Chapter Text
Atsushi was just supposed to be an intern.
A boy with nowhere to go a drowning man took pity on and threw a simple internship at.
All he was supposed to do was fetch coffees and run various errands — perhaps on occasion maybe give feedback on certain bits and bobs of routines.
You know, intern stuff.
And now here he was in the studio with some of the best dancers in the country going through a rehearsal for a music video ?!
He was just supposed to be an intern, he wasn’t even on an apprenticeship or anything !
“Okay Atsushi do you know what a grape vine is ?”
A young boy with blonde hair and dungarees asked he was one of the apprentices but he might as well be one of the officially listed dancers — probably the only reason he wasn’t was because of minor laws for the industry.
Miyazawa Kenji — yet to debut
Stage Name: N/A
General Facts:
— Picked up by the armed dance agency after he went viral when a tourist filmed his unique and modern square dancing style.
— aside from his dance apprenticeship he works in the countryside on his family’s farm.
Iconic moments:
— Went viral after being in an interview for the Armed Dance Agencys apprentice programme, in which he was asked his thoughts on Nakahara's most recent dance show to which he replied “I’m sorry who is that ?”, it became an instant meme which has since died down but still reappears in highlight reels occasionally as “who is that - farmer boy”
~
Atsushi stared at the boy blinking for a few moments before awkwardly looking at the floor.
He in fact did not know what that was … unless he was talking about an actual grape vine which he highly doubted.
“UGHH HOW’S HE SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE VIDEO IF HE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW THAT !”
A short man in an overly large brown zip up hoodie whined from his seat upon one of the foam blocks.
He kicked his hightops against the block petulantly.
The man certainly was a sight to see, his obnoxiously large clothes made him seem even smaller than he was. Today he was wearing skater jorts and and a dress shirt — purple tie hanging loosely around his neck. Not to mention the brown baker boy hat that sat atop his spiked black hair.
He was known for his lack of aesthetic, though to be honest at his increase in popularity he had become his own aesthetic and was credited for his part in making the mix and match trend popular when he first debuted.
“I’m the worlds greatest DJ I’m not gonna put my name on a bunch of bullcrap it’ll ruin my image.”
He huffed crossing his arms and signaling his head petulantly at the poor boy.
Edogawa Ranpo.
Stage name : DJ RAИP0
General Facts:
— made his debut at 14 with “Ultra DJduction” the hit single that remained in the top ten for over a month and remains a world favourite till this day
—Labelled the "The dance music industry’s linchpin” by famous Port Mafia street dancer Nakahara Chūya
—Gained popularity after being commissioned for the composition of “ANT1GRA/IT¥” for Nakahara's last tour.
Iconic moments :
— After being labelled as “little big name” by disapproving critics, released the single “STILL bigger than you !” Which went to number one overnight and became a viral internet sensation making him more popular than ever.
— comparing a boring interviewer to a cow saying how he just sounded like cattle mooing.
— Upon being asked why he didn’t show up to an awards ceremony , simply stated how he didn’t know how to take the train to get there.
“Ranpo has a point.”
A man with square glasses stated bluntly crossing his arms over his chest.
“See Kunikida gets it !”
Ranpo replied, bringing his eyes back to the now very embarrassed boy.
Kunikida Doppo
Stage Name: Doppo Poet
General Facts:
— Made his debut at 20 years old after quitting his day job as a maths teacher
— Debuted at an international competition with his tango titled “Doppo Poet” an emotional, sharp and almost aggressive dance originally choreographed for two people yet only he performed. The dance won several awards and joined the list of most iconic dances of the decade.
— Well known for his precise and calculated movements, as well as how he prepared every detail of his dances, even composing his own music.
Iconic Moments:
— When asked why he danced Doppo Poet alone he stated that he held auditions but none of the women met his ideals of what the perfect partner should dance like.
— Calling Dazai — a well known and greatly sought after choreographer a “bumbling oaf” on live television
~
Dazai had been the one who insisted on Atsushi joining in the rehearsal — he was the choreographer after all, and when you’re as good of a choreographer as Dazai you know better than to argue with what he said.
Funny enough, Dazai was in fact not present currently.
He was late.
Like always.
