pslplz | Trouble only knocks when no one else is home

Trouble only knocks when no one else is home

It was shaping up to be a quiet evening. Goku was with Sanzo until tomorrow, and while there were several potential family members to look to between siblings and in-laws, Omi wasn't so eager to give up a chance to relax in peace. He had articles to read, some code to putz with, and a new caramel-pecan coffee flavor to try. Said coffee was already brewing, filling the air with a distinctly nutty aroma. The holographic display in the living room was set to split-screen between the code file and a live preview, curtains already closed and lights low.

While the coffee finished, he went about the apartment picking up little bits of clutter that always seemed to collect during the week. He didn't mind it in doses, but he didn't want it getting out of control, either.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

For the most part, Omi had no choice but to tune out what Akaya was doing just so he could concentrate on what he was reading and writing. He still caught bits and pieces of it-- definitely enough to be curious what the finished song would be like.

His grin broadened at the compliment, looking a bit bashful but pleased. This had really been a drain on his day, so obviously he was glad it paid off. And it did feel good to help others. And hey, one more achievement for his résumé, maybe; he'd never fixed an instrument before.

"I'm glad it's working. Will you try adjusting the equalizer to be sure? If there's any more work needed on the code, it's easier to do it now while it's fresh in my memory."

"No prob."

Akaya tapped on the touchpad panel, calling up the equalizer. He adjusted the settings and played a few chords. The notes rang out in a clean and full-bodied sound that had just the right touch of base and no reverb. Nami should be very well pleased. (He was going to pester her later mercilessly for not being here for her own instrument repair, but anyway).

"I think that should do it. What do you think?"

Akaya knew his instruments. Just as he said, after he tweaked the settings the sound was beautiful. Omi was glad-- on multiple levels.

"Yeah! I think that does it. You'll be good to go for tonight."

"I guess I am," Akaya said, swiping across the panel to power it down. He cocked his head to the side and looked at Omi. "So? What do I owe you?"

Nami never did mention how much this guy was going to cost them.

Omi blinked, and for a moment looked awkward. Well. If he were the sort of person to do it, it would have been easy to turn this into a paying job. It was what he did for a living. But a favor was a favor. Even if Akaya didn't know better, it would be wrong to change the terms now. So he just smiled and waved his hand.

"You don't owe me anything. I came out as a favor for someone. But if you ever have problems again, or know someone else who needs a code fix, I'd really appreciate the referral. Can I give you my card?"

A favor for 'someone'? Clearly not Nami, or he would have said so. Akaya arched his eyebrow.

"It's a pretty big favor," he said curiously.

"My sister-in-law asked me. She always gets her way... Just ask my brother," he winked.

Akaya snorted at that. He knew all about being told what to do by women. He might be the leader of the band, but he was also the youngest. It seemed to be license for all the girls to push him around. Or maybe because he had a cute face? (He thought). It would explain why he was here today while Hokuto and Nami were off at that fashion thing.

"She a friend of Nami's?"

"I'm not sure... She might be. I think it was something like a classmate's little sister. In any case, this one's a freebie," Omi said, and took a moment for a good stretch, causing his shirt to ride up and show a sliver of tummy. He'd been sitting by that synthesizer for far too long. It was definitely lunchtime, too.

"It was nice meeting you, Kirihara-san. Good luck at your show tonight."

A brother-in-law of a classmate of a sibling... It sounded like a lot of favors had been called in. The music industry could be like that though, a lot of things happening by word of mouth or from knowing someone who knew someone. That was part of the reason why those media events and industry mixers and afterparties were part of the job, too.

Still, it didn't mean you had to treat every connection as a job.

"I thought you were gonna give me your number," Akaya said boldly.

Oh. Well now... that was interesting. Omi hadn't said anything else about the card for the sake of not being pushy, but he certainly hadn't imagined this kind of follow-up to its offer. Maybe Akaya really had been checking him out at the front door. Omi smiled and laced his fingers behind his head, holding an interested gaze on him.

"I'd still like to. I can fix all kinds of problems..."

That sounded somewhat naughty, which was a strange overlap with the innocent looking face of Omi's. Akaya had almost expected him to not know, or at the very least, be flustered. He smirked.

"What kinds of problems?" he pressed, stepping closer.

Omi had found that people had a tendency to either underestimate him or overlook him completely based on his appearance. It sucked sometimes, but it was what it was. He couldn't change the shape of his face or the largeness of his eyes. That meant he had to compensate for it with a flirting style that made clear he wasn't as innocent and passive as his looks recommended.

He held his place as Akaya stepped in.

"Oh, this and that," he answered with deliberate vagueness. It was no fun to spell out exactly what you might do, given the chance. He shifted his hand behind his head to press a button on a wristband that activated voice command.

"Share connection with Kirihara Akaya. Send file: business card. Send file: personal contact."

Within seconds, Akaya would get a personal alert of a transfer request.

"Hn," he said. Not going to be that direct. That was okay. Akaya enjoyed discovering things on his own. He reached up and tapped the earcuff that doubled as his wearable, accepting the request and sending back his own with the same motion.

"Are you busy tonight?"

Omi tapped his band to accept the returned contact information and dropped his hands, slipping one into his pocket.

