Work Text:
Somewhere on campus, early afternoon. A pop-up stage has been set up for Barbara's music club practice, the band pulls up only to be faced with their mortal enemies: Dahlia's rock band.
Barbara stands in the middle of the open air plaza with Nilou at her side, arms crossed and mic in hand.
"You scheduled your practice here of all places?" Barbara stares, annoyed.
Dahlia's halfway through plugging in his amp, not even looking up. "Correction, I got the space first~ You just assumed you'd get it."
"Bold of you to think I won't drag you off the stage in broad daylight." Barbara's eyes narrow.
"Oh, I know you won't go that far, softie." Dahlia teases, finally glancing her way with a grin that deserves to be illegal. "Nothing like friendly competition to get our blood pumping."
Nilou whispers anxiously. "Their equipment is already taking up the stage..."
"I told you we should have slept instead and rescheduled for later..." Layla mutters, half asleep.
Mona places a hand on her hip. "Unbelievable. They're not even being fair about it, I say we hex their instruments."
"Ha! Nice try Mona, but sabotaging our equipment only makes you a sore loser." Scara scoffs.
"Yeah get ready for some real music!" Cyno grins, twirling his drumsticks.
Dahlia finishes plugging in his guitar with a satisfying click, stepping into the center of the stage like he owns it. His voice is smug as ever.
"Since we're all here…" He strums a few notes, the distortion kicks in hard. "Why don't we grace you with our new song?"
Barbara crosses her arms. "We didn't ask for a concert-"
"Oh really?" He grins. "Then consider this a battle of the bands."
🎸 [Hellbent - Rehearsal Track: "Backfire"] 🔥
Cyno hits a complex drum pattern, fast, precise, and chaotic. Sethos layers an electric synth hook, and Dahlia's guitar shreds in with a low, sliding riff, smooth and sharp.
Then...
Scara: (screaming)
"Set a spark, light a match,
Say my name and watch us smash!!"
Dahlia: (vocals kicking in)
"You wanted smoke, and you got fire,
Take your aim, It'll only backfire~"
Scara: "BOOM!!!"
Cyno: (rapping mid-beat)
"Creating chaos, yeah we're so unique,
They can't even hate us 'cause our rhythm is elite-
You're walking on wires while I'm pullin' all the strings, make you so inspired even the Aranara sings."
Barbara watches closely, arms still crossed. Her eyes twitch like she wants to hate it. But she can't, they're just too good.
Dahlia: (Singing again)
"Burning desire, feel my flame,
I light you up just to stake my claim~
You play the saint, so I'll be the sinner.
Yeah you know we're the winners!"
He gives Barbara a purposeful wink, causing her to blush and become frustrated at the same time.
Sethos leans into his keys, synths blaring.
Dahlia's guitar solo breaks through, his fingers racing over strings.
Scara ends the song with a long shriek. "You're welcome, suckers!" he sneers.
Even Layla looks impressed, and she's living on no sleep.
Nilou frowns slightly, "Okay… that was… actually kind of amazing."
Mona sighs, narrowing her eyes. "Ugh, that was better then we thought, girls... we have to get them back for this."
Barbara doesn't speak for a few seconds, then she steps forward. Her tone is filled with determination. "Okay, Fine. You want a stage war?"
She gestures at her band.
"Then get ready. Because Holy Strings is about to steal your show!"
🎤 [Holy Strings - Rehearsal Track: "Lightwave"] 🌠
Layla's fingers glide over the keyboard, playing a gentle melody. Barbara's voice joins in, warm and upbeat.
Barbara: (singing)
"I'm bright like stars, casting light to your heart, And we don't need a flame to make us brighter~"
Nilou: (Humming along)
"Glow in the dark, we're making our mark, no matter what we still fly higher~"
Cyno looks entranced by the positive lyrics, Sethos accidentally starts singing along. Scara's eyes flicker to him in frustration, "What the- how do you even know the lyrics??" He swats him and rolls his eyes.
"I dunno dude, it's like their music is just... flowing through me...!" Sethos gasps, even he's confused, bopping his head solemnly.
Barbara:
"Shining like a lightwave, way above your shadow~ Listen to our rhythms, always flowing like hydro~"
Nilou: (Clapping to the music)
"We do it the right way, no need to be shallow~ Yeah, us girls stick together, we got eachother so just shine bold~!"
Layla's fingers slow down on the keys softly, relaxing from the music like it's a lullaby putting her to sleep.
Barbara:
"Shining a lightwave... unforgettable~"
Mona begins her Violin solo, while the boys watch with mixed reactions. Scara groans while trying to ignore her talents.
