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If Kazuo had to be honest with himself, he should’ve picked a much better career path than the one he was treading on now. One, that would preferably, be enough to let Kazuo, Rosa and Robert live comfortably without having to worry about the economy eating them alive. Oftentimes, however, such professions carry with them a cost as well, one's own happiness and dreams. Kazuo can’t possibly let that happen! He’s a young man with his whole life ahead of him, who the hell would want to spend it in some boring old office where he’ll probably get scoliosis from how long he has to sit there and type on the computer. No, Kazuo Takahashi can’t possibly be chained to such a lifestyle, so what’s his dream you may ask?
To hit big and become a famous musician of course!
Now Kazuo may be a few major steps away, but baby steps are still steps. At least he’s good at the bass guitar!
…
At least he’s semi-decent at the bass guitar, well, decent enough that Rosa is willing to sit down and listen to Kazuo practice whenever she has free time, away from the flower shop. Kazuo really doesn’t know how or why Rosa puts up with his nonsense, she and Robert gave up so much to be able to take in Kazuo as their own when he was just 13, and this was how he was repaying them? Sometimes, he’s so tempted to just set his bass guitar down and actually put his energy into something that would be able to let him have the ability to provide for his adoptive parents. As naive as Kazuo acts and behaves, deep down he knows that just having a pipe dream isn’t enough to feed 3 people in this economy. Perhaps it would just be better for Kazuo to set down his guitar and actually focus on reality.
“Hey, you heard? CyberArms is looking for a bassist, people have been saying that they’ve been asking around the area.”
Kazuo was snapped out of his thoughts when he overheard the conversation of some random passersby. CyberArms… that name sounded familiar to Kazuo, but he couldn’t quite recall where he had heard that name. Anyways, that’s besides the point! A band looking for a bassist? This is like a miracle from God himself! Maybe this could be the chance for Kazuo to finally shine like how he has always dreamed of, the chance to make it big and make Rosa proud! Without a second thought, he grabbed the stranger by the shoulders and asked enthusiastically.
“CyberArms? What’s that? A band? And they’re looking for a bassist? Where? Do you know where the auditions are?”
Ok… Maybe a bit too enthusiastically as the stranger met Kazuo’s eager stare with a startled look that dissolved into a creeped out stare. His incessant questioning did not help his case and only made Kazuo look even weirder. But who cares?! This is Kazuo’s date with destiny and there’s no way he’ll let this chance slide!
“Uhm I don’t-”
“I heard you wanted to look for us?”
Suddenly a man, with a smooth voice and spoke with a slight russian accent, intercepted the conversation. He was carrying an electric guitar case on his back and beside him was a red-haired woman wearing sunglasses and carrying drumsticks. Kazuo quickly let go of the poor stranger’s back and straightened up slightly, trying his best (and failing terribly terribly) to look professional and not like some eager puppy wagging his little tail. The man with brown hair and a white streak looked at Kazuo’s obvious excitement with a lazy smirk before speaking up again.
“Calm down there любимый [darling], let’s not drag the innocent stranger into this yeah? So, you play the bass?”
Kazuo could barely process the words coming from the man’s mouth and was only focusing on how hot the man looked and sounded. Who could blame him though? That guy literally looked like he stepped out of the latest fashion week magazine and was grazing Kazuo’s presence, and he plays the guitar too? Who can ask for more? When Kazuo had finally registered the words, he just gave a quick nod, not trusting his voice to work now. It could crack on him for all he knows and he’ll look like some idiot! He can’t have that happening, especially not in front of such a hottie- he meant a visibly gifted man.
“That’s great, well you see, me and my dear drummer here are actually looking for someone to play bass for our band. Since you sounded so eager earlier… Why not try auditioning for a position? I’m sure CyberArms would benefit from an addition like you.”
Finally, Kazuo’s voice had decided to work with him and for once he isn’t gonna sound like an idiot-
“Sure handsome when’s the audition… Wait I meant- I didn’t mean- When’s the audition…yeah…”
Great going Kazuo! Flirt with your potential future band mate! He totally isn’t going to think that you’re a massive creep that’s just trying to get into his pants!
