Chapter Text
Giyuu didn’t know he could play the bass until Shinobu came to his room with a guitar over her shoulder. He studies music at university, yes, but he studied violin. Bass was quite different in a plethora of ways. He’d lived with his roommate for quite a few years, initially moving in together for a university arrangement. Shinobu didn’t mind his almost constant performances coming from the violinist’s room, and the occasional interaction was good for Giyuu no matter how hard he denied the need for socialisation.
“Tomioka!” Shinobu had an awful habit of not knocking when she entered Giyuu’s room. Luckily he wasn’t one to be doing anything particularly embarrassing whenever she burst in. Giyuu continued to type away at his computer, not actively ignoring her but also not verbally acknowledging her presence either. She sat on his bed next to him and continued anyway, knowing he couldn’t help but listen, “So, remember how I’m a band manager?” Giyuu hummed in response, not looking away from the paper he was writing that probably wasn’t due for another week or two. Shinobu continued, “And remember how the bassist has like three girlfriends?” He remembered hearing something about it from his roommate, though he could not care any less about a stranger’s love life. “One of them is pregnant, so we’re in need of a new bassist,” Shinobu patted the bass now lying on Giyuu’s bed as some form of confirmation that he was the replacement.
“I’ve never played the bass,” Giyuu finally stopped typing and turned to the girl sitting beside him. Shinobu smiled, “Do you know anyone else who would be a suitable replacement?” Tomioka paused and thought for a second, before returning to his paper, “Can’t say I do. Though, it’s probably not difficult to learn.” This is exactly why she brought a spare bass with her. “Oh brilliant! The next rehearsal is in three weeks. It’s fine if you're not perfect, that’s what practice is for! I’ll let everyone know!” Brilliant.
He knew if he objected now, he’d just be digging himself further into his grave. His professor did say it was good to learn more than one instrument. Maybe it would be good for him.
Giyuu finished his paper and a few hours later, he’d finished editing it. He didn’t want to submit it yet. He’d leave that to the day before to spend at least two hours rereading it and editing it to make it the best it could be. Or maybe he was just very good at overthinking things. Just as he finished adding the last few citations, a demonic sound erupted from his stomach. Giyuu hadn’t eaten since that morning, and it was almost 6 pm. Old habits die hard.
He shuffled his way into the kitchen, rotating between opening and closing the fridge or the cabinets. He settles on the not particularly nutritional “meal” of instant ramen. If he could be bothered, he would’ve put veggies and other such toppings but just noodles sounded about all he could be bothered to do. It was better than nothing.
Shinobu appeared at some point, deciding the best use of her time was to bully and belittle Giyuu when the opportunity arose. She silently crept up behind him and poked him in the ribs. He squeaked in surprise and threw an arm back in retaliation, elbow colliding with her nose. “Hey! What the hell?” The elbow to her face wasn’t strong enough to break bones, or even give her a nosebleed. That didn’t stop the pain, though. “Don’t sneak up on me.” Giyuu turned back to his noodles, making sure he didn’t fuck them up somehow. He had a bad habit of ruining pots because he forgot about the food he was cooking. To be honest, he wasn’t the best cook. All he could manage to make was instant ramen or something equally simple, like plain pasta noodles or oven-cooked pizza.
“How’s the bass coming along?” She hopped up onto the counter next to the stove. Something about being slightly taller than Giyuu sitting up there added to her ego. “Haven’t started yet.” Shinobu resisted the urge to flick his arm, or slap him, or do anything violent. “Why? Don’t tell me you’ve been writing all day.” She kicked her legs slightly, trying not to kick the cupboard door and damage it. “Okay. I won’t.”
“You’re a pain.” Shinobu leaned back against the tiles on the walls and kicked Giyuu’s thigh lightly. She really wanted him to not be so completely obsessed with his work. He didn’t need to go to university for music. She was convinced he only stayed in school to do a degree because, without school, he’d have no direction. He didn’t talk much about himself, so Shinobu was left to speculate and theorise. “I know.” Giyuu seemed to speak as if he could read her thoughts, and it freaked Shinobu out sometimes. Of course, she never showed it but if he really were a mind reader, he’d know anyway.
“You’ll have the house to yourself tomorrow,” Shinobu informed her housemate, Giyuu turned to the woman on the countertop and tilted his head slightly. She smiled, “I’ve got a meeting for the band. If all goes well, you guys should get signed.” Giyuu rolled his eyes and turned back to his noodles, stirring them with a random chopstick that was sitting on its own in the drawer. “Good luck.” She had gone to about 10 of these meetings in the past few months, reaching out to every record label’s email she could get her hands on. None of them had been successful. If Giyuu cared, he’d ask why. He was probably told, he just didn’t care to remember.
Giyuu turned off the stove and Shinobu hopped off the counter to get out of his way. She patted his shoulder as she walked past, “I’ll leave you to it,” and Giyuu was left to eat on his own. As he liked it to be.
Giyuu spent all his time during the next three weeks dedicating his life to learning the bass guitar. It took a week or so to get used to the style of playing. Although the strings were the same notes he was used to, it was a different octave and over a much larger area. He got the hang of it quite quickly, being able to play simple riffs and basslines in a day or so. He was used to playing by ear so didn’t even attempt learning tab notation. In only a few days, he’d abandoned practising his violin in favour of cramming in as many hours as possible.
In the middle of another many-hour-long practice session, a familiar voice appeared over his shoulder. “How’s it going?” He jumped, shoulders hiking up into Shinobu’s chin. She stepped back, rubbing her chin slightly. He whispered an apology under his breath, “It's going well. Though it’s hard to find sheet music for it and the tab looks scary.” Shinobu patted his head, speaking useless words of inspiration. He nodded where he thought it appropriate though wasn’t really listening.
Shinobu sat back on the bed. Tomioka turned to stare at her. “Just pretend I’m not here, like usual.” She often sat in for 10-15 minutes during his few hours of violin practice a day. Tomioka was comfortable enough as playing had become more muscle memory than any actual effort. Typically the hardest part of any performance for him was the exaggerated and fake emotion. He was a naturally still person, so his performances for Shinobu alone allowed him to play naturally and still.
Shinobu left after a while to go make dinner, just a simple curry with the vegetables left in the fridge. Giyuu appeared at some point and started digging through the cupboards and junk drawers. “Where are the pliers?” Shinobu grinned a little. “Why?” She liked little gremlin Giyuu on the hunt for something. His little pout of determination and eyebrows furrowed in concentration and frustration. It was a side of him she rarely got to see but appreciated all the same. “I can’t stand the bars on the guitar. I want to remove them.”
“Doesn't that make it harder to play?”
“I’m used to a blank fingerboard. It hurts my fingers otherwise.”
“The toolbox should be under the stairs.” She smiled at him, a true honest smile. She knew she didn’t have to endlessly worry about him for a while, these rare moments where she could truly trust Giyuu was at least content. He nodded towards her, “Thank you.” And as quickly as he entered the room, he left again to continue the hunt.