Title: Carnival
Author: Kitska
Character(s)|Pairing(s): Otoya, Tokiya, Haruka, Tomochika; pre-Tokiya/Otoya
Rating: PG
Warnings: Fluff?
Summary/Description: Otoya and Tokiya are at a carnival with the girls. Haruka confesses her secret to Tokiya, and the former idol comes to a conclusion about his roommate.

"Na na, Tokiya, do you think Nanami would like that puppy plushie?"

The former idol looks up from the pamphlet in his hand to see his partner pointing at a rather huge dog soft toy displayed on a shelf. The stall itself was one of those shooting games: knock down certain targets to earn a score and receive a prize equivalent to the score.

"I suppose she will like it..."

"Great! C'mon, we can each take a turn."

Shooting isn't Tokiya's thing, but Otoya seems determined to win the dog for their composer. Sighing, he follows Otoya, hands in pockets as he watches the younger teen pay for his turn.

"This should be easy enough! Watch me, Tokiya!"

Easier said than done. It turns out that the dog requires a lot of points - not surprising, considering how big it is - and Otoya finds hard to earn enough with just one round. Thankfully the games master is nice enough to allow for points accumulation, and after three rounds (Tokiya refuses to take credit for one of the rounds, even when it was a perfect score), the huge dog toy finds itself sitting on Otoya's shoulders.

"Plush toy get! Nanami will like this for sure!"

Pleased with his trophy, Otoya misses the fond smile on Tokiya's lips, and drags him to find Haruka among the crowd. She was easy to find; Tomochika's with her, and the two girls laugh upon seeing the toy perched on Otoya's shoulders.

"Ittoki-kun, thank you. You shouldn't have, really..."

"But Nanami, I thought of you when I saw this, and I had to win it for you."

"Thank you, but I don't have space in my room for it, Ittoki-kun..."

The crestfallen look on the redhead's face reminds Tokiya of a kicked puppy, comical compared to the dopey grin on the toy's features, and prompts him to make a statement.

"... I'll keep it."

"Tokiya?"

The taller boy coughs and turns away, his cheeks red from embarrassment. What compelled him to say that? It wasn't as if he need another Otoya in their room, no matter how tempting it is. Besides, the dog isn't even alive. It just has a silly grin on its face, and the rusty red fur is merely a coincidence-

"Aah, thank you, Ichinose-san. Ittoki-kun, I hope you don't mind if Ichinose-san took care of it for me?"

"Sure, I don't mind! Tokiya needs more cheer in his life anyway."

"Otoya. Don't say silly things."

"Maa, it's cool, Tokiya~"

"Ichinose-san?"

"Hm?"

Tokiya glances down at Haruka, and the dog in her arms. He can see why she declined in the first place; it is almost as big as her, and it makes her tiny frame seem all the more smaller.

"W-what do you feel about Ittoki-kun?"

The question catches him by surprise, and Tokiya looks around in case Otoya's nearby. Tomochika and Otoya had run off to play more games, leaving the two of them standing alone by the side of the stalls.

"He is a good friend, and a great singer. He inspires me to sing with heart-"

"No, no." A shake of her head. "I mean, what do you feel about Ittoki-kun?"

Tokiya opens his mouth to reply, then closes it. What exactly did he feel for his partner? Sure, Otoya can be annoying at times with his tendency to hum and sing with his headphones on, always leaving the toothpaste cap open, strumming the guitar late at night when he can't sleep, folding all the clothes for them, texting him every few minutes once lessons are over just to ask where Tokiya was and if he wanted a taiyaki or a yakisoba bun because the kitchen lady was nice enough to give him extra, buying his favourite shampoo when it ran out, smiling whenever Tokiya praised him for his singing and in turn helping Tokiya put in more passion in his own singing-

"Ichinose-san, do you like Ittoki-kun?"

Tokiya doesn't realise he was verbally listing down everything he finds endearing about Otoya until Haruka spoke up. Blushing, he coughs before answering her with a soft yes.

"Aah, that's good. I'm worried that Ittoki-kun won't have anyone looking after him..."

"Why is that so?"

"Ittoki-kun is like a puppy, don't you think? He likes affection, and I'm not sure if I can give all of mine without the others thinking I'm favouring him..."

"Ah."

"And, uhm, I don't want ST*RISH to break up just because I like one of you more than the others. It's difficult since I like all of you, so please understand?"

"Yes, I understand. Thank you, Nanami-san."

Tomochika and Otoya return with corn dogs just as the two ended their conversation, the redhead giving a confused look when Tokiya turns redder and looks away.

"Nanami, you didn't say anything embarrassing to Tokiya, did you?"

"Ah, no! We were just talking about ST*RISH's next project, and maybe duets..."

"Aha, that sounds awesome. I've always wanted a duet with Tokiya. Maybe a love song or something- Aaah Tokiya, what's wrong?"

Blaming the corn dog seems like a better idea than blaming Otoya for surprising him with his innocent confession, Tokiya thinks as he coughs, the tips of his ears turning red while Otoya rubs him on the back. A love song doesn't seem impossible, and knowing the younger male, Tokiya will make his confession sooner than he thinks.