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Akihito groaned when his phone rang as soon as he stepped into his shared flat. He had been doing nothing but working for the last two weeks since his co-worker had quit. Working for a small company had its benefits but it certainly had its downsides too. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he saw the last name he wanted to see lighting up his screen.“What?” he snapped out by way of answer.“Rude, man, can’t you even do a normal hello?” Mitarai replied, music blaring loudly in the background.“Look, I just got home from overtime, I don’t have the patience for this. What do you want?”“You know that Sion’s playing here tonight, right?”“Yeah,” he replied with a note of bitterness in his voice. Akihito had wanted to go but tickets had sold out in a record thirty seconds online and the online postings of the tickets were going for more than his entire savings. That’s what happens when the hottest band right now comes to a fairly small city that rarely gets big name musicians. Everyone was so music starved that they would pay huge money to see Sion live in their home town and not have to fly to a different city for the same privilege.“Somethings happened with their usual sound technician and the ones hired by the stadium are useless. I just got a call that they need someone there stat and you know the stadium’s set up better than anyone.”“You know the stadium just as well as I do but let me guess, your too busy with your side job to go yourself,” he muttered. Mitarai didn’t even bother denying it.“So, can you get there? I’ll tell the boss to arrange overtime once he’s back tomorrow.”“When?”“Like an hour ago,” Mitarai drawled in reply before yelling at someone in the background.“Fine,” Akihito grit out and hung up the phone before his co-worker could say anything else.It’s not like he needed anything else, anyway. He knew the stadiums sound system like the back of his hand and all the gear he needed was still sitting in the boot of his car. He was even still in uniform, if a logo’d polo with tidy jeans could count as such. It was just a shame he wouldn’t have time to grab a bite to eat on the way. As if on cue, his stomach rumbling pitifully and he sighed in regret.Well, at least he would get to see his favourite band play live.The trip was short and fairly uneventful, even the road closures for the concert were easily navigated. It wouldn’t be the first time he had to take an emergency trip in. If only his boss wasn’t out to celebrate his anniversary tonight, then Mitarai wouldn’t be calling the shots. Mainly because negotiating overtime and callout pay was much harder with clients once the service was already taken care of. Thankfully, his boss was never one to short-change him and getting to see the band live covered it in his books anyway. It was just a shame that it had to come after a long day, no, a long week, of work.He was exhausted, grumpy, and hangry. This was not shaping up be a good night if not even live music could pick up his mood. The sound from the crowds of people hit him like a punch to the temple even out in the staff parking lot. It was with a long groan that he pulled out his small bag of equipment and made his way to the staff entrance. You never knew what you might encounter so he always had spare cables, tools, and other such equipment with him. It would be a good night if he didn’t have to use any of it and instead only had to deal with the stadiums huge sound control board.Unfortunately, he didn’t think that would be the case. He had told them time and again to replace the system but it was rare that big musicians came to their city. What was the point of advertising the stadium as having its own sound equipment if it was faulty? May as well be upfront and let the people organising the show bring their own. Anything for an extra buck, he supposed.The security at the back door was a local and recognised the logo on his shirt immediately. The look of relief on his face filled Akihito with a resigned kind of dread. If the security detail knew it was bad, then it was really bad.It turned out that it was worse than he had thought. He was ushered through the building at an almost run as the show was already nearly an hour late. Not even the opening acts had been able to play yet and the crowd was growing restless. Akihito had just a moment to take in the faces he had seen on TV and the internet before he was thrown into the clutches of the touring sound technicians. You knew it was extra bad when even the band members were crowded around trying to help rather than sitting back and using the brief respite to rest.The only good thing about the entire affair was that it was an issue he was familiar with. No one seemed to mind Akihito coursing out the stadium owners as he hot-wired the sound system. It was literally the dodgiest cable set up he had ever seen but it worked, faulty cables had caused the same issue last year and he had had the delight of fixing it then as well. Once everything was wired up the first act ran onstage to the delight of the crown and immediately started warming up while they tested the sound.Dodgy set up and the worst working conditions for the musicians to make them want to return but at least he saved the day. Words of praise showered him and his back was sore from all the victorious back slaps. The words of thanks from each of the Sion members would normally be enough to send him over the moon and into his happy place but now that the crisis had been averted, his hanger came to the fore.“I would like to grab some dinner if that’s all you needed me for?” he asked, embarrassed as his rumbling stomach added in its protest.
