try walking from TUA with those two canvases and this tote bag filled with shit in this summer heat, can’t believe I haven’t passed out already,” You chuckled and he lightly laughed upon your humor.

“You attend Tokyo University of the Arts I assume?” You responded with a quick gaze and a nod. Not much longer both stood before your entrance and once you open the door you simply told him he could place the canvases on the entrance hall as you took your shoes off. “Well, thanks again for offering help!” Now, looking behind you to say your goodbyes you noticed Ryosuke was looking at your paintings, the two canvases he carried for you, actually.

In his place he blinked, quite amazed at the work, “You .. did these?” He pointed at the two as his astounded eyes stared back at you, surely stealing an amused chuckle from you. Granted, you were absolutely flattered and very proud someone like him was reacting the way he was.

“They indeed are! I’ll take it you like them?” Ryosuke very well saw the slight hope yet huge pride in your gleeful gaze and shy smile. You became a bit nervous but he could tell you were aware of your talents. Perhaps that was a trait he could relate to.

“Yes! I do, actually. It’s very .. intimate,” With satisfaction you smiled, delighted if anything. Though it wouldn’t take an expert to come up with such descriptions or conclusions, the art was indeed intimate and your own depiction of romance. Two people, lovers, and the act of intimacy through gazes and touch, nothing more.

Ryosuke found an odd appreciation in your artwork, a strange attraction to the way you conveyed love and passion without the portrayal of too much explicitness. Your artwork oozed with tenderness and intimate care, it made him feel the love portrayed; maybe he even craved it. In the canvas he saw two people laying on a bed, each messily wrapped within white sheets—their hair was just as equally messy. The woman in the painting laid underneath her lover while he entwined his fingers with hers as he watched her asleep self with adoring eyes. It looked like the perfect morning for the two strangers on the canvas. Your art, most definitely, took Ryosuke’s breath away.

“I have a very strange fascination with intimacy and love, all that good stuff to be quite honest. I love the idea of being in love. I love intimacy and the moment between two lovers within it, I love the concept of being inside a bubble with your lover, no one else being able to enter nor anyone else understanding you like your lover. It’s ironic really, I’m not very experienced with that type of romance so I suppose I let all my fantasies out as soon as my fingertips touch a paint brush, I’m able to just .. create my own romance, I guess,” You explained your inspiration behind your artwork as you shortly took the opportunity to stand next to him.

Never were you shy to talk about your art style or the background to every piece you’ve made but explaining a piece to a very well known idol right in your home was unknown territory. As proud as you were of your artwork—the one he so shamelessly gawk at, made you a bit uneasy. Does he actually like it or is he simply being nice? You asked yourself. Ryosuke seemed genuine yet you couldn’t help but have a tiny bit of doubt.

But Ryosuke merely kept on staring at your work, he seemed to be in his own world, taking in every color and trace and every word you said, he was simply absorbing everything. Truth be told he wasn’t entirely sure why he was so captivated, as far as he knew he wasn’t an artsy person; he appreciated art but was never consumed by it. As Ryosuke wondered what might have drawn him so deeply to it he concluded that the warmth and simplicity portrayed absolutely reached him. It was strange, but he didn’t mind.

“Do you .. know them?” Curiosity began to bloom. To his question you merely chuckled and shook your head, “I take inspiration in various things, like films or series; even depending on how I feel that day but these two, I have no idea who they are. They just .. come to mind when I think of intimacy. They’re complete strangers to me.”

“That’s amazing .. now I feel bad for being rude last night knowing you were making these pieces, sorry for interrupting,” Awkwardly he chuckled, ripping his eyes off your paintings and giving you his full attention. Today he saw a more bright version of yourself, tired nonetheless, but bright still. Your hair was once again up in a messy bun but your clothes didn’t consist of paint smeared sweatpants, instead some comfortable bell bottoms and a loose fitting white shirt, plus the flip flops you left on your entryway. To Ryosuke you had a very laid back aura, friendly and seemed comfortable with anyone—at least with him you did. Despite the fact that you knew who he was, an idol, he didn’t feel like you were treating him any different or more special. He felt comfortable around you.

It felt as if the warmth Ryosuke felt upon looking on your painting was merely a reflection of your own self. You were friendly, warm and almost inviting.

“No worries, Yamada-san. I’m glad you said something, I wouldn’t want to be bothering your sleep anyways! And besides, now I know a superstar lives two doors down from me,” He found himself smiling back at you, being driven by the playful wink you gave him truthfully.

“I’m no superstar, not entirely regular neither but I’m just a guy that sings and wears sparkly outfits every once in a while .. and acts, sometimes,” You both chuckled. You could tell Ryosuke liked being viewed as an ordinary person and to his luck you had no problem with that idea, after all he was human, he had a more luxurious lifestyle and hectic schedule, but still, a normal person. Although, Ryosuke did seem a lot more shy in person than he presents himself to be in front of the camera. Assertive indeed but still more nervous than you recalled.

