Chapter Text
Eiko was the first to wake up, thank god. At first she thought she had only dreamt that two hot blondes invited themselves into her home, one falling asleep with her arms around her; but the arms were still there, she came to realize, right before panicking. Sober Katsuki was not going to like this one bit.
Carefully, she slipped out of the adorable blonde’s arms and out of bed, making sure not to wake her. She went downstairs to fill a glass of water and fetch some aspirin for Kat’s hangover. By the time she returned, Katsuki was groaning profanities and attempting to sit up.
“Here.” She offered the water and aspirin, which Katsuki took with a grateful nod and chugged.
“... Thanks.” She muttered.
“For the aspirin? Don’t worry about it.”
“No. For letting me stay here and… putting up with whatever I did.” She could tell Katsuki was embarrassed, but Ei couldn’t think of a reason why.
“Like what?”
“‘M not sure. Probably acted weird n’ shit.”
“Well, you were pretty drunk. But you also agreed to be our drummer.” Ei smiled.
Katsuki groaned. “Fuck, I did?”
“Yep. But I promised I’d ask again once you were sober, because it felt like cheating.” Ei watched as Katsuki thought about her answer, until she finally broke the silence.
“I won’t go back on what I said.”
Eiko gaped. “So you’re saying you’ll do it?”
Katsuki rolled her eyes, which was enough for Eiko. She broke out into a huge smile and jumped on her, trapping her in a hug.
“Fucking get off me you shitty haired nitwit!”
“No! I finally did it! I got you to join!” She cheered.
“Shut the fuck up! I’m leaving now!” She shouted, shoving Ei off in the process.
“Don’t care! You’re joining the band!”
Katsuki snatched her clothes and flipped Eiko off, slamming the door on her way out. Eiko flopped onto her bed with her most dopey grin yet.
*
Ei pushed the amps through the door, the skateboard wobbling beneath the weight. Denki and Hanta were across the room playing catch with a lacrosse ball, getting dangerously close to breaking a window of their rented studio space.
“The amps have arrived!” Denki cheered, catching the ball and shoving it in the back pocket of his khakis.
“Yessir! With an announcement to make!” Ei shoved the amps in his direction. She reached into the hallway and grabbed Katsuki’s arm, pulling her into the room. She was carrying her snare drum in a bag, but the rest of the drumset was still in the trunk of her dad’s car they drove over.
Denki gaped at the sight of the blonde, Hanta doing a double take. “You did not .”
“Foolish Hanta, of course I did.”
“Oh my god! Did you drug her or something?” Denki screeched.
“Actually she was a little-” Katsuki’s hand slapped over her mouth.
“Shut it!” She turned to Denki and Hanta. “If you guys are shit, I’m leaving and never coming back.”
“Aw c’mon, we’re the best of the best.” Denki bragged.
Hanta rolled his eyes. “Let’s get your drums set up. Where are you parked?”
“Out front. Don’t fuck ‘em up or I’ll kill you.”
The four teens all helped unload the trunk and set up the drums in the corner of the room, even when Katsuki yelled at them when the hi hat was two inches too far to the right, or the snare was too low.
“So Blasty, wanna hear a song?” Ei asked after Katsuki performed a ‘test’ drum solo. She knew the blonde was just showing off.
“Why else would I fucking be here?”
Ei chuckled and grabbed her guitar. Hanta and Denki plugged theirs into Denki’s amp, her microphone and Fender were plugged into her’s.
“Alright what are we playing?” She asked into the mic.
“Let’s play your song. Have you named it yet?” Denki said.
“Be more specific, Denks.” Hanta rolled his eyes. “I think he’s talking about the one that goes from the thirteenth fret to the sixth?”
“Ah! Yeah I’m calling that one Cannonball.” She tilted the microphone down to her face. “Let’s go then.”
Right off the bat, Hanta began with the bass line. It was fast paced but simple, and needed a pick to get the job done. Eiko didn’t have much guitar in this song, but the back and forth lick she played every once in a while was definitely an important piece of the song. After a few measures, Denki came in strumming his guitar in a simple two chord progression.
“Spitting in a wishing well.” Eiko sang. “Blown to hell, crash.” The guitar and bass stopped. She winked at the angry blonde, who was sitting at her drum set with her arms crossed. “I’m the last splash.”
