[Bakugo made sure even his Rank 3 room had some cooking amenities; cobbled together with individual burners and some stacking pots, but he made it happen. Pivoting to the DVDs, he sorts through the group, arranging them alphabetically by genre with surprising speed. Back onto the table they go, slotted to the side and leaving the rest clear. Nothing around to use as bookends, so... He's leaving the countertop until last. Probably gonna grab a staff later to commandeer their vacuum cleaner once everything's picked up, straightened out, and put away in here.
(He's not going into Hiyori's bedroom. That's the idol's problem.)
Dammit, took him long enough!] Then don't counter next time and just do it!
[Scram, brat! Hiyori's off in a flash and Bakugo finishes arranging the television area. Couch done, entertainment done, dining table done... What's next? Chairs and faux windowsills? Like hell is he gonna whistle while he works! Usually his housekeeping's done with his earbuds in and something playing if he's alone, or arguing with whoever has the misfortune of cleaning with him and trying to yak with him while working.]
I didn't know Prince Prick well when he made those. [He assumes, since hell if he knows when Hiyori got those flowers. Bakugo's known Esikko for over a year and a half now? Hiyori as long too. They were both some of the first people he ever met in this place. With everything else done, he heads for the fridge (of Hiyori has one) to grab a drink, the sink if there's no alternative. Taking a quick break before tackling the counter. Plus he doesn't want to make a lot of noise while Hiyori's recording his song.]
If they were grown to feed on your voice, why the hell do you think they'll want someone else's?
[Did Jun's singing also give them sustenance? Hiyori should know the answer to that by now. Someone singing to "song eating" flowers, only to watch them turn away or wilt, is a lose-lose situation. Bakugo falls silent as Hiyori plays his opening song. Only to clap his hands over his ears with a shout and grab for the volume.]
YOU DON'T NEED TO BREAK THE FUCKING SOUND BARRIER!!
[The chairs don't have stuff on them, and the faux windowsills thankfully don't have too much either: just a scented oil diffuser and another couple of (non-magical) houseplants.]
No? [Hiyori only smiles at the denial.] Then you must have grown a lot closer since Christmas.
[That was when he received the sunflowers: as a Christmas gift. He can sense how fond Esikko is of Bakugo now; he saw the way he worried about him, heard him call Bakugo cute inside the elevator. But there's no telling how they felt about each other last Christmas, and anyway, Esikko said he made the flowers with him in mind. He'll drop the idea of Bakugo singing for them for now.
But Hiyori does want to get them used to hearing other voices, as he explains matter-of-factly.]
He said they'll feed on anyone's voice, but that they prefer my voice. In other words, they're like my fans! But even the most dedicated among my fans can still appreciate other voices. They've heard Jun-kun's singing too before. But I haven't been playing them recordings, so that's what's next!
[It's nice, the thought that he can keep singing for them even after he disappears. He'll have to send some recordings along to Bakugo later. But for now, he hits Play on one such recording, filling the room with a funky sunny beat! ... at way too loud a volume. He hits Pause, laughing at Bakugo's reaction.]
Fufu, sorry! Just testing! ♪
[A little payback, perhaps, for all the times Bakugo's yelled in his face and hurt his eardrums.
He hits Play again, this time with the volume lowered, and lets that chirpy sound fill the room again. The song is called "Fantastic Days," and the lyrics are as stereotypically "Hiyori" as Bakugo can possibly imagine. Lots of sunshine imagery and words of encouragement, peppered with questionable English ("The shimmery Sunny Beam, soak it up and Life So Fine!"). To a cynic, the over-the-top cheerfulness might seem forced or fake. But that, too, is addressed in the song. "Though you may have to fake a smile at first, it'll soon be good weather." Even a fake smile can become a real smile.
As for the sunflowers? They're moving again, heads bobbing lightly, just like they did during his last concert. When the recording ends, they go still again. Hiyori smiles with triumph.]
[No cleaning up there then. Minus wiping off some dirt from the houseplants.]
Urusei. That was almost a year ago.
[Of course someone's gonna get to know another person better if they see them occasionally that long. Hmph. Bakugo never intended to get close to anyone from the day he found himself in the resort. Distractions, pain in the ass, extra, burdens he didn't need as he worked on getting out. But, things change. He's only human.]
That's not what you said before! [Dammit, don't go changing the criteria when he already fixed an answer in his head! With nothing else to gather and pick up, he flops down on the empty living area chair and kicks his legs over on armrest, back propped against the other. They can worry about where to put Jun's statue when Hiyori's ready.]
