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tayvengeance

Jan 16, 2018

Metal Crüe

(crossposted from ao3)

word count: 9228

group: Seventeen

pairing: Joshua/Junhui

AU where Joshua is a Korean American metalhead attending university and he befriends exchange student Wen Junhui

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Joshua Hong wasn’t surprised when he received his acceptance letter from Arizona State University. (They prided themselves on their high acceptance rate.) He wasn’t even surprised when he found out most people in his dorm were Asian exchange students. (ASU aims to be a friendly, diverse university.) The thing that did surprise him, was walking into his Japanese 101 class and finding out 80% of the class was Chinese, 15% of the class was white, and he fell in the lowly 5% who were Korean and Malaysian -- so him and one other guy. That’s one way to boast high diversity rates, Joshua thought.

The 20 or so students all squished into a small classroom in the basement of the Language and Literature building. It was a small, crowded room that didn't allow much air-flow. Joshua had grown up in LA, so the 115˚f (46˚c) temperature wasn’t all too foreign to him -- he’d seen some hot days in his time. But he could tell by the looks on some of his classmates that they weren’t used to this weather. He heard the air unit kick on, and it seemed like everyone in the classroom sighed in relief at the same time.

Joshua also figured his outfit for the day hadn’t done much to help him with the heat. He had black skinny jeans and black Chucks to compliment his black Amity Affliction tee —the obvious outfit choice when living in the desert. His roommate had cocked an eyebrow at him as he left the dorm, judging his fashion choices, but Joshua didn’t care. He would suffer for his image. Joshua was raised by heavily religious parents. Thanks to his friend Wonwoo whom his mother usually referred to as “the devil’s boy” -- he was able to realize his love of all things Metal. After being introduced to a whole new lifestyle, he started sneaking around his parents. He brought an extra change of clothes to school -- because he had to wear his new Motionless In White shirt in public somewhere -- and told his parents he was staying over at Wonwoo’s a lot when they went to shows. Joshua justified that by actually sleeping at Wonwoo’s after every concert. Now that he was free from the chains that God [his parents] bound him in, he strived to keep up his edgy appearance.

Five minutes until class started, a boy came rushing in and took the empty seat next to Joshua. Joshua didn't pay him much attention at first-- he was far too engrossed in listening to The Amity Affliction’s newest album This Could Be Heartbreak. As he got out his binder for class, Joshua noticed the boy was sweating like crazy, bleached hair sticking to his forehead, sweat dripping down his sharp cheekbones.... A hot mess. He couldn’t quite seem to catch his breath, taking sharp inhales. Joshua slid his water bottle over to the boy, who looked at it with confusion, then grabbed it and downed in in seconds. Joshua couldn’t help but stare at his neck as he gulped down the entire bottle. He was too attractive for Joshua to keep from looking. “Xie xie,” the boy mumbled. Joshua nodded, making a note that the boy next to him was Chinese and -- even though he was sweating buckets -- smelled nice. “Wen Junhui,” the Chinese boy smiled and held out his hand for Joshua to shake.

Joshua furrowed his brow and pulled out his earphones, “Wha?”

The boy cleared his throat and continued smiling, “I said, I'm Wen Junhui.”

Joshua smiled and grasped his hand in a firm shake, “Hong Joshua.”

“Fulton School of Engineering,” Junhui added. He looked at Joshua and prompted him to tell him what his field of study was.

“School of Sustainability, ” Joshua replied.

“Oh! That’s cool! You know a lot about renewable energy then?” Junhui asked, his voice thick with his Chinese accent.

Joshua nodded, “Yeah. Researching that stuff is like a hobby of mine.”

Junhui smiled at him, “That’s so cool. I only study computer sciences. It’s not that grand.”

“Dude, you can do so much more with a B.S. in Computer Science than I ever can with a B.S. in Sustainability,” Joshua replied, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, but it’s still not as cool. You get to like, help save the world. I only do shit with computers.”

Then, the sensei walked into the classroom, and set all her things down on her desk. “Konnichiwa!” she greeted from her post.

“Konnichiwa!” the class repeated.”

“This is Japanese 101, so if you are not here for that please leave,” she looked around the class, waiting to see if anyone would get up. No one did. “Good. now, I will take roll, and I also have an assessment for you to fill out so I know your skill levels in Japanese.” She grabbed a stack of papers and gave a good stack to each kid in the front row. They each took a paper and passed the rest back. Joshua grabbed the stack and took one, passing the rest behind him. He knew very little Japanese, so he wasn’t able to fill in much for the assessment. He wrote in what he could and gave the paper to his sensei. She checked his name on the roster and handed him a syllabus. Joshua smiled and took it, giving her a small bow in thanks, then walked back over to his seat. Junhui got up to turn his assessment in, and went back to talking to Joshua the moment he sat back down with his syllabus.

“It’s so hot today. Why do you wear all black? Isn’t it super hot?” He whispered, curiosity taking hold.

Joshua shrugged, “I dress like this all the time. I guess I’m used to it.”

Junhui turned his head to get a look at his shirt, “What is Amity Affliction?”

Joshua smiled, “One of my favourite bands. You like metal music?”

Junhui shrugged, “I dabble.”

Joshua grinned, “Good. That's like, all I listen to. Well, that and some other select tunes which I will never admit to liking.”

Junhui snickered at that comment, “You know of Screaming Saviour?”

Joshua shook his head, “Should I?”

“Well, you're Mr. Metal over here,” Junhui joked through a smile.

Before Joshua could respond, the sensei began talking again. They didn't have time the rest of class to continue their conversation. When sensei excused them, Junhui looked over at Joshua and stopped him, “Uh, do you have another class after this?”

“Uh, not until like 4. Why?” Joshua wondered.

“Ew, who takes a 4pm class?” Junhui scrunched his nose and shook his head.

“Hey,” Joshua defended, “it sounded like an interesting course, and I need the credit. Why you asking anyway?”

