Good Things Come in Pairs [ KiriTetsu x Bakugou] [Lovely]

[NicTheDjinn]

Kaminari and Bakugou had a rather strange relationship going. They'd ended up in the same class in their 1st year of high school and had sort of mutually bullied each other till they had the friendship they had now. Very strange, but it somehow worked for them. It wasn't even that hard to tell they cared about each other, it was just sort of hard to understand why. One of their many points of contention, for example, was the band Kaminari was part of.

He'd been hounding the other blond to try and get him to listen to their music only to redouble his efforts when he found out Katsuki was a drummer. They sorely needed a new one as they were less than happy with the current one. No dice. Not even begging had worked. In the end, he got desperate and got lucky enough to find a loophole. They had managed to get into the roster of a music festival and one of the headlining bands happened to be the grumpy blond's favorite. A birthday present later and he'd finally achieved at least one of his goals. They would be playing right after his favorite so he was sure he'd stick around to have a listen.

The concert was amazing, band after band playing to lead up to a big name then a few smaller ones then another big name and so on. When the band that Bakugou was waiting for took the stage, they were phenomenal, much better than one would think would be part of a venue like this.

It was a hell of an act to have to follow... They'd seen it coming as all the bands had the line up ahead of time and so had prepared for it. It was their chance to really stand out and gather themselves more of a following. When the stage was free, the stagehands hurried out to adjust the equipment, but they didn't allow the audience to cool down much.

From backstage swooped a raven, silent at first as he took in the crowd so he could choose his flight path. Most people didn't realize how big this kind of bird was, but they were getting to find out now. The corvid flew a low circle over the crowd just high enough to be out of reach, giving the many people gathered by the stage a chance to see him in all his magnificence. When he was done he came back around the front, flying slower now only to stop and perch on the fence right in front of the ash blond.

The bird stood at just over 2' tall and had a 4' wingspan. Not a small animal needless to say and it was staring right at him. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision, leaning his weight on one clawed foot and offering the other awkwardly with a small spread of his wings for balance. Strapped to his leg with a cord was a small bit of rolled-up paper. The bird waited expectantly and even cawed at him softly. Once the note was removed, he flew another circle over the crowd again, this time cawing loudly for attention.

As it turns out, the note was indeed for Bakugou. "Happy Birthday!" It read along the top and it was signed by many names, all looking distinctly different. Chargebolt was written in yellow and black with little lightning bolts coming off it, Alien Queen written in pink that appeared to be gel pen drawn so that it looked like liquid splashing into the sharp of the word, a blocky text that was drawn to look like looking ribbons of tape judging by the jagged edges reading Cellophane, a cool looking scratchy font reading Earphone Jack in black and pink, black sweeping lettering that had to have been drawn with a dip pen reading Tsukuyomi and next to that Dark Shadow with drawn feathers that appeared to drift down away from the two names, Jack Mantis was in a neon green looking like it was 'slashed' into the note, and finally Red Riot predictably in red and looking like it was cracking apart.

The raven finally returned to the stage to land lightly on the outstretched arm of... Holy shit that guy was huge... He had to have come out onto the stage while everyone was distracted by the giant's feathered friend. The figure stood over 10' tall wearing an ornate raven masquerade mask, wrapped up from shoulders to ankles in a cloak, arm held out through the front though for the moment little else could be seen as the sun was setting and the stage lights had been lowered. Then, the figure spoke, his voice deep and smooth.

"Suspended animation into the matrix of the mind, give in to temptation's curse... Blind to this place, I'm bored out of my skin, do you mind if I get undressed? Put aside my childish facade and really be me. You see, I've never had that freedom... I'm so sick of propriety snobbery and bigotry, are you too little where it counts? Come inside me if you dare, see me true. All my natures are real, something from nothing. I am he that is true, can you say the same? We are family. We are one. We are far from nothing..."

While the poem was being recited, 5 members of the band crept out onto the barely lit stage, mostly unseen thanks to all the attention a goth that stood over 10' tall demanded. As the poem came to a close, the top half of the "man" suddenly dropped back, the lower half bursting out into view, a shirtless hunk with a shock of scarlet hair and a literally sharp smile bringing a mic up to his lips.

"Are you READYYYYY?!" Not the most original call to an audience, but this guy belted it out like a battle cry, changing the energy on stage hard enough to give you whiplash.

And so they took off, having hidden most of the wait of setup in the distraction of a raven and goth poetry. There was Kaminari standing to one side of the lead singer, apparently the rhythm guitarist of the band. Huh. He'd always said he was the lead guitarist... Next to him was their bassist, a pretty girl with short hair and little red triangles on her cheeks.

To the other side were the wildest member of the group and other guitarist, a girl with bubble pink hair nearly the same toned skin, cute little horns, golden eyes with black sclera, and clothes that could be seen from space. Next to her was the goth with the mask which turns out to be their lead guitarist and the shortest one on stage, contrary to the height he commanded when kneeling on the shoulders of their lead singer. His bird friend actually had his own little perch, set right next to the keyboard, manned by a rather plain-looking young man. Despite his generally nondescript appearance, he had just as much energy as the others and an unforgettable smile. Their drummer in the back a lanky young man with an acid green mohawk and piercings, some of which were prominent enough to be seen by the closer members of the audience.

The lead singer was a gorgeous man that didn't so much sing from this diaphragm as much as from the soul. He seemed to lose himself in whatever he was singing as if he was living the very words that left him. He rocked brilliant red hair and contact lenses to match. He wore a pair of leather pants that hugged in all the right places and a set of heavy, deep red boots. He seems to have forgotten his shirt somewhere and with a body like that, he should continue to forget. Always.

The stage felt strangely cold and empty once it was over and they had said their goodbyes, thanked the audience, offered their love and acceptance, then bowed out. It didn't take too long for Kaminari to finally show up on the stage side of the fence. "Eh, eh? What ya think? Wanna meet the others?" He didn't really give him much chance to answer, waving for him to follow and leading the way backstage.

As soon as they get there, there was that gorgeous redhead, still shirtless, a thin sheen of sweat clinging to that beautifully sculpted body as he tilted his head back to drink water from a bottle. He looked exhausted, but when he glanced over he still found it in him to genuinely smile. Yep. Those teeth were still just as pointed as they were on stage and looked even more real up close.

The electric blond stepped in then and starting introductions. "Bakugou, this is Kirishima, that's Sero, you've met him a couple of times, that's Jirou, Ashido, Tokoyami, you got to meet Dark Shadow earlier, aaaaaaand... Where's Kamakiri and Tetsu...?"

The plain brunette was the one to lazily answer. "Arguing out back."

Kaminari groaned, "Again?!" It looked like there was some trouble in paradise. Would explain why he'd been interested and rather persistent in his attempts to bring Bakugou in as the new drummer when he found out he could play so well. He'd been pestering the ash-blond about it for months.

.....

Katsuki didn't really know how he ended up here, aside from the promise of seeing one of his favorite bands, while also, begrudgingly, seeing Kaminari's band along the way. He's had his doubts-- knowing the electric blonde, he assumed it would be some trashy garage band.... But, he'd been proved wrong, left and right. Even the big, ebony carrionbird was a dramatic touch-- especially with how the feathery thing was intelligent enough to find him specifically, and deliver the note. Then again, maybe his placement was key, rather than the facial recognition.

Regardless, he had to admit, Kaminari's group had artistic flair and a knack for setting a good first impression.... All the same, the thing that stood out the most to Katsuki was that glorious bastard singing his heart out onstage, like a hero crying out his message to those that need to hear it most. It.... Was almost breathtaking, really. He was even almost sad their set was over-- unable to watch and listen to the beautiful man and his bandmates onstage for the night.

However, that wistful feeling faded fast as his dumb friend came over, and beckoned him expectantly to follow. Normally, on a typical day, Katsuki may tell the other to piss off, but.... He followed, cheeks warming, hoping he'd get to meet that near-godly redhead in person. But he'd never admit that out loud, especially not to Kaminari.

Fucking two-brain celled loudmouth.

"I'll admit you had everyone's attention-- and.... That it wasn't as shitty as I thought it would be." The blonde grumbled his response to Denki, feigning unamusement. Alas, that expression faded into awe as he saw the band'sead singer up close-- still shirtless-- downing a bottle of water. Now, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't imagined that gorgeous bastard dripping with water, looking at him hungrily, licking those shark teeth--

STOP that. There's absolutely no way in HELL this Adonis was going to be interested in him!!

.... And yet, like a lovestruck fool, he felt his heart flutter as that shirtless angel smiled genuinely at him. He hated how weak his knees felt right now. Luckily for him, Kaminari began the introductions-- some faces were familiar in one way or another, though he focused a bit more on Kirishima, wanting to remember his name first out of the others. However, upon hearing that the last two members to be introduced were out bickering, Katsuki quirked a brow, crossing his arms over his chest. "Know what it's about, or....?" He asked, looking expectantly towards the other blonde, a mildly pissed and accusatory glare being aimed the other's way. "I take it your constant hounding is linked to that, right?" He asked, looking none too pleased. Of course Kaminari wanted to recruit him-- this Kamakiri guy seems to be a pain in the ads, one way or another.