Kenji attempted to persuade Ranpo and Kunikida that perhaps they were being a tad harsh and that it was too early to judge bare in mind none of them had actually seen him dance yet.
Ranpo however continued to blab on about how this was just wasting his quote “very expensive” time, Kunikida only occasionally chiming in about Dazai being over eager and a loon for inviting some random kid into the ada without consulting anyone first.
Jun’ichirō — who had just arrived to the mess of it all was quickly trying to reassure Atsushi that Dazai would sort it all out when he finally decided to grace them all with their presence.
Atsushi however currently felt as suicidal as Dazai — he knew this was a bad idea, he’d tried to convince the bandaged man that he really was happy to just being an intern but Dazai seemed dead set on it.
Ever since he spied on him that one night after closing in the dance studio, Dazai was adamant that this was just the spark the dance needed.
Tanizaki Jun’ichirō
Stage Name: Wimp Of The East
General Facts :
— After a film crew worker secretly filmed his backstage nervous breakdown and posted it, along with his nervous disposition the internet coined him the name of “Wimp Of The East” which (being incredibly in character for him) he did not discredit and begrudgingly took it on as his stage name.
— Aside from his anxious personality he’s also known for his close relationship with his younger sister Naomi (an apprentice at the Armed Dance Agency) along with scandalous rumours which he refused to give comment on - even becoming visibly angry.
— His short angry outburst in an interview earned him quite the fanbase amongst teenage girls who labelled him as a “Sad boy with a dark side” and proceeded to flood the internet with edits, thirst traps and fanfiction overnight. His own sister being head of the WimpOfTheEast fan club only worsened suspicions after a series of provocative posters were placed up for sale before promptly being taken down due to copyright from the Armed Dance Agency — which was probably for the best.
Again Jun’ichirō refused to comment on the incident.
Iconic Moments:
— According to his fangirls every moment of their amazingly talented and beautiful princes life is iconic but in all reality there are none to mention.
~
“Boy what even is your style — hip hop, ballroom, tap ?”
Kunikida questioned, though by the way he jabbed his finger into Atsushi's chest and stared at him with unconvinced accusatory eyes it felt more like an interrogation than anything.
Atsushi mused about how Kunikida would have been good in a position within law enforcement. But was drawn out of that thought as Kunikida gave him another jab.
“Oh um I”
Atsushi stammered taking a step back, placing up two placating hands up in the air like he was about to be arrested by the man.
Though everyone was a lot less aggressive about it they had all been thinking about it, Atsushi looked around the room looking for some kind of salvation from it all but none was to come.
“Atsushi doesn't have a style — he’s something new. Exciting even.”
A man strolled in, he was draped in a heavy beige trench coat and various other more formal looking clothes — clothes that seemed too formal for someone like Dazai even if they weren’t all that luxurious.
Dazai Osamu
Stage Name : N/A
General Facts:
— After leaving the Port Mafia Dance Organisation for unknown reasons he went MIA for two years before reamerging as an exclusive choreographer for a smaller lesser known Dance agency - The Armed Dance Agency
— After choreographing a dance for DJ RAИP0’s newest at the time single “STILL bigger than you !” The agency gained an incredible reputation as a dance company and received over two hundred applicants within the fortnight.
— Infamous for his humerous and public suicidal nature.
Iconic Moments:
— During a live interview asked the interviewer to excuse him for a moment before jumping off the bridge they were standing on.
— His comments on the famous dancer Nakahara, his most viral being at a dance convention “He’s not edgy or emotive he’s just sloppy, but if you insist on a calling him ‘raw’ then I suppose he is - like a lump of moldy uncooked meat you bought and forgot about in the back of the fridge.”
— Getting into a fist fight with Nakahara after he overheard Dazai calling him a lump of moldy uncooked meat.
~
“THERE YOU ARE YOU MEDKIT MASTURBATOR !”
Kunikida snapped, moving away from Atsushi to grab Dazai by the collar shaking him around, Dazai however only grinned at the assault.
He loved how even his presence pissed the man off.
It was amusing to see he had such an impact.
If Atsushi knew any better he’d be relieved Dazai showed up but he did know better.
This was about to be a very,
very,
long rehearsal.