A moment of silence came, a bit awkward considering no one spoke and neither of you knew what should be the next topic if there were one. A few seconds later Ryosuke remember he initially was supposed to help you and immediately leave since he was heading out, his embarrassment came shortly after realizing he had spent the awkward silence looking at you, This might just be the most embarrassing thing I’ve done yet. He thought, cringing to himself.

“Well .. I guess I’ll head out then. Busy day today! So, uh, good luck on all of this,” Ryosuke couldn’t quite believe how messy he sounded when speaking. He was almost tumbling upon his own words, unable to figure out a good ‘goodbye’ without looking awkward—in which he failed.

Once Ryosuke began walking out you joined him, “Yamada-san!” You called. Truthfully you weren’t quite sure what you were doing but inviting him to your art show didn’t sound like a bad idea, at least inside your head it didn’t, plus you had three or four actual invites inside your back pockets, “If you’d like you can come to my art show, I mean; I figured since you like my painting so much maybe you’d like to see more ..” Now the flustered one was you. Saying it out loud quickly made you regret speaking.

Ryosuke then looked down on the invitation you were handing him, reading the few words and design. He thought about what exactly should he say—not accept was the obvious choice, the one he should initially pick without a second thought. Even so, he made it clear that he indeed liked your artwork. It had something special. Basically, Ryosuke would very much pay to both see it and have it hanging on his walls. Going to your art show wouldn’t kill him.

“I may be able to stop by,” To his words you smiled, a broad and almost childlike smile. Indeed pleased and happy he, somewhat, accepted.

“That’s great! There won’t be any cameras or anything, it’s a small event just in case.” You assured him excitedly. If he were lying you couldn’t tell, so in the moment you allowed yourself to have that small speck of hope and excitement. In all honesty, you weren’t sure of who or how many people would actually show up. You weren’t packed with friends and your family members didn’t live close, in fact, you had moved to Tokyo to study on your art and possibly make a career out of it. You were scared your own little art show would fail at most ..

“I’ll try my best to attend, uh,” Ryosuke then remembered, he doesn’t even know your name, “shit ..”

“It’s _______.” The sound of your light chuckle brought a bit of ease to his nervous muscles, he concluded that he was indeed terrible with girls, can’t even ask for a name if it killed him. But you seemed amused and relaxed. “If you do show up, then I’ll be looking forward to seeing you. I kinda enjoyed your reaction of my painting.”

A burning sensation came upon his cheeks, a strange moment to feel flushed but in truth, Ryosuke couldn’t quite tell if you were being nice, or if you were flirting. People compliment his work all the time, whether it be dancing, singing or acting, he doesn’t get nervous over a flattery so damn easily. So how does saying you enjoyed his reaction any different? He could’ve chuckled it off but instead his cheeks decided to turn red.

“I’ll see you around, ______-san.” Ryosuke then backed away from your entrance and waved goodbye.

What the hell is wrong with me today? Ryosuke did feel strange, the man wasn’t an antisocial by any means, a bit of a hermit but not entirely antisocial. However, when it comes to the opposite sex he tends to keep a safe distance, both for his and her career and reputation. A woman wouldn’t ruin his reputation, that much he could bet, but he could ruin hers .. that much he was aware of.

Truth be told, Ryosuke had, obviously, never seen you before, “Have I actually never seen this girl before or am I just blinded by work at this point?” A sigh escaped his lips once he was inside the elevator, stress from work being the main cause. He truly had to wonder, was he too overworked to even notice his surroundings?

Ryosuke wasn’t sure. But something he did know was that he, surprisingly enough, found your short company to be quite pleasant, even funny. And more than anything, Ryosuke wanted to know more about your paintings. He found your art alluring and captivating, he craved for a little bit more, instead of someone else enjoying and praising his talents, he deeply wanted to praise yours for a change. Ryosuke didn’t want to be the center of attention for a while, at least your paintings seemed more deserving of such courtesy.

He merely watched from afar as Daiki, Yabu, Chinen and you all played soccer while taking a short break from filming an Itadaki episode special. He felt like a mere spectator, jealousy and a slight pinch of anger inevitably ruining his mood, surely reflecting in the way he shamelessly glared at Chinen’s smiling face each time you tried and succeeded in taking the ball from him, Show off. He thought.

You started off as a harmless crush to Ryosuke, your cute yet tomboyish looks being his main attraction towards you, yet he never let it bother him enough to take his likings too seriously. With time he found out about your hobbies, what things you were into and just small talk, he learned you were into gaming and sports, you were fun to be around and didn’t mind getting down and dirty if you needed to. The moment Ryosuke finally realized his feelings for you went a lot further than just a mere crush, he got scared ..

His fears led him to back off for a while, he didn’t want to get too close and cause a problem, he didn’t want to break rules or get in trouble. But most of all, Ryosuke didn’t want to be the cause of you having to leave the job. He didn’t want to risk anything, not his or your career. He didn’t want to ruin the friendship he built with you even if it meant backing away. But truth be told, Ryosuke was tired of seeing Chinen take his spot, he felt like he unintentionally passed down his throne to your attention and he certainly wasn’t ready to be sharing. Ryosuke had to step up.

