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Kaoru slouched against his table, rubbing his eyes in hopes of somehow changing the setlist by pure force of will. It was written plainly on the paper that Sakuma Rei had his typical slot reserved for 9 o’clock, and yet it was half past with no sign of him anywhere. Realistically, there was only one place he would have gone to hide, if he’d showed up to the livehouse at all. Kaoru wasn’t entirely pleased to be the only person that knew where he was, but accepted his fate as a faux vampire wrangler all the same.
Morisawa was sweating under the bright lights, obviously not having come equipped to be performing more than one song, much less six (so far). In the spirit of pity, Kaoru stood up and dragged himself around the back of the stage, passing the resting performers from earlier in the evening. All of them watched him walk to the gallows, averting their eyes when he stopped in front of the back door and braced himself. On stage, Morisawa’s voice cracked from overuse. Kaoru shoved the back door open.
Sitting pretty in the fading light, Sakuma Rei was smoking on the cement steps. The ashtray next to him, stolen from one of the livehouse tables when he first became a common performer, was getting full. That meant something, not that Kaoru had any intention of playing therapist to find out what exactly it was. He had better things to be doing; Rei didn’t even flinch when the door slammed, though, which meant it was probably pretty bad. Rei barely acknowledged him when he sat down, just nodded his head and scooted over to make space. Really bad, then.
“You’re gonna ruin that pretty voice of yours.” Kaoru waved smoke out of the air, face twisting with disgust. Then, because there was no one to overhear his overly friendly words. “I thought you were quitting. You just stopped jittering.”
“‘m stressed.” Was all Rei offered in terms of a reason, shoulders slumped forward with exhaustion. The cigarette between his fingers glowed in the dark, waving like a sparkler every time he moved. “Better not snitch. ‘S enough for him to be all pissy without knowin’.” His hand shook minutely, fingernails bitten to the skin. “Please.”
Watching the glowing end made Kaoru dizzy, so he watched the lights of turning cars through a thin alleyway. He thought about asking what was wrong, but he didn’t think he knew Rei well enough pry that way. Of all the ways they knew each other, comforting was not one of them. He took the diplomatic route of ignoring the elephant in the room, finally looking at Rei again and involuntarily cataloging brand new worry lines on his face.
“You were supposed to be on stage half an hour ago.” He said, no force or flame behind the words. If anything, he was more concerned than angry, and he was never that good at hiding his intentions from Rei. What was the point in trying?
“Oh yeah? And what’s my incentive?” Rei looked like a predator, red eyes trapping Kaoru in place. As if he’d try to leave.
“Well…” Kaoru glanced at the door, just to make sure it was shut. “What do you want?”
“Hmmm...” Rei took another drag, blowing the smoke in Kaoru’s face and laughing when he coughed. Some of the lines in his face smoothed out, and he was smiling genuinely now. Which meant he was about to be an asshole. “Does Hakaze-kun wanna gimme a kiss? For luck, ‘course.”
Kaoru didn’t need a mirror or a hand to his face to know that it was burning redder than hot coals. He was embarrassed (which was probably intentional) and kind of mad and he just wanted Rei to uphold his commitment. But it was nice to see him smile, even if it was at his expense. With that thought in mind, he plucked Rei’s cigarette from between his fingers and put it out on the concrete next to them.
“Fine.” He finally said, pushing every inhibition as far away from himself when he reached out to shove Rei until his back hit the railing. Rei, to his credit, was surprised enough to let him.
“You don’t have to-” He tried, hands held up in defense as his head hit the twisted iron bars under the bannister.
“Maybe I want to.” Kaoru wasn’t really sure what he was doing, already so far in Rei’s personal space he could taste secondhand smoke. “Maybe it’ll finally get you to act right.”
And then, without further preamble, Kaoru swallowed Rei’s next words, pressing closer until those hands rested where his heart was beating. His mouth tasted disgusting, lips chapped and tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Could this really be the idol legend that stole the hearts of men and women across the nation? Kaoru wasn’t buying it. Rei wasn’t even responding!
