It wasn't a week before Bakugou and Kirishima met up again. Kirishima came back with the excuse of still helping Midoriya with choosing his concert pieces, but as he entered the apartment with his guitar case behind them, it was obvious that he mostly came to play with Bakugou, not that it wasn't obvious before.
To not make his visit motive completely false, he still helped Midoriya for an hour, with Bakugou leaving to go grocery shopping for the dinner they would all share together.
They managed to find one piece that would suit Bakugou's taste, and with all the luck on their side, Bakugou approved of it. Soon after that, Kirishima disappeared with Bakugou in Bakugou's room, and the small portable amp in Kirishima's hand, they set up everything, and tested that it was all ready to be used.
Bakugou listened to Kirishima testing out the amp, and adjust it, as well as tuning the strings, and once he finished, they tested things out.
Bakugou gave a repetitive rhythm, and once he got in that routine, he looked up at Kirishima, who was figuring out a riff. Eventually, but quickly, Kirishima joined him, doing a nice riff, and once Bakugou changed things up, Kirishima quickly adapted, a grin forming on his lips.
Bakugou couldn't deny that playing with Kirishima was fun, and since he only played with videos before, it was his only experience. Even so, he knows it will be the best first experience of playing some sort of rock with someone.
They played for hours, never getting tired, and Midoriya ended up cooking dinner, with minimal damage to the kitchen. It wasn't that delicious, but Bakugou still ate happily since he had an amazing day.
What he didn't expect, was to meet with him again three days later, but with Jirou as well.
He sat across them in their booth at a small pretty cafe, and they talked casually about things whilst simultaneously choosing drinks.
"What drinks are you settling for?" asked Kirishima, looking at the menu. "I want to choose this juice, but it looks more expensive than the others," he sighed.
"At least you aren't taking one of their alcohol selections. It is much more expensive," said Jirou.
"Take it if you want it," shrugged Bakugou. "Just do whatever you want."
"That's such a manly way of living! I'll take it then," grinned Kirishima.
They all choose their drinks, and after the waiter gave their drinks, they ordered food, and then continued talking casually.
"So, how is Midoriya and all?" asked Jirou. "Kirishima keeps telling us he's preparing for a concert. You are his accompaniment, right? Is practise going well?" she asked.
"Everyone's fine, I fucking guess," he shrugged, knowing that nothing bad is really going on with his friends. "We aren't practising yet. Whilst he found pieces to play, he still hasn't found a venue, and he doesn't have a determined date for the concert, so we aren't practising anything."
"Oh. I guess that's one way of doing stuff," shrugged Jirou. "I suppose practising with only two people would be faster than with a bunch of people. Less areas to improve on," she said. "Whenever we try to plan a concert, we immediately start practising, since we can be quite slow at progress, especially when the stage fright of performing comes early," she said.
"I guess. I've known him since we were practically born, so I guess the fucking familiarity makes things easier," he shrugged. "We have been playing together since before middle school, putting aside the times we didn't get along very well," he said. "When did your band form?" he asked.
"Oh! We formed in high school, but as I said before, we never had a permanent drummer, since Jirou decided to take the vocal role. She was too focused on trying to develop her screams that she didn't really to drumming, even though she could have. That's why all of our drummers have been support up to now," said Kirishima. "We all met in high school, and Sero and Satou too, but they aren't too keen on playing music, so they have been supporting behind stage."
"Huh."
"Yeah," nodded Jirou. "We mostly formed because we liked the same type of music and different types too, and we found comfort in listening to music, and eventually found out we loved playing music too. It was a hobby, and we began playing covers in the living room of my parents' house, and we gained a bit of following because people like the quality of our music. We tried out one original song, and people asked for more, so we had fun composing our first unofficial album. We had about five songs on it, and released on some music platform similar to Spotify but completely free, and then things went from there," she chuckled. "Most of the people who like our music are locals, with a few coming from other places, but it is all mostly local."
He nodded. They became quite popular in not that much time then.
Their food came, and then Jirou asked a risky question.
"I heard from Kirishima that you play drums too," she started. She hesitated with what approach to take, eventually deciding to delay the inevitable question. "When did you start?"
"After high school mostly," he shrugged. "My parents don't approve of that type of music much, preferring I specialise in only one thing and ignore everything else, so I learned in secret, and bought my first drum kit after leaving their house," he said.
"Hm. That's cool," grinned Jirou. "You enjoy playing? Kirishima said he loved playing with you."
"Thanks for calling me out like that," pouted Kirishima, still smiling after.
"Fuck yeah."
"Cool! Wanna try and play with our band?" she asked, smiling.
"Uh. No."
"Ah, I almost didn't expect that," she chuckled. "You don't have to join our band if you don't want to. In fact, you could just be a support drummer if you want to commit a bit more to the band, but it's just to have fun. You can join if you want to, because I always approve of having people with skills coming into our band, especially if I'm friends with them," she smiled.
"Just one practise session?" asked Kirishima.
He sighed, and frowned. "Aren't you busy? Shouldn't you try and find someone you will want to stay in your band instead of someone who just plays for fun?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We have put announcements up that we are searching for another support drummer, but we haven't received any responses for three weeks. I think we have plenty of time," she said.