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Akihito sat backstage with a takeout container of his favourite pad thai on his lap courtesy of Sion’s manager. The long-haired man had been so relieved that the show was saved that he had drilled Akihito with an alarming intensity until he had spilled what his favourite takeout was. So, his night was certainly looking up. Good food and live music, all without emptying his wallet.The first opening act was just wrapping up while the second band prepared to take the stage. He sat with Sion’s members, all warmed up and bored while they waited their turn. Asami, the lead singer, was oddly quiet but the other three were chatting easily amongst themselves, telling stories and making Akihito laugh. He would have been star-struck from meeting his favourite band members if he hadn’t been so damn over the night so far. By the time he had come back to himself after stuffing his face, the easy atmosphere around the members reminded him that they were just human still.“Alright kid,” Suoh, the drummer, said as he pointed his empty water bottle in Akihito’s direction. “You’re a sound tech, you must hear a lot of music. Favourite artist and song?”“What is this? Fan time?” Kuroda, the bass guitarist, muttered with a snort.“It’s music appreciation time,” was Suoh’s short reply.“You guys,” Akihito replied without missing a beat. “Favourite song would be Broken Open.”Four sets of eyes turned to him in surprise and he flushed at the sudden attention.“That’s an obscure one,” Kirishima, the lead guitarist, said. There was a note of consideration in his eyes now as he looked Akihito over. “Why that one?”“I wasn’t sure about it for a start,” he admitted, self-conscious. He fidgeted with his plastic fork, eyes averted in embarrassment. “I so was excited when the album came out, I had already fallen in love with the single, much like the rest of the world,” he added with a small laugh. “You couldn’t escape Careless Whisper if you turned on the radio for months! But when I got to Broken Open, I just couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. So I listened to it again. And again. Each time I listened I picked up new undertones in the music and the lyrics became clearer. Not just what was said, but what wasn’t said. By the time I realised it, I had been listening to it on repeat for an entire day! It just struck me in a way that most music doesn’t, it’s raw somehow. Honest? Open?” He struggled to find the words he wanted but in the end, gave up and shrugged hopelessly. “Anyway, it’s been my favourite ever since.”Silence reigned for a few moments as everyone took in Akihito’s words. The clamour of the back-stage crew and the live music blaring couldn’t even pierce their bubble of quiet.“Well, you hear that, Ryuichi? That’s probably the most heartfelt compliment we’ve ever received. If not the most eloquent,” Kuroda quipped.Akihito peered at Asami only to be met with an intense look boring into his being. He felt trapped by the weight of that gaze for a moment and gulped at the unreadable depths. It was like he was drowning in a look alone. It was the same look he got onstage sometimes, the camera’s making great use of it for close ups and music video clips.“That one’s Ryuichi’s baby,” Suoh explained softly, a small smile tugging at his lips. “We work on all our music together but that one he just appeared with one day having written the entire thing in one night.”“Really?!” Akihito gasped and turned back to the man still staring at him. “I kinda want to be impressed but to be feeling that much pain that you can’t sleep and have to channel it out? Well, I wouldn’t wish that on anyone, even for my favourite song! I wish I could turn into some kinda of musical genius after my breaks ups though.”That clearly wasn’t the reaction anyone had expected as silence overtook them again. Akihito mentally kicked himself, he didn’t want to make it awkward. Maybe he should have gushed about how awesome it was like a real fan? Ah, too late now. But he had listened to the song so many times, heard the pain behind the words and felt the raw, broken feeling it gave off. Broken Open was a very fitting name for that masterpiece.“See, music appreciation,” Suoh said as he sat back in his chair, looking satisfied. “You can trust the sound techs to have a real appreciation for the nuances of music.”Their manager approached to coral the group into re-warming up and Akihito wandered off to find the bands touring sound tech. May as well have some company while his polished off his food. The other man grinned as Akihito approached and once again gave his thanks over his wrangling of the finicky sound system.“You know,” Akihito said after they sat in silence for a while, enjoying the live music and smooth performance of their hardware. “All the interviews I’ve seen had Kirishima and Asami as the talkative ones, not Suoh.”“Ah,” the other man gave him a knowing grin. “That’s just their stage persona’s. Although, Suoh is pretty quiet until you get him talking about music. He’s seriously passionate. The others take a bit of warming up unless they are dealing with screaming fans or media, then they are all gallant words and easy smiles. Hard life of the famous and all that.”They lapsed into silence again then the other sound tech had to leave to make his checks as they finally switched over to main performance. The roar of the crowd was deafening as Sion took the stage. Akihito winced even as he grinned. He couldn’t see much from his position backstage but he could hear everything loud and clear. The sound checks were quickly complete and he sighed in pleasure as Asami’s deep voice boomed out over the stadium, the husky tones feeling intimate even though they were directed at thousands of adoring fans.“Tonight, we are going to start off with something a little different than we had planned. This song isn’t well known but it is the favourite of someone who saved our show tonight. Without them, we nearly couldn’t play. The song is Broken Open.”Akihito blinked in surprise as the familiar instrumental started up.“Huh.”
