Chapter Text
School has just gotten out at Hope’s Peak Academy, and for the most part, the grounds are relatively deserted, save for the occasional janitor and the few clubs that meet after school hours. But in the auditorium, things are just getting started.
A month earlier, the drama club’s spring musical was announced. It was The Drowsy Chaperone, and the theatre kids had immediately bursted into activity as they scrambled to produce and practice audition songs. Now it’s audition day, and the auditorium is filled with faces both familiar and new as they chatter to their friends and hum notes nervously to themselves.
Hajime Hinata is one such new face. He sits alone in the first row of the theater, clutching his sheet music and regretting the decision to try out for the musical. This is his first year at Hope’s Peak Academy, and although he’s already made a few friends, and although they tell him he’s good enough at singing to get a role in the drama club, he’s definitely intimidated by some of these kids. Although a few other kids look to be in the same position as him, first timers with a low amount of self esteem, there are several kids who are obviously used to the auditioning process and expect to be main characters. For instance, Sayaka Maizono, who’s been doing theatre probably since birth, and has starred in just about every single show since middle school. Or Sonia Nevermind, the sweet and charismatic girl who grew up in Europe and moved to America last summer, instantly capturing the hearts of almost the entire school upon her arrival. She’s even convinced her boyfriend, a boy named Tanaka, to audition for this musical, and nobody knows how. Tanaka isn’t exactly the theatre type, although he’s certainly dramatic enough. Hinata doesn’t know anyone else here, but he figures he’ll know them soon enough. That is, if he lands a spot in the cast.
Hinata suddenly realizes he’s been staring at Sonia for longer than is probably socially acceptable. He quickly looks down at his sheet music. She’s currently talking to some of the other kids with animated hand movements and probably hasn’t noticed him.
Just then, one of the three people sitting on the edge of the stage stands up, cups his hands around his mouth and calls, “TEN MORE MINUTES AND WE’LL BEGIN AUDITIONS!” Scattered murmurs of assent float down from the assorted students before they go back to their conversations.
Hinata racks his brain and comes up with Nekomaru Nidai for a name. Although Nidai is probably the biggest person in his grade and seems like he’d fit in better with the football team than the drama kids, he’s a natural born leader, or so Hinata’s heard. He’s probably the director, which means the two people beside him would be the stage manager and choreographer.
There are two girls seated next to Nidai, neither of which are familiar to him. One has long hair that reaches almost to her waist and is a pale shade of lavender. She’s crossed her knees and propped her chin up on her hand, quietly watching the kids in the auditorium.
The other girl is vastly different. She has two blonde ponytails that seem to contain an entire can’s worth of hairspray, judging by how they curve up over her head. Aside from that, her outfit consists of an extremely short skirt, a shirt and tie, and combat boots. She taps her long red nails against the stage as she engages the long-haired girl in one-sided conversation, chewing bubblegum at the same time.
“Hi!” a voice chirps from beside Hinata, startling him out of his thoughts. He turns to see a boy sitting beside him, wearing a disarmingly friendly smile. He has fluffy white hair and a green hoodie, and Hinata vaguely recognizes him from algebra class.
When did he get there? Why didn’t Hinata hear him?
“You look new. Figured I’d introduce myself,” says the boy, sticking out his hand. “I’m Nagito Komaeda.”
“Hey,” says Hinata, shaking the proffered hand. “I’m Hajime Hinata. And...yeah, I’m new. I just moved here this year.”
“Nice,” Komaeda comments, sliding down in his audience chair and hooking his legs over the seat in front of him. “”You’re in my grade, right?”
“Yeah. Algebra II. You sit in my row.”
“Right, right! You know, it's a good thing you’re trying out for this show. A bunch of our good actors were seniors last year, and we need new members.”
“Who are those girls next to Nidai?” Hinata asks him. He figures he’ll clear up the mystery now. Komaeda must know; he’s obviously a regular member of the drama club.
The white-haired boy follows his gaze to the two girls in question. “Oh! Them. Well, the one on the left is Kirigiri. She’s the stage manager. And the one on the right is Junko, the choreographer. She’s, well…” Komaeda visibly shudders. “She’s an absolutely amazing choreographer, but she scares the fuck out of me.”