.....

The electric blond smiled brightly, recognizing the hidden compliment. It was generally the best one could get out of Bakugou and he'd known him long enough now to recognize such things. If he hadn't have liked it, he would have insulted it plainly and with anger no less for being forced to sit through it. If he'd been more neutral, then purely an insult, but even the small amount of praise spoke volumes, backhanded compliment or no. He couldn't be prouder of them for having been good enough to impress someone with such unreasonably high standards.

"Hell yeah, man! That took a lot of planning! Tokoyami wasn't really comfortable kneeling on Kiri's shoulder at first, but he seems alright up there now." He babbled excitedly to fill the short time it took to reach the backstage area, handing Bakugou a backstage pass to make sure they didn't have any trouble getting back there. Some intros later and he was being questioned about the trouble they were having.

He smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah... Kamakiri's a really great drummer, but... He doesn't really like people much and crowds wig him out. We've got a good-sized fan base now and he's been struggling with that. It took a lot to convince him to do this concert and he's refused to agree to tours that aren't within a day-trip distance. We want to start touring properly, but we can't with him."

The gorgeous redhead spoke up then, looking quite sad about the prospect. "It would suck to lose another member... We always knew Yaomomo would only stick with us till graduation, but I'd really hoped Kamakiri would get used to the crowds." And there was that brilliant smile again as if it had never left. "Kaminari's told us that you're a really good drummer, too! You should totally join us for a jam session sometime!"

His eyes lingered a little longer than he'd meant them to, darting down to take in the blond's form. Even through his clothes, he looked like he was packing some nice muscles under there. He had the urge to look at them without the clothes in the way and he forced his eyes back up to his gaze even as a light pink dusted his cheeks. If he was lucky, maybe they could work out together sometime...

Unexpectedly, a rather small goth approached Bakugou then, clearing his throat softly to get his attention. "Excuse me. I wanted to check if your birthday note reached you. Dark Shadow's training is still ongoing and it would be a shame if he failed to deliver to the correct individual. Would you be willing to let him perform the trick again, perchance? It would help him understand he has done it correctly when rewarded properly."

.....

Katsuki rolled his eyes at Denki's reaction towards his compliment, as well as the babbling, but it couldn't be helped, he supposed. Little shit had been pestering him for god knows how long for the ash-blonde to hear them play. And, Katsuki really did mean his compliment, really. The band did so well, as if they were more experienced than they actually were.

Alas, the drama was about on par with their skills, too, and Katsuki was honestly annoyed. "Why the hell would he join a band if he couldn't handle crowds and travel? Seriously, it's fucking stupid." He growled, seething at the stupidity of it all. However, that irritation melted into more of a stoic expression, though his chedks were growing pink again as the redhead began to speak, and ask him to come to a jam session....

But, he felt his heart flutter hard in his chest as the ither looked him over, undressing him with his eyes, even-- NO. STOP. THAT. Was Katsuki really pent up or something? Normally he isn't like this at all, like.... Some horny teenager again with a hot potential partner practically flirting at them. "Depending on when you guys plan to meet up again, I can see if I can come by." He replied as evenly as he could, not wanting to seem too eager to say yes just because Kirishima invited him.

Kaminari probably knows better, and will probably complain about it, or try to tease Katsuki for an ungodly amount of time, possibly both.

Luckily before any bitching or cheering could begin from anyone, Tokoyami-- damn, guy was waaaay shorter in person-- came up, asking about the note for the blonde. "Got it right here," he pulled it from his pocket, held between his first and middle fingers. "I don't mind if he does it again-- big guy may need a little work on his balance, though." Katsuki commented, before adding, "Did you show him a picture of my face, or was he supposed to land where I was standing instead? I know ravens and crows can recognise human faces either for deeming them safe or unpleasant and should be avoided or accosted as needed." Katsuki probably didn't look it at first, but he did adore a good variety of animals, but he'd never admit that.

He'd never admit a lot of things, especially if it was tied to his emotions in one way or another unless he can flaunt it without petty judgement.

.....

Kirishima, ray of sunshine that he was, came to their drummer's defense first. "Because we asked him to. He's one of my brother's friends and we'd jammed together for fun. He was really good, even back then. We begged him to be out drummer and he liked playing with us so much that he agreed."

What appeared to be some kind of pink alien broke away from the tall, plain guy's side then and shockingly had no issues walking right up to the aggressive blond and getting a bit up in his face about it. "We already knew he didn't like big crowds, it's our fault for pushing him into it. We thought that he would get over his stage fright and even when he didn't we never tried finding someone else till we decided we wanted to start touring!" Goodness she had to have put in a lot of work for her stage image. She was wearing pink mesh to make her skin look pink and painted her face to match, the only part of her not colored this way being her fingers so she could play her instrument without anything in the way. The pink hair looked to be her own with little a more or less hidden headband sporting those cute little horns. On top of all that she was wearing some wicked-looking black and gold sclera lenses so who knows what her actual eye color was under them.

The tall and rather thin keyboardist approached then, but only so he could slip a soothing arm around her shoulders and guide her away a little so there was more distance between her and the short-fused blond before things could escalate. "Easy Mina... Kamakiri's been really good to us and he's our friend, but we have to accept at this point that he's not a good fit for this lifestyle. I'll admit, I didn't know if I was cut out for it myself when they asked me to take Yaomomo's place at the keyboard, but I adjusted."

Despite the hiccup in the conversation, Kirishima seemed quite determined to befriend the grumpy blond. "This is the biggest gig we've ever done. We're gonna go out to dinner to celebrate! Would you, uh, wanna come with us?" Wait. Was the redhead blushing again? This time the pink girl didn't miss it, looking from her best friend to Bakugou and back only to smirk at the faux redhead knowingly. It was no secret among their friends that Eijirou was gay and unfortunately for him, he was very easy to read.

The small goth, the shortest member of the band it seemed, nodded at Katsuki's agreement and took back the note, and in return, he was offered three fresh blueberries. "After taking the note, tell him he's a good boy and give him these one at a time." Then gently positioned Bakugou's arm out and bent at the elbow to make a perch. He then draped a clean white towel over his forearm as a makeshift falconry bracer. "Please grip the bottom of the towel till he lands so he isn't startled if it shifts under him." As he made his way over to the perch were the bird was contently preening his feathers despite the loud sound of the next band starting up, he spoke on. "Kaminari provided us a photograph. I had already been working on this trick with him but this was the first time we sent him to deliver something to someone he didn't already personally know, I'm very proud of him."

He spoke gently to the bird when his attention turned to his feathered friend then. "Dark Shadow. Give me your leg, please." The raven stopped his preening and turned dark eyes towards him, clearly listening with an intelligence that would startle most that didn't already know about it. Sure enough, he leaned his weight on one clawed foot and spread his wings a little like Bakugou had seen him do before, looking up at the short brunette with all the trust in the world. Once the slim avian leg was presented for him, he once again rolled the note into its original scroll-like state and tied it carefully to the offered leg.

The raven settled it back down again only to reach down and instantly pull one of the lengths of cord and undo the bow. "Shadow. Leave it." He ordered, much to the annoyance of the bird as the bow was secured again. He was tired, he didn't want to deal with this shit right now. Still, he behaved and left the cord alone this time. Keen eyes fixated on his friend's phone then when it was presented to him, displaying a candid picture of a sandy-haired blond. The raven's recognition was almost instantaneous, head-turning in the sharp manner of birds to look at the blond in question. "Go to him."

Sure enough, the large bird took off on the spot, pushing off from the perch and flying right over, eyes fixated on the towel till he'd lightly landed on his target. Trimmed claws gripped the towel securely and once he was sure he'd stuck the landing, he presenting the note laden leg like before, looking at the blond expectantly.

.....

Hearing Kirishima defend their drummer as kindly as he did honestly made Katsuki feel a bit... Rash, for once, actually regret, at least for a few moments, how blunt he had been. However, having the fluffy alien flamingo come into his space, being a bit antagonistic with her defense damn near made the blonde growl. Luckily, he stayed quiet as Sero pulled her safely away before he could hurt someone's feelings. At least the grinning man was able to understand both sides, and diffuse the situation. "Is he aware, at least?" Katsuki asked then, refferring to how the band wanted to replace Kamakiri soon so they could tour. It would be shitty to dump him without warning, unless he was a right asshole that deserved it.

Despite that tense conversation, Kirishima had the ddsire to ask him to dinner-- *join him and the band to eat and celebrate their first proper show.* Stop getting ahead of yourself, Bakugo. "I wouldn't mind, so long as we don't stay out too late. I prefer to go to bed early so I can workout in the morning before classes and work." He replied, noting the other's blush, but shrugged it off as him being the tyle to blush when nervous, whenever conflict arose, or at least when trying to lighten the mood after. Like a funny guy trying to crack a joke after a bad argument.