“Hey Ranpo play the music would ya — Atsushi hasn’t heard it yet.”
Dazai stated blankly completely ignoring Kunikida and his demands as to where Dazai had been all morning.
Ranpo only raised an eyebrow.
looking over at Dazai from his perch— he still didnt want Atsushi in the video.
To be honest he didn’t really want Atsushi in the agency at all — he was a shabby intern and he had doubts as to whether his dancing was of any better quality.
“Dazai you can’t be serious !”
Kunikida butted in again, Dazai only looked at him before grinning and nodding again.
Atsushi had wanted to give input at multiple points since Dazai's arrival but he decided better of it, he’d had enough unwanted attention to last him a lifetime at this point.
“You’re seriously trying to tell me that you've been coaching this brat for the entire week after hours and you haven’t even played him the bloody track ?! FILMINGS NEXT WEEK YOU IMBECILE !”
Kunikida began to shake Dazai around again as he spoke.
He’d scheduled for Dazai's usual whims, he always did, but this was something new altogether.
“I mean the president has already agreed to it.”
Dazai shrugged, slipping out with ease from the still bewildered Kunikidas grip and waltzing into the center of the studio.
“I mean I can always go get him and tell him you lot don’t want him in the dance.”
Dazai sighed, winking subtly at Atsushi, so subtly Atsushi was certain he was the only one who even noticed it.
“What do you think Ranpo ?”
Dazai cast his seemingly innocent brown eyes in the DJS direction who gave a small squeak of panic before muttering something under his breath and jumping off of the block, Atsushi forgot just how much shorter than everyone the man was despite him being older than all of them.
”Theres no need to bother him — he’s a busy man with important shit to do, besides I've already made up my mind that it’s a bad idea.”
Ranpo recovered somewhat though it was obvious it was all feigned confidence as his face twitched and he dug his high tops into the studio floor trying to act casual with very little luck.
“No really it’s fine I’ll just go get him now and you can tell him you think he’s wrong it’s no issue”
Dazai stated coolly a smug air about him as he turned to “leave” to go and get the president.
He didn’t even make it to the door before Ranpo had run over to stop him standing in front of the door with his arms spread.
If it wasn’t a scheme Dazai would have burst out laughing.
“You know now that I think about it, if the president thinks its a good idea then it's all good.”
Ranpo stammered his fake confidence even more caked on than usual as Dazai gave him another innocent head tilt.
This had worked better than expected.
“Are you sure you seemed pretty adamant about it ?”
Dazai's voice dripped with honey as he spoke.
The whole room observed as Ranpo blabbered out some incomprehensible response as Dazai continued to take the piss about it all.
Kunikida sighed, shaking his head.
“IT’S FINE REALLY ! I’LL SET IT UP NOW !”
Ranpo scurried to the speaker where his phone was plugged in waiting patiently to finally be played so the rehearsal could start.
Everyone took up their positions as they waited for Ranpo to find the track in his mess of a drive. Dazai steered Atsushi to take a seat whispering at him to just watch for now and absorb the kind of vibe they were going for.
Atsushi nodded looking at the three who stood in the center of the studio.
Kunikida on the left, Kenji in the middle and Jun’ichirō on the right. Despite only being an apprentice Kenji was allowed to participate in group dances but was limited to Ranpos music videos exclusively until he was old enough to debut and decide what direction he wanted to go with his career.
To be perfectly honest many were skeptical that the Armed Dance Agency was actually a real dance company, half of the studios were occupied by Ranpo and all of his recording equipment and synths not to mention how Ranpo was one of the main sources of income that kept the agency running smoothly. Whilst Ranpo was technically a dancer and a part of the ADA he only ever danced in his music videos — and rightfully so focussed all of his attention on what he was good at.
His music.
And whilst technically he was self published — the president would review all his songs and give advice on if a beat would fit better somewhere else or whether the lyrics fit with music.
Small things.
Though he would get scolded occasionally for some of the stuff he put in his songs for being too vulgar or narcissistic.
Ranpo released the songs anyway — sticking his tongue out and calling the man a senile old prude.
Though after getting hit after hit the president couldn’t really argue it too much.
