\nRating\/Warnings<\/b>: PG-13 for what A.B.C. does in Kisumai’s dressing room anyway.
\nSummary<\/b>: Through Shounen Club, Summary, First Concert, and beyond, Shoon starts fitting in again.
\nAN<\/b>: It’s no secret that I want A.B.C. to adopt Shoon like crazy, and the more it looks like it’s happening, the more excited I get, but the more scared I get too. For snowqueenofhoth<\/a> and nihongofrancais<\/a>, and everybody else who flails with me over it. <\/p>\n
HA*RU*NA*TSU*A*KI*FU*YU (Spring*Summer*Fall*Winter)<\/b><\/p>\n
Spring<\/b><\/p>\n
Heading down the hallway with his bag on his shoulder, Shoon stopped in front of the dressing room labeled \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA.B.C.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 and paused for a moment before knocking. There was the sounds of people scuffling around, and laughter, and then a bright-eyed Goseki flung the door open. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shoon-kun!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he beamed, and over Goseki\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulder, Shoon saw three other heads bob in greeting. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I heard we were sharing. Come on in!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sorry to trouble you,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon murmured as he trailed Goseki into the room, feeling shy even though he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d known the members of A.B.C. almost as long and as well as Yabu, Hikaru, or Taiyou. He was an intruder after all, no matter how well they got along. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Especially since your dressing room is the small one.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s silly.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tottsu waved a hand dismissively at Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s apology. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We spend most of our time in Kisumai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dressing room anyway, so it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s really just a place to throw our bags down. You can put yours anywhere.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thanks.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon put down his bag in between Tottsu’s and Tsuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and glanced around. There really wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t enough space for five people in here, but then again, Shoon thought as he returned Tsuka and Kawai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good mornings, it was nice to be welcome. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Speaking of Kisumai,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai said, sitting in a straddle on one of the arms of the small, battered couch, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going over as soon as Tsuka gets his slow ass in gear.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You try being in two units!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka protested, digging around in his back with no success. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I have twice as much stuff as anybody else! And the only person to help me figure out which half goes with what unit is Senga!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You might as well be naked,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Goseki agreed sagely, sitting down on the cushion next to Kawai. It took all of ten seconds for Kawai to slip off the arm in the fakest accident ever and crush Goseki into the couch, Goseki giggling and flailing weakly.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hey,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tottsu leaned over when Shoon started changing, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153we sort of match!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Shoon looked from the old red costume he was holding to Tottsu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s newish red one and laughed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We do!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
Tsuka took a look at everybody else\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s costumes, then cursed and dug around in his bag harder. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ne, Shoon-kun,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai called from the couch, ignoring the Goseki\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pleas that he was suffocating, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153you should join our unit! Nobody would notice.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oi!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tottsu reached over to slap the back of Kawai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s head, knocking him off Goseki. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a terrible thing to say!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean it like that!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai winced when his brain caught up with his mouth. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sorry, Shoon-kun, I just meant\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be fun,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon agreed, tugging his shirt over his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I could do acrobatics more often, like I used to.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153We should ask Nakamaru-kun about it!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tottsu agreed, starting to look a touch excited. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s always room for things like that in the medleys, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d let us work it in sooner or later. Do you really want to, Shoon-kun?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Maa\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon blinked, taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm for what he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d meant as a joke. He squirmed when he realized that four pairs of eyes were glued to him. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d want to\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d really like that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Shoon couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t help but grin at the excited cheer that went up around him, and then he turned to fiddle around in his own bag to swallow the sudden lump in his throat. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153All right, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s go!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai hopped off the couch, dragging Goseki along with him and snagging Tottsu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arm on the way by. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll go talk to Nakamaru-kun, and then meet you in Kisumai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dressing room, okay, Tsuka? Shoon-kun, you come too!