Headaches and Headlines

Akari groaned awake. She forced her eyes open; dizziness poured in and her head pounded. The room felt off - too bright, too loud, too heavy. She squeezed her eyes shut again, hoping the feeling would fade, but it didn't. When she shifted, a faint feeling of nausea rose. She tried to lay still and rest, but she felt a weight against her leg. 

Jun was there, fast asleep, his head resting against her leg while the rest of his body lay awkwardly on the floor. His hair was a mess, his face tight with exhaustion, his shirt was missing - replaced by a bathrobe loosely draped over his shoulders.

Akari's eyes flicked between him and the mess of the room. His crumpled shirt and towels scattered on the floor, a trash bin near the bed, and an array of empty water bottles.

Akari slowly forced herself to sit up, careful not to wake Jun. The sweater she had worn last night was nowhere to be seen, instead a bathrobe was securely tied above her other layers of clothes.

The pieces clicked together slowly. The lingering nausea in her stomach made it painfully obvious what had happened the night before. As embarrassed as she was, she couldn't help but feel thankful to Jun for watching over her.

She reached forward, gently running her fingers through his hair, sweeping the loose strands away from his face. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at him. 

After a moment, Jun began to stir. His eyes fluttered open before landing on Akari. "You're awake..." His voice was rough from sleep. "How are you feeling? Still nauseous?"

"Just a little..." Akari glanced down at his bathrobe, embarrassment making its way to her cheeks. "Thank you for taking care of me last night."

Jun's face softened. "You don't have to thank me. Just... how about you stay away from drinking?"

His attempt at teasing made Akari's lips twitch into a smile. "I'd be okay with that."

"You go wash up. I'll make you something for your hangover."

Akari looked at the mess. "Let me at least clean up first."

"You don't have to do that. I can get it."

"I know." Akari gently brushed her hand over Jun's scar. "But I want to."

-

After Akari cleaned the room, she washed up and joined Jun for some soup. His hair was still a mess, but his robe was now properly tied.

When they were done eating, Jun went to wash up while Akari cleared away the dishes.

Once she was done cleaning, Akari sank onto the couch. She reached for her phone to check for any messages from her work regarding her concert, only instead to be met with a wave of horror.

Her eyes widened at the panic of messages and calls from her agency. She was trending and not because her final concert was around the corner, but because someone had spotted her and Jun last night and stories had spiraled out of control:

Is Akari Ito leaving the Spotlight for Romance?

Top Idol Spotted on Late Night Date!

Who is Akari Ito's Secret Lover?

Leading Actress Caught Passed Out Drunk!

From Gang Crime to Alcoholic, who is Akari Ito Really?

Akari Ito the Drunken Idol - Like Father Like Daughter?

The last article twisted her insides more than she expected, but she did her best to brush it off. She was more concerned about Jun. She skimmed as many articles as possible, searching to see if Jun's identity was revealed. 

She was so absorbed in the articles that she didn't hear Jun come out of the shower. 

Jun noticed the tension in her shoulders as he silently approached her. He carefully sat beside her, gently placing his hand on her back. "What's the matter?"

Akari met his eyes. "They know about us... About you..."

Jun glanced at her phone, quickly skimming over the opened article before turning back to her. "I'm sorry, I should've been more careful last night."

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have drank."

"It's not your fault either." His thumb traced a reassuring circle on her back. "Are you okay?"

She turned back to her phone with a sigh. "My agency has been texting and calling a lot. They're worried about how this will affect my concert and image."

"That's their job to worry about that." He reached his hand out, softly turning her face to meet his gaze. "My job is making sure you're okay. Tell me what's on your mind."

"I'm scared..." She hesitantly admitted. "Not of the rumors themselves. It's not like I've never been in a dating scandal before with all the romance movies I've done. I just... I just don't want you to get dragged into it..."

Jun's expression softened. "Akari... I happily chose to be by your side. I'll gladly walk through the chaos if it means being with you."

She was caught off guard by his sincerity. "There you go again saying things like that so easily..."

"It's only easy because I mean it."

She hesitated before continuing. "The public won't say kind things about you and your private life might get exposed..."

"I know, but I don't care about that." His thumb brushed her cheek, warm and grounding. "What I do care about are your feelings and how you want to handle this."

Akari shook her head. "It's not how I want to handle it..." Her face softened. "It's how we want to."

Jun smiled. "Alright. Let's figure something out together."

After a while, Jun and Akari came to a decision to keep things private and try to shift the focus back to the concert. Akari contacted Tsukasa and her agency released a neutral statement:

Our artist, Akari Ito, was seen in the company of a friend after a get-together last night that got a bit too wild. Akari apologizes for her inappropriate drinking behavior, but appreciates her fans' concerns.

She is currently busy preparing for her upcoming final concert and kindly asks that her privacy and that of her friends be respected.

The statement didn't confirm nor deny anything, and Akari knew there was still going to be rumors and backlash. But considering that Jun's face and name had not been revealed in any articles, they decided it would be best to try to focus the attention more on the concert.

"This won't stop the press and fans from speculating and digging..." Akari sighed.

Jun took her hand in his, giving it a light squeeze. "Let them talk. Your focus should be on your concert, not them."

"It's just hard... knowing how they'll talk about you..."

"It's okay. I was already prepared for this to happen one day." His voice was calm and steady. "I don't care what articles they publish, what rumors or stories they make up, or how much they dig into my life or yours. It won't push me away from you."

"You really mean that?" She quietly asked.

"Every word." He gave her hand a soft peck. "So focus on your concert. Don't worry about anything else."

"Thank you, Jun."

-

Though Jun and Akari did what they could to handle the headlines, more continued to be released throughout the day. Thankfully, none leaked Jun's identity - his face was caught at a too awkward angle in the picture for anyone to recognize him. 

On the other hand, Akari was clearly recognizable - practically passed out drunk.

Akari sighed as she stared at her phone.

Jun looked up from his book, eyebrow raised. "I thought you were going to do work for your concert?"

"I can't help it." She whined. "This picture is so embarrassing and it's trending everywhere. I'm never going to live this down."

Jun blinked, genuinely surprised. He had not expected her to be worried about the picture of all things. "I didn't think the picture would bother you that much... I thought what they said bothered you more?"

Akari groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Of course it bothers me. It was the first time I drank and look at me. I look awful. I've always been cautious of cameras. I've never had a bad photo taken before."

Jun set his book aside. "Alright, alright." He tried to suppress his smile. "If it makes you feel better, you look pretty cute for someone passed out drunk, which isn't how people normally look in that state."

"You're just saying that." She mumbled in her hands.

He leaned forward, moving her hands to reveal her flushed face. "I'm not. You're always beautiful to me."

The red in her cheeks deepened at the sudden compliment.

"Even when you throw up everywhere." Jun added with a teasing smile.

"Stop! I was just forgetting about that." Akari whined as she averted his gaze.

Jun chuckled softly. "I'm just saying. No matter how you look or what people say, it won't change how I feel about you."

"You really have a way at making someone feel better and more embarrassed at the same time..."

"I'll take that as a compliment since you're saying you feel better." He intertwined their fingers. "Do you need any help on your concert work?"

"No." She said a bit too quickly, the red in her face still not fading, though Jun couldn't understand why. But he didn't want to press.

"Alright. Don't overwork yourself, and if you need anything just let me know."

Akari nodded as she got up to head to the bedroom to look over her concert materials.

Jun watched her go, a soft smile tugging at his lips. Even with the outside chaos and her embarrassment of the photo, she still carried herself with a quiet determination. He knew she'd shine on the stage - just like she always did to him.