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Loud, high-pitched music blasted from the platinum blond's headphones as he laid on his friend's bed. The two of them were supposed to be doing homework at the moment, since that's what Andre invited him over for, but Cal had decided that he'd prefer to listen to his shitty music instead of being useful to both himself and Andre.
A particularly loud noise from the headphones (which was getting increasingly annoying to Andre) startled Andre from his concentration on his pre-calc homework. He turned to Cal, who didn't seem to notice anything. He waved over to Cal. No response. He pounded on his desk with a fist. Still no response. Finally, when Andre threw his eraser at him did Cal look up.
He pulled his headphones down. "What's up?" He asked, as if his shitty music wasn't leaking from the empty space where his brain was supposed to be.
"Cal, I swear to GOD if you don't turn your music down, I will curbstomp your empty airhead until it pops and put your body through a woodchipper." It was safe to say that Andre was more than a bit annoyed.
It appeared that an idea popped into Cal's apparently empty airhead and he jumped up. "Broooo, you gotta listen to this! You'll like it, it's really good!"
The brune quirked a brow at him. "I'm serious!"
"What is it," questioned Andre in a deadpan tone.
"It's 100 gecs! You'll love them!"
"No."
"ANDREEEEEE, PLEASEEEEEEEEEE! THEY'RE SO GOODDDDDDD! AND I'M YOUR BEST FRIEND SO YOU GOTTAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
"I'm gonna tell my mom that you're trying to peer pressure me into listening to satanic music and have you kicked out." He was joking (probably) but he refused to listen to whatever garbage Cal was interested in this week. This happened all too often where Cal would get really really into something and try to get Andre interested. Everything he got interested in was always awful though. One time, when he was invested in the story and characters of Doki Doki Literature Club, he attempted to make Andre also like it. It didn't work and now Andre didn't trust any media Cal consumed and became obsessed with.
Cal shook his headphones once or twice. "C'mon!! This will be the last time I ever ask you to try and like anything ever at all if you just listen to it once."
"Just once?"
"Yes."
"You're not bullshitting me?"
"I'm dead serious."
"As serious as having an arm lobbed off?"
"Even more serious." They stared at each other for a few seconds, Cal's dedication to getting Andre into 100 gecs growing stronger, and Andre's reluctance to the subject lowering.
The brune rolled his eyes. "Fine. One song and if I don't like it, I'm throwing your phone out my window."
"You mean you'll defenestrate my phone?"
"One, that's a word typically used for people. Two, if you keep testing me then yes, I'll 'defenestrate' your phone."
Cal handed him the headphones and got ready to turn the song on. "Okay, okay, just put on the headphones. I'm about to turn on the song." Andre stared at him again. "What? What're you staring at me for?"
Andre shrugged. "I don't know. I thought you'd say some shit like "this is going to change your life" and do jazz hands like a fa—"
"The headphones, Andre! Put! On! The headphones!"
He put on the headphones. "Yeah, okay, whatever. What song is this?"
"hand crushed by a mallet."
…
"Just turn on the song, Cal."
"Okie dokie!"
It was too loud initially, which Andre obviously complained about, "Jesus fuck, man, turn it down! It's too loud!"
"Sorry…" The volume was turned down.
And the floodgates opened, awful sounds filling his head. It seemed like there was zero rhythm to it, and the autotune made the bad lyrics even worse and it was too loud. Now that it was quieter it made the awfulness more noticeable. Two minutes later, the song finally ended. The next one was about to play but Cal paused it before it could start.
"So?"
"It was awful." Andre shrugged the headphones off.
Cal looked appalled. "What do you mean, 'awful'? hand crushed by a mallet is one of their best songs!"
"It was incoherent noise. I can feel a headache coming on thanks to that."
"Andre Kriegman."
"Calvin Gabriel."
"You're telling me you didn't like that song?"
"Yes."
"Remind me, when is the next time your dad is taking you shooting?"
"Cal, you're not going to shoot me over this."
"I so will!"
"Bullshit."
Cal huffed and grabbed his headphones back. "Well," he began. "Since you're such a LOSER, I guess I'll sit here and sulk."
"Nope. Grab your homework, we're getting stuff done today." Which led to the blond groaning.
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A few days later, Andre was laying in bed listening to his own—much better, thank you very much—music, when he remembered stupid 100 gecs and stupid "hand crushed by a mallet". He tried to push the song away, but the thought of listening to it again kept bugging him. So he decided that he'd do just that.
"Just one listen. Just one more time to see if it was as bad as the first time," he mumbled to himself. He looked the song up and turned it on.
Was it a bad experience? Yes. Was it as bad as the first time he listened to it? No. It grew on him a little. So he listened to it again after his second time. And then again. And again. And then he was playing it on loop. So, maybe, it wasn't that bad of a song, but it was far from good. But he kept listening to it.
A day later, he texted Cal.
Lieutenant CRINGEman: hey
Lieutenant CRINGEman: cal
Lieutenant CRINGEman: calvin
aRcHaNgEl GaBrIeL: andr3
aRcHaNgEl GaBrIeL: its 4 am
Lieutenant CRINGEman: yeah idc u have any song recs like that one stupid shitty song u played the other day??
aRcHaNgEl GaBrIeL: :00
aRcHaNgEl GaBrIeL: YOU LIKED IT
aRcHaNgEl GaBrIeL: HAHAAAAAAA >:D
Lieutenant CRINGEman: stfu
Lieutenant CRINGEman: do u have any songs recs or not
aRcHaNgEl GaBrIeL: yeah obvi i have more than one song from them saved
aRcHaNgEl GaBrIeL: brb
And now, here Andre was. Hooked on 100 gecs. Lame.