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Yeah, yeah,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka assured. The door swung shut, and the room was suddenly quiet as Shoon and Tsuka both finished dressing. After a minute, Tsuka asked, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shoon-kun? Is it really okay?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Hm?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon asked, zipping up his bag, not trusting his voice to be entirely even yet. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pretending you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re part of our group,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka explained, and Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s cheeks turned a bit pink as he realized that maybe he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been as subtle as he thought. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Kawai and Tottsu get carried away sometimes. I mean, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be fun, but I know we couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t ever replace\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon cut Tsuka off, smiling to soften the interruption. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153That wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it at all, I just\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6I forgot how nice it felt to do something as a unit, even if it is just pretend. To be wanted.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153That part\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not pretend,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka assured, and Shoon colored even darker. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You miss them?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka gave Shoon a sympathetic smile when Shoon nodded. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We do too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Thanks.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon had to swallow again, but he tried to laugh it off. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What I really<\/i> miss is our old dressing room!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll miss it even more after Kawai takes off his socks,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka laughed, slinging an arm around Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulders and pushing him out the door to join the others. <\/p>\n
Summer<\/b><\/p>\n
Shoon laughed when he showed up to the first Summary rehearsal and found that someone had added \u00e2\u20ac\u0153+Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in metallic purple marker to the bottom of the A.B.C. dressing room sign, laughed deeper than he could remember doing in quite a while, laughed so hard that it hurt when he pushed the door open and found a sleep-befuddled Goseki with a metallic purple mustache.<\/p>\n
This time their costumes matched for real, and they had their own song, and Shoon, who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d known better than to get his hopes up since he was younger than his brother, spent a lot of time reminding himself that it was all pretend. <\/p>\n
Not that pretend couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
And it was a lot of fun, practicing back flips with Tsuka, sneaking into Kisumai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dressing room with Kawai to switch the contents of everyone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bags, squishing in between Goseki and Tottsu on the tiny couch for catnaps before lunch break ended. <\/p>\n
It was embarrassing to be in the middle of the group all the time, like he was the special guest star or something, even if they all knew it was just for symmetry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s sake. But Tottsu just accused Shoon of having the biggest cube to twirl because he was overcompensating, while Kawai cheerfully told all the tiniest juniors to ask Goseki what that meant, until Taiga threatened to tell Koyama on him. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll make Koyama-kun sad,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Taiga insisted with a steely gaze, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153and then Yamashita-kun will beat you up,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face was so red from laughing that he didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any blood left to blush with anyhow. <\/p>\n
It was nice to be asked where people were and to know the answer, and it was nice to be found and be told that somebody had known where he was. It was nice to forget that it was all pretend for a few seconds when Tottsu left the \u00e2\u20ac\u201ckun off Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s name and Goseki treated him at dinner and Kawai accused Shoon of usurping his position as baby.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like paying!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka scolded Kawai, and then he wrapped arms protectively around Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulders. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Besides, Shoon is cuter!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Shoon had a split-second to try and scramble away as Kawai made a face of mortal outrage, but Tsuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s grip was too tight and Tottsu had already grabbed him from the other side. Kawai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s pounce sent them tumbling backwards to the couch, where an unfortunate Goseki was trying to catch a nap. The couch was definitely too small for that sort of abuse, and the next time Reon got a good look at Shoon in the bath, he asked Shoon very seriously if somebody was hurting him. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You look happy,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Yabu commented. It was over dinner, at a ramen place where whoever wanted to gathered after late shows, a ragtag mix of HeyBCKismyBAD, whoever was hungry and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have an early curfew. <\/p>\n
