Chapter Text
Harua scanned the list of names on the large black call back sheet decked out in bright red lip art that had been posted on the wall next to the entrance of the auditorium. He already knew he would be on there, but he had to double-check that he got the part he had auditioned for. There were multiple theater crews competing for the cast, considering how well-known Rocky Horror was. He definitely had competition here.
The production they were putting on was to kick off the Halloween season, and Harua had auditioned for the role of Janet, but he would also be happy with Colombia or Magenta. Since the play itself plays around with gender and queerness so much anyway, nobody blinked when he said those were his picks. Any gender could play any role, and they would have fun regardless of who plays who. That’s the point of theater at the end of the day, right? Theater is there to enjoy yourself and there’s always something or someone to relate to.
Before he could even find his name, another stood out to him. Another actor that Harua had been on weird terms with for a couple of years at this point. He had nothing against the guy, but every time they ran into each other, it was always… awkward. Harua didn’t even know why, really. They were pleasant enough with their conversations. They didn’t have any beef or anything. It was like he had a problem with Harua, so he generally just tried to avoid him if he could.
This time, though, it looked like they would most likely be working directly with each other for the first time. Harua knew his acting skills, so he knew that the part was already his. Their paths crossed here and there because they both act locally, but they’ve never both been cast in the same play before. Harua sighed, brushing it off for the moment. He would worry about it later. He found his own name, and squeaked with happiness. He had gotten a call back for Janet. Next week, he was going to go back in and absolutely nail that second audition.
Harua was riding the high of his name on the role he was trying for, head a bit in the clouds already thinking ahead to what he was going to use to audition with next. He took a step back to turn around and walk away, and promptly bumped into someone behind him.
“Shit!” Harua turned around to see who he had just knocked into, and came face to chest with the iced coffee he had just spilled all over— Maki. Just his luck. Just his fucking luck.
“I’m so sorry, are you okay?” Harua asked, already reaching for the tissues he kept in his bag and dabbing at the coffee on Maki’s neck and chest. His nice, white button-up shirt was definitely ruined. “I’ll pay for your dry cleaning. I’m so so sorry, I didn’t see you there.”
“Obviously.” Maki grabbed a tissue from Harua’s hand and attempted to dab away some of the coffee himself. “Don’t bother, it’s fine. Just watch where you’re going next time.”
“Let me do something to make it up to you. I’ll buy you another coffee. Anything. I feel so bad.”
“I said it’s fine.” Maki stepped around Harua to check the call back list, seeing his name and nodding. At least he had something good about today. Harua hoped it would be enough to divert Maki from the foul mood that he had unintentionally caused.
“Okay,” Harua relented, not wanting to make anything worse. “I’m sorry again. I’ll see you next week.” He stepped out before Maki could respond, quickly making his way out to the parking lot. He got into his car and lightly banged his head on the steering wheel a couple of times.
“Stupid. Stupid. Fuuuck.” He groaned, hitting the horn with his head and accidentally setting it off. His head shot up, looking over the parking lot to see if anyone had witnessed his idiocy. Maki, probably on his way back to his car, stood three cars away. He looked at Harua, confused and definitely still annoyed. Harua groaned and covered his eyes, laying back in his seat. The universe was really not on his side today.
Harua needed to decompress before he imploded. He drove to his favorite cafe, walking in and giving a quick hello to his favorite barista, and confirming his regular order as he sat down. He laid his upper half on the pastel pink table, putting his head on top of his crossed arms.
“You okay sweetie?” Tsuki asked as she brought over his smoothie and sat in the chair next to him. She rubbed his back, leaning down next to him. “What happened? Did you not get the call back?”
“You know that guy I mentioned to you that only ever acts annoyed or really awkward around me? I bumped into him and spilled his coffee all over him.” Harua lifted his head from the table, bringing his crossed arms to the closer edge of the table and leaning on them. “I can’t blame him for being annoyed, but I offered to cover his dry cleaning or get him a coffee to replace it and he brushed me off completely.”
She made a sympathetic noise, petting his hair. “He probably was just overwhelmed in the moment. I’m sure it’ll be better when you see him again.”
Harua gave her a doubtful look. “Right,” he scoffed. “And in other news, pigs have sprouted wings and learned to fly.”
Tsuki smacked the back of his head lightly, ruffling his red locks. “Don’t give me that. You apologized and did what you could to offer a resolution. It’s on him for not accepting it. I’m sure it’ll be fine by the next time you see him again.”
“So, next week? I doubt that.”
“Wait, so you did get the call back? That’s great! For Janet?” Tsuki asked, trying to keep Harua from stewing in his own negativity. He appreciated it.
“Yeah, I did. So did Maki, though.”
“So what? You’re a professional. You can work with him in the same play one time and the world won’t end, I promise.”
“It might!” Harua exclaimed. “If he has a problem with me, it’s going to suck so bad trying to work directly with him for an entire play.”