The melody continues, becoming more and more elevated and empowering, Dahlia raises an intrigued eyebrow with his arms crossed.
Nilou dances at the side of the stage, following along with Barbara's vocals.
Barbara & Nilou:
"We rise- we fly- through storm and shine,
You can't- deny- the stars inside~"
Barbara: (Extending her hand with a gentle smile)
"Right by- your side- I'll be your ride or die, You are- my light- And this is our time~! Together we shine!!"
The final notes play out, it's almost like the sunlight is shimmering around the stage as the song ends.
Nilou hums with excitement, bowing dramatically. "We… did it!"
Mona exhales, setting her violin down. "Finally... a take without Layla falling asleep halfway through."
Layla whispers from her seat. "Our music is just so soothing, it's not my fault..."
Barbara laughs, shaking her head. "You did amazing, Layla!"
From the front of the stage, Dahlia claps slowly, it causes Barbara's focus to snap back at the group in front of them. His usual smug grin is still there, but his eyes are sort of... warm.
"Well, I'll admit it..." He steps forward. "That was actually… pretty good."
Barbara blinks, startled. "Huh?"
"Your vocals." he adds, more serious now. "That high note near the end? Wow, you've improved a lot since last semester."
She blushes almost immediately, hands fidgeting with her microphone. Her thoughts are racing, 'This jerk is probably being sarcastic...!' she thinks to herself.
"You're not going to try to remind us that your music is way better than ours? You always do." her head tilts, feeling distrustful still.
Dahlia chuckles, "What~ you think I just live to overshadow you?" Dahlia teases, leaning on the edge of the stage. "By now you should really come to terms with the fact that you inspire me, Barbara."
She stares in a bit of shock and completely flustered. "...I- what...?"
Nilou's face lights up with excitement, leaning to Mona and whispering. "Is it just me, or did he basically confess to her being his muse?"
Mona raises her brow, her jaw dropped, watching the sizzling tension and eye contact between the two. "Oh, he definitely did."
Barbara speaks up, "Yeah right, Dahlia- You just want us to be the losing band...!" She forces her words out of her throat to reply to him.
At this point she's failing to hide how much his words affected her. "You're trying to trip me up before the show, this is all part of your plan to sabotage-"
"What's dark without light?" Dahlia smirks, and hops up on the stage, now standing directly in front of her. "What is Hellbent... without Holy Strings?"
From beside him, Scara groans. "Ugh... Somebody get me out of here before a duet starts-"
Barbara scoffs, blushing harder. "It's not like that!!"
Dahlia laughs, completely smug about it. "Sure it isn't. And hey, I think we'd go pretty great together... as a band of course."
His smirk is purposeful, and Barbara fails to reply while stuck in a flustered trance.
"For the love of- why don't you two take this lame flattery somewhere else? Get a venue or something!" Scara interrupts, he's basically complaining as if a sappy rom-com just came on his tv.
"Wait... I kinda like that idea, great thinking Scara!" Sethos expresses genuine gratitude.
"What?" Scara's eyes widen in shock, further annoyed by his epiphany.
"Oh yeah, he's right." Cyno adds, "If you think about it, their light music style and our dark image make a perfect composition. It's like... a solar eclipse, or maybe a solar e-clefs... haha, get it? The treble clef."
Sethos face palms instantly, "Dude, please not the puns right now, we were actually having a cool moment!"
"Wait...! Hold on, Cyno is really onto something." Nilou pipes in, her eyes light up. "If we did a joint performance, we could both gain equal success!"
"A joint performance?" Barbara and Dahlia ask in sync, only Barbara's is in shock and Dahlia is intrigued.
"Wow, it would be legendary!" Sethos agrees, "We could have dual keyboards, Layla and I could share a solo! I can handle the intense chords and she can... well, whenever she wakes up, she can hit those beautiful background notes!"
Layla blinks open, yawning into her sleeve. "Sharing the work load... that means I can finally catch a break between the verses...!"
"Absolutely not!" Mona snaps. "Are you all losing your minds?"
"Our styles are far too incompatible! They play loud, aggressive noise, and we play beautiful, refined art!" She huffs, her eyes narrow from the other boys to Scara a little longer.
"Please," Scara steps in sarcastically. "As if your little violin could handle our distortion. You'd get drowned out in the first few bars, megistaster. Sorry we'd steal your spotlight."
"Ugh!" Mona scoffs, stepping in front of him. "At least I don't need to scream at the top of my lungs to get attention!"
"Is that a challenge?" Scara sneers, a tiny competition smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. "If you think you can even stand a chance beside us, I might pay actual money to see you try."
Mona crosses her arms, huffing. "Money...? Wait, no! It doesn't matter, fine! Just make sure you don't lose your voice trying to outshine anyone."
