#strings!au

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I think that Akari and Tsuki running lines together is so adorable!!!! I bet Tsuki would ask Akari saying he has no one to practice with. That is a lie and he only does it to spend time with him. Tsuki also loves hear Akari banter the script while practice. Saying things like the plot does not make sense, the dialogue is strange, why would the character do that, and remind him of all the plays inconsistencies. I like to think they act very familiar with each other that Hirato even gets jealous.

OMG, yes, this is peak Akari, right here – agreeing (begrudgingly) to run lines with Tsuki-chan and complaining about bad writing, bad logic, bad characterization, and bad everything. He tells Tsuki that he only bothers to run lines with him at all because, “I’m waiting on the results of my latest experiment and I suppose I don’t have anything pressing right now,” or “I’m waiting for my coffee to finish brewing, and I suppose I don’t have anything pressing right now,” or “I suppose it’s marginally more entertaining than watching paint dry.” But Tsuki-chan knows that Akari wouldn’t be running lines with him if Akari didn’t want to. And Hirato knows this too – Akari is so incredibly people-averse that he would never spend time with someone he didn’t want to spend time with. 

Akari also delivers all his lines in a monotone and only gets animated when he’s making the aforementioned complaints. It’s very cute. But every now and then, Tsukitachi performs in a play that Akari really, really likes – Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia, for example. He sort of surprises himself; he didn’t realize that he liked any of the fine arts apart from music. 

I’d like to think that Hirato is less jealous of Tsukitachi than he is all those clowns who work with Akari in his lab. I think he also likes the fact that Akari has a friend other than him. Remember, in this AU, Akari is incredibly, incredibly antisocial. But no matter how antisocial we are, none of us can live this life alone. Hirato hasn’t had many friends, but he’s had more than Akari, and he knows that Akari needs friends. God, does that beautiful, arrogant idiot need friends. 

I’d like to think that Akari attends Tsukitachi’s plays, sometimes with Hirato and sometimes without. He always claims that he’s only here to see his hard work, but Tsukitachi knows he comes to support because when Tsuki-chan forgets to reserve his tickets, Akari actually asks for them. And Tsuki gets him good seats, so sometimes, he sees how wonderfully Akari reacts – laughs at all the right places, smirks at all the right places, gets that cute little worried look at all the right places. And at curtain call, Akari-chan is one of the first on his feet. 

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The idea of Akari and Tsukitachi bonding by making fun of Hirato's music blog is one of the most adorable headcannons ever! Hirato is happy Akari has a good friend but at the same time he does not how to feel when he gives Tsukitachi sincere smiles and laughs that should be only for Him.

Ordinarily I would agree with you that Hirato gets a little bit cranky whenever Akari’s attention is occupied by anything, and certainly anyone, apart from him. That said, he’s well aware he’s being irrational and alarmingly possessive. Akari is allowed to talk to people other than him, though he’s always mindful of the blond’s safety. He’s also very good at hiding his feelings, though, so you don’t usually catch him being all sulky and shit until Hearty’s involved. But on the whole, the possessive streak is pretty strong in most AUs.

In the Strings!AU, it’s a little different - because they’re younger, because Akari’s been so obsessed with school/work his whole life, and because he knows the blond will isolate himself completely if given a choice. He wouldn’t insist on his lover making friends if he hadn’t seen, first hand, how much more relaxed and happy Akari seems after spending time with someone other than lab specimens. Naturally, Hirato loves having that time for himself, but he also knows it’s deeply important for the blond to have friends he’s not sleeping with. So in this AU, he is more fine with Akari being friendly and warm and smiley and giggly with Tsukitachi than in other AUs. He just wishes they’d stop reading his blog. (Of course, he gets his revenge by talking about the two of them on his blog. Sure, he has to sacrifice a bit of his privacy by revealing the details of his personal life, but it’s worth it to see Tsukitachi’s gaping mouth when he tells the whole world stories of the budding actor being drunk and disorderly. It’s also worth it to see Akari get all blushy and annoyed when he reads about himself being all adorable first thing in the morning.) 