Denki’s guitar and Hanta’s bass picked up where they left off, Ei continuing her sliding guitar lick.
“I know you little libertine, I know you’re a real cuckoo.” Denki rapidly strummed muted strings, building up to the chorus as Ei clicked a distortion pedal for her voice.
“I want you, cuckoo cannonball!” She yelled into the mic, followed by more muted strums of Denki’s guitar. “I want you, cuckoo cannonball!”
Once the song was finished, Eiko locked eyes with Katsuki and took a dramatic bow. “What do you think?”
Katsuki narrowed her eyes. “Needs drums.”
“Obviously.” Eiko chuckled. She put her amp on standby. “Good thing I have a recording of it.”
“Why?”
“So you can listen to it and come up with drums!”
“Oh. Makes sense I guess.”
Eiko quickly turned around to face Denki and Hanta. “Shit I forgot! Guys, we gotta sign up for this Battle of the Bands thing!”
“Ooh, what’s the prize?” Denki asked.
“Uh… to be honest I didn’t check. When we call we should ask though.”
“I hope it’s cash.” Hanta said.
“Idiot. A record deal would be better.” Katsuki scoffed.
“Woah, good point Blasty.” Ei replied.
“Think about it! Riot! under Eraserhead Studios! That’s the dream.” Said Denki.
Katsuki whipped her head to face Ei. “Thought you agreed to change the damn name.”
“What?!” Denki shrieked.
Ei sighed, “She says it’s overused. Too common.”
“I mean she kind of has a point.” Hanta agreed.
“So did you think of anything, Shitface?”
“Eiko Kirishima. I know you know it.” She teased. “And I kind of like the name Roxx.”
“Like pebbles? Stones? The shit in the earth? Kind of weird, not gonna lie.” Hanta said.
“No, like with two X’s instead of the CKS.”
Denki shrugged. “I mean it’s random, but it’s pretty cool.”
“Aren’t all band names random?” She turned to Katsuki. “So what do you think?”
Katsuki pursed her lips. “It’ll do, Shitty Hair.” Eiko broke into a giant smile.
“We all know In Bloom, right? Let’s play it.” She suggested. They all shuffled to turn their amps back on.
“1, 2, 3, 4!” Katsuki shouted, hitting her drumsticks above her head.
With the four playing together in perfect harmony, Eiko could already taste the victory they were soon to get.
***
Katsuki didn’t like parties. This was a known fact. She didn’t like being around a bunch of drunk teens, let alone cramped in someone’s house blaring shitty rap. So why the fuck was she standing on that pink haired girl’s porch? The answer was actually quite simple, although she decided to ignore it; Ei asked her. She kept going on and on about it being her ‘sweet sixteen’ and how it was somehow also her ‘golden birthday’, whatever the fuck that is. Mina had insisted on throwing a party for her, and the two bothered Katsuki daily until she caved.
Half of her just wanted to turn around, get back in her car and drive home. The other half told her that she said she’d show up, and going back on her word would be some pussy shit. The latter won, seeing as she was now ringing the doorbell.
It took a while, but eventually the door opened to the shitty haired birthday girl. She was wearing some ripped baggy jeans, combat boots and her usual yellow flannel over a black bralette, two solo cups in hand.
“Kit-Kat! You came!” She cheered, thrusting one of her cups into Katsuki’s hands. Katsuki squinted at the liquid.
“The fuck is this?”
Ei rolled her eyes, pulling Katsuki inside by the elbow. “No happy birthday?”
“Happy one year closer to death, Shitface. Now what are you trying to poison me with?”
Eiko barked a laugh, resting an arm around her shoulder. “God, you’re a catch. It’s punch. Someone probably spiked it, though.”
“Whatever.”
The two wandered into the kitchen, where countless abandoned red cups and half empty bottles of cheap vodka rested on the counters. Eiko jumped up and sat on the counter beside the fridge, Katsuki leaning against the island counter.
“Quite the celebration you’ve got going on here.” Katsuki quipped after taking a sip of her punch. It was okay, but whoever spiked it did a shitty job because Katsuki could barely even taste the alcohol.
