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Contrary to popular belief, Akihiko does not have many friends.
It's a common misconception, he thinks, because he's mastered the art of smooth-talking. He can make anyone feel amazing about themselves, get them addicted to the attention, if only for a few hours. He also has a good eye for the type of people who will let themselves be flattered into bed upon first meeting.
But really, with the exception of Ugetsu, most people don’t stick around Akihiko long enough to become his friends. He doesn't blame them, though. What lies beneath the shiny exterior he projects out into the world is never as appealing as he promises it will be.
Truth is, he's gotten used to being used, and so he justifies using everybody else.
So it totally throws him for a loop when Haru doesn't join his vicious cycle.
Haru is easily flattered, that's true. Finding new ways to make him squirm is one of Akihiko's favorite pastimes. But it never goes further than that.
Akihiko is not blind. He catches the not-so-subtle glances Haru drops his way and how flustered his friend gets when Akihiko invades his personal space even for a second.
Yet, despite the signals, Akihiko has never gotten the impression that Haru expects anything from him, apart from his company.
Which is why, in the course of a few months, Haru goes from being that classmate Akihiko was assigned to complete a class project with, to being his closest friend.
All of their interactions usually take place on campus or in the cafe Haru works at, but Akihiko doesn't mind. Hanging out with Haru has been a lot of fun, especially now that the guy’s initial shyness has evaporated, allowing his real personality to shine through. Akihiko finds him hilarious, even when he doesn't mean to be, which honestly makes him that much funnier.
Deep subjects don't come up very often in their conversations, but when they do, Akihiko is perfectly at ease sharing his thoughts. He knows that Haru will listen, regardless of the topic and without any judgment. Akihiko also appreciates the wisdom of Haru’s insight when he provides it, even though Haru’s only two years his senior. But the best thing about spending time with his new friend is that Akihiko doesn't have to try very hard to impress him—he can just be his boring, overworked, tired self—and Haru still thinks he's amazing.
Akihiko looks forward to seeing Haru every day, to the point where he feels a little lost on the days that he doesn't. He worries about what will happen to their friendship when they no longer share a class, and before he realizes it, finals week has come and gone.
That Friday, Haru suggests going to the karaoke spot near campus to celebrate the end of exams, and Akihiko agrees wholeheartedly, excited to spend time with Haru in a new environment.
When they arrive, the karaoke place is swarming with other students who had the same idea. And in the waiting area, they bump into Yatake and his newest conquest: a petite girl with bubblegum hair.
Akihiko doesn't know Yatake very well, but the guy has known Haru for years. Akihiko doesn't sense that they ever had anything romantic going on, but can still feel the protectiveness that radiates from Yatake when it comes to Haru. It can be in the form of a sharp glance in Akihiko's direction, or the hard set of his mouth whenever Akihiko flirts with Haru. And while Yatake has never been outright rude to him, Akihiko gets the distinct impression that Haru's bestie doesn't like him very much.
Must be my lovely reputation, he decides.
After the obligatory greetings and awkward introductions, they learn that the girl's name is Reiko, and that she aspires to be an actress. This captures Haru's attention for the next ten minutes, and they chat animatedly about their favorite dramas and actors. Yatake seems thrilled about his best friend and new girlfriend getting along so well and suggests the four of them share a room.
“Come on, it’ll be fun!” Yatake shouts, wrapping an arm around Reiko. She nods and gives them a friendly, encouraging smile.
Haru looks back at Akihiko—who gives a shrug of indifference, despite the internal groaning—then turns back to Yatake to voice his agreement. Akihiko plasters a grin on his face, though he feels a spark of jealousy at having to share his friend with an acquaintance and a stranger.
Thankfully, it’s not long before the hostess is leading them to one of the private rooms and handing out foldable menus.
They each start a tab, and soon, what starts out as stress-relief karaoke becomes a competition to determine the best performer. They rate each other, giving scores from 1 to 10—1 being eardrum-busting and 10 being close to godly—and the person with the least amount of points after each round must buy a fresh round of drinks or snacks for everybody.
Akihiko reluctantly agrees to the terms, though he is well aware that he can’t afford to lose more than once on his student budget.
So he doesn’t lose. He goes all out, selecting catchy, popular tunes he knows will please this particular crowd, and executes them to perfection, adding his own silliness just to make Haru laugh.
