Work Text:
It was the world’s slowest Friday afternoon at Quirk&Craft. It’s not like it was typically very busy, but today there were practically tumbleweeds rolling through the aisles of acrylic paint and faux feathers. Mina yawned and twisted her torso from side to side to stretch out her back. Maybe this drought of customers would be a little more bearable if she had something to look forward to after work. But nope, all she had was a heat-and-eat package of mac and cheese and reality TV waiting for her at home. Whoever said your 20s are the prime of your life had better be joking.
Mina’s coworker, Kirishima, came in from the back room and dusted off his hands on his apron. “Just finished organizing the wood crafts,” he said with a thumbs up. He caught the melancholy look on her face and his eyebrows stitched together in concern. “Hey, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Mina said with a sigh. “Just… thinking.”
Kirishima chuckled. “That’s never good.”
“I’m tired of going to the same job every day and doing chores and going to sleep and not… living, you know? I wanna do something fun! Isn’t this supposed to be the age I figure out who I am? Try new things, be a little reckless?”
“Oh, but I distinctly remember you telling me in your interview that you’d always dreamed of being a Quirk&Craft retail employee,” Kirishima teased. He laughed when Mina shot him a dirty look. “Alright, alright. I actually might be able to help, come to think of it.”
Mina perked up.
“My boyfriend is in a punk band called Earbleed and he has a show tonight. Wanna tag along and watch him play? I’ll introduce you two after!” Kirishima grinned. “I know it’s not your usual scene, but you said you wanna try new things, right?”
“Sure!” Mina said. She was a little nervous about going to a punk show for the first time, but Kirishima was always talking about his boyfriend, so it’d be nice to finally meet him at least.
“Awesome! I’m sure you’ll love it,” Kirishima said.
After the two of them closed the store up for the night and clocked out, Kirishima gave Mina the address of the venue. It was a surprisingly short drive—Mina thought she knew every inch of the town, but this building had somehow escaped her notice.
The sun-bleached letters over the doors indicated it used to be a furniture store, but the sign was long gone. All the buildings in the shopping center were in some stage of shutting down. Signs advertising closing sales hung in the windows of some, while others had dirty exterior walls and peeling window tint. Despite the fact that the stores themselves had been nearly abandoned, the parking lot was full of cars.
“Ever since the rise of big online retailers like Amazon, these stores just couldn’t keep up,” Kirishima said, following Mina’s gaze. “But rent is cheap, so some local punks bought this one to host shows at.”
As they headed for the doors, a lanky guy with shaggy black hair standing outside waved at them. He put out his cigarette and jogged over to meet them.
“Kiri! I didn’t know you were coming!”
Kirishima gave the man a half-hug, grinning. “Sero, this is my coworker, Mina. This is her first time at a show! And Mina, this is Sero. He’s the roadie for the band my boyfriend is in, and he’s dating the rhythm guitarist.”
Sero shook Mina’s hand. “Oh, it’s your first time? Nice, you’re gonna love it.”
He pushed open the venue doors for them and they all went inside.
The building was booming with the sounds of punk music. Drums echoed through the halls, along with the sound of an electric guitar being played through an amp that must have been turned up to 11.
Sero led them further into the building, towards one of the “rooms” used to stage furniture in the open floor plan. At the entrance to the room was a small booth where a couple girls were handing out pinback buttons and zines.
“Hey want a zine?” one of them called out. “They’re free.” She held out a stapled booklet with a pink cover that read, “Grrrl Gutz: Issue 4,” and had a doodle of a girl with a baseball bat slung over her shoulder.
“Oh, sure!” Mina took the zine and thanked them.