Junhui looked down at his shoes, “I, uh, don't have any friends here and was wondering if you'd be willing to go with me to lunch.”

Joshua gave him a small smile, “Sure thing. I don't have anyone to sit with either, so some company would be nice.”

Junhui grinned back at him and stood up to leave the classroom, “Thank you! I feel so much better now. I've been nervous all day, with this being my first time alone in America. My roommate is great though. He's also a Chinese exchange student. He has class starting right now, so he can't join me for lunch on Monday, Wednesday or Friday.”

“Well, good thing I'm around to keep you company, huh?” Joshua asked, following Junhui up the stairs and out of the building. “So what were you asking me earlier?”

“Oh! I was asking you if you've heard of Screaming Saviour. They are a death metal band from China!” Junhui smiled.

“Oh, that's why you asked,” Joshua chuckled. “I'm not well versed with Asian metal. I'm more into Western metal. Well, and Babymetal. But who doesn't know Babymetal?”

The two boys walked into the Memorial Union to find something to eat. “Babymetal transcends, so it's reasonable that you would know them,” Junhui replied. “What should we eat though?”

“I can hear Burger King calling my name,” Joshua answered, pulling Junhui downstairs to the Burger King line. “So, how long you been in America?” Joshua asked.

“I came a month early to get accustomed to life here before I threw myself into school. Will I ever get used to life here?”

“Well, your English is good,” Joshua complimented. “You sound like you've lived here for a long time.”

Junhui smiled, “We learn English very young in China, so we all grow up knowing it.”

Joshua paused the conversation to order his food, then waited off to the side for Junhui to rejoin him. “I'm a second generation American, so I've never lived anywhere else. I've been to Korea a few times to visit family.”

“So you're like an America expert!” Junhui exclaimed. “You can teach me about how to act here, because I feel like a fool when I go out. Show me a good time!”

Joshua chuckled, “Yeah, I can help you out. But like, my idea of a good time might differ from most people’s.”

Their orders came out, and they grabbed their food and walked into the room to the left and went to find a table to sit at. As luck would have it, a couple walked out and they were able to snag a booth. “What do you like to do for fun?”

“I’m from LA,” Joshua explained, “so I usually walked around Koreatown with my friends. Or, sometimes we drove down to Disneyland. We went to concerts whenever someone good came along. I’m new to Arizona, like you. We can find a good time together. Which brings me back to my question earlier. You like metal?”

“I mean, I'm not opposed to it,” Junhui shrugged, taking a bite of his burger. “Why?” he asked with a mouth full of food.

“My friend was going to drive up for a concert next weekend, but he can't anymore, so I have an extra ticket to see Slipknot with Marilyn Manson and Of Mice & Men. You wanna tag along?”

Junhui paused for a moment, “Does Slipknot play that song that’s like ‘I feel like a freak on a leash?’”

“Uh, no. That’s Korn,” Joshua giggled.

Junhui pouted, “Now everything I thought I knew was a lie. Who is Slipknot then?”

Joshua grabbed a fry and stuck it out from the tip of his nose, “The guys in the masks who sing Psychosocial.”

Junhui thought for a moment, then shook his head, “Nope. I don’t know Slipknot. But, I do know Marilyn Manson. He’s the creepy one with no eyebrows.”

Joshua burst into laughter, “Yeah, I mean, that’s one way to describe him.”

“Well, it sounds like it could potentially be fun. I’ll tag along and see how weird your American metal is,” Junhui smiled.

Joshua smiled back, and continued eating his burger, “Probably not as weird as your Chinese metal.”

Junhui laughed, “You're probably right.”

“Actually,” Joshua started, “I once went and saw this band called Fleshgod Apocalypse. They are Italian, and I'm pretty sure they performed an exorcism on stage, in Latin, in the middle of their set.”

Junhui raised his eyebrows, “That's fucked up.”

“It was metal as fuck,” Joshua replied with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“So I’m going to let you know now,” began Junhui, setting his burger down . “I am extremely unversed in Western metal. Like, I know Metallica and Megadeth, but not much else.”

Joshua grinned, “And that's fine! If I ever annoy you with my music, just tell me and I'll back off and we can listen to something like BTS.”

Junhui’s eyes widened, “You know BTS?”

Joshua laughed, “Yeah. My friend back home was really into kpop -- he wanted to be scouted to be an idol -- so I know more than I should. And I'm not ashamed to say some of it is fucking great.”

Junhui grinned, “Fantastic. I knew it would be a good idea to sit next to the creepy emo kid.” Junhui watched as Joshua took a bite of his burger. “Okay, but how do you do it?”

“Hey!” Joshua exclaimed with a slap to Junhui’s arm, “I'm not emo, okay. There are subtle distinguishing factors that place me in a separate category than emo or goth. Also, I'm super approachable.” Joshua paused a moment. “Wait, do what?”

“Ah, not really,” Junhui admitted. “You’re intimidating.” He smiled and popped a dry in his mouth. “But how can you eat food when your tongue has a piercing in it? I just noticed it after class.”

Joshua rolled his eyes, “Do you actually think that? And It’s simple. I eat just like you do.”

“Not after talking to you! But the all black, and the brooding, and your shirt has a lil ribcage on it… wait, so you’re telling me food doesn’t get stuck in your piercing?”

Joshua chuckled, “I guess I’m just used to it. I just eat like I always do. Also, you could walk up to me wearing a Goatwhore shirt and you’d already be considered a pal.”

Junhui scrunched his eyebrows together, dismissing any further comments on Joshua’s tongue piercing. “What is a Goat Whore?”

Joshua pulled out his phone and Googled “goatwhore shirts,” bringing up an image list full of partially satanic clothing.

Junhui snorted at the results, nearly spitting his drink in Joshua’s face, “What in the everloving fuck?” Junhui shook his head, “You listen to weird music, Joshua.”

Joshua laughed, “I know I do. It's one of my endearing qualities.”

Junhui rolled his eyes, “Wow, I can't wait to find out what the other qualities are.”

