Chapter 28: Push

The new song was coming to life, steadily if not swiftly. It was sultry and razor-edged, borne of freshly penned lyrics. The bass line bounced, a gritty yet upbeat accompaniment, and the guitar crooned and screeched, mimicking the style of Kai's vocals. Progress was happening, but something was lacking, an integral flaw that Chanyeol tried in vain to correct through one variation after another. He could feel what he wanted it to be, he could hear the piece in full inside his head but hours of practice had to yield something satisfactory to the leader of Phoenix Rising. The guitar dissolved into cracking feedback as Chanyeol ceased to play and washed his hands up over his face and into his hair. "We need something completely different. Keyboard maybe. Something icy, echoing."

The twang of an abbreviated bass note reverberated through the room, resonating in sudden stillness. Tao cleared his throat and pressed one hand to the strings, silencing them. "I could see it," he agreed slowly, chewing his lower lip in thought. "More piano than synth, then."

"Yeah. Even just at the start. Give it some fullness, set the mood." Chanyeol continued, slipping the guitar strap off over his head as he stood and set the instrument on its stand. He strode across the room to their trusty Yamaha and pulled it closer along with its stand. Perching on his chair, he powered the instrument on and searched for the synth that matched the sound in his head. When he found it - an old, unserviced piano with a percussive ring - he grinned. Playing a short string of notes, he repeated the melody a couple of times. "Alright, let's take it from the top. Kai?"

"Hn?" Immersed in his own world, seeming unaware of his bandmates' conversation, Kai swung a flat stare at Chanyeol. He leaned his hip against his stool, mic in hand. "What do you want now?" he drawled, slanting a dark stare at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol quirked a brow. "Let's take it from the top. I'm trying something different," he repeated patiently, gesturing to the keyboard.

Kai leaned over and rested his forearms on the stool, hooking his fingers over the edge of the seat. Stepping back, he stretched his back out long like a cat. "I heard you the first time," he quipped nonchalantly.

Chanyeol stifled the urge to roll his eyes and ran through the short measure of melody on the keyboard once more. "Alright then."

Tao struck up the bassline dutifully, and Chanyeol soon joined. The tweak to the melody had the desired result - the song swelled in resonance, with a hallowed, ominous sound. Chanyeol shared a grin with Tao - this was it. Measures passed, but Kai's voice did not join in, at a glance it appeared that he was daydreaming. It was just a matter of time before Chanyeol struck a sour note and stopped playing altogether.

"Kai," he said with an edge of impatience,  "are we doing this or not?"

Kai opened his eyes wide and raised his brows, lips forming an 'o'. He clicked his tongue against this teeth. "Whoa whoa, hyung, testy. What's the problem?" he purred, but there was nothing playful about his tone. It was venomous, dangerous, and unusual.

Chanyeol narrowed his eyes. "Are you seriously asking me that." He carefully set his guitar on the stand beside him.

Tao's lips pressed to a firm line but he held his tongue and kept his instrument quiet as he glanced warily between guitarist and vocalist.

"What, I can't question you?" Kai drawled. He pushed himself up off the stool and drew to full height. "I can't in ask you ? Who died and made you god?"

"Kai," Chanyeol rubbed his temples and tried to find the right words to handle the situation.

"Don't Kai me, hyung," the vocalist snapped, his eyes dark and flashing. "You know what... yeah. I am serious. I'm serious about this, but it's all fun and ing games to you, isn't it?" He stepped away from the stool and took a few unsteady strides toward Chanyeol. "You... you don't care. You got a nice place, a nice job, , this is just playtime for you isn't it!" He laughed bitterly, bearing down on Chanyeol with a wildness about his gaze. 

Tao set his bass down and stood, watching silently from the sidelines. The pot had simmered too long - confrontation was imminent. 

Chanyeol pushed the keyboard out of the way and stood, eyeing the vocalist with hard eyes. Confusion and tension simmered in a volatile cocktail. "You have no clue what you're talking about Kai," Chanyeol said sharply. "You're ed up as hell right now. What did you take this time?"

"None of your business," Kai hissed, narrowing his eyes, unphased by Chanyeol's looming height. "You're ed up too, Phoenix," he sneered sarcastically.  "You think the world, that everyone in it, that it's easy for them, yeah? Like it is for you? Like the sun shines out of your and oh hey, maybe that's what's greasing your way to the top!"

"Kai what the are you talking about?"