“You’re jumping to way too many conclusions right now. Just get through the call back audition first. Take this one step at a time, okay?” Tsuki comforted. “One step at a time.”
Harua exhaled slowly. Tsuki was right, he was getting way ahead of himself here. He nodded, finally bringing himself down from his own existentialism. “Okay, yeah. I can get through this.”
“Yes, you can. You’ve got this, Rua. And it’s not like you have to work with him one on one the whole time if you both do get in the final cast. You’re in an ensemble for the most part, right?”
“Right.” Harua’s frown started to straighten out.
Tsuki noticed, poking his cheeks. “See? You’ll be just fine.”
🎞 🎞 🎞 🎞
As expected, Harua passed his second audition with flying colors. The first script reading for the official cast was scheduled, and the timeline for the play was established. The play was going to be shown at the end of October for two weeks, with a matinee for family and friends a couple days before the first night viewing. So that gave Harua just under eight weeks that he had to either make it up to Maki or slug through them and then he was home free.
From the first reading, it looked like it was going to be the second scenario. Maki had landed the leading role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, because of course he had, and Harua caught the cold shoulder immediately. He tried to be pleasant and cordial, but every attempt was either met with silence or cold professionalism. Maki wouldn’t talk to him outside their reading sessions, and seemed closed off to the idea of doing one-on-one rehearsals.
Frankly, Harua was getting really fucking annoyed. He had never been anything but nice to Maki, and he was very quickly reaching the end of his patience. How were they supposed to act together if they couldn’t connect at all? Maki was a good actor, a great actor even, but as soon as the tablets with their scripts were put away for the night, he dropped the mask and shut Harua out again.
By week three it became apparent that this was not going to work. They were halfway to dress rehearsals and they couldn’t spend more than five minutes on stage without arguing. Maki was so stiff in his acting with Harua, yet had no problem with the rest of the cast. Even the director noticed, calling Maki out here and there to reassure him that Harua wasn’t going to bite. Harua heavily debated it, though, if he couldn’t start loosening up and got his head out of his ass.
Dress rehearsals came, and things finally started to smooth over, even if it was only by a little bit. The director hadn’t called him out in almost a week, and Maki loosened up enough to smile at Harua, just once. Though, it could have just been his face twitching after the long day. They were nearing the end of their rehearsal period, and opening night was on the horizon. Maki started asking Harua for feedback and opinions on their scenes together, and even cracked a joke or two. Harua almost breathed a sigh of relief, until—
“Oh, it’s you!” Harua screamed in character, laying on the bed while Maki as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, disguised as Brad, braced his arms on either side of Harua, holding himself above him. The red mood lighting from behind the curtain surrounding the bed cast their figures in enough shadow for a brilliant silhouette scene. Harua had just pulled off the Brad wig, and was fully locked in to his character. He had been on a roll today, and so far Maki had been working very well with him. Harua prayed to the universe that it kept going.
“I’m afraid so, Janet, but isn’t it nice?” Maki recited from his position on top of Harua. They went through the next few lines perfectly, Janet accusing Frank-N-Furter of hurting her fiance, fighting his advances after he tricked her into sleeping with him. Certain aspects of the story definitely didn’t age the best, he was aware.
“Yes, yes, I know. But it isn’t all bad, is it?” Harua felt Maki’s hand lifting his chin so they were looking each other in the eye. Just for a moment, before Maki said his next line, but in that moment Harua saw… something in Maki’s expression. Something that didn’t fit the feeling of his character in the scene. Before Harua could question it, the flicker was gone, and Maki was back in character. They finished the scene, and when the lights cut, Maki got up from laying on top of Harua. He crawled backwards off the bed, holding the thin, sheer pink curtain open with one hand and extending the other to him.
Harua, more than a bit puzzled, tentatively took his outstretched hand and let Maki help him up from the bed. A wardrobe assistant was waiting with a robe for him to cover up, which Harua gratefully took and thanked the assistant as he put on.
“Good work in there,” Maki’s voice came from behind him, so quiet Harua almost missed it.
He whipped around, certain that he was hearing things. “What?”
“You did good,” Maki restated, still quiet.
Harua was battling the non-zero chance that he had woken up in an alternate dimension where Maki willingly complimented him when the stage manager announced their next scenes were coming up. The wardrobe assistant came back to usher Maki into wardrobe so he could quickly get into his Janet disguise for his next scene: seducing Brad disguised as Janet. Maki shot Harua another unreadable look before following the assistant to the back rooms.
The rest of the rehearsals went off without a hitch. The director announced their cast party the night before the official opening to kick things off, and encouraged everyone to bring their partners if they felt so inclined. Harua, deep in the single pool and reeling from his most recent first date with a guy who turned out to be a massive creep, didn’t feel the slightest bit inclined to find a date for the launch party. Maybe the after party, if he felt up to it in a couple weeks and could find someone to come with him. For now, after weeks of tirelessly rehearsing and dealing with someone that couldn’t seem to make up their mind about how much they disliked him, he was exhausted.