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NSFW ask here. Did Aloft and String au Hirato and Akari ever have sex in library?

In the Strings!AU, neither spends too much time in the library. Akari because most of his work is done in his lab, and Hirato because he works from home. In any case, they wouldn’t have sex in the library in that particular AU because while Akari in every AU isn’t really into exhibitionism, in this AU, he’s got that scar down his chest and he doesn’t even like to be seen shirtless most of the time. Hirato, for his part, recognizes what a show of trust and vulnerability it is for Akari to want to get undressed in front of him. He protects that trust and vulnerability with everything he has. 

In the Aloft!AU, they definitely had sex in the law library. It was very, very late and there weren’t many people around. They were studying together in a corner of the stacks in the basement, and well, sometimes caffeine isn’t enough stimulation to get through a long, hard study session. It didn’t happen very often. Most of the time, Akari would insist they walk home if things got a little hot between them. But sometimes, if Hirato made the blond impatient enough, they’d go at it right there because a 40-minute walk was just too long to wait. 

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Did Aloft!au or string!au Hirato and Akari use social media?

Hirato is on social media rarely. He has a professional website where he posts videos of performances or even sample audio from practice sessions. When he’s feeling especially chatty, he’ll write an entry for the blog section of his website. He does not post photos, because he’s found that if he does, it turns into an automatic thirst trap whether or not he intends. Even his performance videos are taken from afar so as not to overwhelm the sleek, minimalist aesthetic of his website with horny bastards commenting in strings of heart eyes emoji. He’s contemplating dis-allowing comments altogether, but sometimes he gets really good feedback on his playing. 

Akari refuses to engage in sociality at all. In his opinion, simply speaking to his lab crew and indulging Tsukitachi’s regular nonsense is enough. Remember that in this AU, Akari-chan is more antisocial than even in canon, mostly because he keeps to himself. He’s never had to lead a major research organization, or teach, or anything where he has to interact with people on a regular basis. His lab is the closest he gets, and even then, all he does is bark orders at people. Amazing that a 22 year-old can get so damn domineering, but age has never stopped him in other AUs. In the Strings!AU, he really doesn’t have people close to him other than family. Not until he meets Hirato (and by extension, Tsukitachi). He’s not lonely, though. He has music and research. And he has people he speaks to at work or school (and a legion of secret admirers). He simply wishes to be left alone outside of work hours. Frankly, it’s not until he meets Hirato and Tsukitachi that he realizes what he’s been missing out on by not having close friends. 

Akari did stumble across Hirato’s blog while researching some new music for his lover. And now, he won’t stop making fun of Hirato. He even showed Tsukitachi, who promptly fell out of his chair after reading all the corny shit the brunet writes on the blog section of the website. Shit like, “You have to build trust with your violin. It shouldn’t be used for your own pleasure, but rather, you must play with a generous spirit and with a light touch - as you would do when making love.” Akari has a shit sense of humor, but even he finds this fucking hilarious (despite the fact that yes, Hirato does play him both pleasurably and generously). Tsukitachi and Akari spend the rest of the day pelting Hirato with text messages. Hirato spends his day wondering if introducing his lover to his best friend was a terrible idea; there’s no way Akari would ever deign to such immature antics without a bad influence. He also plans revenge. And it will be exquisite, he knows. 

(Tokitatsu was the one who insisted on Hirato running a website. He thinks Hirato’s going to be the next Yo-Yo Ma, so he told his baby brother to publicize himself. Logically, it makes perfect sense, so Hirato decided to do it. And even though his non-musician lover and best friend think his writing is corny, those who are professional musicians often leave comments about how they feel the same. So, he’s not really corny; he just has friends who don’t understand what it’s like to play an instrument.) 

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Is Hirato in the strings AU rich? How is his relationship with his family and Tokitatsu?