When Tokoyami began to give him instructions on how to best help the short goth train his avian companion, he listened closely, with a hint of hidden excitement in how he fidgeted faintly, eyes less scowly, and mouth relaxed, rather than an agitated, thin line. "Got it. For him doing this for the first time just from a photo, that's impressive. I know crows and ravens are frighteningly intelligent, but this borders on uncanny." Katsuki praised, oddly lacking any backhandedness to the compliment. Then again, he was speaking of an animal-- not a human or a group of such.

He watched the small exchange between the goth and his raven curiously where he stood, only smiling faintly at how the raven had a small but understantable disagreement with his master about the string binding the note to his foot. Though, he did jump ever so faintly when the bird immediately targeted him with a frightening amount of recognition, but stayed put as the bird flew to him once more, only this time, his perch was his arm. Once the bird had offered the note, w1jich he took carefully again, he couldn't help the soft smile on his lips as he praised the bird, before offering the berries one at a time as instructed. "Such a good, smart boy.... I like you." Berries fed, note in hand, he looked to Tokoyami, "Can i pet him? Or is he not a pettable raven?" He asked, hoping he could. Those feathers looked so sleek, and he hoped to give a physical positive reinforcement too if possible.

.....

Sero is once again the one to respond as his friends seemed generally uncomfortable with the idea even though it was something they all wanted. "He knows. He understandably has mixed feelings about it, though. He's been a part of the band since the beginning and I can't imagine knowing he's going to be replaced feels good. He's invested a lot and cares about us. Heh... Honestly, whoever we do manage to find to replace him will have to get his approval. He's a great drummer and he doesn't want us to end up with some shitty replacement before he goes." That seemed to have been enough to lighten the mood among the rest of them as they smiled fondly at the thought of their admittedly ill-tempered friend. Funny how they were attempting to replace one angry drummer for another.

"Like I'd let us take on someone that wasn't up to snuff. I know we're all eager to get touring proper, but whoever we get has to be at least as kickass at the drums and we'd have to get to know them first too if we're gonna be sharing hotel rooms with them." This time the one that spoke was the girl with the red triangle on her cheeks. How odd... She had been so full of energy on the stage, but now she was quiet, almost the brooding type. She seemed to be checking over their instruments to make sure everything was still in tip-top shape after the show.

The redhead nothing short of beamed as his invitation was accepted. "Sweet! We always go to eat at this tavern we play at often. It's been our most regular gig since we started and the owners are really good to us. It's gonna be sad when we get too big to play there anymore, at least as often as we did. Do you have a car or did you guys catch a bus?"

"He is very intelligent. It's that very intelligence that requires I come up with new things for him to do. Active minds need proper stimulation if they're to resist the grips of madness and it's no less true of avians. My heart always goes out to those poor parrots suffering in tiny cages in pet shops, plucking themselves bald. Poor things..." The goth mourned as he prepared his friend for his short flight.

Once Dark Shadow had one his thing and the note collected, he lowered a clawed foot to stand comfortably on the towel, still looking expectant. As he'd hoped, he was not only nicely praised, but got a treat for his efforts, confirming he'd done it right! When the first berry was offered, he leaned in and very politely plucked it from between his fingers with his beak. Leaning his head back he squished the berry and judging by the quick movements at his throat, he was actually drinking the juice and enjoying his berry rather than just swallowing it whole. What a smart boy indeed. The next berry, then the last were all treated this way. Once he saw there were no more berries to be had, he ruffled his feathers and contently fluffed up like the happy bird he was, proud of himself for having done good and gotten a nice reward.

"You may pet him, thank you for asking first. Make sure he sees it coming, of course. If you're going to pet, always with the feathers and gently. No pulling or grabbing of limbs or feathers. If you want to give him scritches, then along the jaw, chin, or nape are his favorite places." Explained the finally removing his beautiful mask and placing it safely in a box. Goodness, what was with this band and attractive people. He was rather pretty under that mask and what's more, his makeup was on point.

.....

Katsuki gave a quiet, mildly approving nod then, but was still looking deeply annoyed. "At least there's that.... Let's hope he knows quality when he does have to pick his replacement." Katsuki felt it was like a challenge to him, but he knew better than be bitter about it if he didn't actually make the cut. After all, he'd been quite resistant to Denki and his begging for god knows how long now. However, it is easier to get him to agree to almost anything if a challenge was made of it. When Jiro added her two cents, he nodded again. "It's a group effort, that's for sure."

His attention was easily taken by Kirishima again as he spoke, and he relaxed somewhat, smirking at the description given. "Hard to find good venues with equally good food, so I hope it's up to task. I rode the bus here." He replied, hands going to his pockets for a few short moments. "Hopefully the drinks are good, too. Have any recommendations?"

As Tokoyami mourned the plight of ill-treated and maintained parrots, he had a momentarily angry yet sympathetic look on his face. "Its shitty how some people don't take the time to understand what their animals need in order to be happy and healthy. At least from the look of things, you're actually doing your job properly as a caregiver." He was impressed by the goth and how he spoke to and handled his raven-- with lots of care and respect.

As Dark Shadow happily and politely recieved his reward, Katsuki was ever more excited, though it mostly showed in how brightly his eyes shown, focusing on the avian. "And you were taught manners, too-- your human must be a very good one, huh?" For a moment, his tone was sweet-- not baby talk, per say, but most definitely within the realm of tones used to speak to adored animals. When given permission to pet, he carefully presented his hand to the bird, before gently stroking along his jaw, still bearing that tender look upon his face. "Such a pretty, polite little thing.... You've been raised so, so well!" He grinned, before carefully moving to the raven's chin, then onward to his nape for a few scratches, and finally a slow and proper petting. He was so engrossed he hadn't yet noticed Tokoyami revealing his face-- let alone any reactions the others may have, seeing the initially aggressive blonde being ge tle with a large carrion bird perched upon his arm.

.....

Kaminari saw fit to leave his friend's side as he seemed to be settling in well with bandmates making his way over to Jirou to help her with the equipment. The fact she promptly shooed him away from said equipment was beyond the point. Still, she seemed to be comfortable with his company once he'd stopped trying to touch things. "Yeah, man! We're a family so we have to be careful about who we invite to join us."

The redhead nodded his agreement. "Too many bands out there break up because it was all about the sound and they didn't care about the chemistry between the members themselves. It doesn't matter how good you sound together if the members hate each other. No band can survive that for long."

"I know you've always shot me down when I asked you to join up, but... Now that you've heard us, will you audition? I'm gonna be real, you're one of the oldest friends I have, I'd really miss you if we started touring without you." Continued the blond, sitting himself down to sip water as he wasn't being allowed to help. Not too surprising as his crush was very particular about their instruments and how they were maintained. He even had the cheek to answer before Kirishima had the chance. "Good food, better drinks!"

The handsome ray of sunshine snickered, shaking his head slightly. "You say that because you like to drink. Also, you only ever order street and junk food. The wagyu is amazing... As for drinks, I like highballs." He shrugged with a smile. "Depends on what you like, we can suggest something."

"Mm. I agree. Many pets are cared for improperly. Ravens such as Dark Shadow require care most are unwilling to give. Putting aside his incredible intelligence, he needs a large enclosure and his diet must contain periodic carrion. Not a pet for the faint of heart, needless to say." It seemed that he did indeed know what he was doing with the bird which did explain his generally good behavior despite the chaotic environment they were currently in.

When the raven was with Bakugou he would get a close up look at how healthy he looked too, the bird a healthy weight, alert, and sporting glossy feathers that shined an almost purple hue. A pretty bird indeed.

"Hn. Manners... That's because you haven't pissed him off yet. I get nipped all the time and he hates Kamakiri." Cut in Kaminari, though he didn't look at all annoyed with the bird. Hell, he was even fondly smiling at the ebony feathered raven.

Hilariously, Sero was quick to take a jab at the electric blond. "That's because he doesn't like how you tease him."

"I'm just playing with him..." Pouted the blond.

The raven looked at the hand intently then put together what was happening. He tilted his head to accept his pets. This way and that he turned his head, feathers fluffing up happily. He even closed his eyes and crooned softly from time to time. Apparently, he'd done too good a job, however. When the gentle scratches switched to petting, he blinked his eyes open looking confused for a moment. He then turned his head and gave his forearm a light warning nip. "More scritches!" Demanded the bird. What cheek!

.....

Katsuki had seen and heard a lot of bands falling out over the stupidest of shit, as well as somewhat reasonable things as well, be it addictions tearing them apart, or a loss of natural causes killing the flame that inspired the group, leaving them unable to replace that empty space easily. "I know we get along well enough, though I don't think these guys can handle me like you can. You're like a pound dog thats just happy for any sort of physical contact that doesn't hurt." He said plainly, thought it seemed like the truth. Denki was smart in some areas, terribly so, but he damn near bordered on the stupidity of a frat boy thats partied a bit too much. "But, if I like these guys, I'm sure we can figure something out." He added, being faintly optimistic for the other blonde. "I'll audition, if it'll get ya to stop hounding me. Not promising anything else, though." He warned, knowing the other would get ahead of himself otherwise.