There was a crowd by the stage further into the room, made up of the most interesting women Mina had ever seen. They were dressed in flannels, skirts, and t-shirts, but their outfits were a unique mix of masculine and feminine aspects. Some had on men’s leather jackets over top of flowing dresses. Others wore more baggy pants and shorts, but paired them with form-fitting tank tops. The few who didn’t have boots on instead wore beat-up sneakers. The room was filled with these powerful, confident women who dressed the way they liked—not for the male gaze, but for themselves. She was surprised to realize that Kirishima and Sero seemed to be the only men in the audience.
Mina turned her attention to the band performing. It was made up of a drummer, a rhythm guitarist, and a lead guitarist/singer. The drummer was an angry-looking man with spiky blonde hair. Kirishima’s boyfriend, Mina figured.
The rhythm guitarist was a girl wearing a black leather jacket over a white shirt and a long black skirt. She had shoulder-length yellow hair with a lightning bolt highlight. Her guitar was the same shade of yellow as her hair, and it was held up by a guitar strap with the colors of the trans flag running along its length.
But the member who caught Mina’s eye was the lead singer. The way she sang and played guitar was absolutely magnetic and commanded the attention of the room. Her purple-black hair flew around her face as she shook her head to the beat, making her long headphone jack earrings whip around. On her cheeks were red triangles, one of which was smudged a bit. She wasn’t dressed as flashily as some other people, but her white muscle tank and baggy black pants suited her perfectly. She’d paired them with big black combat boots, which she tapped against the stage along with the music. Her fingers flew along the neck of her sparkly purple guitar as she played, lost in the sound. When the song ended, she threw up devil horns and grinned.
“How is everyone doing tonight?” she asked the crowd.
The women cheered, and Kirishima let out a whoop.
“Good! Keep that energy, ‘cause we’ve got some more songs coming for you.” She took a swig from a water bottle onstage and brushed her hair out of her face.
When she was ready, the drummer counted them in, and they started their next song.
“Hey, should we get closer?” Mina shouted over the music.
“You can!” Kirishima yelled back. “The rule is girls to the front,” he explained. “Sero and I stay back here out of respect.”
Mina hesitated, looking between her friend and the crowd by the stage.
“You’ve got this!” Kirishima gave her a light shove.
Mina gave in and squeezed through the crowd, heart thumping with excitement. The other women made room for her as she moved to the front, unlike other concerts she’d been to where the mixed-gender crowd was all elbows and glares.
Pretty soon, she was dancing along to the music with everyone else. It was unlike any show she’d been to before. The music was different, the people were different, and there was a palpable sense of community all around her. She felt safe, felt seen. She wasn’t just a face in the crowd, she was an active part of the experience.
By the time the last song ended, Mina’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She wanted more than anything to meet the lead singer she’d been watching all night. The girl had undeniable stage presence, and her skill was insane. Not to mention, she was really cute. She and the other band members seemed so cool.
As the crowd dissipated, Kirishima came up to join Mina. “Did you have fun?”
“Yes!” Mina couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She watched the lead singer head backstage with the other band members.
Kirishima followed her gaze and grinned. “That’s Jirou.” He leaned in and whispered, “She’s single, by the way.”
Mina felt her cheeks heat up. “I didn’t say anything!”
“No, but I know you.”
Mina bit her lip, then gave in and asked the question on her mind. “…She’s into girls?”
“Definitely. I can introduce you to her and the others, if you’d like! I’m headed back there right now.”
Mina’s heart skipped a beat. “Sure!”
She, Kirishima, and Sero made their way to a side door that led to the backstage area. What once was a storage room had been transformed into a green room for bands to prepare for shows and unwind after. A couple couches filled the space (likely left behind when the store went under) along with a cooler of water and other drinks.
The members of the band were sprawled out on the couches, looking exhausted after their show. When the yellow-haired rhythm guitarist saw Sero, she smiled and jumped up.
“Hey, baby!” she said, leaning in for a kiss. She noticed Mina, and bounced over to say hi. “I’m Kaminari! Are you okay with hugs?”
“Sure! I’m Mina, I work with Kirishima.”
