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The lights shining in her face are almost enough to block out the people watching her intently. She wraps both hands around the microphone, her fingers trembling as she waits with intense anticipation. Her heart is beating so loudly in her ears, she's not sure if she'll even hear the music when it finally starts.
She shouldn't be so nervous, but it's been years since she's sang anything in front of people, despite the itch to create music constantly tickling under her skin. She takes a deep breath, and the hard guitar strumming begins as the DJ cranks the volume.
She opens her mouth, and she starts to sing. The hum and vibration of her vocal cords almost makes her voice crack but she catches herself, following the rhythm.
The words are right in front of her face, but she doesn't stare at the screen. Instead she smiles at Momo, her friend who dragged her here for the evening and put her name in the mix.
The sound of her voice is foreign in her own ears, and for a moment she feels like she's on a real stage, lights so bright she can't see anyone in the crowd, her guitar heavy around her neck.
The rush of performing takes over her soul, igniting sparks she wishes hadn't died long ago.
She hears a loud cheer in the back, and a blond smiles at her, pointing in her direction. He looks drunk, the way he stumbles into his friend to clap for her, cheering. It's oddly flattering, despite the reality which slams into her.
It's a bar. A karaoke bar.
And Jirou Kyouka is singing for a bunch of drunken locals who probably don't know a thing about pitch or harmonies or music at all.
~~
"That... was amazing." The blond boy from the back of the bar sits down next to her and slings his arm over her chair. He's got a black streak that looks like a lightning bolt through his bangs and Kyouka wonders if he thinks he's edgy.
Kyouka stares at him.
"Hi! I'm Kaminari Denki and I wanted you to know I'm probably your biggest fan now."
Momo giggles. "Sorry, the spot's taken."
"What!? No way!" he says and dramatically leans back in his chair. "Okay, okay. At least let me buy you a drink?"
"Uh..." Kyouka doesn't know how to respond. She doesn't do this. She doesn't go out. She doesn't go on dates and she certainly doesn't let (sort of) cute blonds buy her drinks. "No thanks."
"What? You deserve it! You're incredible!" he says. His eyes are yellow, sparkling with an energy she can't quite place.
"That's alright," she says. "Really, uh, thanks but... no thanks."
"Alright," he sighs, looking like a kicked puppy. It almost makes her change her mind. "Either way, I hope you sing again. Watching you was awesome! You have this... this energy and it's... it's like... POW, right in your face... but also like... mmm... you feel it deep in your soul."
Well, that's the most vibrant critique she's ever gotten.
"Thanks... I think?"
She's convinced this guy is drunk.
"I, uh, sorry... I don't wanna make you uncomfortable. Great job though!" he says, rubbing the back of his neck while he stands up and almost stumbles over a chair. He makes his way to the back with his friends, looking a little less energetic than before.
"Aw," Momo sighs, glancing over at the group. "He seemed nice."
"Yaomomo, do you know how many of these guys seem nice? They just want to get you drunk."
Momo tilts her head. "Why?"
Kyouka just sighs and shakes her head.
~~
For as long as she can remember, Jirou Kyouka wanted to be a rock star or a princess; or a rock star princess. She could be both. One day she would be a rock star and fall so in love nothing else would matter.
Neither of those things happened.
She met a boy and she wrote songs about him. She stood on stage after stage, pouring her heart out for the audience to listen and share in the love her heart was so filled with.
Jirou Kyouka was happy and in love; for a brief moment. Her world was warm, filled with hope and fleeting childhood dreams felt like a reality.
Until he left her for someone else; another girl, another singer. Someone with far more money and fame. And she realized a truth she knew she would carry with her for the rest of her life: love was just a lie. A lie she’d built up for far too long in her head.
For a long while after that, Jirou Kyouka lost her voice. What was she supposed to sing now?
And everything came crashing down, her heart numb.
~~
Going back to the bar isn't her plan, but she ends up there one night after work. This time she goes alone, without Momo. It's probably not the smartest move, but she makes a pact with herself. She'll sing one song, feel a good rush, and then go home.
It's addicting; the lights, the music drowning out her other senses. She misses singing, and if this is a simple and easy way to get her fix, she'll take it.
Even if she has to suffer through all the terrible people before her.
She sits in the back corner hoping no one will see her but-
"Hey! You're back!"
Of course. It's the blond from the other evening, Kaminari Denki. Kyouka feels her heart leap into her throat when he smiles at her, making his way to the small stage.
"I dedicate this song to the cute girl with purple hair in the corner." He thrusts his finger in her direction and she immediately slinks down in the seat. So much for keeping a low profile.
The song starts, and Kaminari opens his mouth, striking a dramatic pose while he yanks the microphone from the stand. The lyrics begin to scroll across the screen in front of him, lighting up his face and...