When the talk of food was brought back, he couldn't help the faintest growl of his stomach, especially at the mention of wagyu. "I normally prefer spicier food, and harder but sweet drinks." He replied with a soft shrug, wondering if the place they were headed would have a good spicy dish or not. Otherwise, wagyu sounded good, too.

"For a bird as big as him, wouldnt he need at least a proper bedroom to himself, almost? Or is even that too small?" Katsuki asked, wondering how birds could handle flying in such small spaces without going crazy with wonderlust. Its no wonder a good many birds disappear once they are freed. "If you know you'll get bit, you deserve it if you continue teasing him like that. You're lucky this one is nice." He huffed, before relaxing as he admired the bird's beautiful coat. "I bet you'd be right mean if you wanted to, huh? But you're a good boy, aren't you?" He asked in a gentle tone, not babying, but no less gentle.

However, when he was nipped and scolded for stopping his scritching, Katsuki took a long pause, looking.... Perplexed. After a few moments, he finally resumed his scritching, lookingg no less shocked. ".... I know you're smart, but.... *damn*, Dark Shadow! Demanding little guy, huh?" He chuckled then, a big grin on his face. "What all do you know, huh? After seeing you, I can't call certain idiots bird-brain anymore. It'd be a complement then!" He snickered, clearly adoring the bird perched on his arm, unaware of the rest of the room.

.....

"Pfft! You're like Kamakiri on a bad day and we've all dealt with him fine. You need friends anyway and these guys would be a good influence for a temperamental asshole like you." Shot back the other blond fearlessly. It was hard to tell if the fearlessness was from an established trust or from a lack of self-preservation born of stupidity, but he was fearless in the face of his sandy-haired friend all the same. Unfortunately for Bakugou, the nitwit still heard what he wanted to hear, even with the insistence that he promised nothing more than an audition. "Sweet! You guys are gonna love him, he's so good!"

"Your taste is awful, I'll believe it when I see it." Casually shot back the triangle cheeked girl. Was she wearing earphone jack earrings? That's kinda cute.

"Mean!" Protested the electric blond nigh instantaneously.

"Nah, I trust him. Denki wouldn't suggest someone unless he thought he could at least keep up with Togaru." The redhead stated firmly with a confident smile on his face before turning his attention back to the drummer. "I'm sure you'll do great and I really look forward to hanging out with you!" When the blond stated his preference for food, he was smiling wider. "The wagyu they make is actually made with a wasabi sauce, but for spicy food, you're better off asking my brother. I can take some heat, but not like he can. As for drinks... Hmmm..."

Kaminari cut in again and it wasn't hard to guess why. Bakugou would already know him for his habit of drinking himself stupid and judging by the lack of reaction from the group, they were familiar too. "Zombie Pyre or AMF. Zombie Pyre is sort of sweet and bitter at the same time and is set on fire, but if you really want to be knocked on your ass, AMF for sure. It's really sweet and sorta sour."

"AMF?" Questioned the girl next to him, while the pink one smiled with a knowing snicker.

"Adios Motherfuckers." Supplied Kaminari without hesitation, earning himself a flat 'really...?' look from the girl that has asked. "It's like Long Island Ice Tea's bigger blue cousin that seems really nice when you first meet him before he kicks your ass when no one's looking."

The girl rolls her dark eyes and decides to ignore him.

Tokoyami nodded at the question. "At minimum, they require an enclosure 6' high, 4' wide, and 10' deep at minimum. I have two enclosures for him. One is an indoor enclosure only used for sleeping during colder days that is 6' tall and 5' diameter hexagon. When it's cold and it's not bedtime, he is loose inside the house. The rest of the time, he is in his aviary which is 10' tall, 6 1/2' wide and 20' deep." He didn't seem to mind answering the other's questions on the bird's care as he took quite a bit of pride from how well taken care of the bird was. Going on tour with him would be a challenge, in fact, as he knew he would have to keep the corvid in much smaller spaces than he was used to. Time would tell if he would adjust or not.

The electric blond whined as Bakugou doubled down on the teasing Sero had started, but didn't argue further.

The bird fluffed in pride when called a good boy again, though he wasn't sure why he was being called that. It didn't matter. Good boys get rewards and he got one soon after in the form of wonderful scritches. A pity he had to punish the human for doing it wrong. He didn't understand the shocked exclamation to the correction nip, but he did understand his name and 'smart' at least. Judging by the smile, the other wasn't mad at him either which was good. He sharply turned his head to impatiently offer it. "Scritches!" He demanded again.

The Goth chuckled then. "Be careful. He's clever enough to train humans."

The adorable scene was interrupted as two people came into the small resting area backstage. One was the green mohawked young man Bakugou had seen playing the drums on stage. The other was a tall hunk with silvery hair. "---doing my best here! I don't care if you fuckers need to put out an ad on Craig's List! Find people to audition! I can't keep doing this sh---" It was then that one drummer noticed another. "Who the fuck are---wait. You're Kami's friend, aren't y---" He cut himself off again, tensing up as his gaze fell on the feathered member of the band.

Sure enough, Dark Shadow was staring right back. He carefully turned himself around to face the other man, the blond holding him able to feel how his grip tightened through the towel. "Mine!"

"No!" Snapped back the drummer and a hint of what the argument was about came as he brought his hands up to his cheeks and covered the mandible-like piercings there.

"Give!" Demanded on the bird.

"No! You can't have them!" Countered the drummer, still covering his cheeks. It seems the man's stage fright and social anxiety weren't the only problems they had with Kamakiri continuing with them. "Call the feathery asshole off!" He demanded of the Goth which had been about to as the bird squatted down, clearly about to take flight.

"Dark Shadow. Come." Ordered the Goth firmly, the bird hesitating before giving a frustrated croak and leaping from the blond's arm and spreading his wings to fly the short distance to his perch, looking particularly grumpy when his ankle was gently tethered to it.

.....

"Excuse me?" Katsuki responded in a heartbeat, though there wasn't as much venom as there would have been, should it have been any other person. There was the intent to smack the other, of course, but it wasnt the same as the desire to beat the ever loving shit out of someone. But, before he could make any sort of "proper" threats, the idiot was already celebrating as if he'd already won. "Don't act like it's a win for you." He couldn't help glancing at Kirishima for only a moment, then looking back to Denki as if it hadn't happened.

Though, he was looking back to the hunk as he defended Denki's claims, and he huffed faintly. "Even if I don't win the other guy over, would you still want to hang out?" He then asked, and though his tone was a bit tired and doubtful, underneath there still lied hope. Damn tsundere bastard. Just come out and say how you feel!! Though, at the mention of a brother, he was guilty of wondering of he was as attractive as Eijiro. "Brother? There's two of you then?" He asked, feigning a playful sort of annoyance. "Is he as friendly as a pup like you?" He asked, hoping his gentle teasing wouldnt offend.

However, Denki cut in quickly with his suggestions for drinks, and despite his best attempts, Katsuki let out a single snicker at the AMF option. "I'm not looking to get plastered, dipshit. Im looking for food drinks that'll get me buzzed, taste good, and won't empty my wallet." His reason, though, is mostly because he's a lightweight in denial. There was exactly ONE time that he's been properly drunk, and he had flirted hard with his childhood friend, who he didn't know was already dating another guy. That next day was embarrassing as shit, and it was about two months before he could interact with Izuku again without feeling a deep self-shame.

Katsuki nodded in approval at the pride Tokoyami had in how well taken care of Dark Shadow was, glad that the beautiful bird was damn near spoiled. At the sassy demand from said bird, he laughed softly, and again at how Tokoyami warned him of being trained. "Hey, if he's smart enough to train humans, I don't mind one bit. At least he's being reasonable." He snickered, scritching the bird as he liked, happy to gibe the avian plenty if positive attention.

However, his attention moved as two new faces joined the group, and while he recognized the drummer, the silver-haired man was most certainly new to him.... And God, he was just as handsome as Eijiro was. Who the fuck keeps making attractive men and presenting them to Katsuki tonight?? Though, he heard the drummer bitching about the drummer situation, then notice him, but unfortunately noticed the raven last, only to appear rightfully concerned as Dark Shadow turned to face him, all tense. Alas, with the bird demanding the other drummer's shiny piercings, he hadn't had time to answer any questions right then.

He didn't feel any shame as he snickered at the exchange between the drummer and the bird, though, and once the raven had been perched and contained, he finally looked back to Kamakiri as he removed the towel, handing it over to Tokoyami. "I take it you're Kamakiri, right? And yeah, I'm dunce-face's friend. Katsuki Bakugo." He introduced himself, soon crossing his arms over his chest. This is more than likely going to be a tense interaction. However, he soon looked to the silver hunk again, and smirked softly. "And who are you? Mysterious brother to Eijiro?" He guessed, before glancing to the redhead, wondering if there was anything other than their builds that showed that were related.