Good to know. Hinata promptly forms a mental checklist in his head. Number one: stay out of Junko’s way.
“You know anybody else here?”
“Yeah. I have classes with Tanaka, Sayaka, and Sonia, but that’s it,” Hinata replies.
“Alright, then I’ll tell you about everyone!” Komaeda says happily, sitting back up straight. “I’ve been in this program for a pretty long time, so I know everyone here. Okay, first there’s me. There’s not much remarkable about me, so we’ll just move on.” He points to someone in the third row before Hinata can say anything about the self-deprecating comment he slipped in there.
“That’s Naegi. He’s pretty much the nicest guy here, and a good singer besides that. We take voice lessons from the same teacher at the music school, you know. He’s friends with everyone. It’s pretty hard not to like Naegi.”
Komaeda moves on to a hyperactive-looking girl with pink and blue streaks in her hair, bouncing up and down in her seat next to a plump, sour-looking boy in white. “That’s Byakuya and Ibuki. Ibuki’s pretty great, and Byakuya...well, he’s hard to get used to, but once you get to know him he’s a good friend. There’s actually two Togamis in this school.”
“Two?” says Hinata. “So he has a sibling.”
“Actually, no, he’s an only child,” Komaeda corrects him. “See, there’s two boys named Byakuya Togami here. One is, I guess, the “real” Togami? He’s like, the richest kid in town. This Byakuya has the same name. We all thought that he was the other one in our freshman year, but then the next year the actual Togami showed up and everyone lost their shit."
“So, is Byakuya Togami his real name?”
Komaeda shrugs. “We don’t know. But even the teachers use that name for him, so everyone just kind of got used to having both around. For all we know, it could actually be his name. If anyone would know, Ibuki might. She's the closest to him, what with them dating and all. But we've gotten used to not knowing. We generally refer to this one as Byakuya and the real one as Togami.”
These are a bunch of weird kids they have in the drama club. Hinata wonders if anyone as ordinary as himself can fit in.
“Okay….moving on. So who are they?” Hinata asks, gesturing to three more kids in the second row. They’re an odd trio; a small girl with blonde hair, a prefect with huge eyebrows who Hinata thinks he’s seen shouting at couples in the hallways, and a boy in a long black jacket and a ridiculously huge pompadour that defies gravity, pointing straight out in front of him. It reminds Hinata almost of a corncob.
Komaeda turns to face them. “The small one in the skirt is Chihiro. She’s like a computer whiz, and she normally does all the lighting and sound programming. She decided she wants to try out this year, but they made her promise to help out with the programming still, because, you know, where are we gonna find someone better than Chihiro? She used to be really shy in my freshman year, but now that she hangs out with Mondo and Ishimaru all the time, she’s changed a bit. They’re good for her, I think.”
Hinata points at the two boys next to Chihiro. “So I’m guessing that’s them?”
Komaeda cracks a knowing grin. “Exactly. Ishimaru has the huge eyebrows and Mondo has the pompadour. He’s a biker- I think his brother is the leader of a gang, true story- and Ishimaru’s a school prefect. And they are extremely gay for each other.”
Oh. Well. Okay.
“Good for them, I guess,” says Hinata, watching the pair. He wonders how tiny, timid Chihiro became friends with someone as intimidating as Mondo. And why a prefect would date a delinquent. There must be some weird backstory behind it. He wonders if he’ll ever get to hear it.
They do look happy, though; Mondo messes Chihiro’s hair affectionately and she laughs, before Ishimaru leans over to rest his head on Mondo’s shoulder and Mondo wraps one arm around his waist.
“I know a couple like that seems pretty unlikely,” Komaeda says, like he's reading Hinata's thoughts or something. “But they’re definitely dating, and they’re pretty cute. You know, I’ve actually never seen Ishimaru here before. He’s usually only on crew, because Mondo builds all the sets. Maybe he’s trying out to support Chihiro?” He tilts his head with a curious expression.
“Is there anyone else I should know about? There's a lot of people here,” says Hinata, head spinning as he tries to memorize all the new names.