“Yeah, honestly I think Mina invited literally anyone who knew my name and let them bring plus ones.” She chuckled. “I mean I guess I’m pretty popular but- Katsuki what the fuck?” She laughed. Katsuki continued to pour an excess amount of raspberry vodka into her punch. After taking a sip, she raised her eyebrows, impressed by her cocktail skills.
Ei laughed even harder, then motioned for Katsuki to give her a sip. Katsuki smirked as her face scrunched up.
“Aren’t you lightweight? How the fuck do you drink this? That’s like a giant, fruity shot of vodka.” She said, handing it back eagerly.
Katsuki shrugged. “Guess I’m just better.”
“Oh. My. God!” Shrieked some girl, causing Katsuki to wince. Raccoon eyes ran up to them. “I can’t believe you got Blasty to come!”
“Fuck off or I’ll leave.”
“Don’t be such a pill, you’re no fun.” She pouted, then turned to Eiko. “I hope you’ve been enjoying your party so far!”
“It got a whole lot better when Blasty showed up.” She gleamed. Katsuki scoffed.
“Your music is shit.” She commented.
Mina slapped her arm. “It’s for dancing, you hermit.”
“Yeah, how could you say that about Doja?”
“Anyways, Denki and I are looking for good opponents for beer pong. We’re like, really good though, so we don’t want a boring match.”
Katsuki sneered. “We’ll fucking crush you.” She yanked Ei off the counter and dragged her through the dining room, into the backyard where Dunce Face was pouring an assortment of liquors into the cups resting on the ping-pong table.
“Ah, some new challengers? Here to defeat the reigning champions and claim the title of beer pong masters?” Said Denki, placing the last red solo cup at the front of the triangle.
“Shut it dunceface, it’ll be easy.”
“Honestly, I wouldn’t underestimate them.” Ei said, walking over to the right side of the table.
“Ha! You hear that Blasty? Even your own partner fears us!” Mina teased.
“She doesn’t fear shit because she’s not a pussy, right Shitty Hair? I said we’ll crush you and I fucking meant it.”
“You know what, since we’re so much better, we’ll let you toss first and still win.” Denki said, tossing an orange ping-pong ball to Katsuki.
“Your cockiness will be your downfall.” Ei countered.
“No re-racking, no roll backs!” Mina shouted. Katsuki took aim and bounced the ball straight into the center cup. Denki groaned, Ei bouncing hers into the front most cup.
“Beginner's luck!” Denki cursed, both him and Mina wincing at the strong taste of the alcohol.
“We’re not even beginners, Denks. You’re just coming up with excuses.” Eiko teased.
Mina tossed her ball and made it into the far right cup, Denki making the front middle one.
“Haha! Revenge!” He cheered as Katsuki and Eiko simultaneously threw back the drinks.
The game was very close, so close that Katsuki and Ei only won because their turn was first, and both teams were equally tipsy. Well, Denki and Ei were tipsy. Mina and Katsuki were pretty drunk, considering they both stood at only 5’3, and Katsuki’s cocktail from earlier had already done a number on her.
The four had migrated into the kitchen, Katsuki busy trying to get Ei as drunk as she was, and Mina hunting down Hanta to dance with her.
“Damn Papa, you a rare breed! No comparing! And it’s motherfuckin’ scary!” Ei yelled, singing along to the song blasting through the house. Katsuki rolled her eyes, pouring two more shots for them on the counter next to where Ei was sitting.
Katsuki gazed at her with lidded eyes, a loopy smile on her face. She rested her hands on the red head’s knees, pulling herself closer.
“You look really good tonight, by the way.” Ei smirked. “Hol up- We play our fantasies out in real life ways! No Final Fantasy, can we end these games though?” Katsuki dropped her head and laughed. “You give me energy, make me feel light weight, like birds of a feather baby, we real life made for each other and it’s hard to keep my cool!”
At this point, Ei was screaming the lyrics. “When other bitches try to get with my dude, and when other chickens try to get in my coop, ‘cause you were one in a million, there ain’t a man like you!”
Katsuki threw her head back in laughter. “You look hot as fuck too.” She slurred, once gaining her composure. She slid her right hand into a rip and up Ei’s thigh, causing the red head to blush furiously. Ei tentatively rested her arms over Katsuki’s shoulders, leaning in as Katsuki stared at her lips.
