My Crown: Reimagined [IDOLiSH7 Fanfiction]

11: My Brother

"Hello?"

Tenn perked up when he heard the familiar voice on his phone. In the end, Gaku gave Riku's phone number to him. When he was done with work that day, he didn't wait to give his little brother a call. "It's me, Riku."

"Tenn-nii?! The real one?"

Tenn chuckled. How very Riku to respond that way. "Silly boy, do you think I'm a ghost?" He leaned on the armchair of his sofa in Gaku's apartment, getting comfortable. Gaku was in the kitchenette, pretending not to care when he was actually keeping a close eye on Tenn.

"I've never met a ghost who sounds like you." There was a bit of a pause on the other side. "So what can I do for you, Tenn-nii?"

Tenn's heart sank. He was wrong to think he was prepared to face his little sunshine, who'd lost his light. It hurt to not hear things like 'I miss you!' from someone who'd been apart for years. "I was thinking it'd be nice if we could meet up somewhere."

"Mhmm sure."

That answer was shorter than expected. The centre tried to tell himself to get used to leading the conversation. When they were little, Riku used to bombard Tenn with thousands of questions. Given how much time the redhead spent reading books in the hospital, it was natural for him to be curious about the fantasies written in them. "Let's meet at that cosy cafe. Starbooks, I think?" Tenn believed he chose the best place for this reunion: a cafe selling creamy coffee that had lots of bookshelves and offered private corners. "Next week, late night. How does that sound?"

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Finally, it was time for the fateful meeting of the twins. Riku appeared at the designated place at late night as instructed. There, Tenn was already getting comfortable in one of the least crowded corners of the cafe.

Riku ordered hot strawberry cocoa, just like Tenn. They'd never sleep after a shot of espresso this late at night. The redhead sank into a large armchair directly opposite to his twin brother. "It really is Tenn-nii," spoke Riku.

Tenn couldn't tell if the boy was happy or surprised. He was charmed by the adorable person in front of him nonetheless. "Feeling better, Riku?" He chose to remain calm and composed, even though he wanted to give that boy a tight hug badly.

Riku nodded. "I'm sorry." Looks like he wanted to get right to the point. "At Music Festa, I didn't mean to make you sad, Tenn-nii."

Tenn observed Riku closely: blank eyes, monotonous voice. How it pained him so. How he hated that Gaku was right. Anyway, he chose to smile at his little sunshine. "I'm sorry too for slapping you."

Riku shook his head in return. He wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. "So what did Tenn-nii want to talk about?"

*Stab.* That again. Why was it so difficult to get a conversation going with someone who used to be inseparable? What happened when they were apart? Where did his sweet boy disappear to? "It's been so long, Riku. Just wanted to know how you're doing and all that."

"I'm an idol now." Riku stared at Tenn's face. Maybe he, too, was drawn by that angelic beauty. "Like you, but at the same time, not quite."

"Oh?"

"You have a modern-day angel image to uphold. Still, you manage to connect with the fans who love you." Riku explained, thinking of the collaboration concert he saw. "Me? I'm just me. An idol who sings for his fans, and that's it. I have nothing else to offer. No life, no secrets. Only my songs." Riku smiled a little, not that he knew why. "You're their angelic friend, but I am their god."