Kaminari squeezed her in a tight hug that smelled like fruity perfume. “It’s nice to meet you!”
“Oi, Shitty Hair,” the drummer barked. “Get over here.” He reached out his arms, pouting.
“This is my boyfriend, Bakugou,” Kirishima said as he crossed the room. “He can be a little grumpy, but really he’s a cutie patootie.”
Bakugou pulled Kirishima into his lap and wrapped his arms around his waist. “No I’m not,” he grumbled, resting his chin on Kirishima’s shoulder.
“Sorry about them,” Jirou said with a sheepish smile. “I’m Jirou, by the way.”
Mina’s usual extroverted self seemed to shrink behind a wall of shyness when Jirou addressed her. “H-hi! You were amazing up there.”
“Thank you! Was it your first time at a show?”
Mina rubbed a hand on the back of her neck and laughed. “How could you tell?”
“Newbies always have the same glow. There’s nothing like your first riot grrrl show. I remember mine. It genuinely changed my life.”
“Oh, wow.” Mina internally smacked herself for not thinking of something more interesting to say in response.
“I like your hair, by the way,” Jirou said with a shy smile.
“Oh, thank you!” Mina fluffed up her bubblegum pink afro and smiled back. “I like your earrings.”
“Thanks, I made them myself!”
“That’s so cool! Are they real headphone jacks?”
“Yeah! I made them from my old headphones when they stopped working. Felt like a better idea than throwing them away.” She took off one and handed it to Mina so she could see it closer.
“That’s so creative,” Mina said, toying with the headphone jack. She handed the earring back. “How long have you been playing guitar for?”
Jirou put her earring back in. “A few years now, but I only recently started writing my own songs. Do you play?”
“A little. I used to write songs in high school as an outlet for all my complicated feelings. It helped me feel brave enough to come out.”
“I wish I’d thought of that when I was in the closet,” Jirou said. “Hey, you should come jam with me sometime! I wanna hear you play!”
Mina laughed nervously. “I’m really rusty, but I guess I can try!”
Jirou dug out her phone and handed it over. “Give me your number!”
Mina typed in her number and sent a text to herself so she’d have Jirou’s number too.
“Awesome!” Jirou said, taking her phone back. “I’ll text you and we can figure out a good time to hang out.”
“Okay!”
“Hey Mina,” Sero said. “Sorry to interrupt, but I could use some help moving the drum kit to the van if you don’t mind!”
“Oh, sure!” Mina followed him to the stage, barely able to hold back a squeal of excitement.
Mina tapped her foot impatiently at the register, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall. Someone’s grandma was checking out with her, taking forever to find just the right coupons for the balls of yarn she was buying. The minutes had seemed to tick by at a snail’s pace all day, but now they crawled by even slower.
Finally, the old lady finished up. Mina scanned the last coupon and shoved the yarn into a bag.
“Thanks for shopping, come again!” she said in a rush.
As the woman left, Kirishima came over to pick up Mina’s spot at the register.
“You’re good to clock out now,” he said with a sharp toothed grin.
“Finally,” Mina sighed. She hastily took off her apron.
“In a hurry?” Kirishima asked.
“I’m meeting up with Jirou today,” Mina explained. “We’re gonna jam together!”
Kirishima wiggled his eyebrows. “Oooh, you already got a date?”
“No, it’s just-” A look of horror crossed Mina’s face. “Wait, do you think it’s a date? I assumed we were just hanging out but maybe it is a date…”
“Hey!” Kirishima grabbed Mina’s shoulder. “Quit spiraling. You’ve got this! Whether it’s a date or not, Jirou obviously thinks you’re cool.”
Mina nodded. “You’re right, you’re right.” A moment later, her eyebrows knitted together again. “Oh no, what am I gonna wear?”
“Clothes?”
Mina shot Kirishima an unamused look.
“Sorry,” he said with a laugh. “I’m sure you’ll find something good. You have a really cool sense of style.”