He's absolutely horrible.
Completely off pitch, his rhythm is a little messy and Kyouka visibly cringes, her eye twitching and her shoulder raising up to her ear.
Yeah. He sucks.
But she can't stop the smile pulling across her lips. As terrible as he is, Kaminari is absolutely owning his performance. He's moving around the stage, waving to his friends and even with his mixed up timing and slurred lyrics, he's having fun. Kyouka can't deny him that.
He slams the microphone back onto the stand, his chest heaving as he stumbles off the stage.
She expects him to go back to his rowdy group of friends, sitting in their usual spot by the bar. Instead he walks right for her.
"So," he says, a giant smile on his face. The pride is radiating off of him and Kyouka wonders where his exuberant confidence comes from. "What did you think? Am I worthy enough to buy you a drink now?"
Kyouka purses her lips, trying to hold back, but the laugh bursts from her and she shakes her head. "No, it's my turn to sing."
"Well, you know, I am a tough act to follow."
"I think... I got this, Lightning Bolt," she smirks, leaning forward to gently flick her finger against the edge of his bangs.
She walks past him, her heart pounding as she steps up onto the stage. Did she really just do that?! Sober?! She's crazy. Actually insane. It's the only reasonable explanation for her behavior.
Jirou Kyouka no longer believes in love, but music is something that lives inside of her; it always has and always will. She knows she won't be a princess or a rock star, but if Kaminari can own the stage, so can she.
Her song begins and the entire bar hushes when she starts singing. It makes her smile. It's like they don't expect it; how good she'll sound and when she sings everyone has to look at her, really look at her. They know who she is through her song, the emotions which swirl around inside of her heart. They have to look at her, but really they're looking at how she sounds, nothing else about her matters.
When she opens her eyes, she finds she's been staring at Kaminari the whole time, and his smile is so wide, she's scared he might break his jaw.
The mic pops when she laughs, thanking the crowd, and she makes her way to the bathroom, unable to stop how flushed her cheeks are.
Maybe, just maybe, one of these nights she'll let him buy her one drink.
~~
"Sing with me."
"No."
"I promise I won’t be bad tonight," Kaminari says, swiping his finger across his chest.
"You're bad every night," Kyouka states flatly.
She's at the bar again, and at this point it's becoming less of a surprise to her when she finds herself sitting, waiting for her turn. She comes alone all the time, but somehow, more often than not, Kaminari Denki ends up at her table, talking at her. It's usually after she sings, when she's spent the majority of the song finding his eyes.
Somehow he gives her this rush of confidence, like electricity surging through her veins, charging her up with power and she's clinging to it, desperately.
She still won't let him buy her a drink, though. There's no reason to head into that territory.
But tonight, he asks her to sing with him. And he sucks, but something in her heart wants to say yes.
"Please, Jirou!" he begs, clapping his hands together.
He's got this puppy dog look; she just can't deny him this.
"Fine," she sighs, rolling her eyes as she steps away from the table to head to the front.
Admittedly, it's a little selfish; Kyouka will take any chance she has to stand on the tiny stage. Kaminari hands her a mic and grabs another for himself, the slow tune starting. For a moment, she panics, even with the bright lights, she would always find Kaminari in the crowd, but they're singing a duet and she can't just stare at him the whole time.
She glances to the side, and he's smiling, awkwardly swaying his hips back and forth. It's cute. He's cute.
She kinda hates that she thinks that.
The song starts with his part and she forgot how bad his voice is, the creaky sound echoing in the bar. Everyone's listening, because by now all the regulars know Jirou Kyouka is amazing, and they'll suffer Kaminari's vocals to hear her.
She glances to him when her part is about to begin and he nods, wrapping his fingers around hers. Her eyes widen and she stumbles over her entrance cue, her voice falling into the song. She knows she should want to pull her hand away, but something about it is comforting. It lights up her voice and sends beautiful sounds across the room.
When they sing together, she can't help but smile. Their voices clash, the timbre shaky, and Kyouka doesn't even attempt to sing harmonies because she knows it'll be a disaster.
The bar claps and hollers, cheering for them and she turns to Kaminari, blushing when she realizes their hands are still connected. She pulls away, clutching it to her chest and she swears disappointment flashes through his golden eyes.
"So..." he says rubbing his neck. "Will you let me buy you a drink now?"
Kyouka feels her heart clench. But one drink doesn't have to mean anything right? It’s not like she’s agreeing to go on a date with the guy? They’ve practically drunk together before.
"Alright," she sighs. "Just one."
His face lights up brighter than the stage lights.
~~
"So you two are like... a couple?" Momo asks, tapping her finger against her chin.
