Author: London_Calling

Pairing: Chen / Baekhyun

HeavyMetal!AU

Jongdae rubbed the skin under his bottom lip, feeling the small metal barbell roll against the pads of his fingers as the tender flesh stung under his exertions.

“Yah! Leave it alone!” Kyungsoo pushed at Jongdae, trying to get his best friend to knock off further irritating his latest piercing “You are only going to make it worse.”

Jongdae rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to admit the truth, which was that he couldn’t leave a scab, a piercing, or anything else pick-worthy alone.

“Looks like we can enter now.” Kyungsoo grabbed a hold of Jongdae’s arm, dragging him quickly towards the entrance of the concert hall. It was a smaller venue, only a few hundred tickets available. Jongdae appreciated the fact that the band Corpse*Maiden agreed to play such a small space. They could have been filling up large concert halls - yet they embarked on the intimately small tour only a few weeks ago.

The heavy metal band would tour through the summer, playing small gigs all over Korea and China. Jongdae, as president of their Korean fan club, had been one of the lucky few to obtain special VIP backstage passes. Once the band had played, Jongdae would be assured some time behind the scenes to see his favorite band. It would be the first time he could meet his idols, the band was notoriously private.

“You hear that riff?” Kyungsoo nodded appreciatively as they stood in the cramped entry way of the hall, Corpse*Maiden’s latest single blaring over the speakers. “ing magic.”

It was energy for the soul. Jongdae was so ready for the concert.

***

There was some blood, but that wasn’t unusual. People wore leather jackets, adorned with spikes. Some people wore studded bracelets. And even if their clothing was not adorned with metal, everyone was jumping around – moving around – shoving and pushing – as the music intensified.

It was the mosh pit at a Corpse*Maiden concert, the place that Jongdae loved the most. A mad fury of bodies and music and sweat and blood. The lead singer’s, Baekhyun, voice calling them all to madness. Like some kind of plague of movement spread in a time gone by, everyone joined in a strange community around a loosely interpreted ideal – unreal, fury, beautiful. Madness, passion, madness.

“!” Jongdae yelled at the top of his lungs, enjoying the feeling of being part of such chaos. He had lived a very sheltered life as a child – all expectations and disappointment. Once he found heavy metal, death metal, he let himself feel for the first time – strong and reckless, a time he could never capture during his nine to five life as an advertising intern. When the piercings were removed and his tattoos were covered with a plain button down shirt.

The guitars wailed. Jongdae saw Kyungsoo collided with a man wearing a leather vest, his face covered in a beautiful tattoo- all curving and deep lines. Turning towards the stage, Jongdae caught the wave of energy as Baekhyun leaned closer, towards the mosh pit.

Baekhyun was known as one of the most reckless singers on the scene- he would regularly jump off stage and make his way into the pit, somehow maintaining his pitch and fury as he fed off the energy of the moshers. Jongdae had seen him do it dozens of times, even colliding with him a few chance moments in the past.  

The mosh pit surged as Baekhyun entered into the fray. Jongdae let the music carry him, rush him forward, then to the side, as he flinched at pain from an unexpected collision. He carried on, jumping, rushing, appreciating. Then the most pain he had ever felt in his life. A blunt, horrible, smash to the nose. Jongdae found himself doubling over instinctively as he clutched at his nose. Something had hit him very hard in the face.

“ARE YOU OKAY?!”

Jongdae could hear the words over him, a hand on his back, another shout. Then he passed out. Or at least that is what they told him later.

***

Jongdae blinked once, then twice. He cocked his head, patting around his body aimlessly, trying to understand where he was. He was on some sort of bed…no – sitting up in a rush he realized he was on a stretcher. Before he could ask or protest or yell about what was happening the back of an ambulance was being shut, sirens blaring as he was whisked away.

It was a few seconds more before he realized why the person staring at him with concern looked so familiar.

“Ba…ek…hyun?” Jongdae could scarcely believe his eyes. Was the lead singer of Corpse*Maiden sitting in an ambulance, holding his hand?

“Are you okay?” Baekhyun asked. When he wasn’t under the stage lights Baekhyun looked tired. Dark circles under his eyes. Jongdae had seen Baekhyun many times on stage and a few times during special fan events – usually held at seedy bars – but this was the first time he truly had looked at the lead singer, without the advantage of his untouchable mystique.

“Yeah..what happened?” Jongdae tried to play it cool.

“I think I broke your nose and gave you a concussion.” Baekhyun explained casually. He raised his tone as he sputtered “I am sorry – really!”

Jongdae wanted to laugh. Was the lead singer of a heavy metal band sorry he broke his fan’s nose?

“It’s okay. Hey – don’t you have a concert to finish?” Jongdae asked.

“It is already over. You were out for like an hour.” Baekhyun explained.

“Oh.” Jongdae was embarrassed.

“You run our fan club, right?” Baekhyun asked.

Jongdae didn’t know he could be even more embarrassed than before. But he could be. “Yeah.”

“Hey, I have wanted to meet you for a while. I mean, you seem like a cool, cute guy.” Baekhyun smiled. It wasn’t a secret that Baekhyun was gay, but Jongdae wasn’t sure that Baekhyun was hitting on him – or complimenting him in that way.

“Hey, um, if you aren’t busy after your treatment you want to grab a bite to eat?” Baekhyun asked, sincerity his in words. Jongdae tensed for a moment. So it was that way.

“Like a date?” Jongdae blurted out, not willing to recognize how stupid and embarrassing and idiotic his question was.

“Sure. I have seen you dancing in the pit a few times and I kind of want to you.” Baekhyun honestly answered, medics and anyone else be damned.

Jongdae blinked. Once, then twice. Holy was the lead singer of Corpse*Maiden even more amazing than he ever thought.  “I want to you too.” He answered. Damn did he ever.