#the event was so freaking good

Summary: Airi chuckled and nodded. “I always used to catch you practicing late.” Her voice was soft, as if it was a fond memory. “Some things never change.”

Her last words echoed over the rooftop, reminding Shizuku of how much really had changed over the last few months. They left their groups, nearly gave up being idols completely, and then formed More More Jump. Despite that, here they were, practicing dancing together.

Or

It was hard to let go of the concept of perfection.

Word Count: 2100

Author Note:  This is a follow up to the My Color event, so please read that first. I also suggest reading Shizuku’s four star card from the same event.

_______________________________________________________

When the members of More More Jump parted ways after today’s long practice, each with their own destination in mind, Shizuku turned back towards the school building. She told them she’d forgotten something and that she’d see them tomorrow, accompanied by her best dazzling smile. Airi had raised an eyebrow, a clear expression of doubt, but let her go without comment.

In a way, it was the truth. That’s what Shizuku told herself as she climbed the stairs, headed back to a familiar location. She’d simply forgotten that she needed to keep practicing. It hadn’t been too long, so the door should’ve still been unlocked.

The sun had started its descent towards the horizon by the time she stepped through the door, casting a growing shadow across the roof’s surface. That was fine, as long as there was enough light she’d be able to practice.

Shizuku carefully shut the door behind her before starting. She re-stretched first to be safe, then took out her phone to review the steps from earlier. They were working to create and release a video series, in which they tackled increasingly complex dance sequences. Haruka and Airi rose to the challenge, adapting easily to each new move that was introduced. Minori was keeping up as well, her enthusiasm and spirit carrying her through each hiccup.

For Shizuku, even the first video had posed a significant struggle. There wasn’t too much time to learn the steps, as they only needed them for a single recording. She spent extra time practicing during breaks, even forgoing her miso soup one day, but the dance moves continued to grow even harder.

Thus, Shizuku returned to the roof after practice. If she could just get a few more reps in, she’d be more ready for the recording tomorrow. She pulled up the video for one of the moves, trying to press the screen to start it. The play button turned into a wheel, which spun in the center of the screen. Shizuku didn’t know what to make of that, so she tapped it again. With a sigh, she watched it continue to spin.

For now she could do it from memory, until her phone decided it wanted to work. Shizuku set it down near the edge of the roof where she wouldn’t step on it by accident. She then took her position, which was at the same place she’d stood earlier when the whole unit was there. In her mind she could picture where they each stood and how they moved.

After checking the desired tempo, Shizuku began to practice the first set of steps. One part was particularly trickly, requiring careful foot placement. She started slow, making sure she remembered where her feet went, before trying the step faster.

Shizuku was half way up to speed, still working on being more precise, when a wonderfully familiar voice called out to her. It was slightly rough, high in pitch, and distinct in a way that set Shizuku’s heart racing.

“I knew I’d find you here.” Airi emerged from the rooftop door, her appearance causing Shizuku to freeze mid dance step. She turned to watch as Airi crossed the roof towards her with a wry smile stretched across her lips. A flash of guilt washed over Shizuku as she remembered how they parted, a wholly unwelcome feeling.

“Airi-chan!” Shizuku schooled her expression back to her usual smile, greeting Airi warmly. “Do you need something?” Maybe she actually forgot something and had to come back. No, Shizuku would’ve seen it on the roof in that case.

“I was looking for you, got a little worried when you didn’t reply to my texts.” Airi’s tone was unusually low as she glanced over to where Shizuku’s phone sat abandoned on the concrete roof.

“Oh… I’m so sorry.” Shizuku hurried to pick it up, seeing a series of notifications pop up on the screen. Each was a text from Airi, as well as one from Haruka. The texts told her that Airi had finished her errand near the school, then asked if she was still nearby. They were followed by a short text asking her to message back. The one from Haruka just said Airi was looking for her and that she seemed worried.

The guilty feeling from before grew even stronger as Shizuku looked back up at Airi, morphing into a smoldering ball of anxiety that nestled deep in her chest. Airi had moved to be closer to her, standing only a couple feet away. When their eyes met, blue shakily watching pink, Airi didn’t look angry. Airi broke eye contact, sighing and shaking her head, but she harbored a hint of a smile.

“Are you having trouble with your phone?” Airi asked, peering down at the device in question.

Shizuku grimaced as she clicked in to clear the unread texts. When she went back to the video page, the swirling shape from before was still there. “Just a few,” Shizuku admitted, tilting the offending symbol towards Airi. “I’ve been reviewing the steps from rehearsal.”

Airi squinted at the phone, before chuckling. “Buffering, as usual.” Her eyes came back up, clear and warmer than Shizuku deserved. “Did you try refreshing it?”

“No, I suppose I should.” That was a good idea. Shizuku tapped the back button, then tried to refresh the video. After a moment it reloaded and began to play.

“You really are bad with tech.” Airi commented, her half smile from before growing.

The anxiety from before had lessened, but still Shizuku frowned. “I’m really sorry, Airi-chan.” She apologized again, despite knowing that it wouldn’t make up for her mistake.

“Luckily I knew where to find you.” Airi replied in a wry tone, before her voice came up. “It’s alright, you don’t need to apologize.”

Shizuku didn’t know how to reply to that, since apologizing again would certainly get her chastised. She allowed her eyes to trail back to her phone. She watched as the video played, showing the dance move she’d been working on. She could clearly see that their feet placement was slightly different than how she’d been doing it, which was a problem.