Well, fortunately for Kazuo, the man didn’t seem to really mind Kazuo’s massive fuck up, he even seemed to enjoy it actually, so maybe it wasn’t all bad. Maybe Kazuo has a shot at this whole “being in a band” thing and not actually mess up. After all, when’s the next time he’ll ever get an opportunity like this again? There’s no way he’ll pass this up, over his dead body!
“If you don’t mind, we can have the audition now, our studio is up ahead любимый, just follow me and Scarlett.”
Scarlett…That reminded Kazuo that he had yet to ask the two individuals for their names, well individual now, since the man gave him the woman’s name. He kept that thought at the back of his mind as Kazuo now focused on the more pressing issue, what the hell would the audition be… What is he going to play?! If he had known that such a chance would come so soon, he would’ve prepared and practiced some riffs! His head is just a whirling mess right now, what if he forgets even the basic notes? That will just spoil his whole chance of finally making it into a band and, what’s even worse, he’ll just embarrass himself in front of two musicians who actually know what the hell they’re doing! Unbeknownst to Kazuo, while he was in the middle of his mini inner crisis, the man had slowed his steps to match Kazuo’s and walked beside him. He carefully slung his arm over Kazuo’s shoulder and leaned in slightly.
“Hey любимый, no need to be so nervous yeah? You look like we’re holding you at gunpoint. Loosen up yeah? We won’t bite, we promise. By the way, you haven’t told us your name yet, I’m Alexander, but Alex is fine.”
Kazuo now finally had a name to match the face of the man. Alexander…? It sounded familiar but once again, Kazuo paid it no mind. He tried his best to relax, but that tension in his shoulder and butterfly feeling in his stomach just won’t leave. He really didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Alex and Scarlett, after all he was acting so eager like he actually knew something and was a genius. In reality, he was just some average college dropout who self-taught himself how to play the bass guitar through the help of online youtube tutorials and a beat up second-hand bass guitar that he had to fight some other broke college student for. Did he really think he would be able to join a band like the CyberArms?
“You never know if you don’t try dear. I have faith in your hardwork Kazuo, both me and Robert will always root for you!”
It was like Kazuo knew that if Rosa were to hear his thoughts right now, she would smack in the head while giving him her words of encouragement. She had always supported him through thick and thin, she even supported his decision to drop out of college. He couldn’t just give up now, Rosa and Robert had already sacrificed so much for him, if he just backed out now, how could he ever repay them for their kindness and unconditional support? No! He got this!
When the trio finally reached CyberArms’ studio, Alex made sure to make Kazuo comfortable before starting the audition. The studio was not the biggest, but it was able to fit a drummer, guitarist and bassist comfortably without it being too crowded. And as Kazuo has found out from Scarlett, rent was cheap as hell too, since apparently Scarlett and Alex have some connections to the landlord and production company, whatever that means, Kazuo couldn’t care less, he has an audition to ace! He carefully took out his bass guitar from his case and took time to tune it, he couldn’t have anything go wrong. The stares of the two CyberArms’ members bore into him as he got ready to play, it certainly didn’t help with the nerves that Kazuo was already feeling before they had even stepped into the studio. Just as Kazuo was about to start playing, he was interrupted by Scarlett abruptly playing the drums, setting a steady rhythm.
“Let’s make this interesting! Me and Lexy here are gonna play this small tune we’re working on, just add onto it with some riffs yeah? Take it easy! Play what you think fits and we’ll see if we want you or not.”
Scarlett finally spoke up, a break from the constant interaction that Kazuo and Alex had been having. Alex let out a soft chuckle at Scarlett’s suggestion, the relaxed smirk on his face was seemingly trying to tell Kazuo that such impromptu situations were a regular occurrence in this band and that if he were to really be accepted, he would have to get used to such shenanigans. The brown-haired guitarist began to strum some chords and hum into the mic, before Kazuo knew it, the foundation of a song had already been made for him to play with. For a moment, Kazuo was taken aback, Scarlett’s rhythm was catchy and Alex’s voice was striking, attractive even. He could listen to them all day and never get tired, that was when Kazuo realised why CyberArms sounded so familiar, they were an up and coming underground band that had gained popularity since both its members had some sort of ties to the music industry already. Actual professionals, not some self-taught idiot. Perhaps Kazuo was in too deep. It was too late to back out though, Kazuo had agreed to an audition and… wasn’t this what he wanted? To be able to gain recognition and make it big as a musician? This was his chance, actual professionals were willing to give him a chance to prove himself, no giving out now.