Joshua just smiled and continued eating his fries.

“Do you sleep in a coffin?” Junhui asked after a moment of silence.”

Joshua nearly choked on a fry, “No, I don't sleep in a fucking coffin.”

Junhui began laughing, “Good, that would be weird.”

“I'm a metalhead, not a vampire.”

Junhui shrugged, “Hey, with that genre you never know.” He paused for a moment before continuing, “Are you into dead girls?”

“Ew, no, I'm not a necrophiliac. Or a heterosexual. What the fuck kind of question?”

Junhui laughed, “I have some stereotypes that I need cleared up.” He laughed harder as Joshua’s face scrunched up in disgust.

“I don't worship satan, and I don't drink blood. I don’t know if those were any questions you had but let me answer them now,” Joshua said.

“Those were my last questions, actually. Wow, do you-”

“No I don't know black magic.”

“Never mind then.”

Joshua rolled his eyes, “Anything else?

Junhui shook his head with a smile, “Nope. Also, finding out you’re gay this early on in our friendship is fantastic! I wasn’t sure how to break that bit of information about me to you. What’s it like in America?”

“Uh, well, like, sometimes people are super open about being gay, but like, I dunno. Sometimes it’s hard for people to be open about it. I’m sure you understand the latter, being from China.”

Junhui nodded, “It was hard to come out to my family, but they still love me. I never worried about it much because I was sure they already kinda figured it out.”

Joshua nodded, "Well, it's definitely more acceptable here, but there's still those people. I mean, the more bigots I piss off by being gay, the better. That’s how I see it. I’m very open about my sexuality, so let me know if it’s overwhelming.”

“I love American college, oh my god. First day of class and I already have a gay, metalhead Korean-American best friend.”

Joshua burst into laughter at this, which made Junhui laugh along with him. Other students glanced over at the two, but they were unaware as they continued laughing about in their own little world.

“Joshua,” Junhui whispered, giving his friend a nudge. They were supposed to be reading a passage in their Japanese textbook, but Junhui wasn’t able to focus. He was mixing his Chinese and Japanese and confusing himself. When Joshua didn’t respond, he resorted to poking his friend with his pencil, “Joshua, I need help!”

Joshua sharply turned his head to look at Junhui, “What?”

“I don’t really understand this passage. I keep mixing languages. I need help,” Junhui pouted.

Joshua rolled his eyes, “Well, what did you understand?”

“All I know is that we are reading about what food is being ordered.”

“Okay, and what foods can you pick out here?”

“Uh… sushi, pizza… chicken?”

Joshua gave a small chuckle, “That’s three of the things. Is that all you got?”

Junhui nodded.

Joshua smiled and pointed to one of the words on the page, “Can you figure out what this says, Jun? Read it one character at a time, yeah?”

Junhui nodded and looked at the page, “Su...pa ke-ge chi.”

“Look,” Joshua pointed to the small イ at the end of the word. “Remember what the small ‘i’ after a ‘chi’ character does?”

“Not exactly,” Junhui admitted, bringing his hand to the back of his neck.

“It makes a ‘ti’ sound. So, with that in mind, read it again!”

Junhui licked his lips, catching his bottom lip between his teeth. He let out a small sigh and looked at the word again, “Su-pa-ge-ti. Oh! It’s spaghetti!”

Joshua smiled, “Yes! It is! See, you just need to go slow and steady.”

“Joshua, you understand this way better than I do. Can we do our Japanese homework together from now on? I need your guidance.”

Joshua smiled, “Of course! Now, get back to your passage. We don’t have much time before class ends, and it will benefit you to know what we’re going to be practicing all next week.”

Junhui snickered and went back to reading his passage. Joshua was correct in suggesting Junhui read slower and break down words. After he started following Joshua's example, the passage made more sense. He understood it by the time class was over. They walked out of class together -- Junhui with a smile plastered on his face and Joshua itching to drop his bags off in his dorm to get ready for the concert. Joshua pulled Junhui across campus and back to his dorm, in much more of a hurry than Junhui. He thought it was cute to see Joshua get so excited over something he loved. Junhui followed him up to the fourth floor and down to room 13 where he stopped and jammed his key into the lock. With only a small struggle, Joshua pushed the door open and pulled Jinhui inside. They kicked off their shoes in the doorway, a habit ingrained in them both since birth. Joshua walked over and turned on all his space fans to try and cool the room down, laying down in the centre of them all.

“You know,” Junhui began.

Joshua held up a hand to silence him, “Do not tell me to alter my wardrobe.” He sat up and looked at Junhui, “Speaking of altering wardrobes…”

“Oh no, are you going to dress me like you?”

“What, am I not designer enough for you? Don’t think I didn’t notice all your designer clothing. Not everyone can afford a Givenchy backpack,” Joshua said, walking over to his closet. “I may play the edgy kid stereotype, but you sir, fit snugly into the wealthy Chinese exchange student stereotype.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Junhui rolled his eyes and followed him over. “I was meaning that you would put me in all black.”

“Ah, well then, yes. That’s exactly what I’m doing. We’re going to play it safe though and not put you in a band tee,” Joshua said, sorting through the shirts in his closet. “Don't want anyone trying to converse with you about music you know nothing about.” He pulled one out and examined it, “This should do.”

Junhui took the black shirt and looked it over. It had a statue of a woman on it with the word “Magdalena” in the iconic Metallica font. “Oh, so he shops Korean.”

“My dad brought it back from Korea for me. He said it looked like something I would like. It’s Leblanc, so don’t worry your pretty designer head off,” Joshua teased.

“Trust me, I knew exactly who it was. I had my eye on this when I first saw it catalogued. That whole line is fantastic. A little edgy for me, which is why I guess I never purchased this, but I admire it.”

Joshua rolled his eyes and shoved a pair of black pants into Junhui’s arms, “You seem like you’d fit in my pants. Try these.”