"See? Even Scara and Mona are practically on board!" Nilou assures, turning to the two leads.
"Are you... sure they are?" Barbara questions lightly.
"Oh, come on you two! Just think about the crowds reactions to the ultimate octet! Is that the right word? Octet? Like a quadret, but there's eight of us..." Nilou trails off, and starts counting in her head.
Barbara looks away, catching sight of Dahlia's confident stance and guitar in his hand. He watches her back, his cocky grin now softens into a quiet look of admiration. Or maybe... he had always looked at her this way, and she just never read between the lines until now...
Their eyes lock. For a long moment, the rivalry and competition between them starts to fade.
"Stage partners, just this once." Barbara says softly, meeting him eye to eye.
Dahlia stares at her for a moment, a genuine warm laugh breaks from his lips. "Oh... I thought you'd never ask."
"Let's give them a show they'll never forget."
...
⚡️[Holy Strings x Hellbent - Finale track: "Eclipse"] 🎆
Layla starts with a soft, glittering piano melody, but before it becomes a ballad, Cyno drops a sudden drum kick and Dahlia'a guitar amps up.
Barbara (soaring vocals)
"We spend forever fighting over the light, never a moment to thank the night~"
Dahlia: (joining in, low and melodic)
"Every spark needs the dark to burn bright, we're joining together, yeah, take in the sight~"
Barbara & Dahlia: (harmonizing)
"No more petending we're on different sides, I feel the pull inside, we're colliding tonight~!"
The crowd errupts with cheers. In the back of the stage, Sethos slams his hands onto his secondary keyboard, triggering a futuristic synthwave.
He looks over to Layla, who is surprisingly wide awake this time, and her soft piano blends with his electronic lightning-fast notes.
The campus plaza is packed, neon lights beaming from the stage. Down in the front row of the roaring crowd, Bennett aggressively waves glowsticks in both hands. "I know these guyssss!" He cheers, noticeably tipsy.
Further in the crowd, Amber jumps up and down while waving her arms like an inflatable tube man. "Look!! The bands finally got together Mika!"
Beside her Mika records the concert on a small camera with a flustered smile, trying to keep his hand from shaking. "Heh... yeah, great news..."
Albedo adjusts Sucrose's glasses, for her. "Do you see that, Sucrose? It appears the two bands have finally settled their feud..."
"You're right! Chances of a permanent truce are about 95%!" Sucrose agrees, deciphering their performance.
From a balcony nearby, Principal Minci sips an herbal tea, a proud smirk on her face as she watches her students finally cooperating.
"This is exactly what I had hoped for, everyone coming together as one." She chuckles softly.
On stage, the beat shifts as Cyno abandons his drumsticks and steps up to his own mic beside Nilou dancing gracefully center-stage.
Cyno: (beatboxes)
"Our rhythms are magnetic, epic, you can call me a prophetic, yeah, I can see where we're headed, our bond is never-ending, yeah."
Nilou: (sings beautifully)
"La-la-la let the music take control~ I feel the fire in our souls, can't stop dancing 'cause it's how we roll~ you knowwww!"
Cyno: (shouting)
"Yeah! Yeah!"
Mona rests her violin on her shoulder, bridging out a haunting melody.
Scara: (screaming... again)
"BURN IT ALL DOWN!!!"
The others on stage make side-ways glances at him for the random lyric he threw out, Scara silently groans a "fine, whatever..."
Mona hits a high note with her violin, giving him a stare. "Don't go off-key now, Scara..."
He screams louder, this time with a more positive message. "WE SHARE THE CROWN...!!"
After his voice goes out, Scara gives her a smirk. Mona tries to act unimpressed, hiding the slight blush from her face with a head tilt.
Barbara & Dahlia: (sharing vocals again, and eachother's gaze)
"It's our happy ending, on the same side, so much more alike, we're colliding tonight~!"
"Oooh-ooh~"
Their voices fade out gently while singing towards eachother, and the ballad piano returns as Layla plays the last melody.
Confetti shoots from the stage, and the crowd cheers loudly. It was a total success!
"BEST. SHOW. EVER!!!" Kaveh sobs, gripping Alhaitham's sleeve, he cries hysterically.
Fischl, Noelle and Collei all hug in a circle, moved by the performance.
And Tighnari claps slowly beside them, a bitter look on his face.
The band members all sigh in relief, and Barbara glances over at Dahlia as they're both catching their breaths.
"Not bad, popstar." Dahlia winks, his face is flushed.
"You too, rockstar." Barbara plays along, but her smile is genuine.
"Same time next week?"
... "It's a date then."