“Ryosuke, you really need to tell her how you feel! Or at least tell Chinen to back off if you’re going to murder him with that look ..” Yuto scoffed before taking a seat next to Ryosuke, two steamed buns filled with pork on his hands, one for his sulking friend of course.

“Not sure what you mean ..” Ryosuke mumbled, his attention still set on Chinen. However, Yuto was neither dumb or blind, he was very much aware of the feelings Ryosuke had been brewing and bottling up for you, to his concern it wasn’t healthy.

“We’re not going to play this game, Ryosuke. You’ve been moody since we got here and your attitude is making the staff members nervous, it’s obvious something is bothering you and you’re making it more than clear what the cause is. This has been going on for months .. talk to her.” As much a Ryosuke wanted to say otherwise, Yuto was right.

Ryosuke felt like he needed to move fast, and with impulsivity, he decided to waste no time. Without giving Yuto a last glance, Ryosuke took the freshly steam bun off his hand and began walking towards you, the match still going. “Hey, a ‘Thank you’ would’ve been nice y’know!” Yuto hollered from behind, a quick hand wave in exchange only.

The closer he got the more nervous he became. Ryosuke wasn’t entirely sure why though, he only wanted to offer you the steam bun and maybe catch up on things, but perhaps that was the reason behind his anxiety .. the fact that he had distanced himself without a proper explanation, would you even want to talk to him?

Your back was facing him and you were just a touch away, luckily you weren’t playing at the moment but waiting on the ball to be passed by one of the boys instead. “Ryosuke! Did you come to join?” Now that his presence had been acknowledged by none other than Chinen, you quickly turned around to see Ryosuke, not entirely expecting him to be literally a step away from you though.

“Oh .. hey. Came to play?” You asked. Shyness emanating from your voice but not evident enough for him, if anything, he thought you were uncomfortable. Ryosuke was never very good at figuring out people’s emotions, which was yet another reason as to why he wanted to put an end to the distance he so meticulously set in himself.

For a second Ryosuke danced around his words, “Um, no .. actually,” He smiled sheepishly, holding the bun in his hands as you stared at him, the questionable look in your eyes making the simple words seem difficult to utter, “I just wanted to know if you’d like to talk for a bit? I brought you a bun, too, you haven’t eaten so I thought I’d bring you something ..” He certainly felt like he was blabbering and he could feel the dreading heat on his cheeks as he realized how awkward he must’ve looked talking so quickly, for as long as you have known Ryosuke you’ve known him to be very articulate and calm at most, but today he was being odd.

“I thought Yuto gave you that bun ..” Your intentions were far from sounding ungrateful for the little treat, you had indeed not eaten anything but neither did he so you wondered why he’d give you his own food. For split seconds you saw the sheer panic in his eyes, your question was harmless but for some reason his reaction proved otherwise. “I mean; thank you! But .. aren’t you hungry?” That’s what you mostly meant.

Ryosuke relaxed a bit, he really needed to get his act together if he wanted to get some simple sentences out and communicate properly with you. “Actually, I am hungry, but you’ve been playing for a while so I think you might need it more than I do. I’ll probably cook in a few minutes after the break and eat anyways, so you can have it.” A nervous chuckle left his lips and a smile bloom on yours.

“Well, in that case su-“

“Ah, good you brought food! I haven’t eaten anything” Chinen popped up next to you, a beaming smile on his lips and sweat glistening upon his cheeks and forehead, and completely unaware of Ryosuke’s more than annoyed gaze under him. Chinen wasn’t oblivious to Ryosuke’s feelings but at times he just couldn’t get a hint from the latter.

“I only brought one bun, Chinen ..” His name felt sour between Ryosuke’s lips, you certainly heard the bitterness and caught on to the more than evident discomfort Ryosuke strangely conveyed, yet Chinen wasn’t getting it.

“Oh .. Well, can you get me one?” Chinen asked. Unlike on other occasions where you weren’t involved Ryosuke might have complied, after all he’s known for spoiling loved ones, Chinen being his favorite. But at the moment Ryosuke wasn’t in the mood to spoiled him or anyone else that wasn’t you, much less serve the person who’s currently annoying him the most. Today was a definite ‘No’ for Chinen.

“No. You can’t have one, if I would’ve want you to have one I would’ve brought two buns but instead I brought only one, and it’s for ______, not you. You can get your own yourself!” Ryosuke snapped back with enough hostility to even stop Yabu and Daiki from continuing playing, both eyes and ears on Chinen and Ryosuke. Surely they both saw the heat radiating out from Ryosuke and the sheer bafflement on both Chinen and yourself.