It was another thing that Shoon loved about Summary, that Takaki and Akito were teaching Hikaru pornographic Kansaiben in one corner, Fujigaya and Kawai were wheedling Goseki into paying for them in another, and further away Junta and Kitayama were trying to hard to pretend that they hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come here with any of these freaks. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I am,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon agreed, popping a gyoza in his mouth. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Summary has the best atmosphere, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153No,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Yabu shook his head, and he shrugged a shoulder towards Kawai and Goseki. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I mean, you look happy with them. Like you used to.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like that, Yabu.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon stared into his ramen, suddenly realizing how many days of August had already slipped by without him noticing. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just for now.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153What if it weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Yabu pressed, and Shoon bit down a hurt response that it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t fair for Yabu to ask him things like that, not him. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Would you want to?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do any good to talk about things like that,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon answered, voice low so that it would stay even. He\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been ignoring the hope warming his chest all summer just fine until Yabu started talking about it. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Summer just makes us all get a little carried away, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all. But then summer ends and we all go back to normal. We\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had plenty of summers like this, you of all people ought to be used to it.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be like that.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Yabu punched Shoon in the shoulder, and Shoon looked up in surprise. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s okay for you to be happy, you know. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s okay to hope it lasts. This isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t some stupid Tackey & Tsubasa song about summer love.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Yabu wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t humoring him or teasing him, Shoon realized. He wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t being childish at all. Shoon was the one being childish, too afraid to put his heart into enjoying what he had while he had it. Pretending was a lot easier. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153I just want you to be happy, is all,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Yabu said. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You said it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s good for me to be happy in my unit, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what idiot would say it wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t good for you to be too.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Who made you so adult, anyway,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon grumbled, surprised and pleased, and familiar enough with Yabu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s smirk to know that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been seen through. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You want to be so grown-up, you can treat me, Yabu-senpai.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Well,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Yabu picked up the check with a flourish, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I did debut first, after all.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oi!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon and Yabu looked up to find Kawai looming over them, arms crossed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are you bullying my kouhai there?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You ought to keep better track of him,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Yabu drawled, leaning back in his chair to raise an eyebrow at Kawai. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He gets lost a lot. And who the hell has been bruising him all up in your<\/i> dressing room?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153He spends a lot of time in Kisumai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s dressing room, you should ask them,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai answered, suddenly much more interested in stealing some of their gyoza. <\/p>\n
Later, a bunch of them went out to karaoke and made fools of themselves singing senpai songs and forcing Yabu and Hikaru to sing Chinen\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s parts in their own singles until Takaki begged them to stop, please<\/i>.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153God, you sound worse than he<\/i> does these days!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he groaned. <\/p>\n
Shoon was sleepy and full and didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mind passing his turn to others who were somehow more energetic at this hour, and found himself dozing a little. He stirred when he was moved into a more comfortable position, and opened his eyes just far enough to realize that his head was pillowed on Goseki\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lap. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Gocchi?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d he asked, and Goseki hummed vaguely and blinked down at Shoon with eyes glazed from exhaustion and alcohol. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I want to stay. Not for pretend.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
No one was paying any attention to them, an Arashi song blaring out of the machine, but Goseki grinned, and Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chest felt lighter than it had all summer. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Me too, Shoon.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Goseki ran a soothing hand through Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hair, making Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s eyes flutter shut, and as he fell asleep, Shoon only worried a little about whether he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d wake up with a metallic purple mustache. <\/p>\n
Fall<\/b><\/p>\n
The sign on the dressing room door read \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A.B.C. + Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in print, not in marker, and for a moment, Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s breath caught in his throat. <\/p>\n
He shook it off to push the door open and shuffled inside to greet the others, losing himself in the bustle of rehearsal and staging and general insanity that ensued anytime you had more than three juniors doing something at once. But the feeling came back in sharp spikes every time he checked his phone and found more mails congratulating him. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re you getting all those love mails from?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai wanted to know, draping himself over Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulder to sneak a look, heedless of the way they were both dripping sweat. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Goseki,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon answered easily, slipping his phone back into his pocket, and snickered when Kawai sprang off him to make the saddest face in the whole world and demanded to know why Gocchi didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t love him anymore.<\/p>\n