Surprisingly, the most generous with the points when it comes to Akihiko is Reiko, and he returns the favor despite the fact that she’s an average singer, at best.
The night progresses rather quickly, and Akihiko has to admit he's having a great time. Probably because he's getting drunk and fed on someone else's card.
Yatake and Haru lose three times each before Haru stands and rips the controller form Akihiko's hand.
“Alright! I've been taking it easy on you fools," he announces, pointing the microphone at the trio seated before him. "But it's time to get serious!”
Akihiko laughs at the fact that Haru is trying to hide his song selection on the controller, even though it's appearing on the screen as he searches. Akihiko doubts any selection of Haru’s can surprise him at this point, so he returns his attention to the remaining fried snacks in the middle of the table.
Yatake and Reiko seem to be off in their own little world now, giggling at private jokes that don’t appear to involve either Haru or Akihiko.
Akihiko’s fine with that. He turns his attention back to Haru, whose focus seems to be solely on him. The intensity in his gaze startles Akihiko a bit, as well as the fact that his friend has removed his hair tie and shaken his long locks free. There’s a warm flush to his cheeks that betrays his tipsiness, and that, combined with the wild state of his hair, makes Akihiko think of sex.
“This one’s for you,” Haru murmurs, flashing Akihiko a cocky little smirk just before the music starts.
As soon as the first note hits, Akihiko's skin breaks out in goosebumps.
The song is explosive. It blasts around the room so violently that it startles the two lovebirds beside him and they yelp in unison.
Haru laughs at their faces while they sputter in shock, their protests inaudible over the shrill guitar. There's a faint hint of recognition in the back of Akihiko's mind, like he's heard this song before. Or maybe it's just because he's familiar with heavy metal subgenres. But that doesn't matter now. What matters, is that Haru is turning the volume down on the microphone and Akihiko takes it as a signal to brace himself.
Then Haru is screaming.
The shriek blaring over the speakers makes Akihiko’s breath catch in his throat. It's a brutal, almost inhuman scream that reminds him of insanity. Of the monsters that featured in his nightmares as a child—a visceral kind of horror.
And yet, he is absolutely blown away.
But the scream is nothing compared to the long, guttural roar that follows, and Akihiko's jaw literally drops.
Haru’s face contorts into a maniacal grimace, the lyrics spilling from his throat distorted in a growl that sounds downright demonic.
It sets Akihiko's skin on fire.
He knows that a lot of training has to happen in order to achieve voice techniques like that without injury, and Haru is more than good. He sounds like he’s done this for years. And he looks dangerous doing it—his head bangs to the aggressive rhythm, hair flipping in a flowing curtain of gold. The intensity in his eyes is that of a rabid wolf, searing right through Akihiko’s soul, and it's sure as hell making him feel things—mostly terror and arousal.
But he stays frozen in his seat, mesmerized by his best friend’s voice as it vibrates through his bones for the remainder of the song. He doesn’t try to hide how awestruck he is.
Who would have thought that Haru, with his sweet smiles and easily blushing cheeks, would have a heart for deathcore?!
By the time the song comes to an end, Haru's hair hangs in front of his face like a creature from a horror film, and he is drenched in sweat, panting like he just performed for an hour onstage. But when he finally slicks his hair back, soft-Haru reappears with a bashful grin and Akihiko has to wonder if he just imagined the whole thing.
“Whoooooaaahhh!!! Haru-chan!” Yatake shouts, pumping a fist in the air. “That was badass! What a throwback!”
“Haruki-san!” yells Reiko with even more enthusiasm, “That was incredible! You’re amazing!”
“Why, thank you, thank you!” Haru laughs and bows dramatically as his audience applauds and offers 10s all around.
He tosses the mic to Yatake before plopping back in his seat beside Akihiko, and Akihiko is suddenly very aware of the length of Haru's thigh pressing into his own. The confidence exuding from Haru when he locks eyes with him is easily the sexiest thing Akihiko has ever seen. He finally manages to lift his jaw from the floor.
“What the hell was that?! ” he squeals, pointing at the spot where Haru was just standing. “A throwback?! To when?”
Haru lets out another laugh and shrugs. Flyaways stubbornly stick to his forehead and cheeks, and he pushes them back with his fingers.
