Mod Post: Round 3 Lightning Drabble Round (Open to Everyone!)
Hello!
The mod team (roebling and myself, almostblue) just want to say again that we are so incredibly grateful to everyone who has written, read, and commented for this third round of TBB. Thank you for your time and effort and talent! It's been amazing to see so much great enthusiasm and energy ( Read more... )
The mod team (roebling and myself, almostblue) just want to say again that we are so incredibly grateful to everyone who has written, read, and commented for this third round of TBB. Thank you for your time and effort and talent! It's been amazing to see so much great enthusiasm and energy ( Read more... )
Yongguk sets the USB on the kitchen table, sliding it towards Daehyun’s steaming mug of chamomile. Daehyun watches his fingers before flicking his eyes up to look at Yongguk. “We’re going to try a different concept,” says Yongguk. “Not more difficult, just...harder, you know?” Daehyun nods. “It’s like the music on there.”
The unspoken request hangs in the air. Daehyun nods again, murmuring. “I’ll listen to it, hyung.” Yongguk smiles, hand flexing for an instant as though he was about to clap Daehyun on the shoulder. Instead, he murmurs goodnight and disappears out the door, probably heading to the studio to nurse his insomnia at the mixing board.
When he stands to put his mug in the sink, Daehyun picks up the USB, turning it over, curious. Listening to it later, all the music is loud. The vocalists scream, and the bass and guitar riffs are heavy and jarring. This is really the kind of concept Yongguk wants for one of the songs on the album? He puts the songs on repeat and closes his eyes, nodding his head along once he finds the beat.
They don’t spend much time talking about that particular track, either between the two of them or with the others. The group devotes most of their days running through the choreography for their title track, learning the melody, memorizing lyrics. Scarfing down meals when they can. The nights are just as full, decent nights’ sleep fading to a fond memory.
Vocal training is tough too, with Daehyun and Youngjae staying late to help Jongup with his range exercises. They’ve got their own to do as well, Daehyun struggling with finding and holding the correct timbre, Youngjae perfecting his pitch.
Final recordings come far too fast; Daehyun’s certain time skipped a few days. He’s the last to record. Yongguk and the producer hyungs wait outside the booth, sitting amongst the scattered cans empty of energy drink. The song moves fast, and Daehyun pushes with his diaphragm to reach the note. His throat feels right this time; he thinks this is the take that will go on the track. He records this section a few more times to give the producers more material to work with before Yongguk signals him out of the booth.
The segments he recorded play back through the room speakers. Daehyun frowns, lines between his eyebrows deepening as he tallies his mistakes. But then he hears himself hit the high, wailing note that starts off the final chorus. Yongguk turns to him, mouth open in an excited grin and eyes dancing. Daehyun fills with satisfaction, feeling renewed.
“You sound like an electric guitar!” Yongguk gushes. “Well, close enough. We can go the rest of the way, but it isn’t far.”
Daehyun grins, puffing with praise. “I’m going back first, hyung,” he says, already turning to pick up his bag by the couch.
“I’ll walk out with you,” Yongguk says, stuffing his hands in his pockets. They meander down the hallway, not talking. Yongguk stops in front of a drink vending machine in the building’s lobby. “Do you want me to buy you anything?”
He considers the options before picking a juice drink. Yongguk feeds money into the machine and presses the corresponding button. “Thanks, hyung.” Daehyun accepts the offered bottle.
“Don’t mention it,” Yongguk says, reaching out to pat Daehyun’s ass in a quick love tap. “See you in the morning.”
Outside, the night is lonely, with no one around to see him bite his lip and blush.
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