Yokohama was huge and bright and loud, and just before the stage lights came up to blind him, the sea of glo-sticks waving in time took Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s breath away. He hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t thought it would be that<\/i> much different from Summary or any of the other eight million things he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d backdanced for, but it was, different enough that it made his stomach roll when he heard his name over the loud-speaker and the burst of noise from the crowd in response. <\/p>\n
He must have looked shell-shocked during their first costume change, because Tsuka nudged his shoulder and asked if he was all right.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon nodded, then changed his mind and shook his head with a shaky smile. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s crazy! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too much!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It really is,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Tsuka agreed right away, and when he had his pants the whole way up, he hugged Shoon quick and tight, their chests stuck together with stage-sweat. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve backed so many concerts, but this isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the same at all, is it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Shoon hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t realized he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d been shaking until Tsuka\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hug made it stop. When he turned to find Tottsu looking like he might be sick at any moment, Shoon passed the hug on, and Tottsu clung to him in relief for the few seconds they had to spare. <\/p>\n
It seemed to release some sort of pressure that had been building up inside Shoon, and after that he lost count of how many hugs he gave and received. It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take long for the hugs to spread from unit to unit, Senga grabbing Shoon in relief when they found his lost skate, and Fujigaya getting him in the wings after an impromptu switch of a malfunctioning mic saved Fujigaya from only serenading the front row during a solo. <\/p>\n
There were other touches too, high-fives and punches and arms on shoulders and clasped hands and headlocks, but it was the hugs Shoon would remember most of all later, the feel of someone\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heart pounding just as hard as his, being squeezed back just as tightly as he could squeeze. <\/p>\n
Please<\/i>, Shoon begged silently at the end of the first night, when he was crushed in a group hug between Kawai and Tsuka, Goseki\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hand tight on his waist and Tottsu\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s breath in his hair, too far past words to even know what he asking for. Please, please, please, please\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/i><\/p>\n
Winter<\/b><\/p>\n
The sign on the dressing room just reads \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A.B.C.,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and Shoon lets out a sad sigh in the empty hallway, because things are back to normal, it looks like. <\/p>\n
And then he stands there for a few moments longer, gathering himself to be the invader of the dressing room once again. He stands there so long that he nearly catches the door in the face when it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s flung open. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Agh!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai exclaims, clutching at his chest. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t do that! What are you just standing out here for?!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sorry!\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon pastes on his usual smile and adjusts the strap of his bag on his shoulder. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Looks like I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be the imposter in your dressing room again.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Eh?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai tilts his head. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What are you talking about?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153The sign just says\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon trails off, and his face flushes crimson as he realizes that he hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even checked the dressing room assignments properly, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d just assumed. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Oh! I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m really sorry! I must not even be in your\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
Kawai looks from Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s face to the door in utter confusion, and then suddenly his expression clears in understanding. He reaches to grab Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulder, to stop him from turning away, still blathering apologies. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Shoon,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai says gently, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t they tell you? This is your dressing room.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153But, I\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Shoon frowns at Kawai. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It says \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcA.B.C.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 right on the door, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai asks, trying and failing to hold back a grin. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I mean, I know we aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t in here a lot, but\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n
Shoon looks from the door to Kawai, and back again, and finally it all sinks in, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s smiling so hard it hurts and dropping his bag to the ground so he can grab Kawai in a bruising hug. Kawai is still talking, but Shoon doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand a word of it, because his heart is pounding in his ears, and then there are other arms and bodies squashed up against his back and sides.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Welcome back, Shoon,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Goseki murmurs somewhere over Shoon\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shoulder, Tsuka and Tottsu echoing it on either side, and Shoon hides his face in Kawai\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s shirt so nobody can see that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s tearing up like a trainee. <\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You really are the baby,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Kawai says, trying for disgruntled and only coming up with affectionate, and Shoon squeezes him until Kawai doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have any more breath to speak than he does.<\/p>\n
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