Junhui took the clothing and started changing. Joshua tried pretending there was more interesting things to look at than Junhui changing, but his eyes betrayed him any time he tried to look away. Joshua was correct when he had first looked Junhui over in assuming the younger boy had a toned figure. He also had the same, tanned skin all over -- not just his arms and legs from sun exposure. He pulled his borrowed shirt on over his head, and Joshua pretended like he wasn't ogling over his friend. The shirt was definitely oversized, which was the reason Joshua hadn't worn it. Once Junhui adjusted it and tucked the front into his jeans, Joshua had to admit he looked damn hot. The all black made Junhui’s tan skin stand out, all while slimming his figure. He had kept his designer look, even when wearing Joshua’s clothing, and it baffled him to no end. There was no way anything in Joshua’s closet would look that good on himself. He figured Junhui must be the one practicing black magic, for that was the only explanation on why he looked stunning in everything he wore.

“How do I look?” Junhui asked, holding his arms out and giving Joshua a 360° view of his outfit.

“Honestly, you look hot. Damn, I could never pull that off like you can. Keep the shirt. I’d feel like a scrub if I ever tried to wear it after seeing it on you.”

Junhui laughed, giving Joshua a light shove, “Stop flattering me. I don't deserve your compliments.”

Joshua snorted, “Shut up, I know you love it.”

Junhui brought his hand up to cover his mouth as he continued chuckling, “You're right. I'm basking. Keep telling me how hot I am.”

Joshua rolled his eyes, “나는 너와 섹스하고 싶어.”

“Hey, I don't know Korean! That's not fair! You could have insulted me for all I know!” Junhui pouted. “What did you say?”

Joshua laughed and winked at his friend, “Ask me again later.”

“No! That's not fair! Joshuaaaaaaa,” Junhui whined, pulling on his arm.

Joshua kept laughing and made his way across the dorm to grab his keys and his wallet, then bent down to tie his Vans. “Let’s get going. We have to drive out to Phoenix in the middle of rush hour. It's gonna take a while.”

Junhui nodded and slipped his shoes on, following Joshua out of the dorm and across the street to the carpark. They took the elevator up to the fourth floor of the garage and walked down the first row of cars. Joshua stopped in front of a small, white 2001 Toyota Corolla with band stickers plastered all around the back windshield. Junhui looked at his license plate which read “PPTMSTR” and looked over at his friend. “What is your license plate?”

“Puppet master. You know Metallica? Master of puppets?”

“Oh. I see.”

Joshua unlocked the car and motioned for Junhui to get in. He obliged, sliding down into the passenger seat. Joshua started the car and the speakers came alive, blasting intense metal in the small space. He fiddled with the air conditioning and moved some vents to face Junhui. “It'll take a moment to cool down,” he said as he turned the volume down to a talkable level.

“What is this we are listening to?” Junhui asked.

“Oh, this is Sworn In. You like it?” Joshua replied with a smile on his face.

SNAKE EYES ROLLING BACK INTO MY HEAD. WISHING I WAS DEAD, WISHING I WAS DEAD.

“I don't know what I feel towards it.”

Joshua laughed as he backed out of his spot and made his way out of the carpark. He drove off campus and onto the freeway, instantly met with traffic. He sighed and slowly worked his way over to the HOV lane. His iPod shuffled onto the next track, and Junhui looked over at Joshua questioningly.

I tear apart the pages of the story of my life. The black and white the wrong and right, the struggle to survive. And I've been falling apart in the pouring rain. I'm waging war on myself, a captive casualty.

“Okay what is this? It's definitely softer. I like it.” Junhui mused. Joshua just gave a small chuckle.

Traded a merciful heart for a murderer’s brain. But now I curse what's in my head… because I can't stop seeing RED!

“Oh. Nevermind. There it is. The screaming is back.”

“This, my dear Jun, is Ice Nine Kills. This song is about Jekyll and Hyde. You know that story, right?”

Junhui snorted, “Of course. I'm well versed in American literature.”

Joshua raised an eyebrow, “Oh? That's pretty neat. Did you read in English?”

Junhui nodded, “Yeah. It really helped me understand the language better.”

“That's really cool. I should try reading Korean books.”

“Do you own a lot?”

Joshua chuckled, “I have my bible in Korean.”

Junhui’s eyes grew in astonishment, “Shut the hell up, he's a religious boy?”

Joshua rolled his eyes, “I'm not like, super religious. I don't go around trying to convert people or anything. Sometimes I go to church. It's whatever.”

“Oh my goodness, you're a child of God. Who would have thought.”

“Are you religious?” Joshua snorted, quickly glancing in Junhui’s direction.

“Well, I mean, I'm Buddhist. It's a different kind of religious. But I'm a regular old Chinese boy, so it's not that alarming. You on the other hand. With your I-make-sacrifices-to-Lucifer look, I find it strange that you would be religious at all.”

“Oh come on, how many non-religious Koreans have you come across?” Joshua asked, genuinely curious.

“Honestly, I was never super close with any of the Korean kids in my classes, so I don’t have an answer for you. I just have a preexisting stereotype of Koreans, and you do not fit it. You're so... American.”

Joshua laughed, “You'll come to learn second generation Asian Americans are very American but also still very Asian.”

Junhui pondered this new information. “But, are you into the same trends? I mean, I look around campus and I see these groups of students all dressed like the Korean idols.”

They came up on stalled traffic, and Joshua took this braked moment to look over at Junhui, “Says you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Joshua laughed, “Uh, you dress exactly like that. If I found a photoshoot of T.O.P in an issue of Dazed magazine, I bet you anything he’d be wearing something that you would wear. Maybe even something you own.”

“Okay, I get it. This goes back to your ‘rich Chinese exchange student’ comment you made earlier. Is that my stereotype then?” Junhui snorted. “If you think I’m bad, you should meet my roommate. He bought a Jeep Wrangler the first week of school, his dad found out, didn’t like it, and made him sell it. He came back to the dorm after it was sold in his brand new Jaguar.”

“What the fuck?”

