Work Text:
Dude was at home (alone), sitting on the rundown couch, just drinking away at some beer. He was rewatching the Precure series, or dubbed Glitter Force in America. He began watching the series when he was young. It helped him forget about the shit he has as a life. The show always entertained him to watch something lighthearted. The bright colors, glitter effects, and the songs always lightened his shitty enough day. The best part is always the songs! Everytime the Precure heroines would begin to sing, he would begin to boogie it down in his fucked up trailer. He had a few posters (pictures ripped out from magazines) taped to the wall. His top favorite Precure was the newest member: Cure Idol. Anyone could argue she’s literally the same to the earlier pink/blond Precure members, but her songs made him the happiest. Again, anyone could argue that each new Precure series has the same plot; it gives the series a loveable charm to it.
Dude stood up to stretch during the commercial break and was about to go get another bottle. But his attention was caught by a specific commercial.
“Always wanted to hear your favorite Precure songs live? Now’s your chance with the Precure World Tour!”
“Let’s sing, dance, and smile together during the show!” Uta Sakura, or Cure Idol, appeared on the screen and did her iconic heart hand-gesture, “see you there!”
Dude’s jaw dropped onto the floor. He even had to readjust his sunglasses. No way. He crouched down nose-to-screen to the television. He watched as the list of cities and countries flickered across the screen. He audibly gasped when he saw that one of the shows was going to happen in Arizona. He wanted to go. He HAD to go. Problem is: how the fuck was he going to get a ticket for himself? If he did somehow manage to get one, how would he even get a ride there?
He wrote down on a small sheet of paper his chores for the day.
1. Get Precure Tickets
2. Get a ride to the concert hall
3. Arrive to the concert hall in one piece
Even though they were only three chores, he knew that they were going to be impossible. Not only that, getting anything done in Paradise always led to one dead person and more injured in the collateral damage. Oh, well. Such is life.
He stepped out of his crappy trailer and took a deep breath. His planned destination was the library, he figured he could search for tickets online on the computers there. Walking over there included dodging drunk drivers (even at this early hour), ignoring police arrests, and anything else that can go wrong. When he finally managed to arrive at the library with minimal damage, he was greeted by the silent environment. The only sounds heard were the clicking of the keyboard and the turning of pages. It was completely different to what he’s used to having in his day-to-day life. When he arrived at the computer section, he remembered that he forgot his library card back at home. How was he going to access a computer? By pushing off a person who is the computer of course! And that is exactly what he was going to do. He approached some dude who was probably reading some raunchy self-insert fanfic.
“Hey,” Dude began, “can I use the computer for a second? I got shit to do.”
The man didn’t bother facing Dude, “what? No! I’m in the middle of something… important.”
“I need it more than you do,” He said as he pushed the poor individual off their chair.
“What the Hell, man?!” The person flipped Dude off as they stumbled to their feet.
Dude sat down and searched for a website that sold Precure tickets. He had to hurry because all library computers have limited time per user. At least it didn’t take long to find a few ticket-selling websites. To his luck, they were all sold out. Great. He decided to prowl around more to see if there was anyone selling their tickets. He came across a post of some mother showing off how she scored a ticket for her daughter. The kid didn’t look older than five! But if it meant drop-kicking a child for those tickets, then so be it!
He went to the home of the ticket holders and swaggered right in as if it was his own home. Dude walked around for a bit, noting that no one was home. Aw man, he really was hoping to get his tickets with pride. He didn’t care that he left mud tracks wherever he went in the home. He just wanted those damn tickets. He rummaged through cabinets and didn’t bother cleaning up. There was adrenaline and excitement pumping in his veins. He even removed his sunglasses in hopes to find the ticket faster. Dude went to various rooms and looked in every nook and cranny. He finally went to the kid’s bedroom and moved stuff around: plushies, furniture, and even random decor. He growled since he was beginning to lose his patience. Not like he had much anyway. What other places could the ticket possibly be hidden? Maybe the kid or the mother had them on hand? He was stomping his way out of the kitchen when he noticed something was stuck to his shoe. Dude crouched down to peel off whatever it was from his shoe and he laughed – it was the ticket.
Now, the second-to-last chore of the day: get a ride. He waited by the side of the road until a vehicle approached. Dude heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle engine popping. He fixed his sleeves and pushed back his glasses. Then… he jumped! Tackling the driver to the ground. They wrestled for a bit in the sand before Dude managed to remove the guy’s helmet and then curb stomping the guy. Too easy.
“Sorry, bud,” Dude cleaned his shades, “your ride is mine now.”