"I don't have to be. My hours are pretty flexible… What do you have in mind?”

"I'm playing tonight at The Black Cat. I'll put you on the guest list," Akaya said, as though Omi would naturally agree to come. And why not? It's a hot ticket. And besides, surely he was curious to hear the fruits of his labor?

"I'll buy you a drink after."

Omi lifted his brow. Oh, so that was where he was playing. The invitation sounded interesting; he was curious to hear how those tunes from earlier sounded as part of a fully performed song. And Akaya seemed like a cool, good-looking guy. They hadn't talked much, but from what Omi had seen so far, he was confident, playful, laid back, and passionate about his music. He'd be stupid not to take Akaya up on the chance to get to know him better.

"Sure, sounds fun. What time?"

"9 o'clock. Skip the line. I'll let them know, at the door."

This could be interesting. Omi didn't look like the usual crowd that came to Akaya's concerts. Maybe this wasn't his sort of scene at all. But if he was game for it, Akaya was more than willing to open the door.

Skip the line, huh? Would that really work? Omi had never known that kind of privilege before, but then again, he'd never done much waiting in line to get into a club like The Black Cat either. What did they even wear at those kinds of clubs? And did he have anything resembling it in his closet. (Probably not.)

"Thanks... I'll be there. See you tonight," he said, and excused himself.

At twenty minutes to 9, Omi stood and boggled at the size of the line outside the club, extremely glad that he wouldn't be going to the back of it if all went well. He was also glad he'd done a bit of homework on the place in advance. He'd changed into a dark pair of slim-fitting jeans and matched it with a midriff and lightweight vest... not the best fit but he could have done worse.

After an uncertain look at the line of people, he approached the bouncer.

"Hi... my name's Honjou Omi. I'm supposed to be on the guest list, I think?"

The bouncer gave him a scrutinizing and slightly bemused look, took his ID and then stamped his hand with a different stamp than what the others were getting. A point in the direction of the band and the bouncer let him through the doors. Omi thanked him, slipping his way through the crowd towards the band.

The club was sold out again that night. The line was around the block well before the opening act was scheduled to come on. One day soon, maybe they would play at an even bigger venue, but Akaya rather liked the intimacy of the club, where you could mingle with the fans before the show, and drink with them later at the afterparty.

There was a glass bar lit up with neon lights where much of the band and their associates gathered, chatting and drinking before the show. Akaya stood among them, a glass in one hand and the other hand hooked on his jeans at the hip. He was dressed in his stage outfit, which wasn't really much different from his usual clothes, except 'punchier' as Hokuto might say. There were leather bands and buckles and zippers wrapped around his arms, a Celtic pendant around his neck, a chain accessory around his hip. And glitter. Hokuto insisted on it. It was in his hair, his face, his arms. He was also wearing eyeliner, which made his eyes look sharper and greener, somehow.

[ooc: sorry, I wanted to add more, but I'm falling asleep!]

The twenty minute buffer Omi gave himself was mostly a safeguard against unexpected hold-ups. Now that he was inside, he took another few of them to acclimate to the club: learning the layout, adjusting to the lighting and volume of the interior, and observing the other clubbers, most of whom paid little attention to him, a fact for which he was glad.

Once he had a feel for the place, he found Akaya at the bar. He was easy to spot given his stagewear, an ensemble that made him both match the majority of clubbers and stand out from them at the same time. He looked relaxed and not particularly engaged with anyone, making it a good time to greet him. Omi flashed his hand in a brief wave as he drew closer.

"Looks like I made it... you look good."

[ooc: no worries!]

From the crowd, a familiar face appeared. Akaya wasn't surprised to see him. (He usually had pretty good instincts about this sort of thing). Omi was looking a bit sleeker than earlier, with dark slim-fitted jeans that Akaya let his gaze linger on for a moment before he fixed upon his face.

"I know," he said with a smirk. "Drink?"

Edited 2016-04-01 01:57 (UTC)

That was pretty cocky. Akaya wore the attitude well, though. Omi moved in to conversational distance, giving him another lookover as he did.

"Sure. Sex on the Beach?"

Hey man, Akaya knew he looked good! And sure, he was probably somewhat cocky about it too, but it was that attitude that paired well with his occupation. He arched his eyebrow at the drink order. Sex on the beach was a cloyingly sweet cocktail. He wondered whether Omi had a raging sweet tooth or just liked to mask his alcohol with fruit juice. He leaned in to the bar to put the order in, and plucked the glass off when it was ready.

He offered the drink to Omi and clinked his own glass against it.

"Thanks for coming."

He smiled.

Edited 2016-04-01 02:33 (UTC)

Omi wasn't much of a drinker by and large. He enjoyed an occasional one, but they tended to be lighter drinks for celebratory purposes, like mimosas at weddings and champagne at New Year's. He'd tasted enough to know that alcohol was something of an acquired taste and, well, he hadn't quite acquired it yet. He'd never even gotten drunk, a fact that he found slightly embarrassing in present company. Cocktails seemed like the safest bet while he was out.

He returned Akaya's smile and took a sip.

"Thanks for the invitation. Do you play here often?"

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