“Oh, sorry! I talk far too long, don’t I? I’ll go faster, then!” says Komaeda, and laughs although the remark isn’t funny. Again, he’s moving right on before Hinata can comment.
“Alright, speed run...that’s Asahina, she’s a great swimmer, really nice girl...that’s Souda, he’s got this massive crush on Sonia, I think he’s mostly here to impress her...Fuyuhiko, you wouldn’t take him for the theatre type but he’s a good actor, actually. He's kind of hotheaded, but a good guy. That’s Peko next to him, she’s a stage hand and really good at kendo, like amazing, and they've been best friends since kindergarten. The redheaded one is Leon, not much of an actor but he can sing, and he’s been aggressively flirting with Sayaka for weeks...Hagakure, bit of a stoner, he’s friends with Souda and Leon...Koizumi, she’s the costumer, I think, I don’t know much more about her than that...Akane, she’s Nidai’s friend, he must have convinced her to try out because she’s great at gymnastics and dancing. The one with the pigtails is Hiyoko, she’s kind of rude sometimes but she can dance really well...Mukuro, that’s Junko’s sister, she’s the other stage hand...and I think that’s it. Oh, and that’s Chiaki and Mikan up there by the lighting board! I think you’d like them. Mikan and I have been friends since middle school, she’s more timid than even Fujisaki used to be but really sweet, and Chiaki’s really cool. If you want to talk to her, mention video games. She loves those. Chiaki is Fujisaki’s sister, she’s taking over the lighting and sound booth, and Mikan does spotlight.”
Komaeda leans back in his chair and does a rapid count-off on his fingers. “I think that’s everyone. So, yeah! That’s our drama club. You know, we’re so small that everyone will probably get in, so you won’t have to worry! It’s just a question of what part you have. It’ll be a tough competition. They’re all really talented people...heck, I feel privileged just to be part of such an amazing group!”
Hinata thinks he remembers maybe two names out of everyone Komaeda just mentioned. He’s also getting increasingly uncomfortable with the self-deprecating comments Komaeda keeps making. “Listen, why do you keep saying that?”
Komaeda tilts his head in curiosity. “Saying what?”
“It’s just...you keep saying stuff like there’s nothing remarkable about you or that you’re privileged to be here. You seem fine to me. It’s just...weird to say that, is all.” It feels awkward to continue, so Hinata shuts up.
Komaeda turns faintly pink. “Sorry, I guess I don’t usually notice when I say that. Everyone mentions it, but I guess old habits die hard. I mean, they really are all so talented and I’m sure you are, too, but I’m not as good as that, you know, I’m--”
“Komaeda.”
Komaeda closes his mouth and offers him another disarming smile.
Hinata isn’t sure to feel about the friend he has just made. He’s certainly friendly enough, (and really cute, Hinata notes with a slight pang of embarrassment,) but the way he casually talks down to himself is weird. There’s just something about him that throws Hinata off a little bit.
But, he figures, Komaeda seems like a good friend, and having a friend in the drama club would be a good thing.
And then he has no time to think about it anymore, because Nidai stands up and shouts “EVERYONE ONSTAGE, PLEASE!”, and the auditorium is full of footsteps and crinkling sheet music and kids saying that they need five more minutes and Komaeda grabs Hinata’s arm and pulls him onto the stage with everyone else.
Nidai stands and faces them, a list of names in one hand. “Alright, welcome back to those of you who’ve been with us for our other shows!”
Most of the gathered students cheer, Komaeda included.
“And welcome, to those of you who are new to the drama club!” Nidai adds.
Sonia is standing right in front of Hinata, and he sees her stand on tiptoe to whisper excitedly to Tanaka.
“Now, as I’m sure most of you already know, we’re gonna begin with your singing auditions,” Nidai says. “And this year, Ibuki Mioda will be accompanying on piano!”
A few kids clap as Ibuki steps forward and takes an exaggerated bow before sitting down at the bench of the piano by the stage.
“Normally Ibuki would mix it up by having the prettiest person go first, but since Ibuki is already at the piano, let’s go in alphabetical order by last names!” she calls.
All eyes turn to Asahina, who groans good-naturedly and walks over to stand beside the piano, holding a few papers.