“I should get back to practicing.” Shizuku said, tapping the screen to rewind the video. She lifted it closer to her face so she could see it better.

Airi leaned closer to watch as well, her arm practically brushing against Shizuku’s. “You had trouble with this one during rehearsal.” She pointed out, which was something Shizuku hoped hadn’t been so obvious. “I’ll help, this is a tough step.”

“Thank you, Airi-chan.” Shizuku replied sincerely, finally allowing a smile to return to her face. There was something familiar about those words, something that triggered a feeling of deja vu. She stepped away from Airi to return to her position, stowing her phone back in its proper pocket.

Once in place, Shizuku began to work on the move again. Now she had seen the step, so she was better able to master the foot placement. It was still a slow process, of course, but she was getting there. She almost forgot that Airi was watching, but it was impossible to ignore her focused stare.

“Stop!” Airi called out, causing Shizuku to pause as she scurried over to stand by Shizuku’s left elbow. “Keep your arms up, don’t just focus on your feet.” She placed one hand under Shizuku’s bent arm, gently lifting it to a higher angle.

“Got it.” Shizuku made a note of the angle and how she would have to adjust to hit it. The feeling from before returned, as Airi stepped away. Only this time, she was able to place where it had come from. “This reminds me of rehearsals before our debut.” She broke her pose to cover her mouth with one hand, hiding a giggle.

Airi chuckled and nodded. “I always used to catch you practicing late.” Her voice was soft, as if it was a fond memory. “Some things never change.”

Her last words echoed over the rooftop, reminding Shizuku of how much really had changed over the last few months. They left their groups, nearly gave up being idols completely, and then formed More More Jump. Despite that, here they were, practicing dancing together.

Her anxiety from before, which had been hot and densely packed, had mostly dissolved. When Shizuku smiled gently back, there was only a lingering tension within.

She resumed practicing the dance step, making sure to keep her arm at the correct angle. It was finally starting to come together, even as her shadow stretched beyond the edge of the roof.

Airi moved away to lean against the fence as she watched. Shizuku occasionally looked her way while she continued to practice.

Some time passed like this, as Shizuku slowly improved at the step. She wasn’t sure how long it had been, but she almost felt ready to try it at tempo when Airi spoke again.

“How late are you planning to rehearse?” She asked, her arms crossed as she leaned.

Shizuku wasn’t sure. “I still need to work on it.” She replied, setting her feet to try it again. The move wasn’t ready yet, so she couldn’t stop. Not until a school employee came to kick her out.

“Hmm.” Airi tilted her head, seeming to mull something over. After a moment, she continued. “Want to stop by the mall? There’s a new magazine I want to check out.” She asked, basically ignoring what Shizuku had just said.

“I can’t go, we’re recording this tomorrow.” Shizuku reminded her, though she was certain Airi hadn’t forgotten. “There’s not much time left.”

Airi stepped away from the fence, her hands falling to her side. “I’m aware of that.” She frowned, a hint of concern clear in her eyes. Shizuku hated seeing that look on her face. “You know, it doesn’t have to be perfect.” Airi spoke levelly and clearly. Those words shook through Shizuku, reverberating into her ears.

Shizuku inhaled shakily. “It doesn’t?” She asked, thinking about the other two steps she hadn’t worked on yet. She still needed to do those next, before the roof was closed.

“That’s kind of the point of the challenge.” Airi replied, taking a few steps closer to her. “To show our limits.”

Shizuku bit her lower lip, contemplating those words. She hadn’t thought about it that way, not at all. She wanted to master each new hurdle, to show her skills at dancing. Having limits wasn’t an option, not for her as an idol.

She remembered again how much things had changed, how she had changed. She was no longer Shizuku the perfect idol. Instead, she was just Shizuku, herself. It was hard to remember sometimes, hard to shoulder the pressure. Airi had reminded her of that.

“Even if it wasn’t, you’ve worked incredibly hard.” Airi stopped in front of her, offering a small smile. “Your fans will see who you truly are, whether this move is perfect or not.” Airi brought one open palm up to rest over her own heart. “I do, every single day.” She spoke sincerely, eyes locked directly onto Shizuku’s.

“Airi-chan…” Shizuku struggled to find the words to respond as tears welled up in her eyes. Her heart felt warm, impossibly so, as she blinked to keep the tears down. Airi was right, just as she had been before. “Thank you for supporting me.” Shizuku’s voice wavered, but she was able to get the words out.

Airi winked and made an okay symbol with her hand. “Of course! What else is a fan to do?” She laughed, a light echoing sound that Shizuku cherished.

Shizuku couldn’t help but smile back, warmth still radiating through her chest. “You’re right, we should get going.” It felt cathartic to admit, to let go. A weight had been lifted from her chest, replaced with only light.

The pair were still standing together, close on the roof.

Airi reached out her hand as if it were the most natural gesture in the world, eyes glimmering in the setting sun. Shizuku slowly grasped it, intertwining their fingers together. They descended the stairs side by side, exiting the school.

As Airi squeezed her hand, glancing over with a half-smile, Shizuku felt her remaining worries fade away. With Airi, and with More More Jump, she could be exactly who she was.

The feeling of Airi’s hand in hers, warm and comfortable, reminded her that she didn’t need to be perfect.