Title: Off-beat Radio
Genre: Humor/Romance/Friendship
Rating: M
Warnings: AU. Keyshipping. Human Astral. Alcohol use and mentions of other adult things. Characters might be out-of-character, but for my purposes, they're how I want them to be so apologies in advanced. Possibly rated higher than it should be, but…mm.
Summary: A trip to an island paradise takes a turn for the exotic when Yuma meets a radio host with a heavenly voice and a taste for fruity drinks.
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal.
Serena: I just want it to go on record that I'm actually not a Keyshipper. ahaha I just haven't really found a reason to ship them at the moment (and yet I'm writing this). I don't have a Zexal ship, honestly. I do ship Astral with a YGO character, but it's a, what I've labeled for myself as, "5DXAL ship". lol I'm also not that far into the show. I'm still in the World Duel Carnival part. So, no spoilers for me please? lol Thank you for understanding.
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Chapter 1: Cups
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Smooth jazz poured through the open windows like smoke curling from a lit cigarette. Saxophone vibrations danced in the air with all the grace of a ballerina twirling on-stage and soft drum beats threaded through the portable radio speakers in calming, rhythmic booms. It made the atmosphere hazy and brought a heaviness to his eyelids he couldn't quite shake off. This music genre wasn't normally his preference and had his brain not been half melted, he might have switched the station to something more upbeat a while back, something catchy and electronic that he could have danced to. As things were, his brain was cooked from the godforsaken heat and this was the only radio station that would pick up. Everything else was a snow of static.
"I thought we were going to an island resort, not Hell." he grumbled to himself, a grimace tugging at his lips.
The sun was so scorching hot that even the clouds had withered away from its intense shine, leaving a sea of baby blue and no real protection to anyone wandering around outside. Maybe the locals had a secret to surviving in this weather because all the ones he had seen were prancing around in skimpy outfits and smiling like they hadn't a care in the world. He was just lucky enough to be shaded by the roof of the car he was lounging in, but without any cool air, the heat was still unbearable to sit in. It was like he was sitting inside a furnace built above an active volcano. His clothes were sticking to his skin from the sweat seeping from his pores and his oddly spiked hair was drooping so much he thought it might lose its shape.
He stared up at the vehicle's ceiling, eyes half-lidded and mind drowsy with heat and boredom. He took a breath of the scorched air, only to let it all out in a pained moan. His lungs felt like they were burning.
"For fuck's sake, Akari." he whined as he rolled onto his side, away from the driver's side and towards his own window. The faux leather seats squeaked in protest and pulled at his skin, delaying his movements somewhat as he practically unpeeled himself from the cushions. He gave a little whiney groan. "What is taking you so long?"
Lying along the sticky vinyl seats of the rental car his elder sister had purchased (dying of heat stroke and sweating enough to flood the Nile) had not been on his list of summer activities. At this rate, he was going to be nothing more than a shriveled corpse by the time his sister finally returned with directions. What he wouldn't give to be sitting in the luxury of an air-conditioned hotel room right about now…
'She could have left me the keys.'
Even with the windows rolled down, the heat was hellish. There wasn't even a breeze. Had Akari left the car keys in his care rather than take them with her, he could have turned the vehicle's air conditioning on twenty minutes ago. Granted, she probably hadn't planned on being gone for so long, but still.
He glanced out the passenger window to send a sleepy glare at the gas station they had stopped at. Except for one or two passing individuals, the place was practically deserted. Hell, the dirt road beside it was deserted as well. It was one of those places that were sort of out in the middle of nowhere. It was old, surrounded by sun-bleached signs, and the gas pumps and broken metal fencing surrounding the back were patched with rust.
Of all the places to stop and ask for directions, Akari had to pick the place that (at least in the movies) serial killers and crazed stalkers liked to pop up at. Yay.
"Ahhh. Nothing like a little jazz to set the mood, am I right?"
He turned away from the gas station doors to glare at a little black radio that had been set inside a random cup holder. The sultry jazz melody he had been idly listening to gradually played itself into oblivion as the voice spoke over it. The music helped him to stay relatively calm, but other than making him feel drowsy, that was all it did. What mood was it supposed to set? Ugh. He wished this wasn't the only radio station that would pick up. This radio host guy was an annoying little shit.
