Chapter Text
.....
The bell rang. Finally, this stupid orientation was over. Now all he needed to do was find his first period class, which should've been simple. Well, that's what he thought before he checked his schedule.
"Wait, band? Why am I in band?" Yuji muttered to himself before flinching as a hand landed on his shoulder.
He spun around quickly, looking up, up, and up—holy shit, this guy's tall. The man standing in front of him was tall, like 6'2, maybe taller. He had white shaggy hair and honestly looked like a bit of a bum. Is he even a student here?
"You're in a band?" the older guy asked suddenly, sporting an unnervingly wide grin.
Yuji stared at him with a suspicious look for a little longer than was probably polite before answering.
"Uh, no, but my schedule says I am," He watched as the stranger's grin grew even wider.
"Perfect! Let's go." The stranger grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the hallway before Yuji could even protest.
"Wait—hey, where are we—" Yuji stumbled over his own feet as they blazed down the hall.
Man, what the hell?
.....
"Here. You're on trumpet," Gojo said simply, as if he hadn't just kidnapped him from the hallway.
"What do you mean- I don't play any instruments-" Yuji cut in, still confused about how he'd gotten into this situation.
"Don't even worry about it. I'll mentor you—I'm literally the greatest ever."
"Satoru, please, leave the freshman alone." Someone new cut in scoldingly, placing a hand on Gojo's shoulder with a calm expression.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Yuji asked in an exasperated tone, already tired of today.
"Just call me Geto. I'm the trombone section leader, and I'm Satoru here's babysitter." Geto elbowed Gojo in the side with a short glare. "Sorry for him dragging you here. Do you play trumpet?" he asked in a gentler tone.
"Um, no. I'm not even supposed to be in the in band! My counselor put me in by accident, probably, and I definitely don't play trumpet." Yuji was clearly over whatever was going on.
"Well then, you're definitely stuck here, kid," Geto says with a sympathetic expression before Gojo cuts in.
"Perfect! The more the merrier—now let's get you started on the basics—" Gojo begins before getting elbowed again.
"Oh, leave him alone, Satoru. At least let him pick an instrument himself," Geto finishes, cutting Gojo off before he gets too far ahead.
Yuji glances across the room, scanning for options. "Well, what can I pick?"
Geto gestures around the band room, pointing out the different sections. "We've got brass over there, percussion in the back corner, woodwinds—" But Yuji stops listening halfway through.
His eyes catch on someone in the woodwind section—saxophone propped against their shoulder as they adjust the reed with focused concentration. He has this quiet confidence about him, the kind that makes everything else in the room fade into background noise. The way he plays is clearly so well-practiced that Yuji finds himself captivated.
He feels his face warm slightly. Oh.
"—and of course, the saxophones," Geto is saying, completely oblivious to Yuji's sudden fixation. "That's actually where a lot of new people end up, 'cause it's a pretty popular instrument—"
"Saxophone," Yuji blurts out, probably a little too quickly.
Geto blinks, glancing between Yuji and the sax section, then back again with the faintest hint of amusement crossing his face. "You sure? You don't want to think about it for a second? I mean, I'm totally not biased, but trumpet would be a pretty great pick—"
"No, no—saxophone is good," Yuji says, maybe a bit too insistent. Smooth, real smooth. His ears are definitely burning now, and he's acutely aware that he just made his choice about as subtly as Gojo's insistence on the trumpet.
Geto's amusement deepens into a knowing smile. "That's Megumi. He's the saxophone section leader—he's playing tenor. We can get you started on an alto sax for now."
.....