A/N: Hey lovely ppl! This chapter is longer than usual just letting you know. Enjoy!

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A week after IDOLiSH6 was notified about the new idol, Iori was stressed. After the success of the IDOLiSH6 live concert, they began to receive more jobs and became busier. It would have been fine if Iori was not worried about the unknown rival, or rather, 'the enemy', joining Takanashi Productions.

"I don't have a lead on them at all." Iori was in his room at his desk after today's work, thinking hard and talking to himself. "Manager hasn't got a single clue. The practice room at the agency seems to be used only by I6. Since he promised his group mates he would not talk to the president, he decided to investigate 'a little' on his own.

Otoharu and Banri could appear quite laidback, but they actually were experienced and cautious. By now, they had a new place ready for Riku to move into. The house was a little old but spacious enough to have a separate recording and practice room. To avoid any suspicions from people like Iori and Tenn, Riku chose to remain living at his apartment until he made a proper appearance in the public. He only went to his new house for work.

Iori was even more worried when he found out from Momo and Yuki that Riku had quit his job at the theme cafe. He had so many questions. When he finally had some time off, Riku said he was busy. Riku did not lie when he said he was busy. He had to practice, memorise the lyrics and dances to his new songs and recall the routines of Kujou Riku's songs. Otoharu told the boy he would start working on getting the licence for those songs after Nanase Riku's debut since Riku wanted them. It was a lot of work for the young boy, but he felt strangely good, like his life clock started ticking again.

Just what have you been doing, Kujou-san? Iori could not understand why it was so hard to meet this hopeless guy when he quit the job. If Iori had to be honest, he was more hurt than worried. He would always ask about Riku's wellbeing and whenever Riku had problems, he would listen. Well, look at him now, wanting to talk about his issues, Riku was nowhere to be seen.

The rest of I6 could see that Iori's mind was not on their jobs at all for the past few days. He did not mess up, but he seemed to be... lifeless. Unmotivated. Yesterday, Mitsuki was ready to confront Iori when Yamato intervened. "Maybe Ichi hasn't been getting enough rest. We have our afternoon off tomorrow. Let's see how things go," he said.

So when the day came, Iori sat on a chair in his room, hugging an Usamimi Friends plush. He was exhausted, frustrated, and restless. He had enough of feeling out of control, so he grabbed his phone, and without really thinking much, he spammed some texts to Riku.

Iori: Kujou-san, where are you?

Iori: Listen, we need to talk. Face to face.

Iori: Are you hiding something from me?

Iori: You're being mean, selfish, and unfair. Talk to me.

~~

Riku was practising in his new house, fully focused on pulling off difficult dance moves. He spun to the right, landing with his left leg off to the side then immediately turned to the left and mirrored the landing move just now. He had only one beat before it was time for a jumping move.

"WAH! *thump!*" After that jump, Riku was supposed to land on his feet and continue singing, but his tiredness made him stumble and fall hard on his bum. "Huff huff"

"Riku-kun!" Banri opened the door and rushed in with an oxygen bottle. He was not supervising Riku all the time as it could make the boy uncomfortable. Still, he was in the living area right outside. "Mou! You've overworked yourself again." The manager looked at his idol worriedly. Riku had been messing up a lot during practice. "Your body needs time to adjust. Don't rush things. You don't have to perfect these dances in a day." Banri gave Riku a stern look so Riku could understand he was not satisfied.

"I'm *cough* I-I'm sorry." Riku seemed a little scared. The redhead avoided eye contact with his manager. "I won't make a mistake next time." He could hardly finish his sentence before having to cover his face with a mask and sucking in oxygen.

"*sigh* That's not the point." Banri loosened up before ruffling Riku's head. "It's good to be determined to work towards your ultimate goal, but not if you hurt yourself to achieve it"

Riku leaned his back against the wall. "Manager-sa...ah...I mean, Manager, I don't understand you." The boy's words baffled Banri quite a bit. "Why do you not punish me when I mess up?"

"Because I can see you always put 100% effort into your practices, and that you're stressed" Banri looked Riku in the eye. "We are now working together. I want you to learn to adjust to this new life while I also learn more about you, Riku-kun. I'm not saying your father's methods weren't working; they certainly were. Still, from what I can see, they have been causing you a lot of pain and trauma, which I don't agree with."

Riku shook his head. His breathing seemed to have become more steady. "What's on your mind, Riku-kun?" Banri asked, confused why Riku responded in such a way.

"I wonder if I really deserve this 'kindness'." Riku asked. As usual, his eyes remained blank. "I mean, father has already made me a doll..." The way Riku described himself made Banri flinch. "Now, I know my emotions more, yet...um, like," Riku struggled to explain things. "Wouldn't your 'kindness' be wasted on me since I can't, um, what's that called? Ah- 'Appreciate' it as much as others do?"