"Don't even start."
The voice on the radio sighed in bliss, completely ignoring the teen's irritated comment.
"I know it put me in a good mood~" the voice continued. He hummed thoughtfully. "Afraid that's all from me for today, though! I've got a party to head to tonight. I can't stick around here all day. Haha! And you know what party I'm talking about? Oooh, that's right. The one and only Disaster Train concert happening tonight at the Lagoon!"
He blinked a couple of times, curiosity shimmering in his scarlet gaze. Disaster Train? The name didn't ring a bell. Was that some local celebrity band or an indie group from overseas maybe?
"It's gonna be wild!" the host continued to gush. From the short time the teen had known of him, the radio host gave a lot of praise to practically everyone. "I might even get laid. Ladies, I'm available all night~"
He could also be somewhat of a sex-obsessed douche. Before that jazz song had played, the radio host had given a description of a girl he hooked up with the week prior that made the teen blush three shades of red. The description of the lady's breasts alone had been enough to make the whole thing X-rated. Thank God Akari hadn't been around to hear it.
"This is Guilleo signing off, but don't switch off that radio just yet! We'll be playing an exclusive song from Disaster Train's new album, Voodoo Lesion, called Requiem for a Corpse Eater. And afterward, our resident pretty boy from the Golden District will be here to sweet talk you into a musical orgasm that'll have your toes curling and body shuddering all. Night. Long~"
Without any further goodbyes from Guilleo, the radio went silent for a few moments before the echoing boom of a drum spilled out of its speakers. It was followed by more drum booms and the sound of a keyboard began to twine around the beats in echoing twinkles. Guitar strums joined the mass of sound and it all eventually wrapped into slow lyrics.
"I lost my way. Somewhere around oblivion. And the colors are pristine. With the shade of your red."
The singer's voice was scratchy and flew into those high notes with such ease it made the teen feel a little envious. The singer dipped into a long, creepy scream then and the music swelled into a silence filled with reverberating guitar strokes before everything exploded into a heavy metal-esque melody.
'Not bad.' he found himself thinking as singer and music alike danced around each other. Considering the tropical nature of the island, the song was a bit out-of-place, but he found himself tapping a finger against the armrest anyway. 'Kinda too dark for me, but at least I'm not sleepy anymore.'
The song lasted another minute or two and just got creepier and creepier the longer it droned on. The teen briefly wondered if all their songs sounded so morbid, but as it finished itself off with the dying sounds of vibrating guitar strings and echoing keyboard notes, he was distracted from the thought by the sound of a new voice.
"Good afternoon, Mercivir residents."
Oh.
"For any new listeners, my name is Astral and I'll be your host until the sun goes down."
Oh, wow. What a voice this one had. The teen suddenly felt a bit flustered. He always did have a horrible weakness for nice voices…
"Or at least, until the sun sets. I would hate to deprive you of those warm colors. The view from the beach is especially lovely. Have you ever seen the way the water melts with the sun? It's breathtaking."
Oh, a sunset wasn't the only thing stealing breathes.
The radio host's voice poured from those tiny speakers like the finest of split wine flowing over curtains of silk. It was soft and carried a graceful lit, but there was a roll of thunder in his tone that could've rivaled the mighty Zeus and easily struck down its listeners, leaving them all weak-kneed but positively famished for an encore. There was even this sweet dip in his tone that was like a golden weave of melted caramel, just the right amount of saccharine coating to remain a teasing treat for his audience to devour without being overwhelming.
"Mmm. It's more enjoyable when you have someone to share the sights with, but regardless, you and I will be together for quite a while. So, sit back and enjoy the show."
Mercy, was he real? A voice that come hither needed a restraining order dropped on it.
"As the vast majority is already aware, a concert is being held at the Blue Lagoon tonight by a local favorite, Disaster Train. I…had no intention of going."
A muffled voice called out from the background and Astral's burdened sigh flowed from the radio like a saccharine mist.
