Kise Ryouta (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
yellowcopycat) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
swan_forest2020-05-04 08:28 pm
yellowcopycat) wrote in swan_forest2020-05-04 08:28 pm
Entry tags:
Karaoke Fun.
"Fujiwara! Over here!" Ryouta called over to Shuu, waving at him, and beaming. It was hard to miss Kise Ryouta; he was over six feet tall and was as blond and energetic as a yellow Labrador puppy. "Hey! You made it!"
He grinned at his new friend. He hadn't quite become close enough to the other teen to add the -cchi to his surname yet. Or to really call him by his given name. But Ryouta had become a lot more relaxed about that then he had been before high school started.
He was waiting in front of his favorite karaoke place. He had reserved a private room for them for a couple hours to sing to their hearts content.
Or at least Ryouta's content. He didn't know how much Shuu liked to sing.
He grinned at his new friend. He hadn't quite become close enough to the other teen to add the -cchi to his surname yet. Or to really call him by his given name. But Ryouta had become a lot more relaxed about that then he had been before high school started.
He was waiting in front of his favorite karaoke place. He had reserved a private room for them for a couple hours to sing to their hearts content.
Or at least Ryouta's content. He didn't know how much Shuu liked to sing.
no subject
He's reminded of that friend when Kise starts enthusiastically waving him over. Kise isn't someone he knows too well, but it's easy to feel relaxed around him, given his friendly and outgoing personality. When his figure comes into view, Shuu smiles, raising a hand to return the greeting (albeit a little less energetically).
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
His eyes linger on Kise's smiling face for a moment, before traveling over to the building standing in front of them. This place isn't familiar to him. Karaoke might be a dirt-common pastime for high school students, but Shuu's never done it before. Nonetheless he's determined not to let his inexperience hold him back. He might lose the karaoke battle but he won't go down without a fight.
"Are you ready to go now?"
no subject
As they enter the establishment the clerk tells them the room is ready and he orders some water and strawberry soda. "Order what you want, I can cover," he said. He had made a decent amount from his last modeling job, so he had extra to splurge.
"What kind of music do you like? This place as a lot of genres and lots of decades. My dad took my mom here for their first date. Though it's been updated since then, except for the song selection, they just add to that."
no subject
His attention snaps back to the other boy when he says he'll pay for everything. "You already paid for the room," Shuu points out. "I can cover drinks." Not that he doesn't appreciate the offer. Then again... was it an offer? It sounded less like Kise was offering and more like he already decided. But they can figure it out how to split the bill later. For now, Shuu's just going to follow Kise towards their room.
The halls are quiet, save for the sound of Kise breezily chatting away. The soundproofing in these rooms must be good. Shuu's face flickers with interest when Kise reveals that his parents came here for their first date. He hadn't been thinking of karaoke as a romantic activity; that information causes him to view the place a little differently. It also causes him to realize he has no idea where his own parents went for their first date. Or how they met, for that matter.
Talking about music is probably safer than talking about family. Shuu goes ahead and answers the question.
"I like anything that sounds good. But I don't know too many modern songs. I usually listen to older music."
To be honest, he hasn't listened to much besides classical music. His sister plays the violin and he briefly tried to learn it himself as a child. But that kind of musical knowledge won't help him in a karaoke box. Thankfully, he did some research before coming here.
Speaking of karaoke boxes... They're approaching the room the clerk mentioned at the front desk. Shuu follows Kise inside, peering around to get a look. His eyes are drawn first to the TV screen mounted on the wall, and then to the small array of items sitting on the table: food and drink menus, two microphones, and an electronic device which looks like it might be a song selector.
no subject
One of the good things about Ryouta, and one of the bad things too, is that he can become somewhat self-absorbed, even for a teenager. Still, given the fact he is a model and a well-known basketball player, one could understand why he has a high opinion of himself. So any discomfort he caused Fujiwara goes over his head.
"Don't worry about buying drinks, I got a nice bonus from my last photoshoot, and I don't get to spoil people often. You're on your own for food though."