Banri now smiled. The boy in front of him was simply so pure and innocent. "Sure, we all love 'appreciation'. We love it when people return this 'kindness' after we share it. Not receiving it in return can be discouraging. That being said, the method of returning this 'kindness' doesn't always need to be direct. In Riku-kun's case, I'd say how you evolve on stage will make me as a manager so proud that I feel I got something back. The fact that you are asking about this now shows that you are considerate, which is already an 'appreciation' of some kind."

"You deserve to be treated well just like any other, Riku-kun. Now, I suggest you take the rest of today off and rest."

Riku nodded before standing up, ready to pack his things. Before he did, he turned to his manager. "Manager, um, thank you."

~~

Riku had not checked his phone until he went back to his apartment. His eyes widened when he saw several texts from Iori. Worry filled his heart for a minute before it disappeared. He decided to give Iori a call. It did not take long at all for the high school student to pick it up.

"Iori" Riku started. "Why did you text me so much?"

Oh boy. Riku meant to say 'what's wrong' but he was terrible at finding the right thing to say.

"Can we meet?" Iori neglected that and just got to the point. He did not want to say he was desperate, though perhaps he was.

"Yes. Where does Iori want to go?" Riku responded with a neutral tone, not catching on to Iori's troubling mind.

"In front of the dome," which was where the I6 concert was held last time. Iori hung up right after that.

~~

The redhead saw a familiar figure wearing a huge grey scarf covering half of his face and a thick plain coat standing in front of the concert dome. The cold season was not over. In fact, it was the coldest time of the year.

Riku wore his hair extension but not his black contact lenses. He was also wearing a thick scarf, but it was one with red and dark blue stripes. An oversized beanie covered almost his whole head.

"Iori" Riku approached the younger boy and simply said his name. His mind expected Iori to say why they were meeting now. Iori had a different idea, though. His grey eyes were colder than usual.

"Have you got nothing to say, Kujou-san?" The boy asked with a cold tone, angry that there was no 'how are you', 'are you alright?' or 'what did you want to talk about' from the redhead. Right now, Riku was tilting his head in confusion. "What?" he said.

Iori gave the hopeless guy the coldest stare he could muster which probably affected Riku at least a little. "Um... is Iori perhaps hungry?" The redhead reached his gloved hand into a fluffy coat pocket and found a piece of wrapped dark chocolate. He handed it to Iori. Riku himself usually carried around random snacks, yet he felt a strange sense of peace if he picked something that Iori liked.

Iori did not budge. "No?" Riku blinked twice and put the chocolate back where it was. While Riku was trying to ask another question, he saw something he did not want to see from Iori.

"E-Eh? Why is Iori crying?" Riku raised his left hand to try to touch Iori's face but was stopped by Iori grabbing it and pushing it down.

"Why can't you take a clue?" Iori bit his lip. "I needed you."

There it was again, a brief sensation of worry in Riku's heart. "I-I don't understand." How many times had the boy said that sentence to the people around him?

"You're cold," Iori sobbed so he stopped periodically between sentences. "I've been trying to see you, or even find just a moment to talk to you on the phone. You've never asked about my wellbeing." Iori did not raise his voice because what he felt was not anger.

"Is it so hard to say 'how are you'?"

Iori was hurt.

No matter how hard Riku tried, he could not understand what Iori was trying to say to him. Why is 'how are you' so important? Is it not just a question people ask to be polite?

Sometimes, Riku's mind and heart were conflicted. As he watched Iori, small waves of anxiety kept rising and disappearing, playing with Riku's head. He felt so uncomfortable that his heart could burst. Trembling hands told him he was about to lose his control.

"Please don't cry," spoke Riku with his shaky voice. "Is Iori sick? How can I make Iori happy?"

Iori stayed silent. His eyes were looking at the ground. The waves of anxiety were no longer so small for Riku. They came and they chose to stay, building up inside the little boy's frail body. "I-I don't know how I can make Iori happy. I-"

Not knowing what he should do, the redhead put a hand on his chest. I-I feel...

This sensation came when Riku was pushed to the corner, with that corner being his mental limit. He felt he was about to cry. Riku was not sure what it was, but since Iori, who was always calm and collected, let his tear drop like that... Riku thought maybe Iori was feeling the same thing as him.

Riku tried to think about what past events had made him feel this way. It was like earlier. I messed up and I thought manager was going to punish me...

I feel...

"Is Iori... stressed?"

Iori looked up, which was when Riku assumed he was right. So on to the next question. "Is life... hard?"

Teardrops started to flow. Before long, Iori's head was buried in Riku's shoulder and his own shoulders began to shake. He was saying so many things Riku could not catch including "*sob* Kujou-san, you Baka." Riku hesitantly placed his hand on Iori's back and began to move it up and down, imitating the way Iori used to do it to him whenever he had a mental breakdown. "It will be okay," Riku whispered. "Iori is going to be fine."

Strangely, Riku felt calmer trying to comfort his boyfriend.

~~

Riku led Iori, who had calmed down enough, to a cafe selling warm desserts nearby. It was known for its fluffy hot pancake served with a generous amount of sauces and toppings. It was pretty busy but the solo idol knew the trick. He had never been here, but according to social media, there was a table with a rounded sofa in one corner of the shop that seemed the most private. Apparently, it was perfect for a couple.