“Aww, thanks.”
“Now go and have a good time!” Kirishima smiled reassuringly.
Mina thanked him again and scurried off to the back room to clock out and grab her bag. He was right. Date or not, Jirou clearly liked her enough to ask to meet up. Maybe she was overthinking things.
By the time Mina arrived at Jirou’s apartment, her anxiety had come back in full force. She couldn’t help but feel inadequate compared to the coolest, prettiest girl she’d ever laid eyes on. Jirou was way out of her league. She was just going to embarrass herself if she played her music.
Mina squeezed her songwriting notebook anxiously and frowned at the doorbell. Was it too late to cancel?
She took a deep breath and steeled her nerves. Before she could talk herself out of it, she pressed the doorbell button.
“Coming!” a voice called out from inside the apartment.
There was a faint, pitiful meow and then Jirou’s voice saying, “Oh, come on, you big baby.”
A moment later, the door opened. Jirou looked a bit frazzled in her sweatpants and oversized band tee, but she was still incredibly beautiful.
“Sorry, Nimbus was eating the houseplants again. Come on in!”
Mina stepped inside and slipped off her shoes. “Nimbus?” she asked.
“Yeah, he’s my cat. He’s adorable but he loves chewing on my African violets.” Jirou headed toward the kitchen. “Want something to drink?”
“Water is fine, thank you.”
Mina looked around the small living room. There was a couch and a tv in the center of the room, and by the balcony doors was a table piled high with houseplants. On the wall next to it was a row of guitar holders, each holding a guitar by its head. There were a couple electric guitars and an acoustic guitar, along with a lone ukulele.
“Here you go,” Jirou said, handing Mina a glass of water. She brightened up when she saw the notebook in Mina’s hands. “Ooh, is that your song book?”
“Yeah, I thought I could play some of the songs I wrote if you’re interested!”
“Hell yeah I’m interested! Is it ok if I flip through it?”
Mina hesitated. Her song book was very personal, but she felt like she could trust Jirou with it.
She handed the book over and sat on the couch. Immediately, a fluffy gray cat hopped up and curled up next to her.
“Aww, you must be Nimbus!” she cooed, scratching him under the chin. He nuzzled into her palm and purred.
Jirou squeezed in next to them on the couch. “Don’t let his cute face fool you, he’s been a menace all day. I just cleaned up his plant barf not even an hour ago.”
Mina giggled. “Nah, you’re just an innocent little cutie, aren’t you?” Nimbus meowed happily.
“Wow, these are really good!” Jirou said as she turned the page. “Can you play one for me?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve played, but I’ll do my best!” Mina set her water down on the side table and got up. “Is it ok if I borrow the acoustic guitar?”
“Go for it. It should be in tune.”
Mina picked up the guitar and sat back down on the couch. She plucked each string, pleased to hear the warm notes vibrate through the body of the guitar, perfectly in tune as Jirou had said.
Jirou held up the open journal for her to read along as she played.
“That’s a good pick. I wrote this one when I was at a low point, feeling like I’d never come out of the closet.” Mina cleared her throat and began to strum the guitar.
She didn’t quite nail the melody for the first verse, and she slipped up on a chord near the beginning, but by the time she got to the chorus she’d gotten the hang of it.
Plastic hangers holding a wedding dress
I’ll never wear
Veil over my eyes to obscure
People that aren’t there
Mina finished the song. Her eyes had closed at some point while playing, but they popped open when she heard a sniffle.
Jirou wiped at the corner of her eye. “That was beautiful, really,” she said. “I could feel your loneliness.”
“Thank you,” Mina said, ducking her head shyly. “Writing it was really therapeutic.”
“I’m glad.” Jirou turned the page. “This next one looks like a love song.”
Mina peered over her shoulder. “It is! This was about a crush I had. She ended up being my first girlfriend. It’s more upbeat than the last one, don’t worry!”
She tapped her foot to count in and began playing.
