a secret fan.
₊˚ෆ ouri sakaguchi x childhood friend/director!gn!reader.
⤷ something i thought of while reading the manga.
recently, you’ve noticed your childhood friend, ouri, stress himself over a girl.
the two of you were sitting down at a cafe. having ordered a drink for yourself, you absentmindedly stir your straw, watching as the man in front of you panics over something so absurd. he’s been complaining about tamon a lot more than usual. you knew he disliked him, mainly for being a push over and gloomy boy, but you’re surprised it has taken over his life now. it feels almost strange seeing him like this. then again, the ouri you knew was nothing remotely close to a prince.
both your families were highly influential. his parents were a-list performers while yours were directors. it felt like the two of you were destined to meet (even if you were older than him by one year, you liked to hold this fact over his head many times). with him as an actor and you as the next up-coming movie director, it would be a match made in heaven for your families. however, what they didn’t expect was such polarizing personalities. behind the scenes, ouri was comparative to a gorilla. his strength was almost otherworldly for his size. and yet somehow, he still pulls off the prince act pretty well.
with you…. it was also a different story. you’re used to the cold stares you receive while in the studio. highly work-orientated and serious, you were as distant as the horizon itself. to many you were unapproachable. therefore, if your secret got out that you were a huge fan of f/ace… it would completely ruin your image.
despite being ouri’s friend for almost twelve-years, he still doesn’t know about your favorite hobby. you’ve kept it a secret for so long, it was almost second nature to you at this point. compared to some of his other bandmates, you’ve done a good job at hiding your b-side.
your parents are rich enough to invest in two bedrooms for you. one was your every-day one, the room that you would sleep or do homework in, while the other was more akin to a temple. the wallpapers were completely decorated with posters of ouri. some of them were so old, they were considered prized relics on the net. of course, you could never sell them. no amount of money could convince you to sell your collection. you had limited edition merch from the first day f/ace debuted. you’ve gone to every collab cafe they’ve hosted. you’ve scoured every inch of bookoff and department store that hosted any form of f/ace merchandise.
you were glad that after all these years, ouri never asked about the second bedroom on the left. anybody with a brain would be freaked out—let alone, your beloved idol, and childhood best friend.
“its infuriating,” ouri comments, angrily drinking his tea from across the table. “what does he have that i don’t?”
you bring a hand up to conceal your cocky laugh, “maybe a better personality?”
he glares back at you, lips pressed into a tight frown as you hear the grinding of his teeth. “you’re not very funny, (name),” he rolls his eyes, “why does he have such a dedicated fan? it pisses me off.”
“i think it’s cute,” you reply, “from what i hear, it sounds like she’s been a good influence on tamon. are you jealous you don’t have anyone like that?” your hand reaches forward, pinching his cheek from underneath his bucket hat, “you’re so brash and aggressive–it’s no wonder you don’t have fans like that!”
“i would never act like this in front of my fans! you’re my friend–so i don’t need to prove anything to you.”
ouri looks off to the side, almost timidly–like he is trying to hide the look on his face. “you already know who i am. besides, you're also a famous director. you know me and the industry better than anyone else. to pretend you don’t is stupid.” (his favorite word right now must be stupid).
his words make you smile.
“its cute that you act like this in front of me,” you push your chin against the palm of your hand, glancing up at him. “should i be flattered that you consider me a close friend?”
“take it as you see fit.”
“mhm," a hum escapes you. stirring your straw, you watch as the bubbles in your drink dissipate. “so, what does it mean for you to have kinoshita as a fan? does having a dedicated fan mean that much to you?” your fingers pause, “actually, i should be asking you this question instead: what does it mean for you?”
“huh?”
“you already have fans. is there something about her that you like in particular? or do you like the fact that she’s open about her love for tamon?”
ouri opens his mouth but immediately closes it right after. he’s thought about this question many times before. each time, it has come up blank. and truthfully, there wasn’t anything else to it. he didn’t have a good answer as to why he liked kinoshita so much. she was just a housekeeper, someone who could make tamon happy enough for him to perform well, there was no reason for him to get so increasingly worked up over their relationship.
perhaps what he was looking for was someone to look at him that same way. a person who could appreciate his real, authentic self, not the prince he has built himself up to be.
“i just… want a fan like her,” he replies, so awkward its uncharacteristic of him, “it’s stupid that someone like tamon has fans who care so much—and it’s not fair that its kinoshita.”
"i am a better choice." ouri answers with determination so profound, it would leave any fan gushing through their noses.
... instead of giving him a supportive response, your expression is somewhat blank and teasing, “it sounds like you’re jealous loser!”
“i am not!”
your laugh interrupts his thoughts easier than it should. it cuts through like butter and leaves him feeling helpless. when you push down his bucket hat, rubbing his hair through the rough fabric, he ignores the sting of static. for some reason, his eyes can’t help but stare at you. just like kinoshita, you were annoying—but in a strangely good way. the kind that makes his heart ache just a little.