Hmmm, his parents are what we’d call “old money” in America. Let’s say they’re like the Vanderbilts. They made their money in something old school like sugar or textiles. They’re also dedicated philanthropists. Hirato and Tokitatsu grew up wanting for nothing. Tokitatsu, as the eldest son, inherited the family’s company. Hirato didn’t want it anyway. He always wanted to be a professional violinist. So, Hirato’s 22 in this AU. Let’s say Tokitatsu is a bit older at 26. The latter got a business degree from Harvard and is now working with their father to learn the ropes of their company. Hirato, of course, is trying to get into Julliard after an education from one exclusive music conservatory to the next. 

Tokitatsu and Hirato actually have a good relationship in this AU. It’s kind of like Aloft in that they never see each other, and they aren’t exceedingly close, but they aren’t antagonistic like canon. Hirato’s relationship with his parents is cordial, too, but that’s because they treated Hirato (and Tokitatsu) as assets. Tokitatsu was expected to be the next head of the family. And Hirato was expected to be the next Itzhak Perlman. So his parents basically treated him like pageant moms treat their five year-old princesses. I think I wrote this somewhere. Hirato has a really wonderful relationship with his grandfather in this AU - his mother’s father. His grandfather is warm and loving and though he definitely wants Hirato to cultivate his talent, he doesn’t think that musical talent is all Hirato is. So, let’s say Hirato decided to quit playing the violin. His parents would be furious, but his grandfather would encourage him in whatever he wished to pursue. 

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Maybe Hirato and Akari fight because Akari besides fearless is ignorant that many of the members of his lab have a crush on him. One time Hirato got Akari food to his lab as he was stying late running experiments. He would notice other guys openly flirt with Akari but he is blissfully aware of it. They would also give him gifts and invite him out. Akari would sometimes go on dates thinking that they are only discussing work. Like any other AU Hirato would get jealous and possesive.

Akari-chan is such an idiot. In canon, I’m convinced he knows that his staff has a crush on him – there’s that little interaction where he tells a visitor he doesn’t spend time on women, right? It’s clear he knows they think he’s a rich, handsome bastard. But it’s also clear he doesn’t return their advances and just wants them all to do their jobs (because Hirakari is totally canon and no, Akari-chan definitely doesn’t have time for women). 

In the Strings!AU, Akari is less experienced in the ways of other people, so yeah, he’s an idiot. A beautiful idiot, but definitely an idiot. He doesn’t realize that his colleagues and assistants in the lab have a crush on him. So, yes, he will just go out and get coffee with some of them every now and then (when Akari’s really tired and really needs coffee). These “dates” are rarely more than 10ish minutes long – a walk to the coffeeshop, grabbing their orders, and then a walk back to the lab. It’s disappointing for his dates, but most of them figure Akari will warm up to them sooner or later. Most of them are wrong. 

They don’t go to lunch or dinner. Akari tends to pack his own lunches (because if he doesn’t pack a lunch for Hirato, he’s truly terrified of what the latter will do to their kitchen). But there are times when he’s too busy or when he forgets. Hirato will bring lunch to the lab on those days, because, well, he’s a good partner like that. And that’s when Hirato realizes that Akari’s the resident hottie. Of course, he chides himself for not realizing sooner, but to be fair, Akari’s a curmudgeon, so he figured any admirers would keep their distance. But the people who work with/for Akari have gotten used to his venom, apparently. And they’ve gotten bold. One day when Hirato walked through the door with Akari’s lunch, for example, he caught one of these simpering fools handing his boyfriend a bunch of papers while resting his hand on Akari’s shoulder. 