Harua went through every cue, every line, every dance move perfectly for their matinee. He was nervous about the first actual show, even though it was just for a small audience. He had never played a lead before. When the castle launched into the sky, Harua was flying right along with it. He was ready— more than ready, for the official opening night. He went home that night the closest to cloud nine than he had felt in a very long time. He did his skincare, put on his softest pair of pajamas, and laid in bed watching his favorite romantic drama until he fell asleep.
🎞 🎞 🎞 🎞
Laughter collected and echoed around the room of the restaurant that everyone was meeting at before the party. It was a large, long room with a dark wooden table stretching along the center of the room. Various appetizers and drinks were being passed around the table by cast members and their plus-ones; some that Harua knew and some that he had never seen before.
Harua was beckoned to the table and onto an empty cushion next to the director. He loved Harua, and knew that as outgoing as he was, he still was a bit shy around strangers. He sat down, promptly being passed a full shot glass with clear liquid. He took a quick whiff, smelling a faint hint of plum. His favorite sake. He downed the glass in one fluid motion and tapped it against the table to request another shot.
Before long, Harua was cracking jokes with everyone at the table, all shyness expelled from his body. At some point Maki had even shown up, but he luckily hadn’t talked to Harua outside of saying a general hello to everyone before sitting down next to his friends at the other end of the table. Ironically, the girl who was playing Magenta had a girlfriend actually named Magenta, so they shared a good laugh after she had told Harua that his hair reminded her of her name and confused the hell out of him.
Someone at the far end of the table had asked for the bottle of sake that was next to Harua. He grabbed it, stumbling very slightly due to the alcohol he had consumed without enough food to balance it. Magenta grabbed his wrist to stabilize him, and Harua giggled before making his way down to the group at the far side. “Who ordered the sake?”
It turned out to be one of Maki’s friends, someone Harua hadn’t seen before. He was tan with a round face and shaggy black hair, and deep dimples when he smiled. He took the bottle from Harua, offering a shot in thanks. Harua nodded, laughing when he saw his own red bangs flopping around his forehead. The boy laughed in return and put the filled glass on the table next to him. The seat next to him was open, and Harua not-so-gracefully plopped down into it, making the boy laugh. Maki finally looked over from where he was seated on his other side, eyebrows pushed towards each other in confusion.
“When did you get here?” He asked, taking the bottle and pouring a shot for his friend.
“I asked for the sake and he brought it over. The beer was getting too bitter for me,” The boy answered. “Is he one of your castmates?”
“Yeah, this is Harua, he plays Janet. Harua, this is Taki, my best friend.”
“Nice to meet you, Harua! I love your hair. It almost matches the color of your jacket,” Taki observed. He poured Maki a shot and urged both of them to join him in taking their shots together.
Taki seemed elated that Harua was his same age. He insisted that Harua raised his glass the highest, even though Harua was only a few days older than Taki. On the other side of Maki, his friend had also requested to join in on the shot taking. Maki poured him a shot as well, which made even pairs for them. Maki’s friend, who introduced himself to Harua as Kei, was the oldest of the group. He led the cheers, holding his glass high while everyone else kept theirs lower.
“Kompai!” Kei shouted, making eye contact with Maki for their shot. Taki flipped around towards Harua, echoing Kei’s shout and clinking his glass against Harua’s. He met Harua’s eyes while they both took their shot and then set their glasses down on the table at the same time, sending them both into a fit of laughter.
Kei, noticing what happened, also started laughing. “You two are already so similar. Maki, why haven’t you invited him out with us before?”
Maki looked down and mumbled something out of Harua’s earshot. Kei shot him a stern look, mouthing ‘Be nice’ before his expression warmed up again as he started making conversation with Harua and Taki.
Taki leaned in towards Harua so he could speak quieter. “Don’t mind Maki, okay? He’s been grumpy lately, but he’s a really good guy, I promise. He’s not normally so broody.”
“I heard that, Taki. And I’m not broody.”
Harua, amped up on liquid courage, decided that now was definitely the best time to confront Maki. “Are you still mad at me over the coffee thing? Or do you just not like me?”
Maki put his hands into his lap and looked down. “Do we have to do this now?”
“Yes, now. What is your problem with me? If it’s not the coffee thing, then what?”
Taki, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, stood up and excused himself to the washroom. Kei stood as well, saying he was going to find their waiter and order another bottle of sake.
Harua realized he made a mistake and tried to backtrack. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make things awkward in front of your friends. I just want to understand what I did to you. It’s been almost three years of you acting like I killed your dog every time I try to talk to you.”
“It’s not like that,” Maki simply stated. Harua didn’t take that as an answer.
“Then what is it? Am I misreading something? What did I do?”