.....

Kaminari snickered at the other blond's offense, clearly not at all weary of the danger he might be in. It's not like Bakugou had never come after him, but for the most part, he was safe, and even when he was punished, it wasn't enough to deter future messing with. It was a wonder that they were such good friends considering how they bickered, but it somehow seemed to work for them.

When the redhead was questioned about wanting his company even if he failed to impress musically, Eijirou didn't even hesitate to flash that beautiful, sharp smile of his. "Yeah man! It's not like the only friends I have are the band, we can totally hang if things don't pan out on the drumming front! Doesn't mean we can't jam together sometimes either. I still trust Denki though, I bet you're really good!" The ray of sunshine beamed on, looking very much like he would wag his tail if he had one. How could someone so hunky be so damn cute at the same time?! That's not fair! He needed to pick one and he clearly had no intention of doing so!

If it were possible, he brightened up further when questioned about his brother, hinting that at the very least they seemed to have a good relationship. "Yeah! Tetsutetsu! He's my twin! We look kinda alike, but we're not one of those identical ones," he chuckles softly, giving a playful shrug. "He's the grumpy twin, but he's still nice," he assured apparently unable to completely commit to teasing his twin even when he was absent. At no point did he seem to take offense to being called a puppy.

"Then just get one and make it last man!" Baited the electric blond as his drink choices were rejected, the smirk on his face daring his friend to join him in drinking.

Thankfully, Kirishima swooped in to the rescue. "How about a Best in Show? That's got strawberries and orange in it." He offered, this drink containing notably less alcohol than the blond's suggestions.

"Raspberry Cosmopolitan!" Chimed in the pink girl, throwing up her hands in excitement!

"You like that one 'cause it's pink and they put a flower on top." Teased the electric blond.

"I like it because it is yummy!" She countered, the brunette next to her chuckling softly.

"You will live to regret that decision..." Warned the goth, but the affection in his tone took the edge right off of it. He loved his feathered companion with all his heart, having raised him from the moment he hatched, but he knew very well how quick the bird was to teach people to treat him how he wanted. Like most anyone else, what he wanted was to be spoiled.

Sure enough, he was getting the scritches he'd demanded, even though he'd just misbehaved and nipped like he wasn't supposed to. It was always fun to test the limits and boundaries that new people would set for him. Shadow turned his head this way and that so that he was even getting his scritches exactly where he wanted them. Well... That was until he'd noticed the greatest source of frustration in his life enter the area. He had good shinies and he was fed up with being denied the shinies he so desperately wanted. Stupid human... Why should he get to keep them? He wanted them more, he was sure of it, so they should be his! Lucky for Kamakiri, he didn't have to literally fight the bird off like he had in the past as he'd been called away and leashed to his perch, bringing his fun to an end.

Once safe, Kamakiri relaxed enough to refocus on what was possibly his replacement, something he had mixed feelings about. "Yeah that's m---" The mohawked young man cut himself off and stared for a moment. The next moment he was grinning like a gremlin and all but leering at Kaminari. "Dunce Face?"

The electric blond sat up on full alert, clearly alarmed. "No. Don't you fucking dare..."

"Too late, that one's too fuckin' good to pass up!" It seemed that Kaminari's fate was sealed and the drummer would be adopting the nickname from the other. He nothing short of cackled as the electric blond whined at him in distress.

The silver-haired hunk paused when addressed only to look over at the redhead. "Mysterious...? What have you been saying about me?"

"Nothing! You wouldn't be mysterious if I told him all about you, now wouldn't you?" Teased the redhead even wiggling his fingers at his twin at the word 'mysterious'.

"Don't you logic at me..." Rumbled the steely-eyed twin, but the lack of sharpness to his tone made it fairly clear that he wasn't actually upset at him in spite of the frown pinching his brow. Looking at him, it wasn't hard to tell they were related. Though they were, true to Kirishima's word, not identical, there were plenty of similarities that made it clear they were related. Same skin tone, same body build, similar face shapes same hair even if it was styled differently and dyed differently... Still, despite Kirishima's height, his twin was taller and built a little heavier and his eyes were a steel grey. Considering Kirishima was wearing contact lenses, it was hard to say if the grey was natural or not, though his hair color was likely not natural. Then there were those teeth, just as sharp as his twin's. Who even bonded with their family by getting the same terrifying dental modifications?

Turning his attention back over to the blond. "Tetsutetsu, Tetsutetsu. Yes, that's my full name, no, it's not the same characters twice. Anyway, nice to meet you, Bakugou." He finally greeted before going over and carefully slinging the base guitar onto his back with the strap across his well built chest, then picked up a guitar in each hand before making his exit once again.

"My bro doesn't play anything or sing, but he's an important member of the band, even if he's not on stage. He carries out stuff and sets it up, does lighting when there isn't someone official to do it, stuff like that." Explained Eijirou with that sweet smile of his. "He's also our driver so he'll be going on tour with us. He even already got a special license to drive big things like buses in the future!"

"He also helps me make sure the rest of you remember that eating and drinking is a thing you need to do." Added the plain-looking brunette, a soft, but wide smile pulling at his lips. "Finish your water." He added, eyeing the half-finished bottle still in the other's hand. He was pleased when he looked embarrassed and sure enough started to sip again.

Kamakiri closed some of the distance between the two of them then, looking him over for just a moment before speaking. "So... How long have you been drumming? Had any formal lessons or are you self taught?"

.....

Katsuki's cheeks warmed at the response Eijiro gave without hesitation, earning a soft nod in turn. "Good.... Who knows, maybe having a backup wouldnt hurt, either." He smirked somewhat, before he heard the redhead go on about his TWIN brother, and he felt his face warm further. Great-- there's going to he TWO hot men he has to worry about?! Not that he's actually complaining.... Its simply an issue of choosing if things get a bit too friendly between both.... That's if Tetsutetsu is gay-- well, is Eijiro gay, even? For all Katsuki knew, the redhead was the 'cuddle the bros and kiss them goodbye on the cheek' type of guy, if he wasnt gay. Not a problem, though Katsuki would be faced with having unreturned feelings again.

Now, without the intervention from the others, the drummer WOULD have taken Denki's bait, but he stars weren't aligned. He listened to all of the suggestions, making mental notes of each proposed. "Strawberry and orange are a good flavor combination...." He mostly mumbled to himself, unable to help glancing the other over again. It's a shock no one is calling the pair out for eyeballing each other almost constantly!

"Tokoyami, I've had a cat that was THE definition of spoiled princess, and I adored her to bits even as she caused me grief. Always acting cute to get out of trouble." He snickered softly, though, his smile turned a bit sad. "I miss her.... Haven't had the heart to have a new pet since she passed." He admitted, before softlt shaking his head. "But, that's life-- and I've heard some claim our peta don't live as long as we do, so they can scout the way for us to get to the right place in the afterlife.... And I honestly want to believe that, even if it seems silly."

Dark Shadow secured, and Kamakiri relaxed, Katsuki was looking to the other drummer expectantly, before smirking devilishly as he discovered the other's equal joy in teasing the electric blonde. "I also call him Pikachu, by the way." He added, enjoying Denki's pitiful whining. Though, his attention fell on the teins as they began to speak, and gods above, he couldn't help but find Tetsutetsu terribly attractive as well, and with that grumpy attitude, it complimented Eijiro quite well. Too well. Katsuki hated how difficult choosing would be if they both showed him interest.... Though, the more reserved introduction was a mild letdown in one way, it still suited the somewhat taller twin nicely.

When Tetsutetsu's role in the band was explained, he nodded softly, smiling a bit. "He's just as important as the rest of you-- good! I've heard of some groups not taking their version of Tetsutetsu seriously, take him for granted.... And the fact he's a jack of all trades is a bonus, too!" He praised indirectly, before Kamakiri stole his attention away, and even going so far as to invade his bubble. "I've been drumming since middle school, informal until highschool, then I was taking proper lessons which flew by easily. What about you?" He asked, challenging the other somewhat as he had a serious look in his eye.

.....

"That's true... At least when we're playing local. If we're touring, we would have to find a replacement there anyway. We had to once when Kamakiri got sick. We sounded fine, but it really wasn't the same, ya know? I really hope you can come with us though." He took a beat too long to realize how that sounded before he was adding on more, the clearly flustered state he was in failing to hide a damn thing. "Y-ya know! 'Cause you're Denki's friend and it would be sad if you two couldn't hang out for a long time!" He failed to notice the way Mina bit her lip to keep from laughing and the amused smile pulling at Sero's lips.

Poor bastard couldn't be more obvious short of asking Bakugou if his stage outfit made him look gay enough. Despite clearly having noticed, none of them said a thing and simply let Kirishima flounder on his own.