A wave of nauseousness hit Katsuki like a sack of bricks, causing her eyes to fly open and her hand to smack her mouth shut. She sprinted off to the nearest bathroom, Ei running after her, probably confused as hell.
Once she found a toilet, she quickly got on her knees and hurled. Ei laughed at the realization, before kneeling down to pat Katsuki’s back.
“Alright, you’re going home now.” She slurred as Katsuki leaned back and wiped her mouth. “No more drinks for you.”
Fucking of course she had to ruin the moment. Katsuki figured it was probably for the best, they were both shitfaced and making out with each other would probably end up being a regrettable decision. Right?
*
The four teens stood outside the venue, staring at the larger than life poster advertising the Battle of the Bands. There, in the middle of it, was the name Roxx with far too many exclamation marks surrounding it. It was quiet outside, except for the muted bass coming from inside. Katsuki shivered.
“Let’s go!” Denki cheered.
Katsuki sneered. “We’ll crush them.”
It was packed inside, people dancing, buying drinks, talking, eating and more. Katsuki had been to this venue before with her dad, it had an insanely good reputation. The stage was empty, but music flooded from the speakers. Suddenly, the stage lights turned on and out walked-
“Is that Present Mic?” Hanta asked.
“The fucking radio host?” Katsuki added.
“Heeello guys, gals and non-binary pals I hope you are all having a fantastic night here at UA!” He greeted to a chorus of cheers. “Welcome to our annual Battle of the Bands! Tonight, the youth have taken over! We received plenty of sign-ups but settled on only four bands, all of which are made up of highschool students!”
Eiko and Denki cheered beside her. “I’m honestly not sure whether to be proud or terrified of how talented this generation is!” Present Mic continued, “Anyways, give it up for Pink’s Dead!”
The crowd erupted in cheers and whistles as the lights died down, three figures appearing onstage, setting up their equipment. When the lights returned with a pink tint, standing behind the microphone was none other than Raccoon Eyes. Beside her was a girl with a dark purple bob and blunt bangs, headphones around her neck and a guitar hanging from her shoulders. On drums was another girl, with pink locs and goggles on top of her head.
“Mina?” Ei shrieked.
Denki gaped from beside her. “Is that Kyoka?”
“Hey everyone! We’re Pink’s Dead and we’re here to make some fucking noise!” She cheered into the mic, gaining a chorus of cheers and shouts from the crowd.
Goggles started off the song, alternating between the snare and kick drum. Shortly after, Headphones joined in, strumming one note consistently.
“That girl thinks she’s the queen of the neighborhood,” Mina sing-shouted, gripping the microphone on it’s stand. “She’s got the hottest trike in town.”
Ei elbowed Katsuki in the side. “She never told me she was in a freaking riot grrrl band!”
“That girl, she holds her head up so high. I think I wanna be her best friend, yeah!”
“Rebel Girl! Rebel Girl!” Her and Headphones sang in unison.
“Rebel Girl, you are the queen of my world!”
“Rebel Girl! Rebel Girl!”
Mina tilted her head up, cupping her hands around the mic. “I think I wanna take you home, I wanna try on your clothes.”
Denki whistled. “Okay, damn. They’re good.”
“Fuck off. We’re better.” Katsuki scoffed.
“When she talks, I hear the revolution! In her hips, there's revolution! When she walks, the revolution's coming!” She yelled, “In her kiss, I taste the revolution!”
“Yo, is Mina…” Hanta started, trailing off.
Ei began chanting, “One of us, one of us, one of us, one of-”
“Shut the fuck up!” Katsuki yelled, shoving the red head into Denki.
Mina and Headphones began the chorus again. “Rebel Girl! Rebel Girl!”
“Rebel Girl, you are the queen of my world!”
Katsuki noticed Ei singing along, shaking her hair around and pointing at Katsuki.
“Rebel Girl! Rebel Girl!”
“I know I wanna take you home, I wanna try on your clothes!”
Eiko grabbed Katsuki’s hands and began to jump up and down to the music. Reluctantly, which Katsuki made very clear, she banged her head to the beat, her short hair flying in every direction.
