Chapter Text
The beads of sweat ran down his face as he finished his drum solo to the sound of a packed audience. He could hardly see the ground in front of him, let alone the rest of the stage or the audience beyond. The lights were bright, the audience was loud even through his earplugs, and everything should have been so much more overwhelming than it was.
But this was his element. On the stage, with the band, allowing his music to communicate what he couldn't.
This was one of the last stops on the tour, and Bakugou was admittedly going to miss it. He enjoyed the repetitive feeling the tour gave him without being boring. Yes, they played the same set every city they went to, but they never had the same experience twice. Every single time he stepped on that stage and started the beat, something new was about to happen.
He wanted to top his last performance every night, and based on how the adrenaline was pumping through his veins, he would say he was successful. The song finished with a bang, and the roar of the audience was deafening.
"Thank you! Thank you all! We are Hero and we would not be here without you!" Jiro smiled into the microphone. "Get home safe, and have a great night!"
The band members waved to the audience before stepping backstage. Their manager was waiting backstage with some water and face towels. Bakugou grabbed a bottle and drank it in a few gulps before wiping his forehead with the towel. Kaminari and Tokoyami followed suit, while Yaomomo thanked their agent and lightly tapped her face with the towel.
"Wonderful job, as always!" Hagakure smiled at the band. She had been with them since the beginning; when Hero was just a concept made in the basement of Jiro's house. "We have an hour before we need to be on the road, so please relax and collect yourselves before we move. Next stop is Esuha!"
***
"Have you listened to their music before?" Sero asked, plugging the last moving light in.
"I think I've heard a song or two," Kirishima stuck his tongue out as he patched the speakers into the sound board. "They kinda blew up overnight. I know Mina likes em, should probably listen to more of their stuff."
"They're here for two nights," Sero added. "Aint no way the venue would've booked them if they weren't a big deal."
Kirishima hummed in response, going back to his task at hand. He and Sero had been working as techies for a large outdoor concert venue in Esuha for a little over a year now. There was a point in time when Kirishima wanted to be on the stage, maybe even in a band himself, but he volunteered to be backstage for a show in high school and fell in love with the work. It was rewarding, putting his strength to use and building brand new worlds in under 48 hours.
"Tour bus will be here in ten!" Ashido chirped around the corner, clipboard in hand. She was the production manager of the venue, and despite her easy going personality, she ran a tight ship when it came to productions.
"Sero, were you able to test all the lighting fixtures yet?" She looked at the clip board and then back up to the man.
Sero nodded and hopped off the stage. "Heading over to do that now. I'm expecting the average one or two minor snags, but otherwise I did maintenance on everything rather recently, so I'm not worried."
Ashido scribbled on her clipboard and turned to Kirishima. "And how's our sound situation?"
Kirishima grabbed a speaker and started heading over to the other side of the stage. "Almost done, few more things here and there to get working."
Ashido nodded. "Great. Now, not to put any pressure on either of you, but I love this band and their music. We have to make a good impression on them, so help me god. I want us to be their favorite venue hands down. Got it?"
"Aye aye, captain," Sero saluted.
Ashido smiled and walked away, most likely to the parking lot so she could welcome in the band and the rest of the tour bus.
***
Bakugou was the first off the tour bus, stretching his shoulders and arms out while he basked in the early morning sun. He didn't sleep too well, so he wanted to get his energy out as soon as they parked.
Jiro followed behind Bakugou, yawning and stretching her arm over her chest.
"Good morning!" A woman, dressed in comfortable but professional looking clothing greeted the band members as they stepped off the bus. "My name is Mina Ashido and I am the production manager of Esuha Stage! I'll show you all the venue while my crew unloads the instruments. Can I interest anyone in coffee?"
"Me, please," Kaminari yawned weakly. Bakugou heard him stay up until 3am. He had no idea how Kaminari was even functioning right now.
"Me as well, if you don't mind." Tokoyami added.
Ashido lead the group through the backstage area, showing them their dressing rooms and any private areas they would need access to. Bakugou was actually impressed by what he had seen so far. It was clean, well kept, and easy to navigate.
Finally, Ashido led them to the stage. Bakugou could tell they were still getting everything ready. He watched a techie with bright red hair sling a speaker over his shoulder and head backstage. Another man was sitting in a makeshift tech booth in the audience.
"We'll have sound check in an hour and a half, so please put anything you need to in the dressing rooms while you wait." Ashido handed coffee to Kaminari and Tokoyami. "Additionally, if you have any questions, please let me know."
The band split up, but Bakugou hung around. "Where's the house drum riser?" He asked Ashido.
Ashido nodded. "That would be more of a sound set up question. I'll point you over to Kirishima." Ashido started walking toward the red-headed tech.
Bakugou huffed, staring him up and down as he approached. Most of the techies that Bakugou had worked with didn't really understand how sound worked. Sure, they knew the technical equipment and how to make sure the audience heard Bakugou, but they never understood the musicality of sound.
Kirishima smiled and held out a hand to Bakugou. "Hey, man. Nice to meet you. My name is Kirishima, I'm going to be your lead audio guy for the weekend. I know you're pretty particular with your equipment, so we got a top of the line steel drum riser for you."
Bakugou ignored Kirishima's hand. "I don't play light. Whatever you have better be the best quality." He stared at Kirishima, looking for a challenge.
Kirishima just smiled. "Of course! Here, let me show you."
He led the drummer to the, now almost clear, center of the stage. Sure enough, a shiny and new looking drum riser glistened in the sun.
"Let me and my crew know if you have any specific requests for the rest of the set up and we'll make sure it happens. I've heard you're pretty killer on the drums, so anything you need, I'm your guy."
Bakugou huffed and walked off, wondering what Kirishima's deal was and why he seemed so unfazed by Bakugou's harsh personality.