The small brunette checked his makeup in a compact mirror smiling at the blond's words. "I try not to spoil him too much. He's smarter than any cat and could get rather unmanageable if I'm not careful. Still, I also don't try to be too restrictive. He's a living, breathing being not some mindless toy or machine. Though I have to spoil his fun from time to time, I work hard to make sure he's happy. I like to think I've done well so far." He hesitated then when the other went on to mourn the passing of his feline companion.

"My sympathies... Truly. Losing a friend is always difficult. It's the very reason I can never bring myself to adopt a rodent. I enjoy rats. Lovely little creatures, but their life spans are so short... The common raven lives for about fifteen years, but Dark Shadow is an Australian raven which live for twenty-two or so. It's also why his plumage sports that handsome purple sheen. They also have higher voices and a unique sounding call," he went on only to look at Sero in annoyance as he cut in.

"It sounds like an angry cat," bluntly announced the brunette, earning snickers from the rest of the band at Tokoyami's expense, not to mention the raven's.

The small brunette cleared his throat and continued, though he didn't deny the claim that his raven sounded like an angry cat. "I like that sentiment. I hope she is waiting for you when the tapestry of fate foretells. I shall hope Dark Shadow will be there for me as well. Perhaps then he will finally tell me what he whispers into the ears of gods." The conversation seemed to have struck a cord with the raven's keeper as he affectionately stroked his friend's feathers and even leaned in to gently rest forehead to forehead as fingertips dipped into inky plumage to gently scritch along the bird's jaw. His quite, "I love you..." Was met with one in return as the bird calmed from his little tantrum and relaxed with him.

"Nah... Not as fun." Shrugged off the greenette, already smirking in anticipation.

"Wait, why don't you like that one?" Questioned the electric blond, cocking his head to the side curiously.

Bait taken, Kamakiri followed through smoothly. "Because that one makes you sound cuter than you are." The gasp he got was as overdramatic as he thought it would be.

"That's not true! Is it...?" Pouted the blond. Kirishima seemed to have been about to come to his defense despite his amused smiling, but Jiro beat him to it.

"You look like a stunted gremlin." She mumbled blandly, wrapping up cables and placing them in boxes so they could be more easily carried out.

A dramatic hand was brought up to rest at his forehead. "You wound me!"

While the theatrics continued between the rest of them, it seemed Kamakiri was ready to get down to business. "So a good amount of experience and both formal and independent learning. Good... Lessons teach you good form, but never exploring what you can do can make you into a robot. I was sort of revered. Developed an interest in elementary school so my parents got me a little baby kit, but I didn't play on my own for long. Started lessons in early middle school till the end of high school and have been experimenting on my own ever since."

He nodded towards the purple-haired girl then. "I'm good, but that there is our local musical genius. Got a degree and everything. It's why they're wanting to seriously tour now that she's graduated. Until I hear you play, I can't judge shit, obviously, but I'd like to hear you now that I know you're not just some amateur boastin' big. If you can impress me, then you have to impress her. Kirishima might be the face of the band, but she's the leader so her's is the final say. When you play for her, don't relax just because I liked you. She'll rip you apart a hell of a lot worse than I would."

The buffer wonder twin made his return, but it seemed only to fetch more things. Or it would have been if Kirishima hadn't tried to help him. They two had a whispered argument that ended in the larger swatting the smaller repeatedly to get him to let go of the crate they were fighting for only to shove him down into the seat he'd vacated. "Sit. Drink water. This is literally my job. You guys pay me to do this. You're tired and stood under the most lights so you're dehydrated. Don't be a brat. I appreciate that you want to make things easier for me, but I'm good, Bro. Promise."

"Not a brat..." Pouted the faux redhead in a tone that would convince no one. All the same he set to downing the last of his water obediently.

.....

Katsuki, for once, picked up on the faint, hopeful tone the other bore, and though he seemed as serious as ever, his cheeks were positively pink, like the look of a little boy denying he had a crush. "We'll have to see what you guys think of my drumming skills, then. Shouldn't be too hard, really." He smirked then, before giving the redhead a bold, yet sly wink, testing the waters finally for proper flirtation. Won't be much, but at least he can see if this was actual attraction or a level of friendliness that seems homoerotic. "I have a good feeling I'd miss you too, honestly...."

"Well, he is most definitely well cared for, and honestly, discipline is hard to get right with most anything, man or animal, and even more so on a case to case basis. Some tactics work betfer than others." He replied, before gently smiling at Tokoyami's sentiment. "It's never easy.... And I used to have a hedgehog named Apricot, so I know about the terribly short lifespan problem. She was.... An odd one. Terribly cute, a little clingy, but only for me, otherwise she'd spit and hiss at anyone else unless they brought her adequate offerings." He snickered quietly. "Both her and my little princess have urns at home, that way I never have to part with them completely if I have to move again." He watched the tender moment between avian and keeper, a warm smile on his lips once more. "I have no doubt he'll be waiting for you when the time comes.... I bet he'll show you a scenic route he'll know you'll love."

While the theatrics of Denki's nicknames came about, Katsuki grunted softly, coming to the other blonde's defense, for once. "Come on, he has his cuter moments, too. Hate to admit it, though. He just has to learn to use it to his advantage instead of being painfully obvious, yet not diving in." He shook his head, refferring to the obvious crush Denki had on Jiro.

As business was discussed, Katsuki nodded in faint approval. "That's true, and you were pretty damn good up there. It's just a shame you can't go big, but I'm sure you'll do great elsewhere." The blonde spoke honestly, and did try to not be an ass, knowing that the other more than likely was having a lot of mixed feelings about the issue. "Who knows, maybe we'll meet again? It'd be nice to have a buddy to pick on Dunceface with. And as for impressing anybody, why not have the whole band present? Seems a bit silly to me to do it in two sessions."

Katsuki glamced over to watch the wonder twins bicker gently to each other, and felt his heart squeeze in a way he wasn't entirely used to, and was unsure whether or not he liked it. Eijiro, who was friendly, eager, and terribly adorable like a puppy, yet built like a greek sculptor's wet dream, meanwhile Tetsutetsu was larger, grumpy but genuinely caring.... He felt like a cat, minus the superiority complex a good portion of felines have. It wouldn't hurt to have a guy that stressed self-care around.... But, also, having a guy that would hyoe you up, push you to your limits never hurt, either. Goddammit. Why did it have to be twins? Equally attractive twins??

.....

The sheer confidence the other put off brought an excited smile to his lips. He had a good feeling about this! He really hoped they'd lucked out and actually gotten themselves a new drummer already as well as a new friend! He didn't dare hope for more than that... Or at least he hadn't till the blond bombshell went and winked at him! He could feel the warmth at his cheeks and his heart was definitely racing. The hot drummer was actually flirting with him! "Yeah... I mean, we could still hang out between tours and stuff, but I'm sure you'll do great then we'll be hanging out lots to make sure everyone gets along and stuff!" He sounded way to excited for it to just be friendly and the flush at his cheeks said things on its own.

"I intend to send him off the same way. I've also been collecting his feathers as he molts them. I sell some of them, but the most beautiful are going to stay with me. I also intend on breeding him at some point in the future so that he can live on with me through his chicks. Ravens are happiest as a flock anyway. Warry as corvids are, he's only this friendly because we were his only companions. We are his flock." He didn't like the thought of his friend passing away, but death embraces all in time. Soon enough he took comfort in the closeness with his companion, smiling at the blond's comforting words. "I don't doubt that... You'll show me all the beauty hidden in the shadows, won't you, Dark Shadow...?" His smile widened at the affectionate croon that came in response.

The electric blond sat up and looked almost starry-eyed when his friend actually came to his defense. "Ka-chan..."

The greenette rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly when his playing was brought up, though he did look quite proud of himself. "Thought I wasn't gonna make it through the set... Managed to keep it together by closing my eyes. I'm gonna stick with playin' for fun after this. I have a friend that works at a tattoo shop and he thinks he can get me in with them as a piercist. I think I'll be happier there." He shrugged at the suggestion of getting them all together at once.

"Works for me. Kyoka is workin' things out with her dad so they know what they need exactly to tour so she's been pretty absorbed in that. If you can make it to our next practice then we can do that. Everyone's got lives so we can't always get together like that. If they bring you on, you're gonna half to work with the practice schedule. These guys are serious man. Practice is once a week and they will get on your ass for missing practice. Anyway... I'm peopled the fuck out, I'm heading out guys." With that he was leaving Bakugou's side, exchanging a high five with the plain-looking brunette as he passed him, hugging the pink girl, then ruffling Kaminari's hair. "We cool?"

The blond laughed, batting his hand way and quickly trying to comb his hair down with his fingers. "Yeah, man! See ya next week!"

"Awww... Not coming to celebrate with us this time?" Pouted the redhead, setting his now-empty bottle of water down to stand up and give the thinner punk a hug.

"Not a chance. I'm gonna call a Lyft and hole up in my room to pretend people don't exist for the rest of the night. Later Kyoka!" He called as he started to make his way in the direction Tetsutetsu had just gone.