Atsushi had heard quite a few of Ranpos songs, he could see why they stayed at the top of the charts for so long but that only made him more curious as to what this new song would be. Throughout the week he’d found a few newspapers thrown out by who Atsushi assumed to be Ranpo, all of which contained articles on how Ranpo had peaked and his songs were starting to get old. Even throughout the very short while and very little the intern had actually seen of Ranpo he knew he had an insane ego which was just as pompous as it was fragile.
There was a reason he was famous for his diss tracks and bitter responses to critics.
“This is Ranpo's first single of the year — “Emerald Eyes” it’s a lil different to his other songs but he’s been working on it for over a month now cooking it up until it was perfect”
Dazai leant down to whisper to Atsushi as the signature techno beat of Ranpo's music began, Atsushi nodded gazing at the dancers.
He really admired their talent, they all had their specific style but they were still able to come together to make a flawless and cohesive dance. Atsushi figured Dazai could be credited with that though, he really was remarkable.
Atsushi tried to pay attention to both the music and the dancers as he watched every movement like Dazai had told him to, it was only when the chorus came on did Atsushi momentarily become distracted.
Chorus:
Hey man - I see you gettin’ critical
But just admit that its habitual
You ain’t the first hater
And you definitely ain’t the best
Look up, down, east, west
That's my fans cheering
Yeah I know its domineering
But im an intellectual
You know im better then them all
The best there's ever been
Lookin’ in my eyes you're telling me they’re green
But man hark the herald
I’m designer bitch my eyes are fucking emerald.
Atsushi felt his jaw drop slightly. The dance was fine tuned to the music perfectly — so much so that he could swear it made the song sound even better.
Dazai casually closed the boys jaw, a wide grin on his face as Atsushi looked over at him bewildered.
He could feel his stomach drop.
How the hell was he — an intern nonetheless, meant to be in this dance.
It was flawless.
Dazai was over selling his talent.
After a minute or so the song was over and Jun’ichirō bent over panting — Atsushi looked over at them all.
They were all exhausted.
What they had been doing was perfect but it was hard work — so much of it seemed almost cruel to have them doing, some moves were actually advised against doing in succession.
But Dazai wasn’t the type to let bright yellow warning signs stop him.
”Righty then”
Dazai hopped up grabbing Atsushi by the sleeve and shoving him forward onto the studio floor with much ardor as he grinned at the scene in front of him.
“Ranpo. Play the chorus again — Atsushi do your thing.”
Dazai leant forward his face now serious and analytical, head rested on the back of his hands as he waited for the two to do what he asked.
Atsushi glared at Dazai panic seeping in.
Dazai really had just thrown him into the ocean told him to have a nice swim.
Ranpo only shrugged queuing the music up.
Atsushi started with little confidence but very quickly he worked into himself and began to dance.
And dance he did.
Kunikida was the surprised one now as he stared at Atsushi move effortlessly despite his concern idled face as he did so, he really should have more faith in his skill.
This was good.
The chorus finished and Atsushi stopped, nervously looking around the room to see if what he had made up on the spot was satisfactory or not.
Kenji was very quick to give him a wild round of applause before running up and grabbing both of his hands excitedly.
“I KNEW YOU COULD DANCE — I JUST KNEW IT !”
Kenji was delighted by the performance.
Jun’ichirō gave a thumbs up and bright smile unusual to his usually nerve tensed face. Atsushi only felt himself relax when he saw Kunikida nodding.
“Perhaps I judged you too harshly before boy, you have my apoligies.”
Was all Kunikida said before going over to his bag to find his notebook and note down what he had just discovered.
It may not have seemed like much but it took a huge weight off of his shoulders as he let out a loud sigh of relief.
Dazai stood up cracking his back and walking into the center of the studio to stand with everyone.
“Perfect its settled then — I’ll have Atsushi learn the group number and work in his solo, I should have it ready after lunch but I was thinking of hanging myself in about half an hour, decisions, decisions.”
Dazai deadpanned making his way to the studio exit ignoring the incredibly mortified Atsushi.
DAZAI NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ACTUALLY BEING IN THE VIDEO !
LET ALONE HAVING A SOLO IN SAID VIDEO !