"W-What!? N-No!" Kyouka waves her hands in front of herself, but her eyes betray her, glancing to where Kaminari hangs out in the back with his friends. "We just... sing together sometimes."
That's not entirely accurate. They usually sing together, even if they don't sound good. Though Kyouka has come up with a list of songs she knows Kaminari will excel at and she's suggested he try rapping. That's worked a little better for him, but if he's had too many drinks, the idiot stumbles over all his words.
He's so hopeless!
"Sometimes?" Momo asks. "I don't know about that. It seems like most of the times. You know Kyouka, it's okay if you have a crush."
"I-I don't have a crush!" she says, shaking her head. If only she had drank something and could blame the redness of her cheeks on alcohol.
She sighs, glancing over at Kaminari with his friends again. Their eyes catch, and he immediately smiles, waving wildly in her direction. She snorts, a laugh slipping from her lips. Why is everything he does so dorky and weird?
Why does she like it so much?
She glances at Momo, who purses her lips and shrugs. Kyouka doesn't want to give her the satisfaction of telling her she might be right.
~~
"What if we went on one date?"
He asks her at the end of one of their duets, before stepping off the stage. The words hit Kyouka like a deep bass chord, the sound vibrating in her chest. Kaminari always pushes her limits; sends her to a place she's not quite sure of, but she likes it there. The karaoke bar made her fall in love with music again and she wonders if Kaminari is making her question her thoughts on love.
She doesn't want to be in that place again; she doesn't want to sing every happy feeling when she knows eventually it'll crash down, just like before. Kaminari shines so brightly, he almost makes her want to believe again, but she knows the truth and she doesn’t want to risk it. Not again. Her heart won’t be able to weather another blow.
"I-I can't..."
Kaminari's face falls, and he looks a little defeated, a sight she's not used to. Normally he's full of energy and life (and maybe a little bit of booze).
Kyouka shakes her head. "I can't," she repeats and she steps off the stage.
~~
Jirou Kyouka is not a rock star or a princess and she doesn't want to be in love. This is her choice, even if it feels like a bad one. She doesn't go back to the bar for the rest of the week, and as much as she hates to admit it, she misses it. She misses Kaminari.
He's probably found someone else to sing with. Isn't that how it always goes? She's replaceable. She knows this.
She needs to let it go.
But she can't.
There's a tug in her heart, a desperation... a desire... and she finds herself back at the bar a week later. Hah. She's pathetic, only able to stay away for a week.
In reality, a week has felt like decades.
She steps into the small dark bar, the lights shining on the currently empty stage, the room abuzz with casual chatter, some people louder than others.
"Well look who decided to show up!" A red head at the bar says when she walks to her signature corner. He's one of Kaminari's friends, Kirishima maybe?
"Huh?"
"Denki hasn't sang all week! He said he couldn’t without his partner!"
"What?" she blinks and from across the room, her eyes meet Kaminari's. The golden hues begin to twinkle against the dim bar lights and he jumps up to greet her.
"You’re here!" he blurts out.
"Y-Yeah..." she says. He waited for her?
"We gotta pick something to sing! I've been dying all week!" he says, wrapping his hand around hers as he pulls her to the DJ's table. He flips through the book eagerly and Kyouka can't take her eyes off of him.
"You didn't sing without me?"
"Of course not! We're partners now, it wouldn't feel right without you!" he says, putting a song into the computer.
There's no line tonight, so their song comes up immediately and Kaminari pulls her to the stage.
The music begins and the warm feeling wraps around her, the rush shooting through her veins. She squeezes Kaminari's hand, realizing she's still holding it. How did it get to the point where she doesn't want to let go?
When they sing together, their voices clash and nothing feels natural and yet everything about it is perfect. She can't take her eyes off of him and she realizes that no, it wouldn't be right without him. As horrible as he is at singing, she likes this, the music they make together, the way this has become their thing.
Like a sappy, cliche moment, she doesn't want it to end, but the song does and she can't help herself. She turns to him fully, and wraps her arm around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. His lips are slightly chapped and rough, like his voice. Appropriate, she thinks.
She holds herself in place, lips pressed to lips, letting the patrons of the bar cheer for them, (Kaminari's friends especially) before pulling away. It's been so long since she felt so warm, so happy.
Jirou Kyouka thinks for a moment that maybe, just maybe, she could fall in love with Kaminari Denki.
"Okay," she says with a smile. "We can go on one date."
"Really?! You want to!?" His face lights up the room with his excited smile once again.
She nods, her thumbs brushing over his cheeks. She wants to, she really does.
He kisses her again, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up. The bar cheers, hollering at their passionate kiss.
Jirou Kyouka may not be a rock star or a princess, but she's a star in that tiny bar with Kaminari Denki and she has a feeling, a good feeling.
There's no way it's going to be only one date.