"Later, Kamakiri!" She called back with a little wave from where she stood guard of the equipment.

Eijirou moved over to stand by Bakugou now, trying to keep a hold on the nervous energy he was starting to struggle with. "We should be heading out in a little bit. With Kamakiri heading home you can ride with us so you don't have to worry about finding the place. I'm really glad you're joining us! I'd---we'd love to get to know you better!" The redhead was really bad at being subtle it seems... At least it was cute and if nothing else it made it easy to see that he was interested so flirting was definitely an option.

.....

Seeing the other get downright excited, tickled pink, even, Katsuki smirked more, setting a goal for himself-- make this poor guy overheat in the best of ways~ make it impossible to be forgotten. "I'm sure we'll get along just fine.... I think we'd have some fun, even~" He purred, being a bit more bold now. "I just hope you can handle a tiny furnace clinging to you to maintain his warmth. I *really* hate being cold."

"It would be interesting to see him with a lady friend, even if its for a short time.... But, seeing hatchlings in their fresh, naked glory would be cute." He snickered softly. "Probably would sound like very needy kittens.... I even know a chick that responsibly breeds reptiles for a living, so maybe I can get some good reccomendations for incubation practices and such for you if you want? I know the shells are different, but having the right equipment for a good brood goes a long way." He smiled softly. "Almost took a hognose baby home, he was so fucking cute, but alas I was nowhere near ready for him." He sighed, shrugging softly.

"Don't call me that if you value your life, dunceface."

"Hey, as long as you're happy with what youre doing, that's the important thing. Hell, you could still do studio work with your drumming too on the side. And as for piercing work, I habe a feeling you'd do a great job. Once you're all trained and have a following, I might get a few more spots done. Been thinking of shark bites, honestly." He nodded at the talk of practices, efore smirking. "I wont miss anything unless something comes up-- but, I'll make sure to let everyone know as soon as I can."

When Eijiro came to stand closer to the blonde, he felt the nervous energy come off the other in waves, but it emboldened the blonde, and he looked the taller man in the eye, smirking as he listened to the other. "I'd like to get to know you and the others well, too.... Though, I hope I can sit with you. If there isn't enough room to be comfortable, though, I'm not against sharing a seatbelt." He winked then, insinuating that hed like to sir in the others lap. Downright SHAMELESS!!

.....

Sure enough, the change in his voice and what his words suggested was enough to get the himbo's cheeks to flush, his voice embarrassingly raising an octave. "R-right! Sure! I don't mind!" His friends on the other hand looked like they were going to burst as they struggled to keep their laughter in. Eijirou was really hopeless... If nothing else, Mina was particularly happy for him as he'd been single for as long as she'd known him. it would be good for him to finally get himself a boyfriend.

"Mm, it would be. The trick will honestly be getting her imported. What's more, it would definitely have to wait till we're between tours at the earliest. I do look forward to the chicks... You will give me many little fluffy balls of darkness, won't you?" He cooed to the raven which happily crooned back, even if he didn't understand. "The incubation process is different between birds and reptiles, as are the incubators. I've been doing research and asking several parrot breeders what they use as well as reaching out to some raven breeders in Australia and other places to see what they personally use for their ravens. Thank you for the offer though, it was very kind of you."

Unsurprisingly, Kaminari wasn't the least bit intimidated by the threat, laughing and generally pleased with the fact that Katsuki had actually stood up for him. It had been rather needless as he often expressed affection through teasing or even bullying himself, so this was just par for the course, but being defended like that was very nice!

"Yeah, sure thing, man. You'll be seeing me around I'm sure so we'll hash it out if the apprenticeship works out." With that, the lithe punk was making his exit and honestly looking forward to next practice. He'd been worried that they would replace him with anyone they thought happened to be good enough, but he actually had a good feeling about this guy.

"Yeah, I mean, we can totally sit togeth---uh... W-wha?! I mean, you don't gotta do that, there's room, just, I, uh..." Oof. It looked like something had just shorted out there and his friends finally lost it, cackling at his expense. He glared at them, flushing right up to his ears and down his neck. "Don't laugh at me!" He whined, before hiding his face in his hands like that would actually save him from the embarrassment.

His twin unintentionally came to the rescue then, casually throwing a black shirt at his brother. "Cover your tits, we're leaving!" Only to smoothly continue on over to pick up the last of the equipment before heading right back out. "Van's loaded up! Time to go!" He called to the rest, sure enough, the lot of them gathering themselves up and together leaving the backstage area. Kirishima looked no less embarrassed as he pulled the shirt on sheepishly, but followed like the rest.

The silver-haired hunk placed his load into the back and for the small moment it was visible, it was clear he had experience at this point with the way everything was organized in such a way as to be space-efficient while also keeping things from moving around and possibly damaging something. Closing up the van he got into the driver's seat and pressed the button to open the sliding van doors for them.

As usual, Tokoyami was going to sit in the front with him, coaxing Dark Shadow into his cage and clipping him safely to his soft coffin-shaped pet bed. Once that was done, he was getting in and buckling up, cage securely tethered to the seatbelt on top of everything.

Mina suddenly rushed forward, snagging both Sero and Jirou's hands and dragging them forward with her. Just as she'd known he would, Kaminari was quick to follow, even if he didn't understand what was happening. Within seconds, she'd had them all sitting together, leaving the only vacant seat in the van the couch-like one all the way in the back.

For his part, Kirishima looked mortified, but sure enough made his way to the back, sitting himself down and buckling up. There was no other place to sit other than next to him and he knew now without the slightest doubt that his friends were trying to set him up with their potential future drummer. Why couldn't the earth just open up and swallow him hole now...?

.....

Katsuki chuckled softly at Eijiro's vocal crack, and he gently nudged him with a confident smile. "Also.... If I'm comfortable, you may not be able to get up until I wake up. I've been told by Deku I'm like a bearcat if I'm not woken proper." He teased, before noticing how the other's were struggling not to laugh. "However.... If I'm the little spoon, it may be easier for you to escape my exhausted wrath."

"That makes sense-- it's good to know you really do care and research appropriately. If only your handsome boy knew just how much you adore him." Katsuki smiled gently, having always appreciated how soft others could be for their dearest pets. Animals can't lie about their affections. "I'm just glad I was able to offer you something-- but, I'm more than happy to learn more from you in turn, when you have the time."

"I'll see you then, then blow you away!" Katsuki promised, confident in his skills as he watched the other go. If all things turn out as they should, he may have an artist he'll be glad to go to for any work he wants done on himself.

When Katsuki had successfully broken the poor redhead's brain, he snickered a bit, but was no less flirtatious with his gaze and posture, even as he yelled at their friends for laughing. "You're cute when you're flustered....~ And I'm more than happy to sit on your lap, regardless, iif you wanted me to." Katsuki winked, wondering if the poor guy would implide then and there. Alas, the other handsome twin supplied a necessary tension breaker, though it was fun seeing the pair interact the way they did. Even if it meant that the other would be fully clothed now, unfortunately.

Katsuki watched as Tetsutetsu loaded up what remained of the equipment, before watching how Mina, Jirou and the boys all rushed to the van, quirking a brow at first. When he and Eijiro got into the van, however, he finally realized what those dorks had planned, and he couldnt be happier. Sure, poor Eijiro looked like he wanted to die, but it was for good reasons~! The blonde sat boldly next to the other and buckled himself in, smirking softly. "Looks like we have the back seat all to ourselves." He purred, before carefully pressing his thigh to Eijiro's, testing the water a little further. "Hopefully it eont get too steamed up back here between the two of us~" Another scandalous wink, and even a soft, gentle trail of his finger tips from the other's knee, to halfway up his thigh.

If the poor guy got hard from this, Katsuki would take full responsibility. He's not a cruel tease.

[NicTheDjinn]

"I-I see. I'll keep that in mind..." The poor redhead stuttered, not knowing what to do with himself at this point. He really wasn't used to having people that he finds attractive flirt with him. People that he isn't attracted to, sure, pretty often in fact given his lead singer status, but he just didn't usually flirt and then get flirted back with. He was going to have to give this a think and figure out how he wanted to move forward with this, if at all.

"I'm sure he has an inkling." Assured the Goth, continuing to shower his feathered friend with affection.

"Hah! You better! I think Jirou would kill you and Kaminari both if you don't with the way he's pitched you to us." The greenette thankfully left in good spirits, even if he pointedly didn't go near Tokoyami and his feathery asshole to say goodbye.

"Thank you..." He muttered into his hands only to whine softly as he went right on flirting with him again. How was he going to survive the evening, let alone having this guy as their drummer if things went well? Thankfully Tetsu was unknowingly breaking up the moment and he took the out while he had it, pulling on the shirt he'd tossed at him. Not that the shirt did too over much to hide what lay under it as it fit him fairly snuggley. Together they vacated the rest area behind the stage so the next band could use it when they finished their set.

