sweetdevil | 78th ♫ | L-U-V! L-U-V! i don't really care if it's not meant to be!

[ The setlist doesn’t surprise Rinne at all. The line between his personal life and his career should have been as thick as the ink he used at the start of the year, but he can’t help how his brush glides across the paper. “To wake up to the morning star,” he wrote for his New Year’s resolution. Ai couldn’t even laugh at the kanji he’d only learned how to write five years ago. His kakizome was televised, so of course he had to spin it into a cute song reference for his fans, but he and Ai both knew there was only one star in the morning he wanted to wake up to.

Rinne would leave secret messages and inside jokes for Ai like that. All year long, when they couldn’t share the same screen, let alone the same stage, he would make his intentions clear. He’s always held a middle finger up to the industry’s rules and standards, but even for him, this was risky. But he’s done the math. Months later, between this and captivating everyone with their onscreen friendship, his hard work finally pays off: the higher ups decide to bring B-Komachi and Crazy:B together for a concert.

It doesn’t go as well as Rinne expects. Mine-chan is so diligent in blocking any and all attempts to talk to Ai that it makes Rinne wish he was as cute as Kohaku to get a pass, so he spends the most of his time dodging her instead. HiMERU, the mature one of the group, refrains from helping him even when he knows — no, especially because he knows Rinne’s situation. But the greatest offender of all is his own best friend, Niki, who happily chats with Ai the entire time. “Nahaha, it was super fun snacking with you, Nee-san! Let’s all have yakiniku together sometime, okay? Bye bye!” his ass. Niki knows how Rinne feels about Ai better than anyone.

Niki also knows that Rinne’s a coward.

Rinne hasn’t realized it yet, but his best friend's blatant act of rebellion might have been the catalyst for what was about to happen next.

After his group’s own handshake session, Rinne gets a text from Ai. Naturally, he’s quick to reply. ]

idk
why don’t u go ask niki lmao

[ ... Hm...? That's an... off reply for Rinne. His texts are usually pretty short and chipper, sure, but something feels a bit off here that she can't quite place. Maybe he's just too tired to put much energy into it? ]

I could give it a try but
I'll be honest with you, I couldn't get anyone's name to stick to their faces...

[ She feels bad the moment she sends that, though. Those are Rinne's precious friends, right? Even if he knows full well that she's as bad with faces and names as she is, she should at least make a bit more effort for him. ]

Let me see though...
Niki-kun was...... the one I shared snacks with, right?
Did I get it right?

[ she really has no idea what she's getting herself in for huh ]

[ ohhhhhh my god

Rinne doesn't know what upsets him more: Ai forgetting Niki's name, Ai forgetting Niki's name while both of them were being cute as hell, or Ai forgetting Niki's name and having fun with him anyway. Everyone he loves is so annoying. But if Ai can text him freely like this, then she must be somewhere safe.

Ring, ring. Pick up, please. ]

[ Oh...! They're doing phone calls then. It's definitely quicker than texting, at least...

So she picks up. ]

Rinne-kun? [ she sounds innocently, sincerely and infuriatingly befuddled. ] Is something up?

[ she has at the very least clued into the fact that something is off. Not That It Will Save Her. ]

You know, in English, they call it casting pearls before swine.

[ The way Rinne's voice rolls off his tongue is sinister and slow, each puff of breath like smoke through the speaker. ]

But it sounds cuter in Japanese, doesn't it? Giving gold to a cat. But I bet you thought it was real cute, playing hard-to-get like that.

... Huh?

[ So she's... in trouble, is she? It sounds like it. Or... kind of sounds like it? His voice is all low and drawly but he doesn't sound angry angry. She'd thought he'd maybe be a little grumpy they didn't get a chance to spend any proper time together today but he was really this bothered about it...?

That's her best guess, anyway. ]

Ah, well... was it? [ Her voice is coloured by one of those hapless little smiles she wears sometimes: when she's been totally thrown off tempo and she's scrabbling to regain a bit of ground. ] If you're calling me about it then I guess it was...

