Chapter Text
Tamaki takes a deep breath, nervously wringing his hands together. He stands at the bottom of the stairs, heartbeat pounding violently against his chest. The loud cheers from the crowd can be heard all the way backstage, and Tamaki is sure he should be used to this by now, but he can't help but still find it all overwhelming.
A small hand jabs his side, causing his whole body to jolt forward. Squeaking embarrassingly loud, he whips his head around to glare at Nejire. “That wasn't very nice,” he mumbles.
Nejire’s face splits into a wide smile, her hands clasped loosely in front of her. “You just looked so troubled, Amajiki-kun! Hey, hey, what's the big deal, anyway, huh? You're not nervous are you? Are you still not used to the crowds? Is it the loud noises? Hey, didn't you know, we've been doing this for over a year now! Isn't that exciting, huh, isn't it?”
Tamaki's mind swirls as it tries to keep up with the questions. After knowing his air headed friend for quite some time, he knows that she isn’t expecting him to answer every single question, because that would just be tiring and Tamaki does not have the patience for it. Awkwardly scratching his cheek, Tamaki looks to the side and brings his shoulders up into a half shrug.
“I can’t help but feel anxious,” he says. “It's… easier than it used to be, but it's still nerve wracking…”
“And that's perfectly okay!” Yuuyu pipes up, walking over to the two with Mirio following. She offers Tamaki a small, kind and understanding smile. Tamaki shakily smiles back.
“Yeah,” Mirio says as he steps into the small circle. He places a hand on Tamaki's shoulder, and that one touch seems to ground Tamaki. Without thinking, he shuffles a bit closer to the blond. “It's okay to be nervous! We all get those jitters-” Tamaki shoots him a small glare, as if to say ‘ we talked about this, you know it's not the same,’ and Mirio quickly puts up his hands and waves them around. “But! I know, I know that it's not exactly the same!” He says with a laugh, shooting Tamaki a small smile. “Just… don't forget to look at me, okay? I'll always be by your side.”
Tamaki almost melts at the soft and warm look Mirio gives him. He reaches out, gently tugging on Mirio's jacket. Mirio gets the hint and let's his hands fall down to his sides. He then reaches over and tangles his fingers together with Tamaki's.
Taking another small step toward Mirio, Tamaki angles his head so that he's speaking right into Mirio's ear. “Like I could ever look away,” he whispers, smiling as Mirio's neck flushes red.
Mirio moves a couple inches away, moving so he can properly face his boyfriend. He lifts a tan hand, gently cupping Tamaki's cheek with his free hand. His eyes soften once again and he carefully swipes his thumb across Tamaki's cheek. In one single movement, he swoops down and slides his lips against Tamaki's.
It's over before Tamaki can really appreciate it, but it's everything he needs to square his shoulders and face the stage with determination. The fans cheering has grown louder, making it harder to hear everyone around him. He's entirely grateful for the ear pieces they started wearing so that they can easily speak to the crew and their manager while on stage.
Glancing back at his friends, Tamaki stifles his laughter as a crew member walks over and hands Nejire a new set of drum sticks. Her eyes grow wide, practically sparkling, as she thanks the man and turns to Yuuyu to gush about the new sticks. He wonders how long these ones will last, because he sure as Hell knows they won’t make it past a month. They never do.
Mirio stands by his side, their hands still clasped loosely together. Tamaki knows he can face anything as long as he has his best friends and boyfriend by his side. As the speakers overhead crackle to life, Yuuyu and Nejire step forward to stand beside their friends.
“... and without further ado, we welcome Daybreak to the stage!” The announcer says, voice echoing throughout the building. The room goes wild, the fan's cheering reaching a new level of chaos. Tamaki is still shocked at how much their fan base has grown within this year.
Mirio leads the way onto the stage, his hand slipping from Tamaki's grasp. Tamaki follows, Nejire and Yuuyuu in tow. It doesn't take long for them to get up the steps and pass by the large curtain. The moment they pass by the thick black fabric, the cheering grows in volume and intensity.
“We welcome Lemillion, the happiest lead guitarist you’ll ever meet…” Tamaki watches as the fans rage, hands fist pumping in the air. He smiles at his boyfriend. It's truly what he deserves.
“ Next is Nymph, the bass guitarist with relaxed vibe yet snappy mouth...” Yuuyu throws up a peace sign and winks toward the crowd, moving to her spot on the stage. She picks up her guitar and slings it across her shoulder, a huge smile on her face as the crowd chants her name.
“ Then we have Fairy, the most energetic drummer to grace our stage!” Nejire, already at her drum set, raises both hands in the air. She waves them around excitedly, smile wide and carefree, the drumsticks held tightly in her hands. Once again, the crowd cheers loudly and chants her name.
“And last, but certainly not least, the best lead singer of the century as of yet, Suneater!” Tamaki shakily smiles, stepping up to the microphone. He looks out at the crowd, the anxiety from before coming back to smack him across the face. The bright lights practically blind him from being able to properly see the crowd, but the loud cheering and chanting fizzles into background noise as he glances over at his boyfriend. Pushing his anxiety away, he carefully wraps his fingers around the microphone and clears his throat.
“Thank you all for being with us here tonight!” He says as loud as he can, the speakers amplifying his voice. The crowd goes wild, clapping and cheering even more.
He hears Nejire smack her drumsticks together and begin the countdown. Yuuyuu strums, and Mirio follows suit. Taking a deep breath, Tamaki anxiously waits for his cue.
Mirio watches his boyfriend intently, taking a step closer to him. He always makes sure to be somewhere within Tamaki's line of sight, because it's his way of giving support during the shows. He knows Tamaki needs it.
His hands move easily, the chords basically now engraved into his mind. They've practiced and performed this song plenty of times. He mentally counts down to when Tamaki will begin singing.
Three...two…
Tamaki's lips part, and he hits his cue perfectly. Mirio can't help but grin, pride swelling up in his chest. Tamaki has grown so much over all this time… They all have, really. Fingers moving over the strings of his guitar flawlessly, Mirio chances a glance back at Nejire and Yuuyuu.
Nejire is having the time of her life, lips pulled back into a crazed and happy smile as she ruthlessly goes about hitting the drums. Yuuyuu looks more at peace, playing the guitar with ease and grace as she paces around the stage. They're all enjoying themselves and this is everything Mirio could've ever wanted.
Turning his attention back to Tamaki, Mirio's smile widens, the pride flowing through his veins. They've been through so much this past year, and he's just so glad that they've gotten this far.
He makes eye contact with Tamaki, and his smile turns into a smirk. He winks, causing Tamaki to blush slightly and jerk his gaze away.
They weren't always so in tune and put together. To all their fans, they seemed to always be on track to getting better and more popular. However, none of them truly knew the hardships and battles they had faced to get here.
Mirio regrets a handful of things that had happened, but he's not sure if he would really change anything. Smiling once again, he let's the loud cheering of the crowd surround him like a safety blanket. They made it this far, and they would continue to push forward. Whatever hardships may come their way, Mirio knows they can overcome it. They've done it before, and he knows they can do it again.
Their journey to get where they are now was long and harsh, a lot of guilt and many regrets shared between them all. But Mirio knew he wouldn’t change his band for the world.
This is Daybreak, this is their story.