“You didn’t do anything. I just don’t need new friends right now.”
Harua frowned. “Do we have to be friends? I just want you to not hate me when I’ve done nothing to you.”
“I don’t hate you.”
“So, you don’t hate me, but you don’t want to be friends, and you confirmed I didn’t do anything to piss you off in the first place. Yeah, that clears everything right up!” Harua ended with exaggerated cheerfulness, getting up and walking back to his original cushion spot next to the director. He wanted to have a good night, and if he spent one more minute with Maki he felt like he would have anything but that.
About half of the dinner party decided to move to the bar that the director had picked out for their after party, with the rest of the crew deciding to turn in for the night or go to their other plans. Harua ended up looped in with the Magentas, making their way to the bar on foot since it wasn’t far.
The actual party took place on the rooftop. It was reserved for their party specifically, as per the deal the director struck with the owner of the bar. It wasn’t the largest rooftop in the city, but it was surprisingly roomy. Small, warm-toned lights were strung along the perimeter of the makeshift bamboo roof, with fake ivy wrapped around it to blend in with the tall bushes strategically placed to create different sections. There was a beautiful wooden azumaya above a section near the front, creating an L shape of overhead protection where the bartop resided. There was a double seated porch swing in one corner, overlooking the city lights. A few tables and benches scattered around to give extra seating. It was a place that Harua could see himself coming back to frequently.
He and the Magentas got their drinks, seating themselves at a table in the far corner opposite the swing. They were in their own world, just conversing and giggling, when Harua noticed Maki, Taki and Kei enter and head to the bar. Maki made the briefest of eye contact with Harua before Harua looked down at his drink and took a massive swig.
Not Magenta noticed. “Hey, what’s up? Did Maki do something to upset you?”
Harua lowered his drink back to the table, holding the cold glass with both hands. “It’s nothing.”
Actual Magenta wouldn’t accept that. “Nu-uh. What happened, Rua? Talk to us.”
“I’ve known Maki for a few years, and whenever we talk, he’s either hostile or awkward. I confronted him tonight and he said I didn’t do anything, but that he also doesn’t want to be friends. I don’t know, it’s dumb.”
“Well, do you want to be friends?” Actual Magenta asked.
Harua paused. “I… I don’t know. I know next to nothing about him. He’s always so grumpy around me but when I met his friends tonight they spoke so highly of him. His friends seem so nice and genuine, and I don’t think they would be friends with someone that’s rude and grumpy all the time.”
Not Magenta crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. “I think you should just let him be a little baby until he’s ready to come clean about what’s actually bothering him. Especially after you confronted him, just give him some time to stew. I think he’ll come around eventually. He’s been nothing but sweet to me every time I see him. Do you want me to talk to him for you?”
Immediately, Harua shook his head no. “I don’t want to dig myself a deeper hole after I confronted him in front of his friends.”
“Okay, then it’s time for plan B.” Not Magenta stood from the table, holding out her hands for her girlfriend and Harua to take. They both grabbed her hands, unsure of what her plan was, but by the look on her face they were about to find out.
🎞 🎞 🎞 🎞
The main bar on the lower level was the complete opposite vibe of the chill, casual mingling going on upstairs on the roof. The bass from the music was vibrating the walls, rattling the ice in stray drinks placed on the side tables. The shifting lights were moving around the crowd, creating patterns of flashing and colors to coincide with the music. There were significantly more people down here as well, nearly squished shoulder to shoulder in certain areas. The music was loud enough to drown out any and all light conversation or thought. This is exactly what Harua needed right now.
He checked in with The Magentas, ensuring them that he was going to be fine and then promptly weaving his way to the dance floor. He let the bass sink into his bones, letting the alcohol in his system take over his motions as he danced with whoever he came in contact with. He really, really needed this.
Eventually, he started overheating from all the dancing and being in the center of a crowd. He made his way back to the bar, getting himself a water from the self-serve water station on the side. He downed two cups of water, tossing the paper cup into the nearby recycling bin and turning to get back into the fray. He was stopped by a hand on his upper arm. Harua looked over to see none other than the asshole he had gone on his most recent date with, and had quite literally abandoned said date early because of how awful the date was. Harua fought back a groan, pulling his arm out of Ren’s grasp.
“You haven’t answered any of my messages or calls. Was the date that bad?” He asked, trying to reach out again and stopping when he noticed Harua visibly dodging his hand. He had to shout to be heard over the music, and his loud voice didn't help his case.
“Yes, and I told you it was. That’s why I left. It didn’t work out between us. That happens sometimes. We aren’t compatible. Let’s part ways and just move on, please.” Harua shouted back, annoyed that this conversation was happening in the middle of a loud, very public club.
Ren’s eyes narrowed. “Not compatible? I don’t buy that. We were having such good conversations before we met up. What happened? Are you seeing someone else?”
“It’s not your business if I am or not. We had one bad date. You need to accept that and leave me alone now.”