He sat down, picked up a drink menu, flipping to the non-alcoholic section. "Do you want me to go first or do you wanna go first?" He looked up at Fujiwara, then over at the song selector. "I should probably show you how that works."
no subject
Intellectually, he understands Kise's point: that what sounds good and what doesn't is, for the most part, subjective. A matter of taste. But he's not quite open-minded enough to think all genres of music are created equal. Some he considers more respectable than others.
Hearing Kise talk about his last photoshoot throws him for a loop. The world of modeling is completely foreign to him. But, Shuu being Shuu, he doesn't show much reaction beyond a slight arch of his eyebrow. It's reassuring to hear that Kise only intends to pay for drinks. In that case...
"I'll pay for food, then."
With Kise flipping through the drink options, Shuu decides to pick up the food menu. A variety of junk food adorns the cover: onion rings, nachos, cheese pizza, and a big old ice cream sundae topped with sprinkles and chocolate drizzle. Not his favorite type of food, but he's not a picky eater. It might be nice to indulge himself in this sort of thing while he's here. He opens up to the first page...
His eyes go wide, drawn to one of the color photographs at the bottom of the page. For a mere 395 yen, they have something truly delicious on sale. His favorite food... octopus balls.
He's so distracted looking at the picture that he doesn't notice Kise is gearing up to choose their first song. Shuu glances up from the menu, then over to the song selector. He weighs the question in his head for a moment before he replies, "You can go first if you want."
Kise is the one who knows what he's doing. Shuu did his research before coming here, but he might as well learn from example, which is what he's doing right now: watching Kise's fingers tap at the screen and trying to figure out how the device works.
no subject
He reached over and grabbed the book. "Okay, so you find the song you want, and there's going to be a number next to it. You put that number into the computer there." He pointed out the little computer and scooted over to it, putting in the code for his song, but not entering it just yet. It was his go-to karaoke song and he had it memorized.
It was probably a good idea that he go first. That way Fujiwara would get an idea of how things worked here. "Alright," he said, beaming and hit the enter button. And his song came up. A popular idol song with a peppy beat. He took the microphone and began to sing. He was animated while he sang his heart out, dancing along, not even looking at the screen where the words were displayed, another sign that he had memorized this song.
no subject
He turns his head and lifts his brow, sending Kise a suspicious look. Is this person an idol otaku like a certain teammate of his? No, given that Kise also purports to care about other types of music, that's probably not the case.
When Kise finishes talking Shuu's eyes drift down to the drink menu. This place sure does offer a variety of sugary drinks. In restaurants and cafes Shuu usually goes for tea. He never drunk soda too much as a kid and hasn't had it in a long time. But if that's the kind of drink people usually have at karaoke, maybe it wouldn't hurt to get it.
He'll put that thought on hold for now, since Kise is trying to show him how to work the karaoke machine. Shuu leans in, watching the other boy's fingers move across the screen. It seems easy enough to operate, but what he really wonders about is the song selection. He skims down the list of titles, trying to find a song he recognizes, but nothing's ringing any bells, even though he did his research before coming here. Thankfully, Kise is up first, so he doesn't need to choose one right now; all he has to do is sit back, relax, and give Kise his undivided attention.
It doesn't prove to be very difficult. Kise is so bright and so exuberant that it's hard not to look at him. From the moment he picks up the microphone, he exudes a bold sort of confidence, performing the song rather than merely singing it. His singing voice sounds good, as far as Shuu can tell, but that's almost an afterthought. When someone's this captivating to watch, everything else just sort of falls to the wayside.
Shuu, who's always been quiet and unexpressive, probably couldn't put on a performance like that if he tried.
Throughout the entire song, Shuu watches with rapt attention; his violet eyes never leave Kise's face. It's probably enough to make the average person self-conscious, especially when his stare is so unemotional. But some of Shuu's feelings do show on his face: his eyes are wide, and the look in them is definitely tinged with awe.
The song comes to an end and the room fills with silence. Abruptly, Shuu realizes he doesn't know the proper etiquette here. What are you supposed to do when someone finishes a song—cheer for them? Clap your hands? He'll go with the second one. Shuu brings his hands together for a few awkward smatterings of applause.