[Team 1] Let's aim for the stars

[kira-shadow.livejournal.com]

I wrote this fic and only when I reached the last line did I notice that "let's reach for the stars" would be "hoshi wo mezashite" in Japanese. ._.



Well, Abe figured, things could be a lot worse. It was probably the most luxurious problem to feel a little odd to have a normal daily routine again. Get up in the morning, go to university, sit through class, eat lunch and do some homework, attend more classes and then go home to have dinner with his family. After more than 9 straight months of work, going back to just being a normal university student felt a little strange.

Also, after 9 months of being with his group for almost every day - and sometimes even 24 hours a day - it felt a little strange to not see any of them for a couple of days.

But of course Snow Man being Snow Man, they had already planned to get together again pretty soon. Meaning: tonight. Also there had been talk about going on another trip together - somewhere further than just an amusement park this time around - but Abe wondered whether or not it wouldn’t just end up as being another sleepover at Iwamoto’s or Sakuma’s place. Tonight’s sleepover would be at Watanabe’s house, for the record.

He laughed softly at the memories. The Snow Man sleepovers were always fun. Tackey had of course eyed them weirdly when they had told him about doing things like that - more than once even. It was probably very weird for people from the same group - needless to say, the whole group - to be this close.

Kyomoto-san had joked about how Johnny-san should just bring back the dorm model.

Spending a month in Hakata with everyone under the same roof had felt a little bit like living in a student dorm together, Abe mused. Just a tiny bit more luxurious and well, everyone had had a room to themselves. Except for Watanabe. At least sometimes. Depending on who had found their way into the second bed in his room that night.

“Abe-chan? Abe-chan where are you? I thought you said you were right here?” a voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Sakuma was right in front of him but the shorter male was looking around and frowning. He looked like he was searching.

“I’m right here!” Abe whined. “Over here! Right in front of you?”

Sakuma blinked, “I hear a voice! It sounds like Abe! But I don’t see him anywhere? Do you?”

Another familiar face appeared behind Sakuma. Iwamoto squinted and then craned his neck to look over Sakuma’s head and the heads of some people around them. “I heard him, too but I can’t seem to find him either.”

“Guys! I’m right here! I’m not invisible! This is supposed to be something you do on stage and not in private!” Abe whined and then tugged on their shirts. “I’m here!!”

The other two pretended to look surprised, “Woah! Where did you suddenly pop out from?”

“Guys!!!” Abe whined again.

Kyomoto-san had started the whole thing, pretending not to see Abe and saying the other didn’t have a presence so he was quasi-invisible. Then he’d said on the radio how Abe becoming the invisible guy in the group would be funny and it would give him a presence by having no presence. Or something like that. Of course it was true - he was getting all the attention by not getting the attention so to speak. It was a bit like in one of the manga that Iwamoto and Sakuma had lent him a while back. Something about basketball.

For the others to do it in private as well though…

Well, it was typical for their group maybe. Sometimes the borderline between stage and private life blurred a little bit because they were who they were.

“Okay, so Fukka said he might be a bit late because his train stopped. I checked and there was an accident on his line just now but it should be running again soon. Other than that, we’re just missing Miya-chan and Shota,” Abe announced and put his phone back into his pocket. “Did we figure out where we’re going tonight?”

Iwamoto nodded, “I booked a space in an izakaya close to the station for today’s Snow Man Meeting. It’s under ‘Sumano’, though. The waitress repeated it back to me.”

Sakuma and Abe both snickered at that. It had become a running gag since Kabuki. A woman from the audience had mis-read their group name and it had become a popular joke with Kyomoto-san and Tackey as well as the Snow Man themselves.

“Ah, I see Ryota. He’s got Shota with him,” Sakuma said.

“Right, Miya-chan lives close to Shota, doesn’t he?” Abe smiled and lifted an arm to wave their friends over. Miyadate was riding his bike and Watanabe was sitting behind him with his arms wrapped securely around the other male.

When Miyadate came to a stop right in front of them, Iwamoto grinned and greeted his best friend, “Is that how you guys went to school?”

“Sometimes,” Watanabe got off the bike and stretched. “I should get a cushion for this thing again. I forget how much it hurts when you sit on it for too long.”

“I’m sure someone can give you a massage later,” Sakuma laughed.

“Maybe I should just use you as a pillow next time, Watanabe retorted.

Sakuma stuck out his tongue, “Try Fukka. I heard his butt is an awesome pillow.”

“Speaking of,” Miyadate looked around. “Where is Fukka?”

“He’ll be a bit late. You can go and park your bicycle if you want? He’ll be a while still,” Abe offered. “If you want you guys can go ahead and sit down already. I’ll wait for him.”

“We should be fine if we have a reservation?” Iwamoto said but then looked around as the station area got busier as the evening rush-hour approached.

Watanabe stretched, “Tell us what you want to order and we’ll have things ready to go once you two arrive. We’ll go ahead once Ryota parks his bike.”

“Will do. I’ll be right back then,” Miyadate went to find a spot where he could lock his bike. Once he was back, the group of four made their way to the izakaya and were led to the table that had been reserved for them. Sakuma told the waitress the orders of the missing two before the rest of them placed their orders as well.

Just as planned, the food had just arrived when Fukazawa and Abe finally arrived.

“You make your entrance at the perfect time, always,” Sakuma joked.

Fukazawa struck a pose and then went to sit down, “Not my fault!”

“Sit down, sit down. We’re hungry. And thirsty,” Watanabe waved them over. Once everyone was seated and had a drink in front of them, He lifted his glass. “Well then, as the host of today’s Snow Man Meeting and sleepover, I thank you for coming all the way out here. Let’s definitely go on a trip together this time that does not just include an amusement park. With too many roller-coasters and haunted houses and-” He sighed, “Anyway, KANPAI!”

“Kanpai!” the other’s laughed and echoed and they clinked their glasses together.

Abe smiled and watched as the party got started for real. There was a lot of laughter but they were also talking about more serious things. It was a colorful mix, as usual.

After they had had their food and drink, they made their way to the Watanabe residence. The other’s family was away, so they were able to lay out all the futons in the living room. It was a bit like they were on a school trip. The veranda door was open a little to let in the thankfully still cool-ish night air. A chime provided a little noise as they sat in a circle with their old game consoles, battling it out in the Pokémon arena.

With Snow Man, if one person really got into something, everyone else was likely to get into it sooner or later as well. Right now, playing old Pokémon games was their thing.

Once everyone was tired out - it was probably way past midnight at this point, nobody really wanted to check the clock - they laid down on the futons.

“So, Abe-chan, where do you think the Snow Man trip should go to?” Iwamoto asked into the silence and glanced over at the other tall male.

Abe hummed, “Kyoto sounded nice. But Okinawa would be awesome, too. If it’s too hot though, Hokkaido is a good choice as well.”

“So many places! Pick one!” Sakuma laughed.

Smiling, Abe looked up at the ceiling and lifted his hand, “Actually, there is one place I want to go with you all.” His smile brightened and he closed his fingers to make a fist. “I want us all to run towards that place together and reach for the stars.”

“Aw, now Abecchi’s getting all cheesy!” Watanabe cooed but he was smiling fondly.

Miyadate didn’t say anything and just lifted his own fist as well and bumped it against Abe’s. Once the others saw that gesture, they followed suit, until their fists formed a little circle.

“Let’s do it, all of us together. Let’s aim for the stars.”



You're up mousapelli-senpai!! ♥