Junhui shrugged, “In the grand scheme of things, I’m a very tame version of your stereotypical rich Chinese exchange student. Accept me as I am.”

Joshua laughed, “I wouldn’t have you any other way, Jun.” The HOV lane started moving at an acceptable pace again, and the car fell silent… well, except for the music playing from Joshua’s ipod. Junhui would ask him about each song as it came on, and later on tell him if he liked it or not.

(“Josh, did I hear that correctly? Was that song about necrophilia?”

“Oh my god, Jun. Just wait till you hear part 2.”

“Part Two? Josh! This is weird. Why are we still liste- did, did he say he ‘gives head like a zombie?’ Jooooooooosh skip this, it’s weird!”)

Joshua came to find Junhui enjoyed Nightwish and Epica more than anything else that played in the time it took to get to Ak Chin Pavilion.

“The girls singing had such lovely voices. I want them to sing me to sleep,” Junhui told him. Joshua just smiled at his friend.

“I'm still surprised you agreed to come with me. This is so not your scene.”

Junhui waved Josh’s remark away, “I can be a part of any scene. Just watch. I’ll blend right in.”

Joshua laughed, “Jun, honey, we’re talking about Marilyn Manson and Slipknot fans. You might be able to pass as an Of Mice & Men fan. We’ll just keep to ourselves. We have GA lawn tickets anyway, so it'll be way tamer than being up close and personal.”

Junhui nodded. Joshua parked the car, and the two boys hopped out. “Damn, I'm gonna miss your air conditioning,” Junhui pouted as he shut the door. Joshua locked it, and slid his keys in his pocket. Junhui looked at him questioningly, “Aren't you afraid you’ll lose them if you keep them in your pocket?”

Joshua shook his head, “These pants are so damn tight. There's no way these babies are slipping out. Go ahead, try to stick your hand in my pocket,” he swivelled his hip towards Junhui, who in turn shrugged and tried to slip his hand in Joshua’s right pocket.

“Damn how do you breathe in these?” His brows furrowed as he struggled to shove his hand into Joshua’s pocket.

Joshua just laughed, “My wallet and keys are always safe and secure in my pants. No one could ever pickpocket me.”

“Well, I mean, if I made out with you, I could definitely slide my hands into those pockets and pull them out while keeping you distracted enough not to notice,” Junhui challenged. Joshua raised an eyebrow at that. “I'm good with my hands,” Junhui shrugged.

“Wow, okay. We’ll come back to that later. So, here’s your ticket,” Joshua replied, clearly thrown off by Junhui’s comment. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and grabbed the two tickets out. He handed one to Junhui and shoved his wallet back into his pocket, earning a snicker from Junhui. They walked up and got in the small line to get in, and only waited about a minute before they were going through the security check. Junhui had only ever gone through a security check at the airport, and wanted to know why they would need to go through one for a concert.

When they got through, he grabbed onto Joshua’s arm, “Why did we go through a security check?”

“Huh. I guess you don't have to deal with that in China. Well, in America it's too easy to get drugs and weapons, so whenever you go anywhere with lots of people you gotta go through security. You know, just to make sure no one is here with intent to hurt anyone. It especially sucks here in Arizona, since it's an open-carry state.”

“The hell does that mean?” Junhui asked, still clinging onto Joshua.

“It means anyone can carry a concealed gun if they have a permit.”

“The fuck is the point of that? Why does a citizen need a gun? Do you not have police in America?”

Joshua chuckled, “Of course we do. There’s just a lot of people ready to cry ‘second amendment rights’ whenever their guns are being threatened.”

“Okay, but I've studied the American constitution, and I know for a fact that there are stipulations attached to that amendment. It doesn't say ‘every citizen gets a gun.’”

“I’d like to see you try and take away guns from Americans,” Joshua laughed.

“Whatever. That's dumb.” Junhui concluded. He pulled Joshua in the direction everyone else was walking. “Come on, let’s grab a good spot to watch.”

Joshua smiled and let Junhui pull him along the crowd. He enjoyed the feeling of Junhui’s hand in his, the way he looked in his clothes, and even the sweat dripping down his neck. He had accepted his growing infatuation with Junhui the past few days, and figured he'd have to have a conversation with his friend soon before he was in too deep.

“Josh, where should we go?” Junhui asked as they came upon the large grassy area surrounding the stage seating.

Joshua pointed more towards the middle of the lawn, and Junhui pulled him along again. They found a nice spot directly facing centre stage, and Junhui turned to smile at his friend. “Perfect,” Joshua proclaimed, still not letting go of Junhui’s hand.

“I'm kind of excited! I've never done anything like this before. I've been to symphonies and concert halls, but never in my life did I think I'd ever go to an American metal concert!” Junhui exclaimed.

Joshua smiled fondly at Junhui, “I'm glad you came with me. It will be fun, I promise.”

The two mingled with the people around them -- Junhui fully admitted to not knowing anything about metal, but everyone was still really chill with him -- and quickly became friends with them all. One of the guys near them apologized in advance in case he went too hard during Slipknot’s set, which made Junhui laugh and assure him it would be okay.

The lights all dimmed around 7:30, and the crowd started cheering. The stage was black, and being on the lawn didn't give Joshua and Junhui a perfect view.

“Is it starting?” Junhui asked.

Joshua nodded as the guitar started playing and the crowd cheered even louder.

“YOU ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY OR SOMETHING TO ASK. I DON’T LIVE IN A CAGE, IT’S NONE OF YOUR. YOU ALL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY OR SOMETHING TO ASK. I DON’T LIVE IN A CAGE, IT’S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!”

On ‘business,’ the crowd went wild. People were jumping up and down, and the ones who had come for Of Mice & Men specifically had already began a mosh pit up in the standing area by the stage. Junhui’s face brightened up as he looked around and saw how excited and into the music people were.

“Goddamn, I wanted to be just like Austin Carlile. He’s the one singing,” Joshua leaned over and spoke in Junhui’s ear.

Junhui chuckled, “You wanted a band?”