[He laughs. It doesn't sound too happy.]

You're a fucking riot. Yeah, let's go with that.

It's good to know you two get along. Niki doesn't have a lot of friends, but he's a real charmer. The best part is he doesn't even know when he's doing it.

[He starts walking.]

He's good with his hands, too. You like that in a guy, don't you?

[ There's another pause. Just a beat of silence that goes on just long enough for it to seem like she might not say anything at all but then— ]

Pff-

[ She giggles.

So that's what this is about. She hadn't even thought for a second that it would be the case, didn't imagine for a moment that Rinne would be at all stung in that way but... he's jealous, isn't he? That's why he's so riled up.

... it's kind of cute. It's not wise at all for her to prod and poke him right now but... ]

Mmhm. I do. [ Her tone shifts subtly — still clueless and sweet but just a little too honeyed and smooth. ] In fact, I'd say it's one of the most important things.

[For a second, Rinne thinks that Ai gets the hint. Maybe he was even too mean about it. It's not her fault their friends kept them apart. He's just upset that he couldn't be with her all day, that's all! When he meets up with her later, he'll apologize and give her so many kisses.

But then he stops in his tracks.]

Yeah. I bet it is.

[Rinne knows what she's doing, but he can't be dealing with this from Ai too.

So he doubles down.]

I bet you've been thinkin' about it all day, getting someone's hands all over ya. I bet you were thinking about it at the handshake event, too. All those eager hands lined up for you to take into your own, but that's not where you wanted 'em, was it? But they wanted pure and undivided Ai. Didja give 'em that?

Ai of B-Komachi wouldn't think about another man.

[ So Rinne can get all riled up like this too... She probably should've guessed. He gets competitive about other things but the idea of him getting jealous about her like this...

One of her hands drops into her lap and she scrunches the fluffy material into her fist, just for something to hold on to. Like always... Rinne makes it really, really hard not to follow through on her worst ideas. ]

Of course I did.

[ A total lie. But it's no fun if she admits it to him right away, is it?

And besides. He's asking "Ai of B-Komachi" right now. So that's who he'll get. ]

I'm a good girl, you know? For an idol, her fans are the only guys she'll ever need.

[ Her voice is too bright, too bouncy. It's the way she talks in interviews or when she's on stage - pure idol and nothing else. It's almost like a challenge.

This is mean. This is definitely mean. But when Rinne's acting like this she absolutely can't resist playing with him a little. ]

[Oh, she is such a liar. As idols, they can dance around these feelings all they want, but Ai will have to give in eventually. She wanted this to be perfect too, didn't she? Maybe this is how he likes it, though — being surprised and spun around until he can't tell left from right. If only one of them is allowed to be good, then he'll be as bad as she wants him to be. Sometimes, that's the only way things ever get done.]

Gyahaha! Yeah, that's how she is. She's got all these guys down on their knees but not once does she ever get to fuck 'em.

I guess that's why you talked to him.

[The unfamiliar bitterness is back in his voice.]

Niki's a pushover, you know? He's so fucking nice. I bet he'd fuck you if you asked him to. I bet you could tell!

[ Ai opens her mouth to say something but at first, no words come out. She can't say something like that, not in the voice of Ai, from B-Komachi. Not the clean, pure idol who was just out there with her fans telling them all how much she loves them. That's always been how it works — so long as Ai of B-Komachi is so pretty and clean she shines, then Hoshino Ai can be the one who's dirty and wrong. It's not like anyone ever sees her.

Her eyes flick up to the mirror at the vanity. She looks at the idol in there, all baby pinks and red and blues and wonders what sort of face she'd make with Rinne's hands all over her.

The hairs on the back of her neck all prickle, but not unpleasantly. She swallows. ]

That's a big if. Does Niki-kun even seem like my type? And I don't know if I'd be satisfied with someone who's just a pushover...

[ She says his name extra sweetly — the way she says the name of any fan who shows up to enough handshake sessions, so they know just how special and just how precious they are to her. ]

I'd rather have a guy who's reeeeally thirsty for it. Ah, like maybe a fan? And during a handshake session, I could just say something like "I'll be all by myself in my dressing room after the show" and he'd get the hint, right?