"Are you fucking sure?"
"Definitely. Kaminari might not be too happy about seeing you with us, but who cares. He doesn't hate you."
He frowned, looking down. "Just one practise session, then we'll see."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Jirou and Kirishima cheered, and Bakugou felt his heart skip a beat, excited that maybe he'll play in a band like in all of his biggest given up dreams.
He managed to calm down after pretty quickly, and they all talked leisurely until they figured it would be time to go home. Jirou and Kirishima waved at him as they left, and they said they were looking forward to practising him, and that she'll send the details to him later. He had nodded, and then left in the opposite direction.
He didn't say anything about it to Midoriya, planning to after he gets the details about when the practise session would be. In the end, he didn't have to delay it a day since Jirou sent him the information over text around dinner time, so as they watched game shows on television while eating ramen, he told him about it. The practise session was going to be the next week, so that Jirou has enough time to prepare them for a new drummer in the practise room, and so that the band doesn't feel like the decision has been too last minute.
He spent this week of free time to practise himself, learning most of the new songs, and not bothering with the oldest songs, even though they really didn't have that many. He tried to perfect the drums beat, even though he really should have some of his originality in it, but he decided he'll do it later, if they ever decide to do some improvisation.
The drums weren't particularly hard, in fact, they were quite simple. He wondered if that's because they never had a permanent drummer, so the beats had to be simple so that they can easily find drummers when in need. He supposed it made the most sense, but maybe they also want their songs to be more simple. He doesn't know, and he honestly doesn't really care what the reason is, so long as he can do it. He doesn't mind a challenge though.
When the day came, he was anxious up until he got to where the studio was located. It was a bit hard to find, especially because he kept getting confused with the buildings, and also the studio's number, but he got there eventually. When the door was opened, he was greeting with a grinning Jirou.
"Come in! We aren't all here yet," she said, leading him in. "You are actually a bit early, and everyone is usually late," she sighed, shrugged.
He found that the studio was quite cozy, and they had a kitchen in there too.
"This is where we usually practise, and if you are wondering if we record our songs here, we don't," she said. "We actually rent a recording studio for a day, or two, or as long as we'll be working there. If you stick around, you might see it. Even if you don't play, you could help Sero and Satou with it all too," she said, offering him a drink.
He took the glass of water with a mumbled 'thanks,' and nodded at what she said.
"We haven't really touched the drums since our last support drummer left, except when I checked last time to see if the drums were in good condition. Go ahead and adjust it to your liking," she smiled.
"Okay."
He went over to the drum kit, he lifted the seat a bit, and then twirled the drumsticks he brought with him, and tested out a few things, to see if more had to be adjust for him to be comfortable. It's another drum kit, so obviously he's not completely comfortable with it, but he'll get there eventually if he stays longer than he plans.
Soon, members started showing up. The first one to show up was Tokoyami. He greeted them with a nod, and immediately went to checking the keyboard. He made sure it wasn't broken, and practised a few scales and hand exercises to warm his fingers. Next was Kirishima, and he gasped when he saw Bakugou sitting on the drum stool. He almost jumped to hug him, if it wasn't to the fact the drum kit was stopping him from doing it. He talked with everyone as he adjusted his guitar to the amp, and he tried a few notes, and after hearing it, Bakugou felt like he might not be too out of place. At least he fits in with Kirishima. Lastly, Kaminari arrived, and he was panted as if he ran all the way from the station. He adjusted his bass, tuning it, and adjusting it to the amp, and Jirou helped him with it.
Once everyone was ready and they were deciding what songs to play, Sero and Satou also joined, and they greeted Bakugou happily, welcoming him to their practise sessions.
They quickly chose a song, and made Bakugou listen to it so that he can get familiar with it. Kaminari seemed a bit restless, but everyone seemed to ignore him.
Jirou told him that if he needs to they can take a break, or he can improvise if he can't quite to it. He nodded, and felt a bit pissed off that they were all babying him. It seemed only Kirishima didn't look worried. They haven't really played HEROES songs, so he doesn't know how that will go, but he can only hope for the best.
As they tried started, Bakugou made a false start, and Kaminari let out an exaggerated sigh, while Jirou gave him an encouraging smile.
"Let's go again!" she grinned, giving Bakugou the signal to start as she counted to four.
She started singing, and on the second beat, everyone joined with energy. He managed to keep up, and he was almost grinning, until the chorus arrived, and Kaminari missed a beat and continued off beat, throwing off Kirishima, who threw off the other three who were trying their best to keep the song together.
Jirou let out an sigh, and scowled at Kaminari. "You never mess this song up."
"I- The drumming is different! I can't focus!" exclaimed Kaminari.
"The dude didn't change the rhythm at all," said Sero, shrugging. "Legit feels like I'm listening to pre-recorded drumming, 'cause it sounds exactly like it does in the official recording."
Kaminari couldn't come up with a comeback, and he was just glaring at everyone.
"We've practised without drums many times," said Kirishima. "If it throws you off, just don't focus on it."
"Fine," he muttered.
