Work Text:
(December 5, 2019)
The clicks of Joji’s keyboard were the only sound filling the spacious apartment room. Too engaged in his work to bother with background distractions, bar after bar, sample after sample, Joji produced.
The time at the studio had been long and productive, but he couldn’t rest now. The half finished beats sounded good, but not even close to what he had envisioned. Joji’s eye twitched, he needed to look away from his laptop, it had been hours. For his own sanity, he got up and checked his phone. He opened twitter, half smiling at the copious amount of likes his earlier post of distorted pictures had received.
He hesitated to look at the comments, over the past year he had made a point of rarely checking them, but the top comment made him double back. Two stock images, no caption, from Max. One of an Asian man holding a flip phone to his ear, and the other a white pouting man. Was this supposed to be them? Did Max want a call? The pictures seemed like an order. Sighing, Joji scrolled through his contacts. Max’s was towards the bottom. How long has it been? A month or so since they had last spoken? Joji hesitated over the call button. Whatever Max wanted, he had better make it quick:
“...” Max’s line was silent for a moment,
“Hello?” Joji tried.
“Hey man! Did you see my reply?” Joji could feel his smirk through the line.
“Yeah...what did you need? I’m kinda in the middle of something right now,” repositioning
himself, Joji walked back to his desk to rearrange the disorganized papers containing a mix of record plans and other business ventures.
“Not really, I just wanted to check in on you; how’ve you been?”
“Busy,” was Joji’s short reply as he struggled to pin ideas to the cork board that hung above his desk.
“Oh... well Chad and I have been up to our usual fuckery. You working on the album?” Max’s accented voice asked.
“Yep. Time’s moving slow here,” Joji sat down on his bed, fatigue starting to creep in.
“Speaking of, Chad wanted me to tell you he finally downloaded Sanctuary. Stubborn bastard swallowed his pride for once haha!”
“Really? That’s great,” Joji smiled, he forgot how uplifting Max could be.
“Yeah.. are you okay man? You sound tired. At least eight hours remember!”
“I’m fine,” Joji wasn’t in the mood for another lecture.
“Hmph,” Max was frustrated, he could tell.
Joji reopened his laptop, “look Max I can’t stop right now, I have a few more things I have to work out before I can even consider sleep,” the beat arrangement resumed.
“I know, but you need to take breaks man. It’s not healthy,” Jeez they were really resembling the pictures Max had sent. One pouting, one preoccupied.
Joji scratched his half-beard, “Yeah…”
“Okay, you can work for a little more if it’s that urgent. Just promise you get some rest soon alright?”
“Fine,” Joji sighed.
Max laughed triumphantly through the phone, “Good. Night George, we’re talking more tomorrow and I’m not letting you get out of it,” with that final threat he hung up.
Joji layed back on the cream colored sheets of the too big apartment bed, it had been too long.