[ Ah. She's really getting herself into some deep, deep trouble now, isn't she? ]

Right? Rinne-kun?

[Every word through the speaker makes Rinne sweat and swallow. The shudder of his breath escapes him so warmly, it shames him. He hangs up. He can't let her hear anything else. Not the rush of his footsteps nor his desperate, ragged pants as he makes his way to her. It's just not what an idol would do.

But it would be a lie to say he hasn't thought about it. He's not an a idiot. He knows what some fans want when they do what they do to make him love them. He's fantasized about Ai himself—the touch of her pink lips across every contour of muscle, her smooth skin beneath the rugged palms of his hands—but in his defense, he has his pride. He would never make his desire so obvious. That's why he's here, though. That's why he came all this way to the city. He wanted so badly to become a star, just like her. Then the world shot him down.

Now he's back in the sky, standing outside Ai's dressing room door, and though he knocks twice, his discipline and restraint are there no longer. If this is what she wants, then he'll make sure she gets it.]

[He opens the door.]

Kyahaha! Now, why the hell ain't your door locked? You don't want anyone coming in here while you slick off, do ya?

[It shuts behind him with a click.]

Fucking perv.

[ Ai holds onto her phone long after Rinne hangs up. She doesn't know what else to do. Her hands are a little shaky and her head feels like it's off in the clouds. It's been so long since she felt it, but this has to be stagefright. And why wouldn't it be? She's never given a show quite like this before.

She paces the dressing room in a tizzy. She thinks about telling him not to come. She thinks about telling him to hurry up and get here. Eventually, she ends up back at the vanity, gripping a brush so hard her knuckles go white and trying to neaten her hair. If she's putting on a show, she has to look her best. ]

Aah, why would I need to lock my door? I'm not doing anything bad in here. [ Back to pretty and polished — even moreso than before, it seems. Sweetly, cluelessly, infuriatingly pure. ] Didn't I just tell you? I'm a good girl.

[ Which makes Rinne the bad guy here. And he's always been good at playing the bad guy. ]

Liar. You were begging me to come.

[That's not what happened, but it might as well have, right? Ai doesn't ask just anybody to come in here. Before anything else, he locks the door. Rinne's not really here to hurt her, and Ai's not really here to be good.

Rinne strides across the room with a swagger, his leather boots hitting the floor with a clack for each steady step.]

You know what they say about me, don't you? [He circles her by the vanity, placing a hand on her bare shoulder as they both face the mirror.] They say you oughta teach me a lesson or two. But that's not what's going on here, is it?

[The same hand slides down the back of her halter top. From behind, his voice rolls off his phone his tongue like smoke.]

If I knew you weren't gonna behave, I woulda taught you one sooner.

[He unhooks her bra. He tugs it out of her top, too, if she'll let him. She'll understand, right? It's in the way.]

[ She doesn't let herself look at him, at least not right away. Ai's gaze holds steady on the mirror and it's only once Rinne's hand touches her that her eyes finally flick up to meet his in the reflection. She's seen pictures of her and Rinne together plenty of times, for work or otherwise, but looking at the two of them in the mirror like that, things seem... different, somehow. If only for a second, it feels like she's seeing them from someone else's eyes. The performative nastiness on Rinne's face turns his smirk into something almost predatory and with Ai seated and looking especially small in comparison... that playfully clueless expression looks a little too sincere. Like a rabbit that doesn't know it's about to be eaten.

Warm and shallow, a breath rushes out of her as his hand strokes down her back. For all that she's playing that she has nothing to do with this, she's gloriously pliant and cooperative. ]

I'm not the one misbehaving right now. [ Low and warm. Drawn out and sweet. If she shifts forward in her chair, letting him touch her more easily — surely that's not on purpose. ] You're the one who barged in.

78th ♫ | L-U-V! L-U-V! i don't really care if it's not meant to be!

FINALLY SLAMS INTO THIS

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