Immediately Ryosuke realized how harsh he sounded, although his intentions were to make Chinen go away he wasn’t expecting to sound so resentful. He took notice of how everyone’s attention was set on the trio and soon began to regret ever being brave enough to interrupt the game, Ryosuke felt uncomfortable by the unwanted attention he single handedly placed upon himself, “Sorry. I .. I didn’t think you’d want any,” With that short, but honest excuse, he turned his back and walked away.

Great. Job well done, you really showed her your feelings there, Ryosuke. Next time bring everyone some buns!

Ryosuke was mortified and irritated. The man could practically do anything once his mind and heart is in it but talking to a girl isn’t one of those things. He’s a disaster when it comes to such a task.

“Hey! Yamada, hold on a second,” You called and right on his footsteps he stopped, the evident anger and confusion in your voice being the cause, he was embarrassed truthfully.

“What was that about? I’ve never seen you talking to Chinen like that,” as you spoke and stood before him Ryosuke either looked down or elsewhere, too embarrassed to look at you, trying to play it off as nothing. “He just gets on my nerves sometimes ..” He said, which was partially true.

In your spot you merely looked at Ryosuke, seeing the discomfort in him and how nervous he seemed when speaking, you knew his annoyance went a little further than what he wanted to show, “Then, I suppose I might be an annoyance as well,” Your words managed to catch his undivided attention, panic once again reflecting within his dark brown eyes, a deer in headlights is what he resembled mostly.

“Eh?! Why would you think that? You’re not annoying at all, it’s just ..” Ryosuke searched for the proper words, he couldn’t exactly admit he had been dying of jealousy for the past few months or so that shamelessly, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, I wanted to apologize for distancing myself but .. each time I wanted to hang out or talk Chinen was with you. I couldn’t quite get a chance to be alone with you,” He confessed wholeheartedly.

“So .. you’re jealous?” The relief he felt quickly vanished and once he lifted his head to look at you, he found a smile upon your lips. Cheeky, almost mischievous, he felt quite vulnerable, actually. It was as if you read him, but then again, he did made it a bit too obvious.

You stood in front of him with your hands behind your back, to Ryosuke you looked as if you were waiting for a surprise; a gift at most. In his case, an answer, an honest one probably.

“At least tell me I made it hard to figure out,” He smiled, shyness and playfulness both crystal clear within his smile.

“You’re really bad at this, huh? I mean; I’m not sure why you decided to distance yourself from me but the way you’ve been treating Chinen lately has sorta made me see a few things differently .. that maybe you have a crush on me?” You spoke as if you were beckoning him to finally admit his crush on you, certainly for him it felt like that. You were being a tease, having a good kick out of his odd shyness.

Ryosuke felt like he was right on the hot seat with no chance of slipping out. Despite your playful demeanor, the man was all nerves before you, “For how long have you known?” He technically answered your question with yet, another question.

“I didn’t. But your behavior today was a little eye opener if that helps clarify anything,” In exchange you gave Ryosuke a tender smile, one that could ease his nervousness for the time being.

In that moment Ryosuke came upon the conclusion that his crush had indeed vanished, he realized that he simply liked you, more than looks you were someone who he took absolute pleasure in being around with. Ryosuke was very sure of the idea that you perfectly complemented his stubborn and moody character well, you grounded him, and strangely enough, he liked it.

“I see,” With shyness Ryosuke cleared his throat, “So .. is there any chance that maybe; I don’t know, we can go out? Without company of course!” Sheepishly, he laughed.

Certainly, Ryosuke was asking you on a date. He simply wasn’t being very articulate with you at the moment. Nonetheless, you found his current messiness quite cute, “Alright, I’ll accept your invite to a date if you win this match!” You proposed proudly, to which he looked a bit taken aback.

“You really want me to beat Chinen in soccer? We’ll end up killing each other, you do know that right?” As bemused as he was he didn’t seemed like he was about to decline such a proposal. The man was quite competitive and he does take pleasure in winning, and showing off his skills, of course.

“Who said anything about Chinen? It’s me you’re going to compete with! I hope you give me your absolute best, I really hate losing y’know,” Your smile only grew and his nervousness eased completely upon hearing your playful, yet competitive words.

“Then you obviously don’t know me very well. Hasn’t Chinen told you I’m kinda of a sore loser?” He asked, following your new found playful competitiveness with an excited smirk on his lips.

“What a coincidence; so am I! Get ready to lose, loser,” Already you were walking towards the others playing, hinting him to follow behind. “Wait! The pork bun, what am I supposed to do with it?”

“Give it to Chinen!” You answered as if it were the most obvious choice, which it was once he thought of it.

By the time Chinen got his much needed bun and Ryosuke got on the open field, he realized it was just him and you, Daiki nor Yabu were to be seen. In fact, they took a break and joined Chinen in having a small snack.

“It’s .. only you and I?” Ryosuke asked with the most confused expression you had ever seen on him. You chuckled upon his perplexity, he truly didn’t get it.

“I thought I’d said it was a match between us, no one else! It wouldn’t be a fair match if others were included. It’s just you and I .. loser,” You smiled full of mischief.