Apparently, that was the complete wrong thing to say. Ren snatched Harua’s wrist and dragged him outside, ignoring Harua’s protests to let him go. Harua didn’t feel threatened by any means, but he was beyond irked that this fucking asshole felt so entitled to him, especially after how bad their date went.
Ren let go of Harua’s wrist when they reached the deck outside, but stood between him and the door to keep Harua from easily leaving again. Harua felt like his irritation alone had sobered him up. “We have nothing to talk about. I’m going back inside, and you’re going to let me. You’re going overboard here, and you need to chill out. Go drink some water, get some food or something. You need to sober up and back off.”
“Why won’t you answer if you’re seeing anyone? I don’t see why you can’t answer a simple question.”
Harua crossed his arms over his chest, scanning behind Ren for anyone that he could pretend to know to get him out of this situation before he blew his lid. “Because it isn’t your business. It wasn’t when we went on a date and it isn’t now. It was a first date, with no immediate reasons for commitment. And it went badly, so I left. Do you understand that?”
“Yeah, I get it.” Ren started. Harua almost breathed a sigh of relief until he continued. “You committed to someone else and you didn’t know how to tell me. That’s it, isn’t it?”
Harua threw a hand against his forehead, completely and utterly done. “Yeah, that’s it. I’m seeing someone and I want to make it serious with him so I had to cut off anyone else I was potentially interested in. You got me.”
“You could have just said that.” Ren said, suddenly and suspiciously casual. He shrugged his shoulders. “So who is it? Who is this guy that’s so much better than me and made you end things with me?”
When Harua didn’t answer, Ren took a step forward towards him. Harua wasn’t exactly short, but Ren was using his height to his advantage to tower over Harua. He stayed quiet, unsure how to answer. If he lied and said a name, Ren would definitely try to scope it out and expose his lie easily. If he admitted to lying now, Ren would continue harassing him. If he stayed quiet, who knows what would happen.
He took too long to think, and Ren took another drunken step towards him. “Who is it?” His voice was getting louder. Harua’s heart rate was beginning to pick up. He looked down to try and calm himself to not expose his nerves.
He looked up and took a deep breath, about to speak up, when a new body appeared out of nowhere. The man obstructed his field of vision and stepped between them, so Ren was unable to see Harua’s visual puzzlement at seeing someone’s very broad back now directly in front of him.
“Me. Now go sit down and sober up before you embarrass yourself more.”
Harua knew that voice. He looked up, recognizing Maki’s signature ash blonde hair. Maki turned slightly, taking a step backwards and putting his large arm around Harua’s small shoulders.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Are you ready to go, darling?”
Realization hit Harua like a train. Maki was doing a bit to get him out of this. He didn’t question why Maki would do this for him. He wasn’t about to look this gift horse in the mouth. He leaned into whatever was happening now, matching Maki’s energy. He wrapped his arm around Maki’s waist and leaned into him. “Sorry, darling, I got caught up for a bit. I’m ready, though. Let’s get out of here.”
They walked away from Ren, still holding tight to each other. They kept it up until they got back to the roof, when Maki immediately separated himself from Harua and sat them down in a far corner. The party had trickled down, so there were only a few people left. Nobody was paying any attention to them, thankfully.
“Sorry for grabbing you like that. I’m sure you could have gotten out of that yourself, but I walked past and he was clearly drunk and making you uncomfortable, so I thought I’d help how I could.”
Harua nodded slowly, still unsure of what the fuck happened to make Maki actually help him. Just a couple hours ago, he was barely giving Harua the time of day. “Thank you.”
Maki opened his mouth and closed it again after a second, going back on whatever he was about to ask or say. “Are you okay?” He finally asked.
“Yeah, I am now that I’m away from him. I knew he was an asshole, but didn’t know he was that bad.”
“I know it’s none of my business, but can I ask who that guy was? You don’t seem like you’d be around people like that.”
Harua picked at his chipping burgundy nail polish, feeling like he had entered the twilight zone. “I went on a date with him a few weeks ago. It went really badly, so I left early and told him it wasn’t going to work. He didn’t say anything after I left, but then I saw him here tonight and he was drunk enough to confront me about it to try and get me to give him another chance.”
“Right, because cornering you and berating you is the way to do that.” Maki scoffed.
“Exactly! If he wanted another shot with me there are so many better ways to ask.” Harua leaned back in his chair, letting his tense shoulders relax a little.
“So, are you actually seeing someone or did you just say that to get him off your ass?”
“Oh, I’m not seeing anyone. He just kept asking and asking and I was going to lose my shit, so I said what he wanted to hear to hopefully get him to back off.”
Maki laughed. “I kind of suspected. You had a tone that he definitely didn’t pick up. When I walked by, that was the first thing I heard so I didn’t know if I had missed anything. I wanted to stick around to make sure everything was okay.”