“That girl thinks she's the queen of the neighborhood. I got news for you, she is!” Mina yell-sang. “They say she's a dyke, but I know. She is my best friend, yeah!”
“Raccoon Eyes fuckin’ better be a dyke, or she won’t be seeing tomorrow.” Katsuki muttered, receiving a laugh from Ei.
“Rebel Girl! Rebel Girl!”
“Rebel Girl, you are the queen of my world!”
“Rebel Girl! Rebel Girl!”
“I know I wanna take you home, I wanna try on your clothes!” Katsuki found herself singing along. “Love you like a sister always. Soul sister, rebel girl. Come and be my best friend. Will you, rebel girl? I really like you! I really wanna be your best friend. Be my rebel girl!”
The crowd erupted into cheers as Raccoon Eyes, Headphones and Goggles took a bow.
“Fuck yeah, Mina!” Ei cheered as Present Mic replaced them onstage.
“Guys, we’re up last by the way.” Hanta shouted. Katsuki nodded in acknowledgement.
“Wow, what an incredible performance!” Present Mic shouted. “Give it up one more time for Pink’s Dead!”
If anyone heard Katsuki cheering… no they didn’t.
“A true riot grrrl band in the making, that’s for sure. Up next we have… Uravity! Give it up, folks!” The lights dimmed, but Katsuki could see one figure dragging a keyboard onstage, then adjusting the microphone.
The stage lights returned, revealing a girl with short brown hair and rosy cheeks on the keyboard, a buff buy with full lips on drums and none other than fucking Deku on guitar.
“Oh look, It’s that Midoriya guy.” Ei said.
“Why the fuck did they let Deku in here?” Katsuki seethed.
“Woah, calm down.” Denki said.
“Shut it, Dunce-”
Katsuki was interrupted by a drum beat, shortly joined by Pink Cheeks playing a chord three times.
“Baby, I’m faded, but you will be waiting. I will have made it, but you'll be explaining what you-” She sang, her voice bubbly, “-think the world owes you.”
“Giving me… disco?” Denki tried. “Giving me… Tame Impala energy. The first two albums, of course.”
Hanta shrugged, “I think it’s the keyboard.”
“Looking for someone to carry you into futures that beckon but need to be followed in,” She sang. “I hope you're happy, I hope you're pleased. I thought you were a victim, but it's clear to me.”
The tempo slowed down as Deku joined in on his shitty guitar. “I need your love and I need your touch, like I need a bolt of lightning from the sky above.” Pink cheeks sang, her hands lightly pressing the keys of her keyboard. “I've been thinking about you, thinking about you, I can't escape you, oh. I'm thinking about you, thinking about you, I can't escape you, oh.”
“Dude, that tempo change was genius.” Ei said to Hanta. Katsuki was fuming.
The tempo picked up again after the most excruciating, chill guitar solo done by Deku. “Talking a lot like a prophet, but there's no wisdom in what you've been saying, and I can't seem to-” Round Face continued, “-get a weight on you.”
“This is a pretty good song for driving, wouldn’t you say?” Ei asked her.
“The guitar is shit.” Katsuki snapped. Ei chuckled, shaking her head.
“And in your bridges, they're spreading around those rumors that spread from the cracks in the ground, oh no,” Katsuki noticed her cheeks getting more pink as the song progressed. “I hope you're happy, I hope you're pleased. I thought you were a victim, but it's clear to me.”
“Baby, you've got more poison than sugar. Baby, you've got more poison than sugar.” She sang as the tempo gradually slowed. “Baby, you've got more poison than sugar. Baby, you've got more poison-”
“I need your love, and I need your touch, like I need a bolt of lightning from the sky above.”
“Bro, this girl is like a master of fucking with the tempo. That was so cool.”
Katsuki rolled her eyes. “It’s not rocket science, Dunce Face.”
“I've been thinking about you, thinking about you, I can't escape you, oh. I'm thinking about you, thinking about you, I can't escape you, oh.”
“Ooh, who could blame me? Every time I hear your name, I go crazy. Oh pretty baby, every time I hear your name, I go crazy.” She sang in her light, high pitched voice.
Ei began swaying with the music, bumping into Katsuki to get her to join her.
