Chapter Text
“Good job, everyone! That sounded pretty great,” Haruki said as he began packing up. The band performed a gig pretty recently, but this time, they were practicing for another one scheduled a few weeks later. “Let’s keep it up.”
Before they could leave, Haruki cleared his throat. Not getting the cue, the other three did not make a move to stop, Mafuyu’s hand already reaching towards the doorknob. Haruki tried again.
Akihiko gave the bassist a strange look. “Do you have a sore throat or something? Take some medicine.”
Growing exasperated, Haruki sighed, face-palming. “Geez, don’t you all get it? I’m trying to make an announcement here!” Akihiko raised both of his hands in surrender as Ritsuka let out a confused “Oh.” Mafuyu lowered the hand that was about to turn the doorknob as he faced the other members.
“Now if I have all your attention, let me continue,” Haruki said, grabbing his phone from the pocket of his jeans. “This is actually for Mafuyu.”
“Me?” The younger boy pointed toward himself, head tilting in confusion like a curious puppy the same time that Ritsuka’s eyes widened, asking, “Him?”
Haruki nodded and showed them a picture on his phone. “Do you guys know this group?” As Ritsuka and Akihiko moved closer to examine the picture, Mafuyu let out an amazed gasp. “You know them, Mafuyu-chan?” Haruki asked, based on the bright expression on his face.
He shook his head. “Nope.”
As Haruki was about to explain to him, already immune to Mafuyu’s strangeness, Ritsuka butted in with a dumbfounded look. “Are you kidding me, Mafuyu? They’re a really popular group.”
Akihiko nodded. “Yeah. Their songs are sick.”
Haruki hummed in agreement as he kept his phone. “We’ve actually performed at the same venue a bunch of times. But anyway, back to the point, Mafuyu-chan,” Haruki looked at him. “I’m friends with their bassist and he called me yesterday, asking if you were interested in subbing for their vocalist in their next gig. She suddenly had a family emergency, so she wouldn’t make it in time to practice with them. What do you think?”
As Mafuyu’s eyes glossed over in a familiar look that indicated he was lost in thought, Haruki continued, “I mean, personally, I think this is a great idea. It would be good exposure for you as our vocalist and can add on to your experience. But if you’re not up for it, that’s perfectly alright. I can give him a call right now, actually.
To everyone’s surprise, Mafuyu shook his head, eyes flashing that bright look he has on whenever it has to do with performing. “I’ll do it.”
Haruki smiled, grateful for the vocalist accepting his friend’s request. “Great! I’ll introduce you to them tomorrow, if you’re free.”
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“Uenoyama-kun, I like you from the bottom of my heart, but,” Mafuyu trailed off, scanning the array of clashing ingredients along with the mystery meat on the pan, “I’m not so sure if both of our stomachs can handle what you’re making.”
With Mafuyu busy preparing for the gig, Ritsuka figured that it would be nice if he could come over and cook him something to help restore some energy. Besides, it had been a while since the last time the two of them got to be alone, excluding their walks home from band practice.
He should have figured that him cooking was a recipe for disaster.
Ritsuka, despite his initial confidence at nailing the dish he had in his mind, couldn’t help but grimace. “I could’ve sworn I got the measurements right.” He placed a hand on the nape of his neck, ashamed. “My bad, Mafuyu. If you could just wait for a moment, I’ll pick something up from the convenience store.” Ritsuka was about to turn and grab his coat when Mafuyu gently grabbed his wrist.
Flashing his characteristic soft smile that never failed to make Ritsuka’s cheeks redden, Mafuyu said, “There’s no need for that, Uenoyama-kun. We can still fix this.”
Out of the two of them, Mafuyu was the most perceptive when it came to reading people’s emotions. At that moment, Mafuyu could sense that Ritsuka would only feel bothered that he had to step in to fix a dish that he was supposed to make for them. Which is precisely why he went on to say, “Together.” He smiled at Ritsuka reassuringly, “We can fix it together.”
But Mafuyu couldn’t help but tease Ritsuka by adding, “As long as you follow everything that I say.”
Ritsuka, who was flustered this whole time, regained his composure the moment that Mafuyu finished what he was saying. He chuckled at Mafuyu’s mischievous side. “Well, I sure hope your cooking skills and instructions are godly enough to save this,” he quipped, motioning towards the questionable creation in the kitchen. He was about to voice out his doubts when he stopped dead in his tracks, distracted by the sight of Mafuyu casually rolling up the sleeves of his sweater to his forearms.
Looking accustomed to donning an apron and prepping the ingredients, Mafuyu, in a sing-song tone, declared, “We’ll just have to see.”
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“HOLY SHIT!” Ritsuka exclaimed after taking a bite out of the dish he helped- more like assisted- Mafuyu whip up. “How the hell did you manage to salvage this?” Ritsuka asked before going back to chowing down on their meal.
Mafuyu took a bite from his own plate, smiling, “I’m glad it turned out well.” Taking a sip of his tea, he added, “Of course, it was also thanks to how well you listened to me.”
Ritsuka choked mid-bite, hurriedly gulping down his glass of water. “Damn it!”
“It’s true,” Mafuyu laughed, the soft sound filling the room along with Ritsuka’s small coughs. Kedama wagged his tail at the ruckus, sensing his owner’s joy. “Let’s eat.”
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As the two washed the dishes, Ritsuka broke the comfortable silence that settled. “Mafuyu,” he called out, looking up from the glass that he was wiping down with a clean cloth.
“Hm?” Mafuyu responded, eyes glued on the plate that he was rinsing.
“You’re not pushing yourself for that performance, are you? ‘Cause if you are, I’m sure we could tell them to look for someone else to do it. We could still help them find someone-“
“I’m fine, Uenoyama-kun,” Mafuyu finally looked up, gazing at Ritsuka with his gentle eyes and kind smile. “I’m actually looking forward to you seeing it.”
Ritsuka was worried this whole time. Mafuyu, to anyone who didn’t know him well, wasn’t the most expressive person out there. ‘What if they’re pushing him too hard? What if there’s something he doesn’t understand, but he isn’t comfortable enough to approach any of the members in that band? Is he getting along with them just fine? But most importantly, is he having fun?’ These were some of the thoughts that plagued Ritsuka the moment that Mafuyu agreed to doing that gig. But with Mafuyu’s genuine smile at the thought of the performance, his worries seemed to slip away.
Ritsuka sighed, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He raised a hand up to pat the top of Mafuyu’s head. “As long as you’re enjoying yourself.”