“Sheet music, please,” orders Ibuki, and Asahina deposits it neatly on the piano.
“Alright, I’m Aoi Asahina, and I’ll be singing Shy from Once Upon A Mattress,” she announces loudly, turning to face the others.
Hinata is too nervous to pay attention. If they’re going by last name, only Chihiro and Hagakure will be going before him after this.
When Asahina is finished, Chihiro goes after her, singing some kind of soft ballad, and then Hagakure, who does a song from a musical Hinata’s never heard of. But according to the confused whispering coming from the others, they’ve never heard of it either.
Then it’s his turn. He clears his throat, introduces himself, and sings through his song (very well, if the delighted expression on Ibuki’s face as she pounds away at the piano is anything to go by). He'd picked a song he already knew- What Do I Need With Love, from Thoroughly Modern Millie.
There’s polite applause when he’s done. As Hinata passes Naegi, standing at the front, he gives Hinata a thumbs up and a grin.
“Hinata,” says Komaeda as he returns to his spot, “you’re really good.”
He can feel a blush creeping to the tops of his cheeks and ears. “Um, thanks.”
Fuyuhiko suddenly speaks up from behind him. "Yo, Hinata," he says, elbowing Hinata in the shoulder. “Nice job, you know, for your first audition.”
Hinata can’t tell if that’s a compliment or not, so he just says, “Thanks,” and Fuyuhiko nods.
After Hinata comes Ishimaru, who looks extremely nervous.
Ibuki winks at him as she asks for his sheet music, Hinata guesses as her method of making him feel more at ease, but it doesn’t seem to work. When Ishimaru turns to face the others, his face is bright red to the tips of his ears. He opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again. His gaze flicks nervously up to the audience somewhere.
Hinata twists around to see. It’s Mondo, sitting in the audience and giving the thumbs up.
He turns back around. Ishimaru smiles faintly, then directs his gaze back at the group of students and clears his throat.
“I’m Kiyotaka Ishimaru,” he says loudly, “and I’m singing This Is the Moment, from, er, from Jekyll and Hyde.”
It’s clear that this is Ishimaru’s first audition, even to Hinata, but his singing is good enough to carry his song despite his obvious nervousness. He even receives high fives from a few kids as he walks back to rejoin them, cheeks flushed and smiling.
Komaeda is next, and Hinata realizes with a sudden shock that he’s befriended one of the good theatre kids.
Before he even starts, Ibuki reaches under the piano and pulls out a pair of drumsticks, which Komaeda takes; he must have been keeping them under there.
“Hey, nobody told me we could bring props!” Sonia calls. “You cheater, Komaeda!”
Komaeda only mock-shrugs and chirps, “Nobody told me we couldn’t!”
And his singing is amazing. The song is from Rent, called Today For You, and while Ibuki plays, Komaeda drums on the piano, complete with hip shaking. (Hinata’s stomach twists in a weird way when he does that.) More than a few kids laugh when Komaeda points at Naegi during the line about “back on the street, where I met my sweet”, and his song ends with laughter and several claps.
Komaeda edges through the crowd and rejoins Hinata, who has to think of something to say. “That was, uh. Really good, Komaeda.”
“Thanks!” Komaeda replies, beaming. “I didn’t really do as well as I normally do, though. I procrastinated until a week ago to get this ready, can you believe it?”
Believe that Komaeda was able to prepare that in a week? Nope. Maybe if Hinata hangs around these kids long enough, their super abilities will rub off on him.
The rest of the auditions pass quickly; Hinata isn’t paying attention to a lot of them, because to his eternal shame, the image of Komaeda shaking his hips and drumming on the piano keeps popping into his head.
The people who get the most enthusiastic applause from the others are, for the most part, the people Hinata had predicted; Komaeda, Sayaka, Naegi, Sonia, and Tanaka.
The last one came out of the blue; nobody (except, presumably, Sonia, who was the one to convince him to audition in the first place) has heard him sing before. The song is apparently Don’t Let Me Go from Shrek (Hinata hadn’t even known Shrek had a musical), and Tanaka delivers an amazing performance that takes everyone by surprise. He must have been practicing for a really long time, Hinata thinks, and when he is finished Nidai nods, impressed, and jots something down.