He wanted to spit on the guy before driving away. But he decided not to. He had some dignity. He left the guy on the ground and in a daze. The drive to the concert hall was pretty boring. Nothing but sand and the occasional hitch hiker. After an hour or so of driving, he finally arrived at his destination (and in one piece)! It made him feel satisfied to cross off all his chores of the day.
Dude had never seen so many people in one place! There were many people wearing the colors of their preferred Precure in pink, blue, or purple. Everyone was waiting for the Precures to appear. He had his wand ready in the pink setting, some had it in blue, others in purple. While the people around him (and Dude included) were jumping around and waving their wands, he felt an elbow bump into him. He hurried to fix his glasses as he began to mentally prepare to beat someone to death in the middle of this concert. The individual was shrouded and was holding three wands with gloved hands, each one was a color of each Precure Idol, respectively. He was about to shout a string of slurs when the hood of the individual slipped off. Dude almost immediately recognized that the person was… Cutty?! The villain’s face was red all over and he had a slight frown. Dude raised an eyebrow as he stared at the guy. The villain was known to spend time “researching” against the Precures; there were suspicions that he was secretly fond of the music. Seeing him caused Dude to reflect for a second – a mentally deranged criminal with more blood on his hands than in his own body.
He smirked, “why am I both surprised and not surprised to see you here?”
Cutty’s stoic mask was nowhere to be found, “I-I’m just researching, okay?”
“Uh-huh, that’s kinda suspicious.” Dude continued to nag, “but I’ll leave you to do your ‘research’.”
Cutty smiled appreciatively before putting his hood back on.
Finally, the Precure Idols emerged! The crowd was absolutely losing their shit as everyone shouted for their favorite Precure. The three girls hit their iconic poses as they hyped up the crowd for a night of music and dancing. Everything was so neon, glitter, and just so exciting. Dude had to admit, he loved this more than killing some person. This was totally worth the hassle of the tickets and finding a ride. The concert felt too short for Dude’s liking (it was around two hours). When the crowd was dying down, he took the opportunity to say something:
“Cure Idol!” He waved his wand to get her attention, “you’re my favorite Precure!”
Cure Idol made a heart gesture towards Dude, “thank you… guy with red hair and sunglasses!”
That made Dude lose his shit and bounce in excitement about being recognized. He certainly was going to buy more of her merch after the show.
“Would you like to join us for our last song of the night?” Cure Idol extended her hand out, inviting him to the stage.
Dude froze. He certainly knew the choreography by heart. Before he had another chance to think, he felt someone push him to accept the invitation. Once Dude was on stage, he saw that it was none other than Cutty who answered for him! Cutty gave him a thumbs up for good luck. He took a deep breath as he began to dance along. He had danced to these songs so many times in his trailer and in front of the TV, he never thought he’d do this in front of a crowd. Especially with the Precure group! This whole experience felt like an out-of-this-world dream. A dream he didn’t want to end. While dancing with the group, they all began taking their turns to do their Crowd-Pleaser poses. Dude had to think of one quickly! When it was his turn, he flipped off the crowd with both hands. The crowd let out mixed results, but that didn’t matter. Dude could hear Cutty laughing from wherever he was. Before he went back down to the crowd, Dude got a selfie with Cure Idol! He thanked the group for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and went back to his spot. Once the show ended, he hurried to buy some merch.
When he went to “his” motorcycle, he stuffed his newly bought merchandise into the compartment. Dude began the drive back home, with a huge grin on his face and a memory he will forever cherish. The wind on his face helped him cool down after the concert. He had never felt more alive in anything else but violence. It made him feel human in a way.
“Maybe I’m not as fucked up as I thought I was. It’s nice to feel hope again.”
He thought to himself as he continued to drive. At one point, the drive felt too quiet. So he turned on the radio. He flipped through the stations until he landed at the Precure station. Dude sang with all his heart as he drove. There was no one to judge him on the empty highway, he could really indulge in what he loves (other than violence).
Time had passed and life continued on. Dude had hung up the posters and the picture he had gotten with Cure Idol. Now, he was sitting on the floor with the newest episode of Precure: You and Idol playing in the background. He currently was painting his nails a very bright pink, similar to Cure Idol’s dedicated color. It didn’t help that he wasn’t experienced painting his own nails and he was slightly buzzed from some beer. He was tired of hiding his love for his favorite anime and wanted to express himself without shame. And if someone were to insult him, he could always just throw hands and spill blood! But for now, it was little steps. Maybe some other time he could buy a shirt with Cure Idol on it? Or maybe begin to use a bracelet with the Precure: You and Idol color scheme? He wasn’t sure where or when to start. Dude wasn’t exactly sure if it was the alcohol talking or if it was his true thoughts. He could figure it out when he sobered up.