Joshua nodded, “But none of my friends wanted to commit to it so it never happened. I should play guitar for you sometime.”

Junhui smiled and reached for Joshua’s hand. When he grabbed hold of it, he gave it a squeeze and leaned his head on Joshua’s shoulder, “I'd love that. I'm finding I like things you love, so keep exposing me to your weird Goth stuff.”

Joshua laughed and squeezed Junhui’s hand back in response. Junhui's head was bopping along to the beat on his shoulder, and Joshua made a mental challenge to get Junhui jumping by the end of Of Mice & Men’s set.

By the time Bones Exposed started playing, the entire crowd was moving. A small mosh pit opened up behind Joshua and Junhui, which Joshua ended up being a part of at one time -- Junhui was too nervous about getting hurt to follow him in. But Junhui was willing to jump around with Joshua during the songs, so he felt successful with his mission. “This is fun!” Junhui exclaimed. Joshua looked over at him with a smile plastered to his face. They were both drenched in sweat and at a loss of breath, but they didn't stop exerting energy. Joshua could feel his adrenaline pumping and could tell Junhui was just as pumped as he was.

Two songs later and Of Mice & Men ended their set. Junhui turned to Joshua with a pout, “No, I don't want it to end!”

Joshua laughed, “Don't worry. It will only take about 30 minutes for Marilyn Manson to come out. Then the fun will start up again!”

Junhui nodded, “Okay. Hey, I'm gonna go grab us a water. I'm dying.”

Joshua gave him a thumbs up and watched him weave through the crowd over to where the condiment stand was. One of the guys they had befriended tapped Joshua on the shoulder to get his attention. “You know, it's really cool of your boyfriend to come with you to a metal show even though he doesn't listen to it. He must really care about you. I hope you two are happy together. It's beautiful.”

Joshua smiled, “Thank you. He's honestly the best.”

“My ex girlfriend broke up with me because she couldn't handle me being a metalhead.” He shrugged, “I was just a rebellious phase for her.”

Joshua frowned, “Well, that sucks. I'm sorry, man.”

The other guy just smiled and gave Joshua a pat on the back, “Here comes your man, carrying an armful of water… why does he have so much?”

Junhui was walking back over to where Joshua was, and he did in fact have his arms full of water bottles. When he locked eyes with Joshua, a huge grin spread across his face and he sped up. When he finally reached Joshua’s side, he nudged his friend, “I got us water! I also thought our new friends standing around us would be thirsty, so I also bought them waters.”

Joshua smiled and grabbed some of the waters out of Junhui’s arms, turning to the guys behind them and offering them the extra water. They took them with smiles and thanked Junhui for getting them. Joshua grabbed Junhui’s hand and pulled him close, resting his head on the other boy’s shoulder, “You're wonderful, you know that?”

Junhui chuckled, “Well now I do.”

Joshua took his head off of Junhui’s shoulder and turned to face him, “Okay. It's time to prepare yourself. Marilyn Manson is completely different than Of Mice & Men.”

“You told me the night would get increasingly weird with each new band. So how weird is this set going to be?”

“Remember the necromantic song that was playing in my car earlier?”

Junhui scrunched up his nose, “Yeah. Is that what this next set will be like?”

Joshua nodded, “And then when Slipknot comes on it will be even weirder.”

“Do you really enjoy their stuff?”

Joshua shrugged, “I bought the tickets because my friend Wonwoo loves Marilyn Manson. But since he couldn't come and I already bought the tickets, I figured I'd just go and have a good time.”

Junhui nodded, “Well, I’m with you, so it won’t be that bad. Also, thanks for bringing me. I’m having a really good time.” The smile on his face seemed genuine, which only made Joshua smile wide in return.

The stage blacked out once more, and the seated crowd began to cheer. It gradually made its way up to the lawn, and pretty soon everyone was cheering. Bitch Better Have my Money started playing over the speakers, and the stage lights started dancing. Junhui danced along, eyes closed and with a smile on his face, losing himself to the groove. Joshua watched, a smile threatening to reveal itself as Junhui moved closer to him. Junhui opened his eyes and started singing along, holding direct eye contact with Joshua the whole time. “Kamikaze if you think that you gon' knock me off the top.

Shit, your wife in the backseat of my brand new foreign car.” One of Junhui’s hands looped around Joshua’s neck. “I call the shots shots shots.” His other hand rested on Joshua’s chest. “Like brah brah brah.” He started dancing against Joshua. “Bitch better have my money. Bitch better have my money. Pay me what you owe me.” Joshua couldn’t breathe. Junhui was too close, and he was too good at moving his body. “Bitch better have my. Bitch better have my. Bitch better have my money.”

“Jun, I can’t…”

“Can’t what?” Junhui asked, his face too close for Joshua to handle; concern written all over it. “What’s wrong, Josh?”

“Look, if you keep this up, I’m gonna pop a boner in the middle of this set and that will be the most uncomfortable time of my life.” Joshua admitted.

“Oh my god. I’m sorry. I just get so in the zone when I dance.”

“And you’re really good at it, and could probably make a living in a strip club, but right now I really need you to stop dancing against me.”

Junhui nodded and pulled away from Joshua, “I’m sorry. I’ll try to control myself. You should know, you make it difficult.”

The guitar started wailing, causing the two to jump slightly at the unexpected sound. Joshua could only stare at Junhui in shock. He let Marilyn Manson fade into white noise as he focused on Junhui. Did he just admit that Joshua made it difficult for him to behave?

Apparently Angel With The Scabbed Wings was finished, for when Joshua came back to reality, Disposable Teens had started up. Junhui had started to jump around to the music along with others around them, and Joshua just stood, dumbstruck by it all. Junhui pulled on his arm and motioned for him to join. And that’s what Joshua did. He let go. He let Junhui lead the night, and he had the best time of his life. Junhui’s energy was contagious. Joshua was sure he wouldn’t have had nearly as good a time with Wonwoo, had he actually been able to come.

