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Infinity was a young and upcoming band based in Okinawa, Japan. The lead singer and guitarist was Reki Kyan; he was bright and energetic with fiery red hair and soft amber eyes. The bassist was the complete opposite. Langa Hasegawa was calm and collected with ice blue hair and crisp blue, green eyes. The percussionist was younger than the two boys at the age of sixteen. Despite this, he played the most instruments out of all the members.
The band’s manager was Kaoru Sakurayashiki, a.k.a Cherry Blossom. Usually, he worked with single artists, but, after seeing them perform at a small coffee shop, he had grown fond of the band and figured they may actually make it big. Kojiro Nanjo was his fiancé and often teased him about Kaoru’s soft spot for the boys. Unlike everyone else, Kojiro, or Joe as the band called him, worked outside of the music industry. Though he played the guitar and wrote songs in high school it just wasn't his calling. Instead, he decided to follow the culinary career path, specifically, focusing on Itainin cuisine.
The band was getting reading for their show, doing their hair and makeup. Hiromi Higa, also known as Shadow, was their main stylist. He had become friends with Kojiro while he worked at a flower shop– Joe loved buying flowers for his fiancé, special occasion or not, and Kauro would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy being pampered with lovely flower arrangements. Kojiro had talked about Inifinity once will getting a new arrangement for Kauro. Undenocused to him, Hiromi was a big fan of alt and, more specifically, punk culture, and so he had offered to help with styling.
“You guys are on in fifteen,” Karou said, walking into the band’s room backstage. This was their biggest gig yet. Instead of just opening for a larger, more well-known band they had their own show, with their own smaller band opening for them.
The boys could hear the crowd cheering and enjoying the opening band. “Are you excited?” Reiki asked Langa and Miya for the millionth time.
“Yeah,” Langa responded with a small smile. He wasn’t very expressive, so that smile, even though it was small, showed just how excited he was.
Miya gave the blunette a knowing look and responded. “You bet!”
About two months ago, Langa had come to Miya asking for help confessing his feelings to a certain redhead. More specifically he asked for help with a song he was writing.
You see, Langa has a (massive) crush on Reki. And if you asked, pretty much, anyone you’d learn that he wasn’t subtle in the slightest. But unfortunately for him, Reki was just as oblivious as he was obvious. So when Langa brought his confession plan to Miya he jumped at the opportunity to finally get his two clueless bandmates together.
The plan was fairly simple: write and compose a song dedicated to Reki, then perform it at a concert. Though the hard part is that they have to perform the song without Reki knowing that it was about him. To fix this, Langa came up with a story about a girl he was interested in being at the concert; this was his way of confessing.
When Langa presented the finished song and his story to Reki, so they could start practicing it, Miya noticed the flash of despair that clouded his eyes when he read the lyrics. And let’s just say there has been an underlying tension between the two ever since.
- - -
Tonight was the night where hopefully that tension will finally (hopefully) disappear. Tonight Langa was going to, finally, confess his love.
“Hey, guys!” Kojiro said as he walked into the band’s room, “Guess what I brought!”
“Oh my god, yes!” Reiki said jumping out of his seat, much to the dismay of Hiromi who was doing his hair. Kojiro smiled and handed the box of cannolis.
“Tonight is the big night, huh?” Kojiro inquired.
“Yeah…” Langa responded. Another knowing look came from Kojiro.
Everyone started to dig into the box of cannolis. Reki was limited to just two due to the fact that they were going on stage to perform soon.
- - -
There was a knock at the door. “You guys are on in five. Please prepare to get on stage,” a stagehand said from on the other side of the door.
“Alright, Time to go guys,” Reki said, getting up and going towards the door.
“Right…” Langa trailed off following Reki.
Miya followed the two boys. And so did their manager, after giving his fiancé a kiss.
While the band was standing backstage Langa was taking deep breaths. The song was towards the end but he couldn’t help being nervous. Miya noticed this and put a reassuring hand on Langa’s shoulder. “You got this, dude,” Miya said reassuringly.
“Yeah,” Langa breathed out, turning to face the stage entrance.