So Kazuo lifted his hand up and began to play. His pick moved across the strings of his bass guitar and he could hear it play in accompaniment to Scarlett’s drums and Alex’s voice and chords. It was barely noticeable, such is the nature of the instrument he plays, a support, something you don’t necessarily notice, but it’s integral to a band. It’s what pulls everything together, perhaps that was what Kazuo wishes to be in reality. To be the someone that is always there in the background, the someone who is always there to support people, maybe that is what is most important to Kazuo, like how Rosa raised him.
He found himself getting lost in the music, his fingers moving like it was all second nature and like he was always part of the band. All prior nerves and worries were thrown out the window as he focused on how the music sounded instead. He glanced up at Alex, the way he leaned into the mic, the way his fingers glided across the fretboard and strings with ease, the way his lips parted and moved with each syllable, the way his eyes looked at his own….
Wait- The way his eyes looked at Kazuo? He was looking at Kazuo! Kazuo’s face suddenly felt hot as he quickly averted his gaze, trying to hide the fact that he was obviously ogling Alex. It was already too late though as he heard Alex’s chuckle through the sound system, the abrupt stop of the music.
“I think me and Scarlett have heard enough from you красивый [handsome], welcome to CyberArms. Glad to see we finally have a bassist.”
Kazuo blinked a few times before placing his bass down and practically jumping out of his seat. He grabbed Alex’s shoulders and stared at him with widened eyes, a childish-like excitement in them as he shook Alex.
“Wait- I made it in? Like for real for real? You’re not playing with me right? I’m not dreaming right? You’re actually accepting me? This can’t be real, I must be dreaming- punch me right now!”
Alex gazed at him with an amused look on his face, one brow raised as a smirk tugged on his lips. Kazuo continued to stare at Alex with that wide-eyed expression as he looked like an excited puppy wagging its tail while his owner waved a treat in front of him.
“Well, since you’re offering, don’t mind me then.”
Alex drew his arm back while his other hand gripped firmly onto Kazuo’s shoulder. He gave him another smirk before he punched with full force, his fist coming into contact with Kazuo’s abdomen. Kazuo let out a loud groan as he removed his hands from Alex’s shoulders to clutch his own abdomen after the blow. He hunched over and sat back down in the chair. It felt like the air in his lungs had just been forcefully pushed out of him and someone had just hit him with a hammer.
“Ow!!!! I didn’t think you’d actually do it-! At least I know I ain’t dreaming….”
“Alright, pack it up with the flirting the two of you, I didn’t sign up for a VIP view of a cheesy romance story! If I want one, I’ll just go to my girlfriend…which sounds like a great idea. Toodle loo idiots! I’m gonna go visit my lovely Annette.”
Before the both of them even had the chance to talk, Scarlett was already out of the door and skipping towards to God knows where…leaving Alex and Kazuo alone by themselves in the studio. The atmosphere immediately became awkward again as the two men stared at each other in silence for a while. Once again, Kazuo’s gaze trailed back to Alex’s face, this time he noticed the freckles that was littered across his nose and cheeks, like deliberate paint splatters made by an artist to elevate an artwork, or the way his lips slightly glistened under the studio lights… How soft would they be? Kazuo wondered…
No! What the hell was he thinking?! Having such inappropriate thoughts about his new band mate? What the hell was wrong with him? They barely knew each other and Kazuo was already thinking about such nonsense, he really must be down bad… Though the way Alex stared at him… it was like he knew he was having such thoughts. There’s no way he knows….right?
“You’re adorable you know that right? It’s like you’re not even trying to hide the fact you’re ogling me красивый. Or perhaps you want me to know? That’s fine too. A little straightforwardness is always welcomed.”
Kazuo really couldn’t believe what he was hearing now. Alex was able to tell just from a look?? Was he really being that obvious? Is Alex just some mind reader?? There’s no way he could’ve known what Kazuo was thinking! Anyways, it was too late to back out… might as well make use of the chance right? Throwing aside all rational thoughts, he grabbed Alex’s wrist and pulled him down, crashing their lips together in a mess of passion and desperation. The rhythm was erratic and spontaneous, he could feel Alex smirking against his lips.
Kazuo was really in deep now wasn’t he…?