With his own mischievous smirk Ryosuke looked at you, the ball in his hands as he played with it, “Since you’re being so cocky I’ll go easy on you, I don’t want to hurt your feelings once I win,” Certainly, his bumptious demeanor was something you were looking forward to, truth be told, it absolutely boosted your own ego.

“Oh, no don’t hold back! Please, either give me your all or don’t even bother, I’ll beat you anyways,” Enough is to say Ryosuke or yourself didn’t hold back when playing. At times staff members had to warn the both of you to go easy, mostly the warnings were meant for Ryosuke, either way neither of you actually listened.

The little match had been, however, the most enjoyable one you had played in a while. From time to time—or a little too often—a few unintentional grips and grazes were given by Ryosuke. You did made it difficult for him to play nicely, the man was nearly breathless by the end.

The game went on with surprised and quite eager spectators, too. The boys watched you both with much excitement, also a few bets might had been made as well; they were indeed happy that once and for all the two of you were challenging each other’s strengths and skills in the sports area. Most of them had their money on you, actually.

In the end, you allowed Ryosuke to win. In return you earned a happy, and quite overconfident Ryosuke, a date as well. Throughout the rest of the camping trip he couldn’t find a reason to sulk or be remotely sad or moody, even while losing other challenges within his group members.

Ryosuke had already won a date with the girl he liked the most, there really wasn’t any other reason to continue being miserable.

“It’s a date! We can do whatever you want, go wherever you’d like. I’ll give you whatever you want.” Ryosuke assured, and for those few seconds you watched him carefully with a somewhat intimidating gaze upon him. He knew then you were trying to figure him out, as always with your guard up. Ryosuke understood however, you didn’t quite trust every man that stepped in to meet you and although he was an exception, you still couldn’t help be uptight.

You weren’t entirely apologetic about it neither.

He watched you, dazzled by how the flickering lit candle danced on your skin and face, making your eyes seem ten times more beautiful yet daunting, even the way your lips were beginning to curve upwards seemed nerve-racking. Truth be told, Ryosuke was indeed intimidated by you. In his eyes there isn’t anything more intimidating than a strong and confident woman, and that was precisely you. In fact, it took him months to build up the courage to ask you out on a proper date—which he nearly messed up—he simply wasn’t sure if you’d ever take him seriously.

“It’s settled, a date it is. I was hoping you’d finally ask me out, took you long enough!” You teased as your index finger danced around the brim of his glass of whiskey, a near foolish smile upon your tinted lips. “You don’t look like the shy type ..” You added, a smirk soon tugged the corners of your lips.

The playfulness you displayed was tugging the weakest and even strongest of his strings. Unbeknownst to you, you had the man wrapped around your fingers. Ryosuke wasn’t sure if he was whipped enough to admit it but he certainly knew he was more than smitten by you.

“Then what’s the type of guy I look like to you?” Ryosuke leaned forward, his fingers grazing yours in the process and the sexual tension between you two being more obvious than ever before. The harmless touch of his skin lightly touching yours brought your heart to a near halt even. The sexual tension was undeniable and quite palpable, but damn, you really like him ..

“Like the type that usually gets whatever he desires and leaves it when he gets bored of it.” Through those words Ryosuke realized you didn’t fully trust him, there were still doubts about the evident attraction and more so his intentions.

Ryosuke strongly felt like your words were like daggers through his heart. He liked you, more than he’s aware of truthfully. But then again, he couldn’t blame you for feeling that way .. your doubt merely gave him the need to push a little more, try a bit harder and prove you otherwise.

For a moment he hesitated on his actions considering both were in your workplace but throwing caution to the wind he went with his instincts and took your hand in his, as harmless as it was you couldn’t help but look around you, alarmed. Ryosuke noticed, of course.

“I like you and yes, I want you. But I won’t leave you, if I have to come here every night to pursue you then I sure as hell will and unless you want me to stop then I’ll be here until you tell me otherwise! So maybe you’re right on one thing, maybe I do get what I want, and that’s ultimately why I haven’t stopped coming here .. and I can’t see myself ever getting bored of you, it’s been months now and you still make me nervous.” He spoke sure of himself, he didn’t waver on his words and the small squeezes he gave your hand as he talked served you as a good enough reassurance. You knew Ryosuke could be trusted, he never gave you reasons not to .. but in your line of work it was difficult to trust any man.

Even so, Ryosuke had been the first and only one who took the time to know you, as challenging as you made it sometimes.

“Let me take care of you.” Ryosuke’s words sounded like a plea, delicate almost. His thumb gently caressed your knuckles, trying his best to ease the idea into you, fully aware that you wouldn’t budge so easily away from your current job.

You chuckled, “Ryosuke, I don’t need a man to take care of me. I’ve been doing that for a while now. I’m not hopeless y’know?” You joked, although he knew you were somewhat being serious.

“I know ..” He sighed. A little bit of frustration lingering within. Ryosuke had no right in judging your decision or even hating your job for that matter, he couldn’t when he was a client after all, it would’ve been hypocritical of him to do so. He merely disliked the fact that the person he had grown to genuinely like and hold feelings for had to be an employee ..