Record however many you want. [His voice is quieter than normal as he gazes at Hiyori's wall. Strange. There's that feeling again. As if the idol's somehow saying goodbye... Cold in his stomach, clenching at his chest, heat creeping into his lower eyelids. He blinks twice, banishing the feeling. Fuck off. If Hiyori isn't here, that means he's gone home. Back to Jun. To the world he belongs to. He should be happy with each person who disappears!
Dropping his head back on his shoulders, he lets his eyes close and Hiyori's voice curl around him as it fills the room. A happy, upbeat tune, chasing away stupid thoughts and emotion. It's what the idol does. Sunshine embodied on Earth, offering smile, warmth, light, to everyone he sings for. it'll soon be good weather. Aa, eventually, even the darkest night gives way to the morning glow.]
Good to know. Now you can get sick all you want without worrying.
True! Time certainly flies here. It feels like only yesterday that I opened my door to find home-baked tarts, salmon quiche, and a keyring with cute charms attached.
[If he can't tease Bakugo about his attachment to Esikko, he'll tease him about his attachment to... himself. Even if that might be a bit cruel, considering what's coming.
Bakugo says he wasn't honest before, and naturally he argues.]
I never said they won't listen to any other songs. I just said they like music and they love my voice! They're like fans, but they're also like pets! ♪
[They were a pretty thoughtful Christmas gift. In his darkest hours before Jun's disappearance, whenever he worried he'd never go home and see his fans or family again, his plants kept him from feeling lonely, and they also kept him feeling useful. It's harder to drown in misery when you have something or someone to take care of.
He plays the flowers another song, which they soak up like sunshine. The recording works just as well as singing to them directly, as far as he can tell. A success. And that gives him heart. It's a relief, really. To know they'll still be able to sway along to his voice, even if he's—
"Sick."
That's the word Bakugo uses, same as they talked about before. Him getting sick and losing his voice. But something about it rings oddly in his ears, especially when coupled with that quiet-sounding "Record however many you want" he heard a minute ago. He looks at Bakugo, studying his face for a moment, and feels a pang of something not quite like guilt.
But not completely unlike it, either.]
Well, it's not that I want to get sick, but...
[He trails off. It's hard: he doesn't want to lie to a friend who's done so much for him. But he doesn't want to completely bring down the mood, either, nor will he ask for approval. That would just be selfish.
Still, with Jun's statue literally in the room with them, he figures there's no need to beat around the bush quite this much. His eyes fall there for a second—on the statue—before he continues.]
But I'm glad you suggested it. It's always best to be prepared. I thought that if something happened, I could leave the flowers to Esikko-kun, but it's better if they can keep hearing my voice, too.
[A smile as he finishes:]
I'm an idol, after all. And we idols are loath to give up the spotlight no matter who asks. ♪
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 1/4/26 06:15 (UTC)(He's not going into Hiyori's bedroom. That's the idol's problem.)
Dammit, took him long enough!] Then don't counter next time and just do it!
[Scram, brat! Hiyori's off in a flash and Bakugo finishes arranging the television area. Couch done, entertainment done, dining table done... What's next? Chairs and faux windowsills? Like hell is he gonna whistle while he works! Usually his housekeeping's done with his earbuds in and something playing if he's alone, or arguing with whoever has the misfortune of cleaning with him and trying to yak with him while working.]
I didn't know Prince Prick well when he made those. [He assumes, since hell if he knows when Hiyori got those flowers. Bakugo's known Esikko for over a year and a half now? Hiyori as long too. They were both some of the first people he ever met in this place. With everything else done, he heads for the fridge (of Hiyori has one) to grab a drink, the sink if there's no alternative. Taking a quick break before tackling the counter. Plus he doesn't want to make a lot of noise while Hiyori's recording his song.]
If they were grown to feed on your voice, why the hell do you think they'll want someone else's?
[Did Jun's singing also give them sustenance? Hiyori should know the answer to that by now. Someone singing to "song eating" flowers, only to watch them turn away or wilt, is a lose-lose situation. Bakugo falls silent as Hiyori plays his opening song. Only to clap his hands over his ears with a shout and grab for the volume.]
YOU DON'T NEED TO BREAK THE FUCKING SOUND BARRIER!!
[What was that, MAX volume?!]
no subject
Date: 1/6/26 05:26 (UTC)No? [Hiyori only smiles at the denial.] Then you must have grown a lot closer since Christmas.
[That was when he received the sunflowers: as a Christmas gift. He can sense how fond Esikko is of Bakugo now; he saw the way he worried about him, heard him call Bakugo cute inside the elevator. But there's no telling how they felt about each other last Christmas, and anyway, Esikko said he made the flowers with him in mind. He'll drop the idea of Bakugo singing for them for now.
But Hiyori does want to get them used to hearing other voices, as he explains matter-of-factly.]