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Listening to the live rendition of his favourite song was an interesting experience. He preferred the studio version, all the nuances were not lost in a sea of noise from the crowd, but it was still better than expected. It felt, oddly intimate though. Asami’s deep, husky voice caressed his ears and it felt strangely like it was a serenade only for him. Akihito internally scoffed at the idea, just because they were playing a song as thank you did not mean it was meant only for him. He needed to get his ego checked.Still, it was by far his favourite performance of the night, even though he sang along to everything else and not that one. Even now, well over a year since the songs release, Broken Open brought out something raw in the lead singer, Asami. His voice took on a tone that Akihito couldn’t describe but felt deep in his very being. It was raw, open, honest. It was as though, even now he was letting himself be broken open by the meaning and memories behind the song.Akihito cheered and clapped along with the crowd once Sion was done for the evening, having performed multiple encores for the demanding crowd. He decided it was probably time to get out of the back-stage crews hair and make his graceful departure when he was cornered by Sion’s manager. His long hair was tied back in a messy, but striking, bun and his fashionable suit just screamed his profession when standing amongst the casually dressed touring crew.“Takaba!” he greeted, eyes sparking with something akin to deviousness. “You should join the band for the after party, it seems they really enjoyed your company.”“Oh,” Akihito responded, staring at him with wide eyes. They had just been chatting, it hadn’t been anything special. “But they are staying for signings, right? I’ve had a pretty long day-“He was cut off by a firm arm wrapping itself around his shoulders and he was steered back towards the band’s resting area.“All the more reason you should take a load off and join them. If it’s because you have work tomorrow, let me speak to your manager, you did such an excellent job helping us out, you should be allowed to have a little fun.”“Oh no, it’s okay. I didn’t really do-““Oh! You’re a fan, right?” the man cut him off again with a winning smile. “Let me grab you a poster with all their signatures on it. You can hang out here with a drink and skip the queue!”He firmly pushed Akihito into a seat and one of the crew appeared from nowhere to thrust a bottle of water at him. As soon as he accepted it, the person vanished before he could give his thanks.“Feel free to take a nap or something while you wait, the band won’t be too long. If you need anything, just let me know.”“O-okay,” Akihito stuttered his reply. What on earth was going on? “Thanks Mr-““Just call me Fei,” the manager interrupted again. He winked before leaving as abruptly as he arrived. It was like dealing with a whirlwind who wouldn’t take no for an answer.He was tired after a long day but hanging out with his favourite band was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Resolved, he settled back into his seat as he watched the back-stage crew buzzing about.Somehow, despite all the noise, he must have dozed off as when he came to, the members of Sion and the opening acts were all gathered around. Akihito sat up with a sleepy yawn, embarrassed at having been caught napping. Suoh gave him a kind smile though and no one said a word about it which made him feel better. It seemed as though everyone was just grabbing their things before moving onto their booked hotel rooms for a casual after-party. A few fans were flittering around, obviously intent on joining in the festivities and Akihito felt oddly like one of the belongings as Fei was suddenly in his space again, virtually dragging him behind him.It was a whirlwind of taxi vans and alcohol appearing from nowhere. He found himself crammed in between the overexuberant Fei and the forebodingly silent Asami on the trip. The singer had such a nice voice, deep and rich, and Akihito desperately tried to think of something to say to engage the other man in conversation but each time he even looked at him, he found smouldering golden eyes staring at him with such dark intensity that he lost all words. Then Fei would drag him back into his conversation and he struggled to keep up.Thankfully Kirishima saved him from their whirlwind of a manager by walking with him up to their hotel rooms discussing food of all things. It turned out he loved to cook just as much as Akihito did and it didn’t take long for the nervous tension to drain from his body. The band had rented out the top two floors of the biggest hotel in the city. There were two penthouse suites both with two bedrooms and many smaller, single hotel rooms on the floor below. It was in the lounge of one of the penthouse suites that the after party took place.Akihito wasn’t sure what he expected but it wasn’t for the casual, house party type atmosphere. He felt bad for assuming it would be some wild affair when everyone was so chill and at ease just talking with each other. He got each of the Sion members easily talking with him, all barring Asami, who had been brooding all night. It was nice to see how down to earth each of them were, although each extremely passionate about music in general. A few of the fans were desperately flirting and clearly trying to get into various musician’s pants but other than seemingly enjoying the attention, no one made any move to leave the pockets of easy discussion.He was just going to locate another drink when he found himself being pulled backwards by the belt loops in his jeans. Flailing, he let out a squeak as he fell backwards right into someone’s lap. Craning his head around ready to issue an apology, Akihito was stopped short by familiar assessing golden eyes. He was sitting in Asami’s lap in one of the plush chairs at the edge of the party.They stared wordlessly at each other for long moments before a large hand trailed across Akihito’s jaw. That was all the warning he had before lips were pressing against his own insistently as Asami drew him into a drugging kiss.