“But .. if we do end up being something more than friends, with slight benefits,” You paused for a second just to give him a small smile, one that had mischief and a slight hint of shyness in it, “I’ll definitely take in consideration finding a new job.”

Ryosuke gave you the biggest smile you had ever seen, his eyes held a new and exciting spark and his lips quickly took your hand to kiss with gratitude.

“I promise I’ll make you happy,” His words sweetly vibrated against the back of your hand in which he kissed, “Just let me in.”

The moment became intimate and for short seconds it seemed like the only people in the room were you two. You forgot you had clients to serve and Ryosuke completely dismissed the fact that employees couldn’t be touched unless they were performing, in which the client simply gives them money. Rules had been simply discarded for the time being.

And for the first time since you’ve met Ryosuke you build the bravery to touch him, without being part of the job or in a sensual way to please the client .. it was just a sincere need and curiosity to feel his skin underneath your hand and fingertips. As your hand rested upon his right cheek he unconsciously smiled to the touch, the act almost brought him to close his eyes in nothing but bliss, but too surprised to do so. Still, your touch felt right. Warm and gentle, soft with the floral scent of your perfume lingering on your wrist.

“Ryosuke .. are you sure you really want to be with someone like me?” You asked, concerned. In return he merely nodded, his dark eyes fixed on you, nothing but adoration reflected on them. Ryosuke truthfully did not care about the line of work you had, at least not as much as you assumed.

“What you do doesn’t change how I feel about you,” He spoke firmly, hoping his words would reach and stick to you, “I’m not going to pretend that within time I haven’t grown jealous but whether I accept it or not won’t change how I see you.”

Somehow it all felt bittersweet, too good to be true. Like it could all end and crumble down to nothing. Absolutely anything could happen and Ryosuke could simply turn his back and be on his way out, and find someone more suitable for him ..

“Haven’t they told you? You should never fall in love with a woman who sells herself ..” Bitterly, you made an awful attempt of a smile.

The words stung him. Ryosuke felt the pain dripping off them. He hated how they fell from your lips, so hopeless and heartbroken. While moments earlier you assure him you didn’t need anyone to take care of you, Ryosuke couldn’t possibly fathom the idea that your current job gave you any sort of happiness other than financially. He still wanted to take care of you, more so if it meant never seeing a bitter smile on your lips ever again.

“You’re up next, _____! Cut the conversation short.” One of your coworkers called from behind you, surely giving you a glare of disapproval as she did so.

Immediately you ripped your hand off Ryosuke’s face, a little bit embarrassed, too. “I’m giving you a chance to change your mind, I’m just a few minutes away from being half naked up on that stage .. are you a hundred percent sure–“

Before you could ask again a question that held the same answer he gave you, Ryosuke took advantage of the simple fact that absolutely no one, not even the owner of the establishment, would ever say anything against the decisions Ryosuke makes. Even if those decisions involve breaking rules.

Ryosuke could ultimately do whatever he pleased and nobody had a say in it.

Without a single care in the world, he reached over the small table between both and finally stole a kiss from your lips. The single hand that landed behind your neck and pulled you in merely displayed how cocky he was in doing so, unabashedly letting every client and employee know that he was able to do what he’d like, and the kiss letting everyone know that you were his and no one else’s to touch in his presence.

“Listen to me, stop trying to push me away, it won’t work unless you truly don’t want me here. Unless I know you don’t want anything to do with me then I’m staying. If I want I could buy this entire place right now, if it were up to me I could tell your boss you’re quitting and he wouldn’t say otherwise. I can do whatever I want and no will tell me shit. I just broke my boundaries with a dancer and I’m still here, in one piece ..”

You were still trying to get down from cloud nine as he spoke onto your lips. The frustration evident in his voice and touch, he grew desperate in the heat of the moment. You could also feel the burning glares of your coworkers upon you, but just like Ryosuke, you didn’t care for the menacing stares filled with envy on you.

“You really are used to getting whatever you want,” You mumbled, receiving a pair of confused eyes staring back at you, to which you smiled.

“Come on, I have to perform,” To his dismay you stood up and took his hand with the obvious intention of bringing him with you. But Ryosuke wasn’t entirely following your lead, he wasn’t sure what you got out of the conversation, the kiss and mostly, he didn’t feel comfortable watching you dance in front of other men.

“No, wait I’m kinda confused here; what exactly are you doing?” Ryosuke asked, pulling you back to the table, “I don’t like watching when you .. take your top off.” He spoke with a strong hint of resentment and protectiveness, he genuinely liked the performances just not in front of deprived, greedy, married men though.

“Since when?” Actually, thinking back to the times you’d be performing and steal a glance at Ryosuke you had taken notice that at certain points of the night he’d be in the bar area giving you his back while you danced. Now that he mentioned his discomfort, things made sense.