"But I…might stop by for a moment or two. Emphasis on might." he continued, despite an immediate protest by someone in the background. He cleared his throat, seemly trying to ignore any background distractions. "But before we delve any deeper into that unfortunate topic, I would like to continue where we left off yesterday. I received a request from an avid listener who asked if I would sing for her. I promised I would, but was unable to yesterday."
There was a rustling of papers and the sound of metal scraping against wood before Astral resumed speaking, an extra flutter of paper hiding beneath his soft voice.
"Just one moment…"
There was a bit of silence (save for the occasional rustling of this and that) before sound returned. It started as a clapping of hands and before long, a background melody of some kind of string instrument started up. It was upbeat and the melody fit the island atmosphere a lot better than Disaster Train's dark song had. The teen found he liked it already, but he was eager to hear the host sing.
'I bet he sings nice, too.' he mused, trying to imagine what Astral sounded like while singing. 'With a voice like that - '
"I got my ticket for the long way round. Two bottles of whiskey for the way. And I sure would like some sweet company. And I'm leaving tomorrow. What'd you say?"
Dear god, it was better than his weak attempts at imagining it.
"Damn…" the teen muttered, squirming a little in his seat from the sound as it carried on. This Astral character had a speaking voice that came straight out of Olympus, but for God's sake, that singing could make even a god kneel. It was like ecstasy on air waves and sent pleasant shivers down his spine. "I didn't know people like this even existed."
"-en I'm gone. When I'm gone. You're gonna miss me when I'm gone. You're gonna miss me by my walk. You're gonna miss me by my talk. Oooh, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone."
When the host's voice lit up in song, it was like hearing the forbidden caress of an angel's tenor, unworthy of being heard by mere mortals but so delicious it was downright sinful. The teen suddenly understood what Guilleo had meant by "musical orgasm". Astral managed to turn his insides into mush over radio frequencies without any effort whatsoever. God, imagine what listening to him in person was like!
"I got my ticket for the long way round. The one with the prettiest of views. Its got mountains, its got rivers, its got sites to give you shivers. But it sure would be prettier with you."
Fuck. It was like the man was flirting with him. He made the song sound so personal and exotic that it was like being serenaded in the bedroom. The unfairness of this whole situation was just astounding. He'd never been more attracted to a set of vocal chords in all of his short, sixteen years of life.
"-gonna miss me when I'm gone. You're gonna miss me by my hair. You're gonna miss me everywhere. Oh, you're sure gonna miss me when I'm gone."
"Yuma!"
The teenager blinked out of his vocal-induced trance and turned towards the gas station entrance to see his elder sister jogging over to him, her hand waving a torn sheet of notebook paper in the air.
'Aw, Akari, not now!'
The fiery red-head stopped at his window and leaned against the passenger door, the slip of paper she held fluttering slightly as she brandished it. She offered him a brief, apologetic grin before speaking.
"Sorry for the wait, but I got the directions to the hotel. Finally." she said, sighing a little. She turned a short glare back towards the gas station doors before shaking her head and pushing away from the vehicle. "Here. Go ahead and start up the car. I know you're dying from the heat."
She tossed him the car keys before lazily moving away and beginning to make her way to the driver's side.
"Uh, thanks."
Yuma sent the little radio a disappointed look, having noted that Astral was no longer singing or even talking. Some other song was now playing that he didn't know the name of and while the female vocalist sounded nice, she had nothing on the embodiment of vocal sex that was Astral. Yuma doubted anyone could sound as good as the radio host did, though.
'I wonder what he looks like. It'd be cool to meet him.' the teen mused as he cranked up the car and it (along with the air conditioning) roared to life. 'Oh, thank God! I was dying!'
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Serena: Just to be clear, I made Disaster Train up. They aren't based on anyone and neither is the music they played. Apologies for the horrible, made-up song lyrics by them, too. lol Oh, but the song Astral sings is real. It's called Cups and it's sung by Anna Kendrick. Check it out, if you have the time. It's really nice. Mm…welp. I'll see anyone interested next chapter~ I hope I did okay for a first time Zexal fic…