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Whatever he had expected, it was not to be held down and kissed senseless by the brooding singer. By the tame they parted, Akihito had been manhandled around until he was straddling Asami’s lap and he was out of breath. His lips felt puffy and slick as he stared down into molten golden eyes dazedly.“You taste just as sweet as you look,” Asami purred, a dark grin tugging at his lips.That was the first thing he says to Akihito all night? The other man didn’t give him a chance to protest though as he pulled him forward again to reclaim his lips. Automatically, his arms wound back around the singer’s shoulders and his hands carded through his silky hair. What on earth was going on? Was this real? It felt so good, too good to be real, surely.Yet the body underneath his was firm and warm.The entire night had been one crazy whirlwind of events but this really topped it off.Akihito moved his hand to push at Asami’s chest, breaking free from the kiss with a gasp. The firmness under his hand distracted him and the other man used the moment to stand up with Akihito in his arms, legs around his waist.“Whoa!” he gasped in surprise at the action then flushed bright red as a sultry voice whispered in his ear.“Let’s take this somewhere else, shall we?”“Wait!” Akihito squeaked out as they crossed the room in long strides to exit the hotel room. A few amused glances were cast their way but no one seemed the least bit surprised about Akihito’s abduction. Asami didn’t slow, instead he continued to manoeuvre his way to the adjacent penthouse suite. “Put me down!”“Why?” the singer questioned as they slipped into the darkened lounge. “You feel so good against me.”“You haven’t spoken to me all evening and in lieu of conversation, you jump me?!”That did make Asami pause. “You haven’t said no.”“That’s not the point!” he exclaimed as he tried to wriggle free. Asami clutched him tight until they were shut away in a large bedroom. “What kind of caveman are you? You didn’t say a single thing to me all night then kissed me and dragged me back off to your lair. You were staring enough to freak me out.”“I was thinking of all the ways I wanted to eat you up,” he confessed without an ounce of shame. Akihito could only gape at him in response. “Let me introduce myself in the most honest way then, as I explore all the ways to make you cry out my name.”“You sure are a smooth talker now, aren’t you?” he muttered. Heat suffused through his body at the deep voice and blatant want in the other’s eyes. “I prefer relationships to one-night stands, more of a connection and all that.”“But we have connected,” Asami replied as he crowded Akihito back against a wall with the bulk of his body. “You’ve already connected to me through my music, in a way that most people never understand. You saw right through the flashy part of my song, right into the very core. All that’s left is for me to connect with you.”Understanding came to Akihito in a flash and he stared up at the other man with wide, questioning eyes. Even in the dim light of the hotel room with only the moonlight streaming in, he could see the truth of the others words in his golden eyes. It melted away all of his hesitance and he relaxed, allowing the heat swirling through him free reign. Asami pressed closer still, their bodies touching intimately at every point and attraction sizzled in the air around them.“I’ll give you this last chance to say no and walk away unmolested.”Bringing his hands up to cup the others face, Akihito traced his thumbs along the high cheekbones before pulling the singer in for a lingering kiss. This one had all the heat of the previous but was sweeter, more innocent. It held feelings of interest and curiosity rather than just lust. It gave Asami pause, his body tense until Akihito pulled away to stare up at him with wide eyes and puffy over-kissed lips.That was all it took before he picked up his prize and carried him to the bed. Akihito bounced as his back hit the bed then Asami was swarming over him, pinning him in place. There was something wild in his expression, like the beast lurking under the surface had finally been released. It was thrilling in its dark intensity but even more so when it seemed to calm when Akihito gently coaxed the other forward. Their limbs tangled together as their kisses turned even more urgent and bruising, hands scrabbling at clothing that should have been removed earlier.Akihito wasn’t one for wild trysts or one-off evenings of pleasure but even in his deepest relationship, he had never felt this level of need. He wanted to know the other man desperately, wanted to have him so close that he didn’t know where one person began and the other ended. There was no awkward giggles or shy glances, no soft nothings and no discussion of what they wanted to do. Just the heat of their burning desire as hands and mouths explored warm skin.Their clothes weren’t even fully off when a large hand found his straining cock and slipped under his underwear to stroke the hardness. Asami pulled back to stare into his eyes and Akihito gasped and writhed in pleasure under his hand. Their noses were almost touching and they shared the same breath in a moment of surprising intimacy. His hands scrabbled for purchase across Asami’s wide shoulders then he was arching off the bed, a gasping cry leaving his lips as he came.They stayed locked in that moment as Akihito slowly regained the ability to breathe only for it to be taken away by the bruising crush of Asami sealing his lips with his own once again. The intensity of it reminded him that they were far from done yet.