“Thank you again. Sorry for bringing you into my stupid dating drama.” Harua paused, finding his next words. “And… I’m sorry again for dinner. I shouldn’t have confronted you like that in front of your friends.”
“It’s no biggie,” Maki said, waving his fingers up and down in dismissal. “They’ve survived worse dinners, don’t worry.”
Harua decided they had built up enough rapport for his next question. “So if you don’t hate me, but you don’t want to be friends, why did you help me? And why are you always so awkward or upset when we talk?”
Maki’s smile dropped. He looked down, scratching at the chipping light green paint of the tabletop. He took a while to speak up. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. That’s all.”
He clearly wasn’t about to answer Harua’s second question. Harua didn’t want to push it after Maki helped him out and seem ungrateful. “Nevermind, sorry for asking. I’m going to get going, but thank you again. If Ren tries something else, I’ll tell him we broke up and to back off because I”m grieving our relationship or whatever.” He smiled at Maki, trying to salvage whatever was left of their once again awkward conversation.
“You don’t have to. As long as you’re okay with it, you can say we’re still dating if he tries something again. It’s fine with me,” Maki mumbled, making Harua physically take a step back in confusion.
He absolutely did not have the brain capacity for this right now. He told Maki he would let him know, walking into the elevator on the rooftop. He made his way to the main level, walking the short distance to the train station and hopping on the first one that went near his apartment. He couldn’t remember if he put on music at all. His thoughts were so loud and jumbled he doubted he would have been able to hear any music playing in the first place.
🎞 🎞 🎞 🎞
On opening night, Magenta showed up to wish Not Magenta and Harua the best of luck. She held a comically large bouquet of flowers to give to Not Magenta after the play, kissing her girlfriend’s cheek and Harua on the forehead. She took her seat up front next to Tsuki, who told Harua she wouldn’t miss his opening show for the world.
Nicholas showed up, arm in arm with his not-yet-but-almost boyfriend. They had been dating for a while, and Harua was anxiously anticipating the day he and Fuma both got over themselves and admitted they wanted to make it official. He had a backup plan, though. If neither of them asked within the month, Harua was going to interfere and ask what was taking so damn long. They took their seats in the row in front of Tsuki and Magenta after exchanging hellos.
When Kei and Taki walked in, Taki noticed Harua in front of the stage and waved to him with his full arm. Harua laughed, returning the exaggerated wave to him and Kei. Harua made his way up to the duo quickly, knowing he only had a couple minutes before he had to finish getting ready. He only needed a couple minutes to apologize, and he was going to use them.
“I wanted to apologize to both of you for the other night. I’m so sorry for making everything awkward in front of you guys and making you both get up and leave. It was selfish, and me being a little tipsy wasn’t an excuse. I had just met you, and I don’t want to ruin anything because I really enjoyed meeting you both. I’m just really, really sorry.” Harua paused and finally took a breath.
Kei put a hand on Harua’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “No hard feelings, I promise. It was awkward, but I could tell you needed to get that out of your system. I’d love to get to know you more. You seem really sweet from what I’ve seen, as well as what Maki has told me about you.”
Taki nodded enthusiastically before Harua could form a thought. “Really, you’re so cool! I’d love to get to know you more. I’d like to be your friend. Maki makes you sound so sweet and fun.”
“Maki talks about me?” Harua stared at them, dumbfounded.
“Ten minutes to curtain!” Someone shouted into a staff radio near Harua. Shit. He had to go now if he wanted to finish getting ready in time.
“Shit, sorry I’ve gotta go! It was nice seeing you guys again.”
Taki and Kei both waved at him on his way back to the stage. “Good luck, Harua!” Taki shouted after him. “Tell Maki we say hi when you see him!”
Harua jogged into the makeup and hair room, apologizing profusely to the very frantic makeup artist as she finished his makeup in a rush and sent him off to wardrobe. He was mostly in his first costume already, he just needed his cardigan and shoes. He ran to his costume rack, snatching the white cardigan and putting it on as quickly as he could. He swapped his regular tennis shoes for the chunky white heels, strapping them to his ankles and running back out.
He ran up the stairs, careful not to trip or twist an ankle in his heels, and was nearly home free when his toe caught on the very last step, throwing him to the ground. He landed hard on his hands and knees, more frustrated than anything. He was good in heels, but he was rushing and clearly not as careful as he thought he was being.
He rolled into a sitting position, rubbing his sore knees. They were definitely going to bruise from the swelling already forming. He blinked away the beginning of tears trying to materialize. He wasn’t about to cry from the pain. It was purely out of frustration because he was literally about to get on stage and dance, and doing it with swollen knees was going to suck.
“Two minutes!” The PA announced. Harua sat for a moment before bringing himself back to his feet and taking his place on stage. He could get ice afterwards. He could rest and cry afterwards. For now, it was showtime.