This one had been written for the electric guitar, so some of the power chords were harder on an acoustic guitar. Despite a few slip ups, she managed to play the song well.
“Yo, that was so good!” Jirou said, breaking into applause. “It would sound even better with backing guitar and drums—you should play it with the band at our next show!”
Mina’s eyes widened. “I don’t know if I’m good enough at playing to do it in front of an audience…”
“I can play guitar! You’d just have to sing! C’mon, please?” Jirou gave her puppy dog eyes, rimmed with dark eyeliner. She looked so cute, and she really seemed to want Mina to play with them.
Mina bit her lip. “Okay, I guess.”
Jirou cheered. “You’re gonna do great! Your songs are genuinely so good, the audience will love you.”
Mina cracked a smile. “Thanks, that really means a lot. I wrote these as just a lonely queer kid in my room. I didn’t think anyone would ever hear them, much less an audience full of people.”
“Trust me, if there’s an audience who gets that feeling, it’s the one at a riot grrrl show. You’re not alone here.”
Mina looked away shyly. Thinking back to the other night, when she was in that crowd at the show and felt empowerment in the very air, she realized she believed it. This was the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
After a week of intense practice, it was time. Mina had rehearsed dozens of times on her own, making sure she got the melody of her song just right, and had practiced with Bakugou, Denki, and Jirou so many times that they could probably play it in their sleep. At their final rehearsal, she’d gotten the begrudging approval of even Bakugou. That mumbled, “Not bad,” was the highest praise she’d ever gotten.
The afternoon of the show, the band met up at the venue to set up and do a sound check. The former furniture warehouse was a lot different in the light of day. Cords from lighting and speakers were visible where they ran along the floor and the walls, not yet covered with tape to prevent tripping. There were phantom dents in the carpeting from where couches and bed frames had rested for decades. Scuffs on the neutral-toned wall paint stood out like a sore thumb in the unforgiving warehouse lighting.
At one of the showrooms adjacent to where the stage was, a couple girls were setting up a table with zines and pinback buttons. Mina recognized them as the same girls she’d seen the night of her first show. One girl had brown hair cut into a bob and wore a pink flannel and a floor-length white skirt. The other had blonde hair in two buns and heavy eye makeup. She had on a t-shirt with a skull on it and ripped skinny jeans, along with bulky combat boots. They were laughing together and smiling as they each carried the end of a second folded-up table into the area.
As they set it down on the ground, Mina decided to head over to say hi.
“Do you guys need some help?” she offered as she approached the two struggling to unfold the table legs.
“Oh, sure! Would you mind grabbing that tablecloth and helping us spread it out?” the brown-haired girl said.
“Sure!” Mina picked up the black tablecloth and started to unfold it.
After the other two set the table upright, the blonde girl took one end of the tablecloth and they laid it over the two tables. After that, the three of them worked together to set out stacks of zines and spread buttons out across the table. Together, they were able to complete the work in no time.
The brown-haired girl stepped back to look at the booth and grinned. “Perfect! Thank you so much for your help. I’m Ochako, by the way, and this is my girlfriend, Himiko.” The blonde girl smiled and gave her a little wave.
“Are all riot grrrls lesbians?” Mina blurted out. She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, that sounded so rude. It’s just all the ones I’ve met so far have been queer so it got me wondering! I’m Mina.” She cringed at herself.
Himiko giggled, sounding adorable. “It’s okay! A lot of us are queer, probably because the riot grrrl scene is really accepting. We all tend to stick together and flock to places that empower us, so it makes sense that there’s a lot of overlap between queerness and feminism!”
“Are you here with Earbleed?” Ochako asked.
“Yeah!” Mina glanced over at the stage, where Bakugou was barking orders at the others who carried pieces of his drum set. “I’m performing with them for the first time tonight. I’m actually kind of nervous,” she admitted.
Himiko gasped in delight. “That’s so exciting!”
