Chapter Text
Akutagawa Gin loved the stage.
Was she on it much, herself? Not really. But she loved it all the same.
It was her senior year in high school, and she’d been working crew in their theatre group since freshman year- and had been a stagehand in middle school before that.
It was four PM, the day of auditions for their fall show. Gin had arrived early, if only to see the stage before the hustle and bustle began. She examined back-stage; everything was where she had left it last spring, from the show before, and it was comforting to be in her space again.
“Damn, you’re earlier than usual. Getting sentimental?”
Gin didn’t have to look behind her to know whose voice she was hearing- it belonged to Tachihara Michizo, a fellow senior this year. His red hair had grown out over the summer, now almost reaching his shoulders, and his bangs fell partially over his amber eyes.
“I’m surprised you’re here already. You usually come in late.” Gin shot back, rolling her eyes as she looked over her shoulder. Tachihara shrugged, his hands going into the pockets of his ‘Beetlejuice’ hoodie.
“I’m not usually late.. besides, I’m classic-y late.”
Gin was about to respond, but paused.
“…classic-y late?”
He nodded in clarification.
“Right?”
“What-? God, do you mean ‘fashionably’ late, you dumbass?” She asked, and he seemed to consider that, pausing himself.
“…shit. Yes. Yes, I do.”
Gin snorted in amusement, running her hands through her raven hair.
“Don’t you have a role to audition for?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll leave you and your stage be.”
He raises his hands in mock-surrender, beginning to walk backwards, making a show of it. Gin tried to hide her amusement. He was a natural-born actor.
“Don’t trip and break anything. I’ve been piecing together this set all summer.” She warned, as if he didn’t know that. Gin had forced Tachihara to come with her out to at least a dozen different antique malls to get props for their production of ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, which she had been looking forward to since it was decided on two years ago.
“I know, I know. I’m gonna go get ready.”
She nodded, watching as he turned to leave, waving as he hopped down the steps.
Gin sighs, running her hands through her hair once again as she began to search around for a hair-tie.
________________________________________
“Honestly, I’m only going because Akutagawa’s going.”
Higuchi admitted, shifting her bag on her shoulders as she walked besides Jun’ichiro, who was humming to himself.
“Fair, fair. But who knows, maybe you’ll like it?” He suggests, looking over at her with a small smile, which she returned after a moment, playing with a strand of her blonde hair in her finger-tips. She didn’t think she’d particularly dislike theatre, it just felt like breaking into a group that’d already been established. But she was okay with doing it if her friend was. Even if just to support him or whatever.
“I’m not a theatre chick.. especially not this year. I have college applications and stuff to make. Plus, I just transferred here, y’know?”
He shrugs.
“I mean, I guess, but you started at the beginning of the year, not, like, randomly in the middle.”
He was, as much as she’d rather not admit it, correct. Higuchi had moved into town over the summer (and met Jun’ichiro since they lived in the same neighbourhood) and was starting senior year like everyone else.
“Plus,” he continued.
“You’re totally a ‘theatre chick’. You have a Rocky Horror poster AND like nine CDs of different soundtracks.”
Higuchi pauses at that, her cheeks getting slightly red.
“Okay, so I’m a theatre enjoyer. What’s the point?”
He just rolls his eyes, that same little smile on his face as he adjusted his hoodie to better cover the straps of his binder.
“That you might have fun if you put yourself out there.” He responds, and she sighs dramatically.
“I guess I do need a better reason than ‘I wanted to hang around Akutagawa’ if someone asks why I’m there.” She admitted, causing the ginger boy to laugh quietly, which made her crack a smile. Higuchi liked to make people laugh.
They pushed open the doors of the auditorium to see an already enthusiastic group near the stage- Akutagawa was there, like he had said, along with some other kids Higuchi didn’t know. They were chattering amongst themselves, all lively with little smiles on their faces.
She suddenly felt very awkward, but before she could tell Jun’ichiro she was having cold feet, he went off to go talk to some kid, leaving her by herself for the time being. Great.
The blonde stood there for a moment, before hearing a voice behind her. Not quite making out what they had said, she quickly looked over her shoulder, and saw a kid around her age.
They had long, black hair that was tied back in a bun, and blue-grey eyes that looked sharp, but slightly shy. The bottom half of their face was covered by a black mask- the kind Higuchi’s mother would make her wear when she had a cold.
They stared at each other for a moment, neither speaking.
________________________________________
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. SHIT.
Gin was 99% sure when she left to go grab the paint samplers from her car she needed for the plant, that she was going to be able to sneak out, sneak back in. One of her favourite things about being stage crew was that level of stealth and invisibility she acquired over the years. Unfortunately, it had failed her, and she was now being blocked by some kid she’d never seen before.
And Gin got kiiiinda nervous around people she’d never seen before.
She was able to talk a second ago, but all of a sudden, her voice was gone. It felt like the ground was about to swallow her whole any second now, and she’s not sure she’d mind.