“But I need your love, and I need your touch, like I need a bolt of lightning from the sky above. I've been thinking about you, thinking about you, I can't escape you, oh. I'm thinking about you, thinking about you, I can't escape you, oh.” The same calm guitar solo began again, this time with Pink Cheeks singing over it. “I can’t escape you-ooh, I can’t escape you-ooh, I can’t escape you-ooh.”
The song ended with the same chord played three times, and the crowd broke into cheers and whistles.
“Thank you all so much! Thank you!” Pink Cheeks said, bowing while holding Deku’s hand.
Eiko tugged on Katsuki’s arm, nodding towards the back exit.
“Incredible! Just incredible! Up next we have Revelry in the Dark!” Present Mic shouted. They sounded pretty emo. Katsuki could afford to miss some emo band. She let herself be pulled by Ei, through the groups of people listening to the music.
“I kiss the scars on her skin-” Katsuki closed the door behind her.
“The fuck’s going on?” She asked, leaning against the wall. The damp ally was lit up by the moon and the soft green glow of the exit sign above them. Ei took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one in her mouth, cupping the flame of the lighter with her hand.
She exhaled, closing her eyes and leaning her head back on the brick wall. “Ah, you know. Nerves.”
“Tch. Nothing to be nervous about. You're miles ahead of those extras.”
Ei met her gaze, a soft smile on her lips. “You mean it?” Katsuki turned towards her, leaning against the wall on her right.
“Why the fuck would I not?” The red head’s smile grew. “Give it.” She said, nodding at the cigarette.
Ei handed it over, watching as Katsuki took a long drag and exhaled. “That was another indirect kiss, by the way.”
Katsuki smiled. “God, not this again.” Ei chuckled as she took the cigarette back. The two remained like that, trading the cigarette back and forth in comfortable silence until the taller girl put a hand on Katsuki’s cheek.
“Can I kiss you?” She whispered, to no response. Katsuki was frozen there, taking in every detail of her face before nodding slightly. The two leaned in, Katsuki’s breath hitching just a second before their lips met. Her eyes fluttered shut as she put an arm over Ei’s shoulder, deepening the kiss.
God, how long had she wanted this? And why did she always deny herself of it unless she was absolutely wasted?
Their lips separated with a faint pop, and Katsuki couldn’t control the grin that grew on her face. Not a moment later, Ei’s arms were around her waist, pulling her into another kiss that Katsuki was melting into.
The door opened with a screech, startling the two out of their embrace. “Guys, we’re almost on!” Denki looked at the two for a moment. “Sorry… Did I interrupt something?”
“No.”
“Yes.” Ei said at the same time. Katsuki rolled her eyes and shoved past the confused blonde, Ei following behind her with an awkward chuckle.
***
The lights slowly brightened, revealing the curious faces of the crowd. From this angle, Ei could see everyone, and everyone’s eyes were on her. She closed her eyes and took a breath; and when she opened them, it was as if she had flipped a switch within herself. She was ready to have a good fucking time.
“Check, check, check.” Her distorted voice rang from the speakers, “One, two, one, two.” She began a humming pattern that Denki and Hanta joined in on, ragged breaths in between each one. Then they stopped.
The song began with a metallic clicking Katsuki created by hitting the rim of the snare and the cymbal stand. After about two measures, Hanta joined in with the original baseline, him and Katsuki stopping for a beat before Eiko added her sliding guitar lick. All the pieces came together when Denki began strumming his guitar, Eiko bobbing her head to the beat along with many people in the crowd.
“Spitting in a wishing well, blown to hell, crash.” Eiko smirked. “I’m the last splash.” Whoops and hollers reached Ei’s ears as she moved around the stage, swaying to the rhythm of their song.
“I know you little libertine, I know you’re a real cuckoo.” She played her guitar lick a bit more until Katsuki built up to the chorus with a snare roll. “I want you, cuckoo cannonball!” She shouted into the microphone, swinging her hair side to side before returning to the mic. “I want you, cuckoo cannonball!”
“In the shade, in the shade.” She sang, accompanied by a ‘hey now’ from Katsuki. “In the shade, in the shade.” They quickly reverted back to the repetitive chord progression and bass line, Ei humming into the mic once, like she did in the beginning of the song.