The crowd was pretty quiet given the small intermission between the opening band leaving and Infinity coming on stage. This changed as the trio walked onto the stage; the crowd roared to life.
Reki was the first to step on stage; he flashed the crowd one of his signature radiant smiles. The bassist followed after him and high-pitched screams erupted from the crowd, Langa was the pretty boy of the band. Fangirls would practically throw themselves towards him during meet and greets. And last but not least, Miya, following the others.
Langa was to the right of Miya and Reki was to the left. The two picked up their instruments. “Hi everyone!” Reki addressed the crowd, “Are y’all ready to Rock and Roll!” The crowd exploded with affirmative cries.
- - -
“Alright, guys we have a little surprise for you!” Reki declared to the audience.
It was finally time for Langa’s song and he was nervous. He avoided thinking about it up until now, but there was no avoiding it.
Sweat covered Langa’s brow and his hands were clammy. The butterflies in his stomach wouldn’t stop pushing up his throat no matter how many times he tried to swallow them. Clutching onto his bass as hard as he could, he took a deep breath to try and settle his nerves. ‘I can do this,’ he thought to himself and walked forward to his mic stand. The crowd, having caught on to part of what was happening, erupted.
Once the crowd settled down a bit, Langa started the bass solo at the very beginning of the song. “I don't know what to do without you,” he sang out, voice ringing out across the crowd, “I don't know where to put my hands. I've been trying to lay my head down. But I'm writing this at three am!” With the ending of the previous verse, drums started to play continuously and a faint electric guitar riff followed.
“I don't need the world to see that I've been the best I can be,” Langa continued to sing. As he did so the audience watching him faded into the distance. His head turned to look at Reki. “Where you don't see me…” The latter’s head was downturned, seemingly focusing on his playing, but the brunette knew better. Reki has been playing the guitar for as long as Langa has known him. Given that they met in middle school, Reki’s skills were way beyond what most people expected them to be. Langa knew Reki could play without even thinking about it, so he also knew that his best friend's downturned head meant that he wasn’t concentrating. Reki was sad. Realization hit Langa. ‘Why was Reki sad? Who made him so heartbroken?’ And that’s when another realization hit him. Langa was the one that made Reki heartbroken. So many moments replayed in his mind. All those hugs and touches and glances that were all longer than socially acceptable for even best friends. The moments where Langa could’ve sworn they were about to kiss, but later convinced himself that was all in his head. It all made sense.
Reki liked Langa.
Reki liked Langa as more than a friend.
Reki liked Langa the way Langa did him.
All nerves evaporated from Langa. “But I don't think,” he continued to sing, grabbing the mic from its stand– “I could stand to be” –and walked to Reki, bass forgotten around his neck. “Where you don't see me.” Everything had faded into the distance. The soft roar of the crowd once rivaling a busing city street was no loader than the small crash of waves on a beach during sunset. Even the beat of Miya’s drumming was drowned out by the pounding of Langa’s own heart. This was it.
- - -
Reki had definitely not been looking forward to this song. Having to watch his best friend, and crush, confess to a girl he didn’t even know wasn’t something he wanted to experience. But Langa was his best friend and he would do anything for the guy. Even if that thing shattered Reki’s, own heart.
He had allowed himself to wallow a little in self-pity before the song picked up steam. Because of this, he was too busy sulking to realize that the person he was grieving over had started to walk his way. It wasn’t until the bassist was merely a foot or two away that Reki noticed his presence. Once he did notice the other, Reki’s head whipped up, amber eyes meeting green-blue ones. They stayed like that for only a second before Langa spoke but that second felt like infinity to the Reki.
“Reki,” Langa started, face full of determination, “this song it’s not for a girl.”
The redhead sucked in a breath and held it.
“Reki… it’s for you.”
That made Reki freeze. ‘This song is for me? What?’
“I wanted to show you just how much I like you, Reki.”
Langa kept repeating Reki’s name like a prayer. Like it was the most important thing he could ever say.
“So I wrote this song for you.”
Then it hit Reki: Langa was confessing to him. Langa, his crush, was confessing to him. Not some random girl, Reki.
“I…” Reki was still processing all of this. He was sure that his face nearly matched his flaming hair.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to respond right now I just wanted to say it,” the blunette assured.