The waitress greeted the two at the table and gave them one large menu to share. Once she left, Riku took the menu and opened it. He noticed Iori was sitting quite far away so he turned to face the boy. 'Why don't you shuffle closer?' was what Riku wanted to say. The older boy shook his head internally before moving closer to Iori himself. Their shoulders were now touching.

Iori had never thought of Riku as being inconsiderate. He could imagine how hard it would be for a human to decide on appropriate actions for delicate matters if they did not have feelings. Still, he felt Riku had been with him long enough to at least start letting the emotions that were trying to resurface out more, so the redhead could start living.

At this moment, Iori blushed. For once, Riku felt like an ordinary human to him. The older boy was pointing at the pancake topping menu to say he thought he liked strawberries so he wanted them and Iori was free to pick whatever he wanted. In the past, Iori noticed Riku would go with whatever 'typical' food that the restaurant had. Riku never had a favourite colour, a favourite dish, a list of places he wanted to go to or anything like that. One time when the two of them were with Tenn, Iori had asked Riku about what he liked when he was still with his parents. Riku could not recall when Tenn answered, 'heroes and Omurice' within half a second.

Iori could not help viewing Riku's life as empty as his blank red eyes. The high school boy wanted to return a smile to Riku's face. The problem was, when he himself was in a vulnerable state like this, he could not protect, let alone change, Riku. Right now, he felt more at ease seeing Riku act this way. Riku was warm. If Iori was not so stressed and in public, he probably would have let himself relax and lean on Riku's shoulder.

When the pancake arrived, Riku did not reach for his cutlery. Surprised by Riku's action, Iori turned to face the older man and their eyes met. "Iori needs to talk, right?" Riku asked because Iori always made him talk when he felt terrible.

"Work's been hard lately. Not to mention we've got troubling news." Iori sighed. "Before I talk about that though, I need to clarify something first." Riku waited so Iori continued. "I feel like you've been avoiding me."

"That's not true." Riku shook his head. "I've been busy."

"Don't lie, Kujou-san." Iori refused to accept such a stupid and thoughtless answer. "Yuki-san told me you quit your job. Now, tell me what you are hiding."

"I'm not-" The boy was terrible at lying. Good thing he came prepared. He had been in the entertainment business long enough to know that someone could confront him about anything at any time. "-but I am hiding something, yes."

Iori's eyes widened in surprise.

"I'm not Kujou Riku anymore." Riku chose not to lie. He simply said half the truth. "I changed my name back to Nanase... and so I have a lot of paperwork to do." Iori immediately asked about Riku's health condition once he had heard the 'a lot of work' line. Riku admitted he had not been too well. What he did not tell was that it was actually from pushing himself over the limit during practice. "Can Iori tell me about work now?" Riku was genuinely worried about Iori. After all, he cared a lot about Iori's happiness. That question was not meant to distract the younger boy, even though it did.

Iori wasted no time describing how frustrating it was for the agency to suddenly scout another idol. It was not even clear if the idol(s) joining was a solo or a group. Judging from what Tsumugi had said, I6 assumed the agency scouted a solo idol.

Riku listened quietly to every word while looking at Iori's stern face from time to time. He should have been sad that Iori did not support the idea of the idol, well, him, joining the agency. Then again, Riku was used to being disliked or hated by other idols. Right now, Riku enjoyed seeing how dedicated the boy was to his job. It made him smile a little.

Noticing Riku's strange reaction, Iori stopped ranting. "Did you just smile?" Iori frowned hard when that smile did not disappear. "Riku... you are smiling. I am serious!!"

"Iori is so cute though."

"Fwah?!?" Iori blushed. He was caught off guard. Trying hard to regain his composure, he went back to the topic "Kujou-san this-"

"Same or different agencies," Riku cut Iori off and began to eat the pancake in front of him. "In or out of show business, there are always enemies." It took Iori a whole minute to catch on that Riku was now responding to his work situation. Seriously, he could not keep up with this guy's changes in emotions. "Enemies are bad, but they can also make you stronger..." Riku trailed off a little, the grip on the fork tightened. "...even if they hurt you."

Once Iori realised that Riku was referring to his father, he dropped the topic completely. He felt much better talking about this to his boyfriend anyway. There was no need for Riku to relive his pain. The two ate the hot pancake covered with dark chocolate sauce and strawberries in silence.

Father was not all bad, Iori. Thought Riku. So I'm not all bad too.

Iori will change his mind. He will move to my songs and he will be happy to have me as an 'enemy'.

Eyes on me, Iori. I accept your challenge.

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I hope that was enough IoRiku fluff? This chap was basically main character focused next chap will be more about how things around them progress. I didn't think this story would be this long but 'the ending is near' still stands. I just don't want to make a mistake and suddenly drop the ending bit like i did with my first fic. I want it to flow properly.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for your support always! <3