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What first caught Shinji’s attention upon entering the hideout was faint buzz coming from his room. Brows furrowed, he took off his shoes. Who on earth dared to set foot in there during his absence? As he headed for the room, the buzz gradually transformed into a more coherent sound of music.
Now more curious than irritated, Shinji opened the door to reveal you, cross-legged on the floor, seemingly in a state of bliss; next to you was his record player, currently in use, being the source of the music as well as your felicity.
“Y/N? What d’ya think yer doing?” Shinji glared at you less than amused. No one was allowed in his room, and more importantly no one was allowed to even breathe on his musical equipment. However, the wave of anxiety didn’t hit him as hard as he’d been expecting; after all, it wasn’t every day that someone shared his passion to music.
“Oh, you’re back.” There was zero remorse in your voice. If anything, you seemed happy to see him. “Wanna join me? Sorry for not asking first, but I just got this new record and couldn’t wait to listen to it.”
“Can ya even play it properly? If ya break my stuff, I won’t forgive ya.”
Never ceasing to sway to the music, you said nothing, only waved your hand about to silence him. Shinji let out a resigned sigh, but whatever exasperation he had been feeling was now gone. The player seemed to work just fine, no signs of damage. The feeling of ecstasy when playing a new record for the first time wasn’t foreign to him, either.
Deciding to play along, he sat next to you on the floor. “So what are ya listenin’ to?” The music was pleasant and vaguely familiar, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t pinpoint the exact title. Judging by the synth, it had to be the 80s. Good decade, he concluded.
Beaming, you held out the vinyl sleeve like it was the most precious thing in the universe. A slightly ominous album cover depicted a dark skyscraper with a tulip field at the bottom.
“Ay, Depeche Mode. Not bad at all.” Shinji nodded his head in approval, earning a squeal from you. As a musical glutton himself, he didn’t find your reaction cringy in any way… That being said, he wouldn’t be Shinji if he could help teasing you a little. “I saw their gig back in 1988. What a show that was!”
“Whaaat?!” You jerked in shock, almost knocking over the stack of vinyl records next to your leg. “You saw them in their prime?! I’m so jealous!”
“Oh, yeah,” he smirked. “If ya give me a kiss, I might consider tellin’ ya all ‘bout it.”
All he got instead was a barely dodged kick in the lower back, which, however, didn’t erase the smugness from his expression. He swiftly returned to your side to steal a peck, savouring every moment of how your adorable face was growing annoyed.
A chuckle escaped his throat. For once, he felt inclined to believe the lyrics on the record.
It won’t be long until you do exactly what he wants you to.