Hanta and Katsuki stopped playing for two beats, returning once Ei began cooing the second verse. “I know you, little libertine. I know you’re a cannonball.” Her guitar lick resurfaced as she sang ‘cannonball’. “I’ll be your whatever you want, the bong in this-” everyone stopped playing their instrument. “reggae song.” The silence ended with Katsuki starting the chorus with a snare roll, once again.
“In the shade. In the shade.” She sang. She began jumping and shaking her hair around as she yelled into the mic, “Want you, cuckoo cannonball! Want you cuckoo cannonball!”
“Spitting in a wishing well, blown to hell, crash, I’m the last splash.” She drew out the word ‘last’, then once again played her guitar lick, leaning back into it. The audience was into it, some jumping around, some dancing with friends, and some simply swaying to the beat, but nobody was static. “I’ll be your whatever you want. The bong in this reggae song.”
“Hey!” Hanta shouted into his mic. Katsuki shouted something as well, but it was far too distorted for anyone to decipher. It still got everyone pumped up though, as many people began to jump and bop their heads when Katsuki did another snare roll.
“I want you, cuckoo cannonball!” Ei shouted, removing the microphone from the stand and facing Denki, who was probably shouting it back. She faced the crowd and jumped with the beat, “I want you, cuckoo cannonball!”
“Hey now,” Katsuki sang.
“In the shade, in the shade!” Ei sang, more excited and unintelligible shouts coming from Katsuki. “In the shade, in the shade!”
As they all played their instruments, they began the humming pattern once again, joined slightly by the audience before they all stopped.
The crowd erupted into cheers and whistles, their heads bobbing up and down as they jumped. Ei smiled as Denki let out a hoot of his own, before grasping Hanta into a bro-handshake-hug, wincing as their instruments collided. They all exited the stage in a daze.
*
She and Katsuki were sitting on the curb outside, basking in the afterglow of not only their incredible kiss, but also their incredible first performance as a complete band. They sat in relative silence, every once in a while a car passing them, or a pigeon snatching up a piece of an abandoned pretzel.
Ei was the first to break the silence, per usual. “You were incredible.” She gushed, leaning into the blonde’s shoulder.
Katsuki dropped her head, failing to hide her grin. “Of course I was.” She said, followed by a moment of silence as she thought about something. “You were just as good, though. You… were definitely in your element. It’s like one second you were a nervous wreck, then I blink and you’re dominating the stage.”
Ei lightly shoved her with a grin. “I was not a nervous wreck!”
“You so fucking were. I bet your lips have weird bumps in them from how hard you were biting them.”
Ei raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Would you like to find out?”
Katsuki opened her mouth, probably to add onto what she was saying, until her eyes widened and she quickly shut it, a blush growing across her cheeks. “I’ll fucking kill you someday, remember that, asshole.”
Ei tilted her head back in laughter. God, what did she do to deserve someone like Katsuki? “You’re right though, I was a bit nervous. I mean I was so shocked when I saw Mina onstage, even more so after hearing her song; and don’t even get me started on how blown away I was by Uravity’s song!”
“Shitty Deku ruined it.”
Ei huffed. “I have no idea what history you two have, but it really doesn’t matter. The way they transitioned from that choppy, fast paced verse to the mellow and slow chorus they had going on? I mean it was so cool, no matter who was on guitar.”
“It was… okay.” Katsuki muttered, but Ei knew she was impressed.
“I just really hope we topped it.”
Katsuki whipped her head to face Eiko. “The fuck? We were- are, for fucks sake, lightyears ahead of those extras! I came here to win, and that’s what we’re gonna fucking do!”
All Eiko wanted at that moment was to kiss Katsuki. Her lips were red from licking them onstage, her hair even more disheveled than usual from bopping her head to the beat. Ei quickly dove in and pecked her on the lips, returning with a large smile at the blonde’s bamboozled expression.
“The fuck was that for?”
Ei leaned her head on her shoulder. “Just wanted to.” She cooed.
“Fucking- you-” Katsuki struggled, Ei looking up with a grin to witness her blush growing tenfold.
“Guys we won!” Denki shouted as Hanta burst through the front door, carrying him bridal style and spinning him around and jumping until the two fell over. Eiko and Katsuki locked eyes, shock evident on both of their faces.