“Since I began having feelings for you. I guess it felt like I was taking advantage of that and all of a sudden I couldn’t quite look at you the same way ..” Bashful, he explained.

Give him a proper chance! He isn’t so bad.

“Then let’s make a deal, Ryosuke,” You began a proposal with a mischievous smirk making its way onto your lips. Seeing the sudden playfulness in you made his own smirk appeared on his lips, though his was a bit uncertain about what could be up your sleeves. But excited nonetheless.

Your fingers played with the hem of his thick grey coat, looking at the fabric and feeling it’s soft material underneath your fingertips as you fixed the collar before speaking. Surely, the grin upon his lips was driven by how domestic the two looked in the middle of a gentleman’s club.

“If you let me dance for you tonight and only for you, I’ll quit .. tonight.” Skepticism flashes through his eyes, unsure if you were being serious or just messing with him, but despite the gentle smirk on your lips nothing else told him otherwise. Ryosuke knew you were tired of working as a dancer, he just didn’t know what it would take to get you out of the business.

“Why now? An hour ago you told me you didn’t need a man to take–“

“And I don’t. But I’m exhausted, tired of being in this place, actually. And I really like you .. if you and I are going to be a thing then I don’t see why I should be working for men that couldn’t care less about me. Whether you approve or not I don’t think I’d be entirely comfortable working here knowing it makes you uneasy. I want to do other things, normal stuff, if I don’t leave now I’ll be stuck here forever. And lastly, I want to know you more, spend time with you outside of these walls. I don’t want nor need you to take care of me, just .. be with me, that’s all.”

It was crystal clear you meant every word you spoke. The need to finally quit was more than evident before Ryosuke’s eyes. It was already a done deal for him but your confession served him as a great reassurance. You wanted out and that was all he needed.

“It’s a deal with one condition,” You raised a curious eyebrow upon his cheekiness, nodding with slight apprehension for him to continue.

“Only if you let me be the one to tell your boss you’re quitting.” The arrogance you so well know Ryosuke for oozed out him as he made you another proposal, one that you couldn’t possibly deny or be mad about.

“Yuto .. I’m naked. How is that picture ready?” He smiled upon the annoyance radiating off your groggy voice while you merely tried getting some sleep again. Yuto had a good and simple answer to your question, in truth, you were always genuinely picture ready. All dolled up or absolutely disheveled, either way he would take a picture!

As you pointed out you were indeed naked and almost all wrapped up between your bedsheets. Your hair was a mess and so were the white sheets, your nightgown was even scattered somewhere close to the bed.

“I need a picture before I go.” He smiled before looking at your back through his lense and snapping the picture, “Besides, who said you needed clothes? You’re stunning no matter what.” Now you were the one sporting a foolish grin.

You have been stuck in the ‘taking my camera out for every occasion’ phase of Yuto for quite some months now, actually, it had been like that since the moment you met him around a year ago. Truthfully, at times it was aggravating having random pictures being taken of you but you also knew photography was something he loved. If taking pictures of you in the worst of times made him happy, then you’d gladly put up with it.

“You’re only staying in Hong Kong for how long? Two days? Come on, stay in bed with me, you don’t need to leave so early ..” Finally you turned to his direction, lazily with a tired smile on your face. The more you moved the more he took pictures, Yuto didn’t waste time with you, every little thing you did was picture worthy in his book.

“It is quite tempting when you’re butt naked within my bedsheets y’know! But I can’t fall that easily, I have business to attend.” You held back a scoff to his words and merely glared at Yuto when he decided to stand on the bed with your silhouette between his feet, the camera still strong under his fingers’ grip.

“You don’t have any meetings. You’re just going to dance, you do that all the time. So put your camera down and come here ..” Your sleepy whining and the slight pout you gave him began to soften him up to the idea, and you were right, admittedly.

“Alright; you win this time. But that’s mostly because you don’t have any clothes on–“ Before Yuto could utter more nonsense out his mouth you quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him down, resulting in a uncomfortable boyfriend on top of you smushing you with his camera, but it worked at least.

“If you wanted me that badly you could’ve just asked! Now I have a camera between my rib cage,” Yuto complained and winced a little as he rubbed the area where the camera hit him. In your position you merely smiled in victory, running your fingers through his hair as an apology just in case.

“I begged you to come back and you didn’t listen, that’s what you get.” In response you only received a childish glare as he moved to your side, quickly wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer. At least Yuto wasn’t really mad.

You wasted nothing in hugging him back and snuggling yourself closer to him, just taking in his warmth and scent before he had to leave, knowing very well you’d get your sleep back just like that. Yuto was fully clothed unlike yourself but his shirt had his cologne lingering on it and the fabric was soft and warm, having him close to you was all you needed and wanted at the moment.

“Just in case I fall asleep, have a safe trip with the boys ..” By the sound of your voice it seemed you were already on the verge of succumbing to your sleep. He couldn’t help but have a smile plastered on his face knowing how easy it was for you to drift away into a deep slumber. Yuto then ran his fingers against your bare back, soothing not only you but himself as well.