When the concert was finished, Joshua and Junhui made their way back to Joshua’s car with their arms slung around each other, all smiles and giggles. Joshua gave Junhui the aux cord, so they jammed out to Junhui’s current love: Agust D. Joshua could recognize verses every now and then, but his limited knowledge of Korean was just that -- limited. Junhui would ask him about a line in a song, and all Joshua could do was take the words he did know and guess the rest of the phrase.

Joshua parked the car, and the two stayed sat in silence. Junhui still had a huge grin on his face when he turned to Joshua, “Thank you for inviting me. I was skeptical about it at first, but I had such a good time! I’m so glad I went with you. Those masks will give me nightmares, but I can overcome that if you come into my dreams and save me from them.”

Joshua chuckled, “They’re just masks! They can’t cause you any harm!”

“I’m pretty sure that spiky one would kill me if thrown in my direction.”

“And why would you ever be in that predicament?”

“I don’t know! This is a nightmare! It doesn’t have to make sense,” Junhui pouted.

Joshua’s laugh quieted into a soft smile, “I’ll protect you.”

Junhui returned the smile, “Good. I’m not ready to die.”

“Well, thank you for coming with me, Jun. I’m not sure I would have had that much fun if my friend had come in from LA.”

Junhui could feel the blush creeping in, “You don’t mean that.”

“No, I 100% do. You have an energy that’s unmatchable. I quite enjoy my time with you.”

Junhui brought his hand to the back of his neck, “Wow, thanks. People usually tell me I’m obnoxious or too wild.”

“Tch, nonsense,” Joshua waved a hand. “You bring the party.”

“Uh, thanks,” he smiled sheepishly. “Uh, and if you didn’t want to deal with your roommate and want to keep the night fresh, you can come to my dorm. I’m in a single, so no one can bug us.”

Joshua smiled widely in response, “I’d love to!”

They proceeded to exit the car, making sure to grab Joshua’s new shirts as they left. Junhui lead Joshua out of the garage and towards his dorm. Their walk was silent, but it wasn’t awkward.

“I don’t remember the state I left my dorm in, but if it’s nasty in there I’m sorry,” Junhui apologized.

Joshua snickered, “It’s fine. I really don’t care.”

Junhui unlocked the door and peered inside before Joshua could look around. He let out a small sigh of relief when he found it clean. “It’s okay. Everything is clean.” He opened the door wide so Joshua could walk inside with him. He closed the door when they were both in and walked over to a small cabinet and grabbed two water bottles. He handed one to Joshua and began downing the other one.

Joshua smirked at the sight, “Woah there cowboy. Leave some water for the fishies.”

“I am parched excuse me for trying to stay hydrated,” Junhui retorted, walking over to his bed and sitting down.

Joshua laughed and followed him, taking a sip of his water once he was sat next to Junhui, “Hydration is for squares. All the cool kids are dehydrated now. It brings you a little closer to death.”

“You know, sometimes I forget you’re the creepy emo kid, and then you go and say shit like that.”

Joshua shrugged, “What can I say. I have a reputation to uphold.”

Junhui rolled his eyes and grabbed another water, “What about starting a new legacy? You know, like a ‘new city new me’ type thing?”

“Nah. Once an emo kid, always an emo kid.”

Joshua watched as Junhui downed his second water bottle. “But… I thought you weren’t emo.”

Joshua laughed, covering his face as if he was embarrassed. The action made Junhui smile, allowing his gaze to fall softly on Joshua. “Have I converted you? They say the power of the dark side is strong.”

Junhui rolled his eyes, the smile still plastered to his face, “Would I seek this lifestyle out myself? No. Will I stand alongside you and cheer you on as you go through life looking like a Tim Burton character? Yes. That I can do.”

“Shut up, I know you like it. You proved that tonight when you had fun with me at my metal show.”

“Oh, did I?”

“Yes you did. And, I bet if I asked you to go to another show with me, you’d say yes.”

“Well of course I would. You’re my best friend.”

Joshua’s expression softened at the remark. It was one thing to consider Junhui his newly acquainted best friend, but it was different hearing Junhui confirm it himself. He watched as Junhui grabbed another water from his reserve with a fond smile on his face, “Good. Prepare yourself for the most jam-packed, metal semester you’ve ever had.”

“Oh my god, I take that back!” Junhui laughed.

“Too late. It’s already happening. I’ll make a metalhead out of you, Wen Junhui. Just you wait,” Joshua teased.

“So…” Junhui paused, not sure how to continue his thought without completely killing the mood. There was something Joshua had told him earlier that night that he had been mulling over the whole show. He looked into Joshua’s eyes with a nervous smile, “Earlier you told me something in Korean. What did you say?” he asked, sipping on his third water bottle.

“You really want to know?” Joshua asked with a raised eyebrow.

“YES. Tell me! It’s been bugging me all night.”

“All night? Wow. That must have been terrible!”

“It was! You’re such a tease.”

Joshua chuckled, “I know. It’s my one flaw.”

Junhui rolled his eyes, “One flaw my ass.”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes!”

“I told you I wanted to have sex with you,” Joshua deadpanned.

Junhui’s expression grew increasingly confused, trying to figure out if Joshua was lying or not. “Seriously?”

“For real. You look so damn hot right now, and especially after dancing with you all night… Let’s just say I wouldn’t mind finding out how your body really moves against mine.”

“Holy shit. You’re serious about that. Wow. You know, this is super convenient, because I still wanted to try out my pickpocketing skills on you. I’m still fairly certain I can get that wallet out of your pants.”

Joshua smiled, inching closer to Junhui on the bed, “How about we begin with that, and end with my thing.”

Junhui smirked back, bringing his hands up into Joshua’s hair, “I think that’s the best plan we’ve had all night.” Junhui slowly brought his lips up to Joshua’s. As he let his eyes flutter shut, their lips met. They began slowly, taking their time to acclimate to one another. Junhui’s hands slowly travelled down Joshua’s back and looped around his waist. Joshua in turn wrapped his arms around Junhui’s neck, bringing them closer.