That didn’t sit well with Hirato at all, naturally. So he does what any reasonable person would do. He strides up to Akari and kisses him. I mean, he really kisses him, totally tongues him down. Everyone stares. Akari blushes. And then Akari gets furious, shoulders squared and eyes flashing and a torrent of words rushing from his mouth. He goes on and on about how he’s the lab director here, damnit, and Hirato is being disrespectful, and you can’t just walk into his lab and do whatever you want, you know? It’s adorable -- this spleen, especially when the man is blushing so furiously. While Akari vents, Hirato settles a hand on his lower back and leads him down the lab to Akari’s little office so they can eat lunch together. Akari only notices he’s been led when they’re at the door. 

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Maybe in String!au they fight because of how Hirato keep ruining the kitchen (if he's a bad cook in this au)😀

I’ve been writing Hirakari for 7 years, and Hirato has always been an awful cook. They fight about this in every AU. Every. Single. One. 

So, yes, they definitely bicker over this in the Strings!AU. In this AU, the catch is that Hirato loves trying to cook because, well, they’re broke students and can’t just eat out every single night. And Akari cooks, so Hirato feels he should do his fair share of the housework – but this is only after they move in together, obviously. Before they moved in together, Akari basically taught Hirato how to do crock pot dump dinners (which require no skills) and Hirato didn’t think they were particularly appetizing, but they never resulted in the smoke detectors going off, so it was a good enough trade. After they moved in together, Hirato tries to cook because, again, he’s trying to share the household chores. But the smoke detectors go off, every single time. Every. Single. Time. I mean, he does shit like try to microwave an egg with the shell still on. Akari’s still trying to figure out if he did that on purpose just to fuck with him, actually. Akari’s asked him to stop cooking, to maybe do the dishes or laundry or literally anything else, but Hirato insists that he will learn because a good boyfriend keeps his lover fed and happy. Akari doesn’t know if that’s Hirato just fucking with him, either. 

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Have Akari and Hirato ever had a big fight in the strings AU?

They’re younger and also the same age in that AU (22 years old), and they don’t have dangerous jobs or jobs where their intellectual production makes or breaks national security. So, the Strings!AU is much lower-stakes for both of them, and even though Akari is much less socially apt in that AU, they don’t get into really big fights. Or rather, I haven’t thought of any big fights yet for that AU. I may think of something, but right now, that AU feels like sunshine to me – all warm and golden. I’m probably getting soft, but I kind of want to keep it that way. 

That said, they do get into arguments. How could they not? Nothing that’s on the level of questioning their relationship, though. Here are some of their spats:

Akari gets angry at Hirato because in this AU, the latter’s a bit broody. He’s still Hirato, though, so he keeps his masks perfectly in place. But if Hirato’s upset about something, he’s prone to acting like everything’s fine. This is especially true when Hirato’s dealing with his own family, who are supportive in the way pageant moms are supportive of their six year-old beauty queen daughters. Because Akari has never felt this way about anyone before, and because he’s unpracticed at emotion and doesn’t know how to read Hirato as well as canon!Akari can read canon!Hirato, this Akari really loses his shit when Hirato gets all quiet and taciturn with him. 

Akari is Akari in every AU, so he’s reckless. Cities aren’t inherently dangerous, and they live in the artsy section of NYC, but Akari tends to be a bit naive. So, he does things like walk around late at night with earbuds in his ears and his nose stuffed in a book or his notes or something. Akari does this because he hates people and doesn’t want to interact (and he loves listening to Hirato’s practice sessions). But not paying attention to your surroundings is pretty dumb for a genius. This drives Hirato batty. 

Tsukitachi usually arbitrates because he’s Hirato’s best friend and Hirato can be a bit too sharp when he’s had a fight with Akari. Tsukitachi has also made friends with Akari – well, to the extent that anyone can be Akari’s friend. Basically, Tsuki-chan makes Akari run lines with him and he thinks it’s so funny and cute that Akari will run lines in a monotone like he would rather be doing anything else. But he still runs them, and that’s pretty telling. 

These are the sorts of arguments they have – typical shit that couples argue over. Isn’t it nice to have an AU where they’re not fighting over life and death stuff?