“I’m sure you’ll do great,” Ochako added. “We’re a pretty supportive audience, so even if you mess up, we’ll still be cheering for you!”
Kaminari waved from the stage. “Yo, Mina! It’s sound check time!”
Mina quickly thanked Ochako and Toga for their kind words, then hurried over. She climbed the short steps up to the stage and stood in front of the microphone.
Jirou plugged in her guitar and strummed a few chords, then adjusted the volume. “We’re just gonna go through the song once or twice until the volume levels sound good, okay?”
Mina took a deep breath. Even though the room was almost completely empty, she still felt nervous.
“Girl, chill!” Kaminari said, bumping her shoulder against her. “You’ve got this! Sero’s over there in the back to make sure everything sounds good. You’ve played for him before! Pretend it’s just us.” She waved at Sero and grinned, and yelled, “Hi babe!”
Sero waved back and blew a kiss. He held up his hand in what looked like devil horns, but with his thumb out.
“It’s ‘I love you’ in sign language,” Kaminari explained. “It gets loud at shows, so we both know a little sign. Isn’t he the cutest?”
“Oi, quit the chatter!” Bakugou grumbled. He counted them in, then started playing.
Jirou’s guitar was a good volume, but Kaminari’s was too loud. The unexpected start threw Mina off, so she missed her cue to start singing. When she joined in, she quickly realized her mic must be unplugged, since her voice was drowned out by the other instruments. She turned to Jirou with a panicked expression.
“Wait, stop,” Jirou shouted, shooting a look at Bakugou when he rolled his eyes. “Mic’s having issues.”
Sero jogged over to check on the problem.
Mina stepped away from the mic and took deep breaths to calm herself. She couldn’t help but imagine this happening during the show. Everyone would think she sucked. They might even think the band sucked, and all because of her. Just because she was coming in for one song, she might ruin their reputation and all their hard work and-
Something icy pressed against the back of Mina’s neck and she yelped and spun around.
Jirou stood there, holding a half-frozen water bottle that was dripping condensation. “Sorry,” she said. “I could tell you were spiraling.”
Mina spluttered. “What’s with the ice? That was cold!”
“My therapist told me an ice pack on the back of the neck helps with panic attacks,” Jirou said. “It does for me at least.”
Mina paused and realized that the cold was so unexpected that it completely disrupted her train of thought. “Huh.”
“Sorry, I’ll ask next time. Did it help, though?”
“I think so? I’m not spiraling anymore.”
“Good. Sound checks are when mistakes are supposed to happen. They help everything go smoothly during the actual show. And even if there are mistakes during the show, no one will notice. I played the wrong chord at the first show you went to, and you didn’t notice, right?”
Mina’s eyes widened in surprise. “You did? It sounded perfect, though!”
Jirou laughed and set the water bottle down at the edge of the stage. “See?”
“Okay, problem solved,” Sero said, dusting his hands off on his pants. “The power strip the mic was plugged into was switched off. Should work fine now!”
“You ready?” Jirou asked.
Mina nodded. She was still anxious, but a lot of her worries had been soothed by talking to Jirou.
The band played through the song, this time without issue. Sero made a couple volume changes, and then they played one more time.
“Doors are in 10, and the show starts half an hour after that,” Sero reminded them. “You have some time to head backstage and get ready.”
“Ugh, finally,” Bakugou said, tossing his drumsticks on the ground.
“What’s up with him?” Mina whispered.
“He misses his boyfriend,” Jirou whispered back, giggling.
“I can hear you,” Bakugou called out over his shoulder in a warning tone.
The band made their way backstage, and suddenly Bakugou stopped in his tracks. The tension in his spine seemed to melt away all at once. “Shitty Hair,” he said softly.
Mina peered over his shoulder and saw Kirishima stand up from the couch he was sitting on.
“Surprise?” he said, rubbing his neck sheepishly.