Junhui’s lips were wet and smooth from the three bottles of water he had consumed, not chapped and rough like Joshua’s. Joshua loved it. Craved it. He kept taking Junhui’s lips back against his own despite the lack of oxygen between them. Junhui deepened the kiss, causing Joshua to suck in a breath of air as he licked into his mouth. He swung a leg over Joshua’s lap and straddled the Korean boy, bringing their bodies flush against each other, and allowed his hands to travel the older boy’s body. It didn’t take long for Joshua to cave and meet Junhui’s tongue with his own. Junhui gasped at the sudden appearance of metal in his mouth, but he would be lying if he said the thought of Joshua’s tongue piercing didn’t turn him on.

Joshua pulled away from Junhui to take in a breath of air, and his eyes landed on Junhui’s alarm clock. They widened in terror, and he pushed Junhui off him, jumping off the bed with fervor when he read the time. “Shit shit shit shit shit, Jun, I need your computer. Shit. FUCK.”

Junhui looked at him, dumbstruck and still trying to catch his breath, “It’s on my desk. Why? What’s up?”

“I have to turn in an assignment on Blackboard.” Joshua explained, lunging for his desk and throwing open Junhui’s laptop. “It’s due at midnight. Fuck. I only have 10 minutes to upload this shit.”

Junhui chuckled, “Is it complete?”

“Yeah, I did that yesterday. Fuck, I can’t believe I almost forgot.”

“I guess I really am good at what I do,” Junhui smirked, placing Joshua’s wallet on the desk next to the laptop.

“What the hell, when did you- nevermind. Godfuckingdammit load FASTER YOU PIECE OF SHIT WIFI.”

Junhui burst into laughter, “I know this all just destroyed the previous mood, but honestly having you curse my WiFi out is highly entertaining and a good alternative to you cursing me out of pure ecstasy.

“I’d much rather be doing the latter right now,” Joshua sighed. “Fucking finally. Okay. Uploaded with a minute to spare.” He closed the laptop and turned around to face Junhui again, “We were definitely not finished.”

“No we fucking weren’t. Get your emo ass over here and kiss me.”

Joshua was startled awake at 7 am by the guttural screams of Suicide Silence. He reached for his phone to stop his alarm as Junhui moaned and slapped him until the noise stopped. “Sorry. Forgot to turn my school alarm off,” he grumbled, still partially asleep.

“I hate you. I hate you and your fucking screaming music,” Junhui declared as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

“You don’t mean that, you’re just grumpy because it woke you up.”

Junhui shifted under the blanket and pulled the duvet over his head, “I 100% mean it. I hate you Joshua Hong.”

Joshua pulled the blanket down and started leaving a trail of kisses down Junhui’s jawline, “Tell me you hate me.”

Junhui giggled under him, “Is this some sort of kink you have? Is this an emo kink?”

“I wouldn’t know, since I’m not emo,” Joshua pouted. He stopped kissing Junhui and turned his back to him.

Junhui sat up and pulled Joshua into his arms, “Right, Sorry. You’re my beautiful metalhead.”

Joshua smiled and turned around in Junhui’s arms, “And please do not tell me you hate me. I’m sorry my alarm went off. I’ll never let it happen again.”

“You talk as if I’ll invite you to stay over again.”

Joshua gasped, “You threaten to keep me out of your bed? How can you be so cruel!?”

“I’m just teasing you. I have to give you a hard time for waking me up at 7 in the morning with your loud screaming music,” Junhui stated, snuggling his face into the crook of Joshua’s neck.

“Trust me, nothing else can wake me up,” Joshua explained.

“Hmmm, I’m sure we could find something else…” Junhui teased, sucking and biting the spot where Joshua’s neck meets his shoulder. Joshua took in a sharp breath as Junhui left a mark opposite the one he had left the previous night.

“Juuuuuuuun, stoooop,” Joshua pleaded weakly, not actually wanting him to stop but playing up the part. Junhui just chuckled and started placing soft kisses along Joshua’s jaw before meeting his lips with his own.

“We both know you don’t want me to stop. Besides, we’re both awake now because of your stupid alarm.”

“Hmm, yes. But see here, we need to have a serious conversation, Jun,” Joshua sighed and looked Junhui in the eyes. “Completely sober and completely aware of our actions, we had sex last night. What does this mean for us?”

Junhui paused before answering, “It means… we should probably discuss our feelings.”

“Honestly, I found you impossibly attractive the moment you sat down next to me and will admit I initially wanted to just sleep with you… and then we started talking and I guess I just ended up wanting a friend more than a fuck,” Joshu admitted. “I kind of figured a guy like you wouldn’t be physically attracted to a weirdo like me, so I gave up on seducing you while we were eating lunch together.”

“Oh my god, you were going to seduce me?” Joshua just nodded shyly. “That’s so fucking cute. It probably would have worked. Once I saw your tongue piercing, my daydreams were fucked. It’s so stupid, but that fucking tongue piercing had me so fucked up. All I could think about was how hot it would be if you licked me.” Joshua laughed at that, rolling away from Junhui in his fit. “All I can say, is I was right and it was fucking hot.”

Joshua took a moment to let his laughter die down before he booped Junhui’s nose, “Looks like we’re each craving something a little more than friendship.”

“Well yeah, I thought that was made clear last night when we had sex,” Junhui regaled.

“In that case,” Joshua sat up in bed and grabbed Junhui’s hands. “Will you be my boyfriend, Jun?”

“I’d be a fool to refuse you,” Junhui replied with a smile. “Just know this is the only time I’ll let your death alarm off the hook. Boyfriend or not, this is still too damn early. Can we nap some more? I’m still exhausted from last night.”

Joshua smiled and snuggled back down against Junhui, “Yeah, that sounds nice.”

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Hi, so I’ve been wanting to cross post my fics for a while now, and decided that the first thing I posted in the new year would be the first one to get put on here. I hope you enjoyed it!

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