For the second time, Harua went through the whiplash of being completely iced out by Maki every time they were backstage together, yet when they were on stage together, it was like his acting was almost too real. The bed scene again in particular threw Harua for a loop. But not because of Maki’s usual confident demeanor in his scenes. He hesitated this time. That had never happened before.
It was subtle, but it was there. Just a split second— a crack of something slipping through his borderline overconfident front— and then it was gone as quick as it appeared. Right before Maki leaned down for their fade to black sex scene. Maki was on top of Harua, bathed in the soft red light from behind them to cast their silhouettes onto the pink curtains. His line delivery was perfect. But as soon as he was supposed to end their scene, he cracked. Harua let him, as it didn’t affect the scene, although he couldn’t stop picturing Maki’s conflicted face in his head.
Why did Maki hesitate like that? He looked… nervous? There was no way. Maki was one of the best actors he knew. The lights dimmed to black, and Maki jumped backwards off the bed as if he had been burned. Harua followed in suit, reaching for Maki’s wrist. He held it briefly before seeing Maki’s pained expression and letting go. He walked next to him offstage, not touching him again.
“Hey, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Harua whispered, standing in front of Maki and making him look Harua in the eye. Or at least, he tried to. Maki seemed to be avoiding eye contact at all costs.
Harua tried again. “Talk to me. Did I do something?”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” Maki insisted, walking faster towards the changing room.
Behind them, the poor assistant in charge of Harua’s robe was trailing them, trying to get Harua’s attention so he could cover up. He finally realized, turning around to put the robe on and quickly thanking them before turning back towards— nobody. Maki had disappeared. Most likely ducked into the changing room. Harua cut his losses, figuring that whatever was going on was either none of his business or he would find out later; one way or another.
What the hell had gotten into Maki? Harua’s head hurt trying to even begin deciphering the mixed messages. He didn’t know why he cared anyway. Maki clearly still didn’t want to be his friend, or want anything to do with Harua. But then, why did he step in with Ren? Why did he say Harua could continue their charade of being boyfriends in front of him if he tried anything again?
Harua shook his head vigorously. He couldn’t put energy into this right now. He had a show to finish, people to stun, and songs to sing. He wasn’t about to let down an entire theater of people. He walked into makeup, making sure everything was good to go for his next scene, and then went back to wait in the wing until his cue to come back on stage. Janet Weiss had a story to tell, and Harua was going to do that story justice.
🎞 🎞 🎞 🎞
They all gathered on the front of the stage for curtain call. Harua was in between the actors for Brad and Rocky. They joined hands and took their bow to the final swell of the music, then waved and blew kisses to the crowd as the thick red curtain slid shut in front of them, officially ending the show. The actors all huddled in a circle, hugging and congratulating each other before separating to dry off and get out of their costumes. Harua navigated the chaos of the changing room, moving to the plush black couch in the green room to wait for Maki. He wanted to try one more time to talk to him before they went their own ways for the night.
Truth be told, whatever was affecting Maki was worrying Harua. He didn’t want to admit it, but he cared what Maki thought, even if it was just a little bit. Harua absolutely would not admit how much he cared.
He scrolled on his phone, looking over the new collection of blind boxes that just dropped. He had a bit of an addiction to the ugly little collectibles, that he could admit. Eventually, Maki’s familiar ash blonde hair peeked over the crowd. He was also tall, so he just stood out in general. Harua took a deep breath, standing up and pocketing his phone. He walked over to Maki, falling in step beside him as Maki headed for the stairs leading up to the theater.
Maki didn’t say anything. He gave Harua a glance out of the corner of his eye, continuing forward without breaking stride. Harua looked up at Maki’s face, noticing his brows furrowed. They wordlessly walked up the stairs, turning the corner into the hallway outside the theater doors. Maki reached the door first, pushing it open and stepping aside so that Harua could enter first. His chivalry and manners seemed to be second nature for him, but then why did he have a problem with Harua?
He stepped through the doorway, thanking Maki. In turn, he got a curt head nod. Harua took it, not holding it against him. Not tonight. He turned to him, speaking low. “If you don’t want to tell me what’s going on, that’s fine. I know you still don't want to be friends. But if you ever want to talk, I’m around. We still have two weeks of shows to get through, so I hope you’ll come around to trusting me by then.”
They walked towards their friends in silence. It wasn’t awkward, but it was tense; Like a breath held slightly too long. Their friends appeared in their line of sight, racing towards them. Taki noticed them first, vaulting over seats to get to them faster. He reached the duo, wrapping them both in a massive hug and squeezing. He let go of Harua, giving Maki another hug and giving congratulations. Kei, Nicholas, and Fuma reached them shortly after. They introduced themselves to each other, and Fuma followed up by tackling Harua in a crushing hug.
