Work Text:
A late night, slouched at the desk.
The only thing in their field of vision is the monitor, displaying the tracks of their latest and greatest song.
But all they can manage to do is stare. Brain empty. Nothing inside – not even a crumb of a thought. They can't even be bothered to change anything about their blank expression, hands lying still on the mouse and keyboard. They listen to the click-clacking of the keys as they drag their fingertips across, trying to poke a stick at their subconscious, but no. It isn't working today, and that's when Chu2 needs a break from the studio.
They swing the chair around to the door, sliding off and lazily pacing towards it, eyelids heavy. Man, was it always this hard to walk to bed? Everything felt so sore and... so exhausting.
With a huff, they drag themselves onto the comfiest spot on the couch in the lounge, hugging a pillow and smooshing their face into it. How did it come to this? Usually, they wouldn't mind spending the night under the studio desk, but today, it didn't feel right. It felt very not right. And so, they try to delve a little deeper into their thoughts. What was going on in their silly brain?
The band. Of course, the band. Raise A Suilen means the world to them. It holds a permanent place in their heart that could never be replaced. It was something she thought she could manage all on her own. But the mere thought of that makes her grit her teeth, as it reminds them of how stubborn they used to be. So driven yet blindly stuck in tunnel vision, where the light at the end of it was supposed to be her pride – the way she could prove to everyone, especially her mother, that she could do it.
In the end, that light was something else entirely.
They realised, through a series of events that pushed the band to breaking point, the importance of letting Raise A Suilen into her heart. They were never just a piece of the puzzle, or a pawn in the game. They are the reason Chu2 exists. They were light. They send her music out to the world, burning wild and unforgiving. There are no shortcuts made. No pretending. No holding back any feelings. Just love.
There is one person they think of whenever they think about the word "love". Someone who would go to the ends of the earth for the people she cares for. Someone who showed them what it feels like to be truly loved by somebody.
That person had gently sat beside them, arms open.
Chiyu never thought they could feel this way about someone. She made them feel comfort, safety, contentment just through one simple but special gesture. She had such a soft touch, wrapping her arms around her beloved as if Chiyu were the most fragile little kitten in the world, taking every moment to be aware of their feelings and sensitivity to touch. Quietly, the little producer shuffles closer, nestling their head into her shoulder and closing their eyes.
Meeting Pareo was destiny. Chiyu never would have imagined this happening from the moment they met. But it's happening. It's real. It was no unreachable dream. It's now. How lucky they feel is immeasurable. What were the chances that they would be alive on this Earth at the same time as each other?
All they knew right then was that they never wanted this moment to end. They wished that they could be together, for a very, very long time. Through their flaws, their mistakes, all of the tears they shed. It's Pareo who stayed by her side, and vowed to do so.
Chiyu didn't believe in blessings, but she felt so blessed to have Reona in her life. It was the only other way to explain how lucky they felt to exist beside her. No matter what would happen in the future, they would cherish every memory close to their heart. Every emotion they felt, on the night before her birthday, on the day they first watched fireworks together, and on the day her mother watched her perform with Raise A Suilen for the first time...
Deep in the backwaters of her mind, the thought of Raise A Suilen ending scared them. Even though they knew that wouldn't happen anytime soon... they knew it was a possibility, no matter how unlikely. Her past mistakes continue to linger in her head, resurfacing from time to time though she had learned from them. Yet it instills a fear in their chest, slight yet deep. An anxious tension rises in their throat at the thought of the end of her world.
But being reminded of the love they receive without fail brings her back to the present.
Right now, right this second... they remember there's no reason to be afraid.
Because the person she loves is in her embrace, this moment is all they need.