Reki grabbed the other’s forearm. Not because he was leaving or even moving, just to have something to hold onto. It felt like his world was spiraling. “Wait!”
“Yes?” Langa replied, head tilting.
“God Langa, you’re so adorable.” And that statement made the bassist’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink.
“R-Reki…”
“I l-like you too,” Reki replied to the earlier confession, voice cracking slightly. “I’ve liked you for so long.”
Langa’s blush grew but he wore a soft smile. “Same,” he stated, wrapping his free hand around Reki’s waist, pulling him closer. Their faces were just an inch apart now. If he wanted to, all Reki would have to do is lean up a little, and their lips would be touching. He definitely wanted to, so he did. Reki leaned in slowly, allowing time for Langa to back out if he wanted to, but the brunette merely leaned in as well. When their lips touched it felt like lightning coursing through their bones. Reki thought he’d never find something more exhilarating than performing, but kissing Langa proved to be far superior.
Around them, the crowd combusted. Cheers and screams flooded their ears, bringing them back to reality. The pair pulled away from each other, their faces glowed vibrant red. Realization of what they did set in.
“Ummm,” Langa mumbled, staring at the stage floor.
Reiki rubbed his neck in embarrassment. “Can you finish the song? I want to hear the rest.”
“Oh,” Langa’s head shot up, “yeah, yeah of course.”
- - -
After leaving a small peck on Reki’s cheek, Langa back to his own mic stand. “So um here’s the rest of the song…
“On sunny days I go out walking. I end up on a tree-lined street. I look up at the gaps of sunlight; I miss you more than anything!” Langa picked up where he left off with newfound confidence. “I don't need the world to see that I've been the best I can be, but I don't think I could stand to be where you don't see me.” Reki walked over to Langa once he found his rhythm again. “And autumn comes when you're not yet done with the summer passing by, but I don't think I could stand to be where you don't see me!”
The smile that spread across Reki’s face rivaled the sun. It was so radiant that it pulled Langa into his orbit, and this time Langa let himself be pulled.
“You should take more lead singing roles in songs because you’re really good at it,” Reki commented, still smiling like the sun.
“I- thank you…” Langa replied shyly, embarrassed.
“Of course!”
- - -
There were only two other songs after Langa’s big confession. He had purposely planned it like that, so, that if he was rejected, he didn’t have to wade through a long concert grieving.
After the band had said their final farewells and bowed, he and Reki practically sprinted off stage to clean up their equipment and costumes. They leave Miya behind and sped past Cherry, Joe, and Shadow. Joe chucked at their urgency. It reminds him of his younger days when he would sneak around school and recording studios to make out with Kaoru. ‘Those were the good old days,’ Joe sighed.
“What prevented thing is your ape brain thinking about?” his fiance inquired.
“Oh, just our teenage years. We were just as enthusiastic as they are,” Joe said, tilting his head in the direction Langa and Reki had run off in.
“Hmm, yeah we were.”
- - -
Once everything was packed into Reki’s car, they did one last check to make sure that got everything that had brought with them, then they drove back to their shared apartment.
Deciding that it was too late to haul all their stuff up the many flights of stairs to their 4th-floor apartment, they left it in Reki’s car. The walk-up was still torture because their bodies ached from the concert. That, and the fact that it was very late and all they wanted to do was cuddle and sleep together. But it was all worth it when they finally made it through their front door.
Langa let out a small sigh of relief. “Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight?”
“Oh, yeah sure,” Reki replied.
They, slowly, moved to Langa’s bedroom. On their way there they both shed their out layers of clothing, both only leaving on their boxers and t-shirts.
When they arrived at the blunette’s bedroom they simply plopped on the bed. For a while they stayed like that, laying side by side looking at each other, enjoying the silence. However, after a while Langa scooted closer is the redhead and the latter did the same. They met in the middle and just held each other. Neither really knew what they are doing but it made them happy, so they must be doing something right.
Sleep eventually took over their minds, eyelids falling shut under the weight of tiredness. “Goodnight, I lo…” Langa said, unable to finish his sentence before his mind slipped into dreamland.