“I’m so proud of you, Rua. You did so well,” he praised. He crouched down, beckoning to Harua to get on his shoulders. It was definitely their thing, and Harua secretly loved being shown off by Fuma. He always went out of his way to praise Harua and boost his ego. Fuma was like an older brother to him, which was new to Harua as an only child. He told Nicholas constantly how good he and Fuma were together, and he meant it. But he would be lying if he didn’t also want Fuma to stick around to continue treating Harua like family. It was so comforting, having him around.
Harua hopped on Fuma’s shoulders, bracing himself as Fuma stood up slowly to keep their balance. He was solid enough that Harua’s weight didn’t hinder him much. He spun around a couple times, making Harua laugh loudly as he tried to stay perched up top.
He heard Taki cackling behind him at the sight, and he turned around to see Nicholas standing next to Kei, both of their phones out to record or take photos of Fuma and Harua.
“Pose for us, Rua! Show us what you’ve got!” Nicholas laughed, moving around to get photos in different angles of Harua’s various ridiculous poses. Fuma joined in, giving their camera rolls plenty of new content.
Fuma set Harua down on the ground, sitting down to catch his breath a bit. Nicholas moved behind him, rubbing deep circles into his back and shoulders. Maki looked at them with a mix of emotions, none of which Harua could figure out. He turned to Kei, asking, “Where is Euijoo?”
“He couldn’t make it tonight, I’m so sorry. He ended up working way later than expected. But he’s meeting us for dinner later, and he promised to make an appearance at another show to make up for missing this one.” Kei said apologetically. Harua figured Euijoo must be Kei’s partner, and hoped he would meet him eventually too.
“Speaking of,” Kei started. “We’re going out for barbecue and drinks to celebrate opening night. Would you all care to join us? Euijoo reserved a room for us already, and we have spare seats. I’d love to get to know you all better.” Kei was so kind and generous, Harua wondered how they all met.
Maki cut in. “I’m sure they have their own plans for tonight. It’s okay, guys, you don’t have to.”
Nicholas responded, enthusiastic. “We were just going to go to a local bar and grab a drink then celebrate at home watching movies for the night. We would love to join!” He turned to Harua. “Right, Rua?”
Harua looked at Maki, who had an expression that resembled pleading. He decided to throw Maki a bone. “I’ve got plans with Tsuki already, sorry. She said she was taking me to dinner, I think.”
Kei frowned, looking a bit like a little kid who had been rejected for the first time. “Okay, I understand.” He fixed his face, bringing his ear to ear smile back. “Another time, then!”
“Definitely,” Harua promised. He meant it. Kei was lovely, and Harua really would love to get to know him and Taki better. Taki, as it turned out, was Kei’s little brother. They were inseparable, and Harua had never seen brothers who openly cared about each other so much. He found it refreshing, watching them interact.
Tsuki apparated behind Harua, leaning her head over his shoulder and blowing hard into his ear. Harua shouted in surprise, dropping to the ground and covering his violated ear while everyone around them cracked up. She held out her hand for Harua to take, helping him to his feet and promptly shoving a large bouquet of flowers into his arms. “You did it, Rua! I knew you’d kill it up there.”
Harua put his hand back over his ear. “Why would you do that?”
“Aww, are your ears sensitive? My bad, let me kiss them better.” Tsuki retorted with fake sympathy.
“Don’t you dare,” Harua warned, backing up and holding the bouquet towards her like a weapon.
“You love me and you know it. Are you ready to go?”
Harua turned towards the rest of the group. “Thank you guys, I’ll see you all later?”
Maki mumbled a short “Bye” before turning away, catching Tsuki’s attention.
“Hold on, who’s the grump?” she asked, learning towards Maki with her hands on her hips.
Kei chuckled. “That’s Maki. He’s usually happy as a puppy, but lately he’s been acting like someone left him in the rain.”
Tsuki’s eyes widened. “You’re Maki? Oh I’ve been waiting to meet you.”
Maki turned around at a neck-breaking speed. “What?”
Harua grabbed Tsuki’s arm and pulled her away. “Okay, time to go now!” He dragged her out of the theater without another word, and they made their way to the train station a couple blocks away.
“So… Maki, huh?”
Harua shut her down. “Nope. Not tonight.”
“Oh, come on! You can’t leave me in the dark like this. He’s so tall and blonde and cute! Not my type, but he definitely has a puppy face. Why haven’t you gone anywhere with him?”
“He doesn’t like me, Tsu. We’ve talked about this.”
“Babe, that puppy is utterly infatuated with you,” Tsuki deadpanned. “ What are you even saying right now?”
The train arrived, and they stepped on, taking their seats in the mostly empty cabin. “What are you saying? Have you never paid attention to anything I’ve told you about him?”
“Rua, I could see it in a single glance. He likes you so much, trust me.”
As the train started moving, Harua quieted; his thoughts once again roaring louder than his surroundings. He had zero evidence to support Tsuki’s claim, but she had no reason to lie or mislead him. She wouldn’t say something like that to mess with him. But what was she seeing that Harua wasn’t?