“Sorry, am I in your way?” The person asked, their green-gold eyes giving Gin a once-over. They were around her height (if a bit shorter) and had shoulder-length blonde waves, a beauty mark under their left eye and a slightly awkward expression on their face, and they dressed in a Nirvana t-shirt and a pair of worn, boot-cut blue jeans with holes on both knees.
‘Breathe, Gin. This is your stage. You’re a senior.’
“Uh, kinda-sorta.”
Damn-it.
That must’ve sounded rude, but they didn’t seem outwardly offended, thank goodness.
"Oh, shit, I’m sorry. My name’s Higuchi. I’m here to audition in the show. Are you a part of crew?”
“Um.. crew. Yeah.”
“Cool.”
The blonde smiled, and Gin’s pretty sure she died right there on the spot. ‘Gods, she’s probably judging me so hard-‘
“Oh, that’s a really cool colour. It’s kinda olive-y.”
Gin was snapped back to reality by Higuchi pointing at one of the paint samples she was holding, and she nodded.
“Yeah. It’s- um, for Audrey II.”
“Ohh, that’s awesome.”
They stand in silence for a moment, before Gin nods her head.
“Mhm.”
Another moment of awkward silence, before Higuchi smiles. It’s an awkward expression, but it doesn’t feel exactly.. Unkind.
“I’m gonna go get ready for my audition. It was nice to meet you. I hope to see Audrey II when it’s painted!”
And with that, she was off.
Gin watched her leave, feeling embarrassed beyond belief, but forced herself to continue her path back-stage.
She had a job to do, after-all.
________________________________________
“Tachihara, I’m going to die!”
Gin announced the moment she got back-stage. There was no response for a moment, before she heard her friend’s confused response.
“Wait, what?”
He pokes his head up from the monologue he was going over- he had already auditioned, in fact, as he had arrived early, he got to go first, but he was still re-reading everything. He liked to do that.
“You heard me. I’m gonna die.”
“Girl, I need context. Why are you suddenly gonna die?” He asks, raising his eyebrows as he gazes up at the ravenette through his bangs. She shook her head.
“I ran into this girl when I was coming back from my car. She was super pretty, and I got nervous, and kept stuttering and I’m 99.9 percent sure I just made a fool of myself.”
“…that’s.. certainly a lot to un-pack.” Tachihara responds after a moment, and Gin just groans softly before deciding to change the subject, dropping the paint swatches down in-front of the redhead.
“Whatever. Which green do you think I should use as a base for Aubrey II?”
He seems to consider it, before taking a colour out of the pile. It was labeled ‘key-lime’.
“I fuck with this.”
Gin inspected the colour, before humming in thought.
“It’s cool, but we’re going for Venus fly trap, not giant evil lime.” She remarked, taking the swatch back from him. He rolled his eyes.
“So, this girl. What did she look like? Did you get her name?”
“We’re not talking about that.”
Tachihara gave a dramatic sigh.
“Come onn. We have all season to talk about paint samples, Gin.”
Gin sighs mockingly, trying to mimic the redhead’s dramatic manner.
“We have the rest of our lives to talk about how I’m a lesbian, Tachihara.”
He snickers, shaking his head.
“I sound nothing like that, by the way.”
“Yuh you do.”
“Nuh-uh.”
“Yuh-huh.”
“Nuh-uh.”
Gin rolls her eyes for what felt like the millionth time, but it was a playful gesture, really. She and Tachihara had been friends since seventh grade- she could deal with one goofy argument with him.
“She said her name was Higuchi.”
“Huh?”
Tachihara looked confused, cocking his head to the side like a dumb dog.
“Why do I bother with you?”
“Ohhhhh. OH. The girl? The pretty girl?”
“The one you were just asking about.” Gin pointed out, and Tachihara huffed.
“To be fair, we got sidetracked.” He defended, running a hand through his hair as he stood up.
“You should point her out. I wanna see if I know her.”
The redhead grabbed his friend’s arm, beginning to tug her along. Gin’s eyes widened.
“What? No way. We’ll look like fucking creeps, man.”
Tachihara shrugged, continuing to pull the other along.
“No we won’t. You’re our crew dude. It’ll just look like we’re tryna scope out the casting.” He insisted, nodding his head at his own statement. Gin gives him a look, rolling her eyes.
“You can go out there. I know better.” She dismissed, waving dismissively. Tachihara huffed dramatically, putting a hand to his fore-head.
“I will.” He declared, already beginning to go up-stage. Gin watched him for a moment, before shaking her head, getting back to comparing paint swatches. She knew that, even if he did talk to her, she probably wouldn't get the chance to realise that Tachihara was Gin's friend- or who 'Gin' even was, considering she never even told Higuchi her name.
..Still, she wasn't sure if she wanted to take any chances, so she started after the ginger, praying to whatever gods may be that he wouldn't embarrass her.