Tanaka returns to his seat with a rare smile on his face, and Sonia kisses his cheek when he drops into his chair.
When the last person, Byakuya, is finished, Nidai gives a once-over to his list of scribbled notes and says, “The last part of our audition is dance! Junko?” He gestures to her, and Junko waves cheerily at the audience. Her grin is a few molars too wide, and Hinata supposes he can see how she freaks Komaeda out.
“Hey, everyone!” she greets them, taking Nidai’s place in front of them. “Who’s ready to dance?”
Some kids cheer, but some groan.
Yeah, Hinata pretty much sucks at dancing. The number of moves Junko teaches them is short but grueling, although a lot of the other kids don’t seem to have a problem with it at all. Junko kicks, twirls, and stomps, her arms angled just right, and the students follow suit. Some with ease, and some...not. At least Hinata doesn’t lose his balance and fall; Souda ends up on the floor three times.
Hinata regrets the decision to wear a long sleeved shirt; by the end of the exercise, it feels like someone’s cranked up the thermostat twenty degrees. He wishes he had water.
“Well, that’s it!” Junko chirps, looking exactly as perky and refreshed as she did when they started. “You can sit now!”
As Hinata watches, swaying on his feet, Sayaka and Naegi imitate the kick they had to do earlier and burst into laughter, not looking tired or sweaty in the least.
These kids are not human. They can’t be.
“You okay?” says Komaeda, and Hinata turns to see him looking concerned. He holds out a metal water bottle, and Hinata doesn’t like sharing water bottles, but damn if he doesn’t grab it and drink half the water. Komaeda just laughs, and says, “Yeah, the first time is always hard!”
Nidai, who’s been talking to Kirigiri and Junko onstage, finally turns around to address everyone again.
“Right, everyone, you are now free to go! The cast list will be posted on the bulletin board in the music wing by Friday!” It’s Wednesday now, Hinata notes, so that’s two days of waiting.
Everyone stands and begins gathering their stuff, which has been left all over the aisles. As Hinata bends over to grab his backpack, Komaeda says, “Hey, what’s your number?”
“What?” Hinata straightens and turns around to face him.
Komaeda holds up his phone expectantly. “Number? Your phone number. The number that one can dial onto their cellular device to instantly reach your cellular device. That number.”
“What amazing technology we have nowadays,” Hinata deadpans, and gives Komaeda the number.
Komaeda enters it into his contacts and puts his phone away. “Alright, first person to reach the cast list on Friday morning calls and tells the other their role, deal?”
“Deal,” Hinata agrees, and watches his new friend bound up the auditorium steps.
“Hey, Hinata,” says a voice from behind him. He spins around. It’s Sonia, holding Tanaka’s hand.
“Hey, Sonia,” he replies, but then feels he needs to say something more. “Great performance out there.”
“Thank you, Hinata!” she replies, beaming. “I just wanted to tell you that I thought your song was very good. I’ve never heard you sing before!”
“We have choir together.”
Sonia blushes slightly. “Well, I mean, I’ve never heard you sing alone.”
Which sounds suspiciously like she’d forgotten they had class together, but Hinata decides to give her a pass. He isn’t exactly the most memorable person, and she’s right; he never raises his hand to try solos.
“Well, thanks. You did really well too, Tanaka.”
Tanaka nods and tugs at his scarf, looking away. “Thank you, Hinata.”
“Oh, Gundam, you’re embarrassed,” teases Sonia. “You shouldn’t be. That was absolutely wonderful.”
Tanaka flushes outright. “I appreciate your sentiment, she-cat,” he murmurs.
Hinata’s beginning to feel a bit like a third wheel, so he excuses himself and follows the rest of the students out of the auditorium. His house isn’t far from the school, so he walks home, thinking about all the kids he met today, but admittedly mostly about Komaeda. As he reaches his front door, his phone buzzes; it turns out to be a text from Komaeda himself.
Hey its me! If u meet me by the cafeteria door tomorrow at lunch I can introduce you to Chiaki and Mikan. Night :)
Hinata goes to sleep that night feeling better than he has in a while.