Bakugou scowled, knowing that Kaminari just has something against him. He's sure it's about how they argued when they first met, and maybe first impression is something important to him. He tries not to hate him since it is Kirishima and Jirou's friend, but he can't help but be pissed off about him.
"Let's try again," sighed Jirou.
The beginning was the same, and thankfully they managed to get through the chorus. Bakugou focused on making the beats the same as in the recording, but he isn't playing with a recording, he has to slow down or speed up so that he can keep up with the energy of the band.
They made it through the song, and Kaminari seemed to have calmed down a bit from his prior tantrum. They could only scold at him to stop him from started another, but he didn't seem to want to. Jirou's glare could be scary, and Bakugou guessed that something might be going on between them. Or maybe just with Kaminari. He doesn't really care, as long as the other blond doesn't mess up just because he wants to.
"That was good," smiled Jirou. "Try to loosen up a bit Bakugou," she said. "Your beats are great, but a bit stiff. Be yourself," she chuckled. "Kirishima, your riffs are amazing as usual, but don't think you can't do a little more. Trust me when I say that you can only improve from here," she smiled. "Tokoyami, your chords are great, and really bring life to the songs, so don't mind doing like Kirishima and show off a bit more. Kaminari... at least you didn't mess up," she sighed.
Kaminari whined, wanted a compliment and advice too, but he sucked it up, knowing that he has to be good from now on today if he wants a chance at being compliment by her.
They practised another song, and Jirou told them about how she would like to do a run through most of their songs so that Bakugou can familiarise himself with them, and so that everyone else can also get used to playing with him.
It was really fun, and after about an hour of practising, Jirou declared they should have a break. Everyone sighed in relief, except Sero and Satou, who had been wanting to listen to them more, but they weren't tired because they hadn't been playing, so of course they are the only ones to want to continue. Kirishima joined them where they were sitting on the floor, and listened to whatever they wanted to talk about while he drank.
Kaminari took the liberty to go to the toilet, while Jirou took the chance to get herself a snack from the kitchen.
Unlike them, Bakugou decided to take a breath of fresh air outside, the studio becoming a bit too stuffy for his liking.
He leaned against the building's wall, sighing as he closed his eyes to rest for a few seconds, maybe hopefully a minute or two. Drumming so made made his arms tired, but with more practise he'll become used to it, like he got used to playing so quickly with his fingers.
It was really fun, he realised. He didn't know that playing in band was really as fun as he thought, and he never imagined it would much more fun than he originally thought. He felt like smiling, until someone called his name.
"Bakugou."
He opened his eyes, blinking, and then looked to the side to see Tokoyami. He squinted, trying to remember his name properly, but when he decided to just go with what he remembered, he called him back. "Tokoyami."
He nodded, and leaned against the wall beside him. "How are you finding playing with the band?" he asked.
'Amazing-' "Not bad."
Tokoyami hummed, nodding. "I'd apologise for Kaminari's behaviour, but I know it wouldn't mean anything to you if I did it. He's just jealous about how you got to Jirou's good side so quickly," he said. "He's not too bad."
He huffed, and shrugged. "Don't really give a shit," he grumbled. "As long as he doesn't fuck up, I really couldn't give a fuck what's going on in his head."
"Hm." Tokoyami looked up at the sky. "Halfway through playing, you started to play more as yourself, and I can't help but admire your drumming techniques. The play you play isn't as bland as the way our other support drummers used to play like, and I can't help but think that you would spice up our songs quite a lot," he said, a small smile on his lips. "You may not hear me as much over the sound of the guitar and vocals, but I think we synched quite well. I do hope we can play more together, and perhaps you could also help me expand my musical knowledge, and help with how I play the keyboard."
Bakugou looked at him, and when Tokoyami didn't move his eyes from the sky, he decided to look up as well.
"I haven't decided yet."
"There is no rush. It is not like friendship has no place to bloom if you do not accept that position. Kirishima and Jirou would have a hard time letting you go for forever without a promise of a friendship, and I'm sure I can understand that too now," he said. "You are free to do as you want, like everyone else and me," he said. "Here," he said, handing Bakugou a water bottle. "We must hydrate."
"Or die-drate," muttered Bakugou, taking the bottle, and thinking that he's seen that joke somewhere on the internet before.
Tokoyami let coughed a bit, hiding a small spurt of laughter, and then retreated back into the building.
'He's weird,' he thought, looking at the bottle, before taking a sip. He gulped the whole bottle down after a minute or two, and then went back inside.
He likes playing with them, he can't deny it. Even if Kaminari is annoying, they have a chance of getting along. He likes playing with Kirishima, but playing with Jirou and Tokoyami too seemed to fill the empty space he didn't know was there when he was playing alone with Kirishima.
It just as Kirishima had said before.
If an instrument is missing, then it doesn't feel complete.
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(i need to fix my writing schedule otherwise updates will start being late oh no)
ANYWAY! things are happening ;D there will be 18 chapters in total, so there is still a lot to go through, and I'm pretty sure you guys already figured out the plot, but it's gonna be great! (i hope) (this part was definitely inspired by Given, as most of this story)
Thank you all for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
Until next time~! ;DD