“We fucking won!” Hanta shouted, untangling himself from Denki’s crushing weight. They stood up quickly and ran over to grab Eiko’s hand and pull her up, who grabbed Katsuki’s and soon they were all jumping around with smiles on their faces, shouting random shit at absolutely nothing and no one.
“Well don’t fucking make me wait all night, what’s our prize?” Katsuki snapped.
Denki put a finger up as he caught his breath. “Well first off, Present Mic and the head of Eraserhead records saw us play. Well, they saw everyone play, but we were the best!”
“Which is great!” Ei cheered.
“Secondly, we got a spot in a hella nice recording studio for a week! Which means we can record an EP, self-publish it to get our name out there, record a demo, then book like a month or two worth of gigs, get people excited about our shit, then send that demo to Aizawa of Eraserhead Records, AKA the guy who was secretly watching us play tonight, who wouldn’t be able to say no because look at us!” Denki finished out of breath.
“That’s quite the plan you’ve got there, Denks.” Hanta laughed.
“Oh no, it doesn’t stop there. Thirdly, and get ready for this one guys, we get-”
“We get a month-long vacation in this fancy penthouse in the big city!” Hanta interrupted.
Denki shouted at him, but Ei was too in shock to register what he was saying. “What the fuck?” She said, shaking her head and snapping out of it. “Was this not just a small local competition? I was expecting, like, a thousand bucks! At most!”
“Yeah, so apparently this was like, a huge thing? Like a county, or even state-wide, big deal competition.” Hanta explained. “I mean, it was a coincidence that two of the bands they selected were local. Those people in that Uravity band live like, two hours away. Revelry in the Dark? They live about five hours away.”
“That must’ve been a banger demo you sent in, Blasty!” Denki cheered.
“Of-fucking-course it was, Dunce Face.” She spat, but Ei could tell she was in shock as well.
“So let me get this straight;” Eiko interrupted. “The poster Blasty stole while illegally drunk in a bar was for a big-deal competition, one that most likely had a hundred something bands applied for, and Kats somehow got us in here with her winning personality or something, and we just won it.”
Denki let out a breathy laugh. “I decided not to think much about it.”
“Yeah, you’re good at that.” Katsuki quipped, earning laughs from the other bandmates.
“So we won, and now we get to live in a nice penthouse in the big city, and we have a week to record whatever we want.” Ei continued.
“... that would be correct.” Hanta said.
“I just turned sixteen!” She laughed. “Is that even allowed?”
“Of course it’s allowed, Shitty Hair.” Katsuki scoffed. “Why aren’t you asking important questions, like when the fuck does this all take place? And who’s paying, exactly?”
“Alright, so they told me that we would leave in like, a month, and that we have the recording studio for the first week of our stay in the city.” Hanta explained. “I think a portion of the money they got from tickets to get in here is being spent on us, but also from people who sponsor it every year. Present Mic was the biggest sponsor this year, that’s why he was the announcer. I asked him why, and he said something along the lines of-” He put on his best Present Mic impersonation, “I just love seeing these wicked talented kids live out their dreams, yo!”
Eiko laughed at his terrible impression, but when she settled down she realized how overwhelming this all was. She was so happy, Denki, Hanta, and Katsuki were all getting the recognition they deserved, and they all got here together. She could feel tears pinprick the corners of her eyes as a wave of happiness washed over her.
“Fuck, are you crying?” Katsuki shouted, although she looked worried and insanely awkward, clearly not knowing how to handle the situation.
Eiko wrapped her into a firm hug, ignoring the blonde’s protests. “This is just so cool. I’m so proud of you guys.” She mumbled into Katsuki’s shoulder.
“Aww!” Denki cheered. “We’re proud of you too, what the heck!” He practically tackled the two girls into a hug, grabbing Hanta and forcing him to join.
They swayed together, Ei and Katsuki trapped in between the taller boys. She smiled and wiped away an escaping tear, burying her face further into Katsuki’s shoulder. Here with the girl she’d been chasing for months, with the two idiots who always had her back, with no way of telling what was to come in the future, she felt complete; even if she was just sixteen and anything but that.
“Shit guys, how’re we gonna do school while we’re gone?” Denki asked, causing them all to chuckle at the sudden change in mood.