If he looked like he was going to die when he first sat himself down in the van, then his soul had definitely just left him as the flirting that he'd assumed would take a break picked right back up again and a finger traced up his leg. He reached down and snatched up the hand that had been playing along his thigh, holding it firmly. He closed his eyes and visibly took breathes to calm himself down. Once he had a better hold of himself, he leaned in to speak quietly into his ear as they got going, taking advantage of the music that started up from the van speakers.

"I find you really attractive, I do, and I know my friends want me to find someone they think I would be happy with, but this is way too fast. We're in front of everyone and that includes my brother. Slow down. Let's be friends." He pushed, still holding the blond's hand in part to keep it from doing anything else to him, but also because he wanted to hold it.

While the rest of the van was purposely ignoring what was happening at the back and talking amongst themselves, the group's roadie checked up on them using the rearview mirror from time to time to make sure things didn't get out of hand and ready to come to his brother's rescue, should he need it. So far, he looked like he was handling the situation so he didn't call attention to them.

[LovelyBones]

Katsuki was having a little too much fun with this, finally being able to flirt genuinely with someone seemingly interested flirting back. Regardless of Eijiro's popularity, he was adorable, sweet, and if he was with Denki and the others, clearly he was someone safe to be around. But, past relationships be damned, it was worth throwing a few tests out to make sure he wasn't setting himself up for heartbreak again. It wouldn't be the first time he trusted the wrong person, after all. The blonde smiled and watched happily as the goth lovingly showered his feathery companion with attention, before snickering at the green-haired drummer. "Hah!! As if!! I'll make ya fall on your asses!!" He boasted as the other left, confidence wafting off of him in waves.

However, Katsuki was admittedly a bit surprised with Eijiro's reaction to him getting a bit too touchy, but it was a good sort. It meant the other had enough of a brain to say no, despite temptation. As well as a sense of reasonable shame about being overly public about affection and more. Katsuki relaxed where he sat next to the other, and nodded quietly, before leaning in to speak to the taller man, "It's alright, I got ahead of myself, and I'm sorry about that." He carefully turned his hand upward under Eijiro's, then gently laced their fingers together. "I've been told I can be.... a little heavy when I'm really invested in something, and it can get out of hand. If it happens again, please tell me, alright?" He asked, before glancing towards the others. "To be honest.... I hope I fit in with you guys in general. I highly doubt all of you are as accepting and tolerant as Kaminari is. I'll admit it, I can be a dick at times and not register it until it's too late. It takes time to figure people out." He sighed softly, before leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"But, regardless, I hope you all can shine, even if it doesn't work out with me being part of the group. But, if you're all just as accepting as my favorite dumbass is, knows when I'm just fucking around with my insults and all that, and can dish it all back just as well, I think I'll fit in just fine. I already like it here, honestly." He admitted, listening to the vague conversations overlapping with one another in the van, with the music providing an oddly fitting soundtrack to the small trip. "I will admit, though, regardless of if I'm in the band or in the crowd, you better believe I'll be your number one fan, no doubt about it." He peeked over at Eijiro with a gentler smile this time, his eyes soft, hopeful. "You really know how to put your soul into the words you sing, and it's not often I get to hear that, even from bigger bands." He praised softly, before leaning his head back again, and closing his eyes once more.

If tonight was going to be as energetic as he thought it may be, he knew it'd be best if he tried to limit the sensory overload as much as he could now. He was already going to end up in bed later than he'd like, so if he could avoid a migraine well ahead of time, he will. Shit, did he bring anything for that? No, he didn't. Well, he'll just suck it up when he gets home after hanging out with everyone. ".... You wouldn't happen to have ibuprofen in the van somewhere, would you? I don't need it now, but I might later before I head home."

[NicTheDjinn]

A part of him was worried that he'd just ruined his chances by slamming the brakes on things, but a different part of him pointed out that if he had, then it wasn't a relationship he wanted anyway. Assuming he would seek that kind of relationship to start with. This was always a scary phase, but he needed to be sure everything was good before actually moving forward. That would be best. His worries were laid to rest when he was not only quietly apologized to, but rather than pulling away, the blond turned his hand to instead hold his. He tried not to pay attention to the happy little skip his heart took at the sweet gesture. Leaning in, he whispered back in return.

"Thank you... This means a lot to me. I want to be friends, I'm sure of that, but... I need to think about having more than that. Like I said, you're super attractive, but I don't normally just jump into relationships like that. Thanks for understanding, I promise to give it some serious thought and I won't lead you on if it's not happening." He gave the hand in his an affectionate squeeze, but made no move to actually let go of it. Holding hands felt nice and he did it with his friends sometimes so this was fine. He... Wasn't sure if Bakugou knew that, but that fine... Yeah. Totally fine.

"I'm sure we'll all get along great. If you're friends with Kaminari, you can't be a bad guy and we're used to dealing with both him and Kamakiri. We already know you're snarky so we're prepared." He smiled, gently teasing him a bit. "Besides, no one here will be shy about calling you out on being a dick so we'll work through things as they come." He couldn't help looking the blond over as he closed his eyes and relaxed with him. He was so unfairly pretty... He almost lost track of the conversation, but he thankfully caught himself and focused on the words being said to him and not on how he really wanted to kiss those lips.

"Yeah, I hope so too! It would be amazing if you could be up on stage with us though. It's thrilling! Or... Terrifying, I guess, depending on your outlook on crowds. Hope you like being the center of attention because you'll get plenty of that with us and progressively more of it if things go as planned." He was caught off guard as the praise was turned squarely on him, flushing right up to the tips of his ears. He smiled, pulling his hand free, but only so he could bashfully hide his face in his palms. "Th-thank you! That's so flattering! I try really hard and I've always enjoyed singing. I wasn't very good after I hit puberty though, but Kyouka helped me find my voice again and here we are!"

He came out from hiding when asked for some painkillers, frowning a little. He then turned his attention to the front of the van, raising his voice as little as he thought he could get away with so as not to hurt the poor blond's head. "Bro! Do we have any ibuprofen?"

The answer came almost instantly, though the answer might sound a touch strange to Katsuki himself. "In my baby bag!"

"Right, thanks!" Apparently this was a very normal answer as not a single person in the van reacted to the response. Without hesitation, Kirishima unbuckled his seat belt then turned to kneel on the seat so he could look back into the very carefully packed trunk area. It took a little looking around before he spotted it and thoughtlessly reached out to get it. This lead to Katsuki getting an unintentional side-boob to the face, a distracted apology, then Kirishima was plopping back down with what appeared to be a camo print backpack. He opened the main zipper and revealed it to actually be a baby bag. From inside he pulled a smaller pouch, this one in snow-camo, with a familiar red cross on it. From inside, he pulled out a small bottle of the requested pills and frowned a little, shaking it. Several pills rattled inside, but it sounded close to empty.

"Tetsu, we're running low!" He announced before offering the little bottle to Katsuki. "These good? You can take them when we get there, or if you want them sooner, Tokoyami could bring you some water when we drop Shadow off."

[LovelyBones]

"That's understandable.... it's rare for love at first sight to actually work out, you know.... Doesn't hurt to dream about it, though." He admitted, having always wanted that sudden, sweet feeling, that connection, feeling.... complete, like he was finally good enough for someone. He's been working on his problems, and he knows damn well it's unhealthy to expect someone to complete him perfectly. Thus, why it's only a dream to be had, long for when you see it played out in movies. "I appreciate it. Nothings worse than thinking you have something, only for it to be one-sided. I never want to be a side piece." He chuckled softly, though it wasn't a joke. He didn't want to get hurt again, especially after trusting someone dearly.

The reassurances that he would get along with everyone was comforting for sure, especially with how genuine the other was as he spoke. With his eyes closed, he had no idea how Eijiro looked at him, let alone his lips.... if he did, he'd have a hard time about not teasing the other, tempting him to take a kiss from the blonde. "I'm used to being the center of attention-- my mom put me in pageants when I was a kid, believe it or not. There was also concert band, choir, theater.... I've done it all." He admitted, having a bittersweet relationship with performing in the past. He enjoyed it until his mother always ragged on him about bit being good enough, even when his praises were sung by everyone else. "If I have issues, I'll definitely get that addressed right away, for your guy's sake." Though, he opened his eyes and looked over when Eijiro took his hand back, only to hide an adorably flustered expression. "I hope I never, ever miss the chance to hear you sing from the bottom of your heart on stage." He smiled to the other, genuine in his words.

As he ran a hand sorely over his forehead, he watched and listened to the brothers speak to one another, and, indeed, the term 'baby bag' threw him for a loop. However, the sideboob to the face made him turn positively pink as the other dug around, his heart racing a bit. How the hell can he be gay and still be into tits like this?? No matter. The other was helping him out. "These'll be fine, I'm just not used to so much stimuli at once, and with how late it will be, I'll need these to help keep a migraine at bay. Ironic, huh?" He snickered, before checking the bottle. For it to work for him, he'd need 3 pills to start at least. "I may need the water sooner, honestly.... I hate how easy it is for my head to hurt, sometimes making me crumple if it's bad enough.