Bakugou ran over and jumped into his arms, wrapping his legs around Kirishima’s waist. Kirishima didn’t even hesitate as he caught him and held him tight.
“What are you doing here?” Mina asked, grinning.
“I’m here to see you! I wanted to support you at your first performance,” Kirishima said. Bakugou bit his cheek and growled. “And Bakugou, too, of course,” he added with a laugh. He turned his head to kiss his boyfriend.
Mina couldn’t help but coo at the display of affection, earning her a middle finger from Bakugou. She wished she had a girlfriend to love like that. Someone cute and cool who she could surprise at shows, or who would listen to her play. Someone she could kiss and hold like that. Someone she could sign ‘I love you’ to. She snuck a glance at Jirou, and was surprised to see that Jirou was already looking at her. They both quickly looked away, flustered.
“Do you want me to do your makeup?” Kaminari offered to Mina, holding up a bag and an eyeshadow palette.
“Sure!”
Half an hour later, Mina was ready for the stage. Kaminari had given her winged eyeliner and sparkly pink eyeshadow, along with two hearts drawn on her cheekbones. Underneath them was a light dusting of blush that matched her bubblegum pink lipstick. Dotted here and there was a shimmery highlighter that sparkled when she moved her head from side to side. Her hair was still in two perfect pink buns on top of her head. Jirou had lent her a black leather jacket, which she put on over her cropped white t-shirt that had the word ‘girls’ embroidered on the front in pink. Hot pink sweatpants and white sneakers completed the look.
Standing in front of a full length mirror, she knew she looked different from the other riot grrrls. But they also all looked different from each other. Everyone had their own personal style, and it was so neat to see their unique personalities shine through the clothes they chose to wear. Mina smiled at her reflection. She felt confident like this.
“Oh wow,” Jirou breathed.
Mina spun around to face her.
Jirou was wearing an outfit similar to the one she’d worn the first night Mina saw her. She had on a cropped purple tank top that showed off her belly button piercing, black cargo pants, and combat boots. Dangling from her ears were her signature headphone jack earrings, and on each cheek was a red triangle. Besides the triangles and some eyeliner, she didn’t have on any makeup. The look complemented her natural beauty and made her look cool as hell.
“You look so cute,” Jirou said, blushing a bit.
The butterflies in Mina’s stomach came alive once more. “Thanks! I have Kaminari to thank, really. She made me look much prettier than I really am.”
“You’re always pretty,” Jirou said softly.
Mina’s heart hammered away at her rib cage. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Jirou thought she was pretty?! “So are you!” Mina said, stumbling over her own words. “You look so cool, like you were made for the stage. You do all the time, without even trying.”
Jirou brushed her bangs aside and glanced down shyly. “Thank you.”
Kaminari rushed over from the wings and grabbed them both by the hand. “Hurry, we’re on!” she said, pulling them towards the stage door. There wasn’t even time for the nerves to set in—Kaminari dragged them both through the door and onstage a moment later.
The audience erupted with cheers. The lights pointed at the stage were so bright that Mina couldn’t really see anyone in the audience, but she scanned the back for a familiar flash of fire engine red hair. Her knotted stomach finally untangled itself when she heard Kirishima yell, “Go Mina!”
Kaminari and Jirou slung their guitar straps over their shoulders as Bakugou stalked onstage and sat at his drum set.
Mina leaned into the mic. “Hi everyone!” Her voice echoed around the room and was met with matching cheers and applause. “We’re Earbleed! That’s Bakugou back there on the drums-” Bakugou twirled a drumstick in his fingers- “Kaminari on rhythm guitar-” Kaminari threw peace signs up- “Jirou on lead guitar-” Jirou scrunched up her nose and stuck her tongue out, flashing devil horns- “And I’m Mina, tonight’s lead singer! This first song is one I wrote back when I got together with my first girlfriend. I hope you guys enjoy!”
She glanced at Jirou, who gave her a reassuring wink.