“I told you I was a vocalist in a band before.”
Akihiko gapes. “Wha—? A metal band? No way!”
“You never asked what kind of band it was,” Haru grins wickedly. And Akihiko notices for the first time, that it makes one of Haru's eyes crinkle a little more than the other, and that there’s suddenly a dimple on Haru’s left cheek—when the heck did that get there?
“That was way back in high school!” Yatake adds from beside Akihiko, then pauses, narrowing his eyes at Haru in thought. “What were you guys called, again? Bloody Worms, or something?”
“Rabid Maggots!” Haru snickers, shaking his head as he raises an eyebrow at Akihiko. “I guess it's not much better, is it?”
Akihiko's mouth opens and closes as his brain short circuits. He is still too stunned and there are too many thoughts fighting to jump out of his mouth all at once.
“But—but you listen to J-pop!” he cries stupidly, as if that were evidence enough to cancel out what he just witnessed.
Haru snorts and rolls his eyes. “And you listen to Bach but you still recognized this song, didn’t you?” he counters with his eyebrows raised, pulling his hair back into a ponytail as he very clearly relishes Akihiko’s reaction.
And he’s right. Akihiko did recognize the band as one he’d been into in high school. He tries to picture a high school version of Haru—maybe shorter and skinnier—with that same wildfire in his eyes. It’s possible they would’ve gotten along even back then. So he finally grins and cedes the point with a nod.
“That explains the long hair,” he mutters after a moment.
“Mm, yeah,” Haru picks at the ends of his hair distractedly. “It’s getting long again. I need to cut it.”
“No, don't! I love it.”
Akihiko shuts his mouth, hoping Haru will ignore his slip. Of course, he's teased Haru about his hair and said things of a similar nature before, but it's all been in jest. Unfortunately, Haru must have heard the sincerity in his words this time, because his eyes widen and his face grows so red that Akihiko actually feels a little embarrassed himself, despite how adorable the reaction is.
Thankfully, it seems the other two in the room are too preoccupied with Yatake’s song selection to pay them any mind. So Akihiko clears his throat and averts his gaze.
“Not too many metalheads I know get monthly treatments, though,” he says, hoping to make light of his earlier comment.
Haru takes the bait.
“Well, I kinda have to,” he chuckles lightly. “I’m actually a hair model for my hairdresser friend’s channel.”
“What!” Akihiko shouts gleefully. “Haru, you are full of surprises!”
Haru shakes his head, amused. “It’s really not a big deal. I just sit there while he does my hair.”
Akihiko ponders on this for a beat, then asks, “Does this mean you’re internet-famous? Am I friends with a celebrity?”
“Not even close!” Haru says with a dismissive hand as he takes a sip of his drink. “No one’s even seen my face.”
“Well, that’s a shame,” Akihiko says, and when color returns to Haru’s cheeks, he decides to make it worse by leaning in so only Haru can hear.
“But you know, that just means I have less competition.”
“What?!” Haru twitches, but also (notably) does not pull away.
“Yeah, and now I know what kind of music to serenade you with beneath your balcony,” Akihiko whispers with a chuckle, then adds. “Bet your neighbors won’t like it one bit.”
The blush spreads all the way to Haru’s ears as he sputters, “Akihiko! W-what are you talking about?!”
“Metal,” Akihiko replies, eyes wide with feigned innocence. “What are you talking about?”
Haru blinks, confused, before he realizes Akihiko is back to saying things just to get a reaction out of him. His eyes narrow when Akihiko offers a wink.
“You know what? I take back the 8 I gave you,” Haru announces loud enough for Yatake and Reiko to hear. “Your score is now a negative 8. Which means you lose this round!”
“What!” Akihiko cries in mock horror, looking to the other two judges for back-up. “Is that even allowed?”
Before Yatake can open his mouth, Haru interrupts with a raised hand.
“Of course it's allowed! And upon further review, that Mariah Carey song of yours has been the worst pick of the night.”
“Excuse me? ‘Obsessed’ is a masterpiece!”
Haru laughs wholeheartedly again, which fills Akihiko’s chest with warm delight.
“Yeah, right. Pay up,” his friend orders, flashing that cocky, dangerous grin again.
Akihiko smiles back. He can’t wait to discover what other treasures lie behind it.