“Thanks. Hey ..” You only hummed in return, too relaxed to speak, or even move for that matter.

“Thank you .. for letting me take pictures of you even when you think you look bad,” He began, talking softly and ever so smoothly. Both your lips and heart smiled to his words, your hug became tighter and he grinned upon the action, “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met and I wanted you to know that.”

Yuto looked down on you, smiling to your sleeping sight, thankful for the luck he had with you. Happy with the sweet and intimate moment he was having, and already missing you although he wasn’t even close to leaving yet. These were the moments he greatly cherished but despised having to put a momentary pause on them.

“You were my muse and you will always be my muse, _____. Hope you know that,” To his non surprise you didn’t respond, instead all he got was silence and steady breathing from you, as expected, you had fallen asleep.

Yuto chuckled lightheartedly giving you a gentle squeeze and pulling the sheets up your shoulders before joining you in a quick nap. He really didn’t need to leave so early and even if he was late for rehearsals the boys could simply call and scold him later, Yuto didn’t really care at the moment.

The cause of her panic for the past week? A blind date. Theson of one of her coworkers. A doctor or something. Your mom had shoved hispicture at you the last time the two of you met for lunch and, while he was handsome,you weren’t the least bit interested. In a different timeline or alternatereality where your heart didn’t already belong to someone else, maybe. But youhad already found the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with.Even if the rest of your life had to wait just a little bit longer.

Almost as if you thinking of him had summoned him, you heardthe small beep of a call waiting. Unable to fight the smile that spread acrossyour face, you told your mom you would call her back after your “date” beforeswitching over the call.

“Hey! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you today.”

He could hear the smile you were wearing which made asimilar one grace his features. He tried his best to control it as the two soundtechs walked past him, sliding a bit further into the corner he had found forhimself and lowering his voice.

“We’re taking a break from filming for a bit and I really missedyou.”

Those words always had a way of melting your heart. They hadbeen the only constant in this thing you had going with one Mr. Okamato Keito. Asan idol, dating was strictly prohibited so if anyone asked the two of you werefriends, end of story. But the two of you knew better. You both knew that justhearing the others voice was enough to melt away a day’s worth of stress, evenif you could only hear it for moments at a time.

The sneaking around alternated between exhilarating and infuriating.Sneaking kisses and soft touches when the other members weren’t looking was excitingand made you feel young and reckless. It was fun. But sometimes you just wantedto have dinner with your boyfriend and go on a nice date like regular couplesdo. Sometimes you hated it, hated him, for the secrecy, but you would never askhim to give up what he had for you. So instead you settled for promised futureswhispered in the dark on the nights he could manage to sneak over. For now theywere just words and ideas, but the way he talked, you were sure that one day Keitowould make them a reality.

“I really missed you, too.”

“Is your mom still making you go on that blind date?” Eventhough he was trying to keep his tone even, you could tell the whole situationwas bothering Keito. While he knew that nothing was going to come of it, thatyou were going to turn the guy down, he still couldn’t help but feel jealous atthe idea of you being at a restaurant with another man, on a date with anotherman.

“Yes, she is.” You sighed. “I told her I didn’t want to, butsince I couldn’t give her a ‘good enough’ reason she wouldn’t let it go. I’mjust going to go and tell him I’m not interested and tell my mom he wasn’t my type.”

“Do you…Do you think she’ll keep making you do these things?”

Even if he wouldn’t say it, Keito was just as nervous as hewas jealous. Yes, the idea of you being out with someone else bothered him. Butwhat bothered him even more was the possibility of one of these dates actuallyworking out. What if you met someone who was handsomer, smarter, more charismatic,just better than he was? What if you got tired of waiting for that distant futureand decided to settle with someone who could be with you now? These werethoughts that had kept him up on more than one occasion after you told himabout the blind date.

“Probably. I’m of ‘marrying age’ and she’s trying herhardest to make sure that happens.” You answered without thinking, but once thewords left your mouth you realized how they might make Keito feel. “Hey, you knowthere’s no one else for me, right? That I love you?” The line was quiet for amoment. “Keito?”

“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting, (Y/N).” The suddenapology caught you off guard. “I promise one day I’ll give you any and everythingyou could ever dream of having, okay?”

You smiled slightly to yourself. “Okay. But remember thatyou promised!” You replied teasingly. Keito laughed and, in the background, youcould hear someone call his name.

“I have to get back to work,” he sighed. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” As you were going to hang up, you heardhim call your name. “Yeah?”

“We’ll be the cutest couplein existence someday.”

You carried his promise with you as you walked into the restaurantto meet your date. He was nice and more than a little relieved that you weren’tinterested seeing as he wasn’t even close to ready to think about marriage. Thetwo of you ate together and tried to come up with a solid story to tell yourparents about why the date didn’t work out. After paying, he walked with you andcalled you another taxi.

As you were getting into the car, he asked, “What about you?Do you ever plan on settling down?”