Bakugou counted them in, and they began to play.
I see you in the ginkgo leaves
You’re refracted in the ramune ball
The sound of cicadas carries your laugh
The breaking of glass and chalk dust
Kaminari tossed her head to flick her hair out of her face as she strummed the bright yellow guitar slung over her shoulder. There was a soft smile on her face as she carried them into the chorus with ease.
Summer love fizzes and bubbles up
Overflowing from my cup
Said you’ll never have enough
Kiss me through the phone
Before you hang up
In the instrumental break between the chorus and the next verse, Mina felt a smile split across her face. She could see people in the front row dancing to the song—to her song. Her heart soared. For the first time in probably her whole life, she felt like this was where she belonged. When she thought back to slow days at the craft store, when she was wishing she were anywhere else, she realized she was finally living the life she’d always dreamed of. Her destiny was hers to mold and shape into whatever she wanted, and this was the form it was taking.
Ferris wheel rides by the pier
Hand in hand, skipping stones
They’re all the color of your eyes
The brightest color in the light of dawn
The next time the chorus came around, she risked a glance over at Jirou. As Jirou played, she watched Mina with utter captivation. Finally, Mina understood the “look” everyone was talking about when she’d attended her first show.
The same stars were in Jirou’s eyes now. It was like it was her first time truly seeing after a lifetime of darkness. Mina was the sun, and she was merely a planet caught in her orbit.
Mina wanted to pull her closer; cause a full-on collision. The destruction of old worlds and the creation of new ones.
The rest of the night was a blur. When Mina finished her song, she watched the band play from the crowd, but she only had one thing on her mind.
Summer love fizzes and bubbles up
She slipped her hand into Jirou’s and pulled her toward the venue doors while they laughed.
“Where are we going?” Jirou asked.
“I don’t know!”
The moon was full, casting enough light to see by as they ran down the sidewalk. It was cold out, but the jacket Mina had borrowed from Jirou was warm and buttery smooth. Jirou’s fingernails had chipped purple polish on them.
Overflowing from my cup
She was humming as they walked up and down the aisles of the 24 hour convenience store. Humming Mina’s song, in her own perfect voice. She got a beer and an ice cream bar, swearing up and down that it was the best combination on a night like tonight. When she brushed her hair away from her face, she smudged the triangle on her cheek.
They sat outside the shopping center, leaned up against the wall of a now-closed smoke shop. Lights from the cars driving by on the freeway across the street from them lit the horizon a pale yellow. Mina cracked open her peach seltzer and took a sip. The bubbles fizzed on her tongue and all the way down her throat.
Said you’ll never have enough
Their pinkies were still touching as they sat side by side.
“You were really good tonight.”
“You think so?”
“Not just me, the audience loved you.”
Mina turned her head to look at Jirou. She hadn’t had a drop of alcohol but she felt drunk. Her gaze lingered on the earphone jack dangling from Jirou’s ear.
“What?”
Kiss me through the phone
“You’re so pretty.”
She leaned in, and Jirou leaned in, too. Their lips met; a soft, gentle thing. It was a little sticky from the lipstick, but utterly perfect. Mina cupped her cheek and pulled her closer. Jirou tasted like vanilla and hops, and she kissed like she was scared of doing it wrong.
When they parted, the tension was thick in the air. Jirou’s gaze stayed on Mina’s lips for a moment, like she was considering leaning back in for another kiss. “Will you… join my band?”
Mina was so surprised that she laughed. “Yes! God, yes.”
Before you hang up
Jirou sighed in relief. “You scared me for a minute there.”
They listened to the roar of the freeway for a minute.
“I like you a lot,” Mina admitted.
“I like you, too.”
This time when they kissed, Jirou was more confident with it. She smiled against Mina’s lips before they broke apart, and it was adorable.
Her head tipped back against the wall and she closed her eyes as she hummed the melody of Mina’s song.