He said they'll feed on anyone's voice, but that they prefer my voice. In other words, they're like my fans! But even the most dedicated among my fans can still appreciate other voices. They've heard Jun-kun's singing too before. But I haven't been playing them recordings, so that's what's next!
[It's nice, the thought that he can keep singing for them even after he disappears. He'll have to send some recordings along to Bakugo later. But for now, he hits Play on one such recording, filling the room with a funky sunny beat! ... at way too loud a volume. He hits Pause, laughing at Bakugo's reaction.]
Fufu, sorry! Just testing! ♪
[A little payback, perhaps, for all the times Bakugo's yelled in his face and hurt his eardrums.
He hits Play again, this time with the volume lowered, and lets that chirpy sound fill the room again. The song is called "Fantastic Days," and the lyrics are as stereotypically "Hiyori" as Bakugo can possibly imagine. Lots of sunshine imagery and words of encouragement, peppered with questionable English ("The shimmery Sunny Beam, soak it up and Life So Fine!"). To a cynic, the over-the-top cheerfulness might seem forced or fake. But that, too, is addressed in the song. "Though you may have to fake a smile at first, it'll soon be good weather." Even a fake smile can become a real smile.
As for the sunflowers? They're moving again, heads bobbing lightly, just like they did during his last concert. When the recording ends, they go still again. Hiyori smiles with triumph.]
Success!
no subject
Date: 1/11/26 18:14 (UTC)Urusei. That was almost a year ago.
[Of course someone's gonna get to know another person better if they see them occasionally that long. Hmph. Bakugo never intended to get close to anyone from the day he found himself in the resort. Distractions, pain in the ass, extra, burdens he didn't need as he worked on getting out. But, things change. He's only human.]
That's not what you said before! [Dammit, don't go changing the criteria when he already fixed an answer in his head! With nothing else to gather and pick up, he flops down on the empty living area chair and kicks his legs over on armrest, back propped against the other. They can worry about where to put Jun's statue when Hiyori's ready.]
Record however many you want. [His voice is quieter than normal as he gazes at Hiyori's wall. Strange. There's that feeling again. As if the idol's somehow saying goodbye... Cold in his stomach, clenching at his chest, heat creeping into his lower eyelids. He blinks twice, banishing the feeling. Fuck off. If Hiyori isn't here, that means he's gone home. Back to Jun. To the world he belongs to. He should be happy with each person who disappears!
Dropping his head back on his shoulders, he lets his eyes close and Hiyori's voice curl around him as it fills the room. A happy, upbeat tune, chasing away stupid thoughts and emotion. It's what the idol does. Sunshine embodied on Earth, offering smile, warmth, light, to everyone he sings for. it'll soon be good weather. Aa, eventually, even the darkest night gives way to the morning glow.]
Good to know. Now you can get sick all you want without worrying.
no subject
Date: 1/12/26 18:32 (UTC)[If he can't tease Bakugo about his attachment to Esikko, he'll tease him about his attachment to... himself. Even if that might be a bit cruel, considering what's coming.
Bakugo says he wasn't honest before, and naturally he argues.]
I never said they won't listen to any other songs. I just said they like music and they love my voice! They're like fans, but they're also like pets! ♪
[They were a pretty thoughtful Christmas gift. In his darkest hours before Jun's disappearance, whenever he worried he'd never go home and see his fans or family again, his plants kept him from feeling lonely, and they also kept him feeling useful. It's harder to drown in misery when you have something or someone to take care of.
He plays the flowers another song, which they soak up like sunshine. The recording works just as well as singing to them directly, as far as he can tell. A success. And that gives him heart. It's a relief, really. To know they'll still be able to sway along to his voice, even if he's—
"Sick."
That's the word Bakugo uses, same as they talked about before. Him getting sick and losing his voice. But something about it rings oddly in his ears, especially when coupled with that quiet-sounding "Record however many you want" he heard a minute ago. He looks at Bakugo, studying his face for a moment, and feels a pang of something not quite like guilt.
But not completely unlike it, either.]
Well, it's not that I want to get sick, but...
[He trails off. It's hard: he doesn't want to lie to a friend who's done so much for him. But he doesn't want to completely bring down the mood, either, nor will he ask for approval. That would just be selfish.
Still, with Jun's statue literally in the room with them, he figures there's no need to beat around the bush quite this much. His eyes fall there for a second—on the statue—before he continues.]
But I'm glad you suggested it. It's always best to be prepared. I thought that if something happened, I could leave the flowers to Esikko-kun, but it's better if they can keep hearing my voice, too.
[A smile as he finishes:]
I'm an idol, after all. And we idols are loath to give up the spotlight no matter who asks. ♪