Bugs chirped around them, a private love song with no words, and Kaoru tilted his head to push his tongue further and lick the backs of Rei’s teeth. A shocked little sound was muffled against his lips, and he relished in being able to make the top dog of Yumenosaki whine. It was a real confidence boost, if he was honest. It wasn’t like he was gonna tell anyone about this, but even if he did, no one would believe he was the one in charge. Well, he’d made his point. It was high time to pull away and drag Rei back inside to perform and then go home.
But as soon as he started to move back, Rei tightened his fingers around the front of Kaoru’s shirt. He finally gave a little back, kissing Kaoru like they’d just gone to dinner and a movie and it was time to say goodnight. When his hands moved, they settled softly on Kaoru's face, cradling it as if it were precious to him. Frankly, all Kaoru could do was kiss back with the same sentiment, content to fake it until it was enough to fix what was ailing Rei. That, too, was something he’d rather not share.
Both of Rei’s hands moved to Kaoru’s waist, holding him in place long enough to sit up straight and get a little leverage. The movement jostled him some, and had him looping his arms around Rei’s neck to keep from toppling over. A few stray raindrops hit them, soaking into Kaoru’s light colored shirt and making him shiver. In a very humiliating movement, Kaoru was flipped to be laying uncomfortably on the cement stairs, blocked from the rain and completely at Rei’s mercy.
He pushed his shoulders until he could catch his breath, getting embarrassed now that the situation was out of his hands. “Your time slot is waiting, Sakuma-san. Can’t keep your loyal fans waiting much longer, they might figure out you’re not so cool after all.”
Rei, instead of honoring his taunt with an answer, leaned back in to kiss him again. He turned out to be a very good kisser when he made an effort, sharp teeth making quick work bruising Kaoru’s lower lip. They didn’t draw any blood, but they might as well have. Kaoru pushed him back again, missing the feeling of lips on his as soon as they were gone.
“I’m serious.” He started to wriggle, shirt soaking up the wetness from the cement and dappled with whatever wasn’t hitting Rei. Not to mention his pants were damp to an uncomfortable point.
“Fiiiiine.” Rei pulled them both up, dusting himself off. “But I’ve got a condition, ‘kay?”
“No, I gave you your kiss for good luck. Get in there and make me some money.” Kaoru nudged him towards the door, straightening his clothes out.
“Hmmmm, nah. Sing with me, or else I’m takin’ off.” Rei was laughing, like he wasn’t serious, but Kaoru’s gut told him there was no way to get out of it.
For the second time that night, he walked through the backstage area like a man to the gallows, this time sopping wet and kiss-bruised. If the night’s other performers noticed the second part, they had the decency not to acknowledge it. They simply offered him a towel and a few words of encouragement as he passed by. He had a sneaky suspicion that someone was eavesdropping at the door. The fact that absolutely no one would believe what occurred on the steps outside was his only comfort as he followed Rei onstage.
Singing alongside Rei was as overwhelming as it’d sounded, but not nearly as bad. He was truly a different person on stage; Kaoru was surprised to watch him dance with seemingly endless energy. He wasn’t so lucky to have such a useful performance quirk, unable to produce that amount of false energy and thus probably looking lazy in front of his patrons. It was a blessing that he didn’t care and tapped out after two songs.
Tired from his active evening, Kaoru huddled against the side of his booth, neglecting his bookkeeping in favor of closing his eyes for a few minutes. The vibrations of the amps on stage rocked him to a fitful rest, nursing colorful dreams with no discernible start, finish, or meaning. The rain that’d driven him inside stuck to his skin, making him shiver and curl in on himself in his sleep, needy for warmth.
He woke up to the smell of smoky leather laid heavily over his torso. His body was cushioned by…something, and the band playing on stage was one he’d never heard before. Slender fingers carded through his hair, free from his hair band, and Kaoru felt safer than he had in ages. Chapped lips pressed against his temple, low voice speaking so quietly he couldn’t catch the exact words. They were sweet nothings, meaningless in articulation.
Kaoru fell asleep again, snuggling closer and burying his face in a stiff collar.