Scream Our Lungs Out

Chapter 7 Busking For Money

"Dabi we need to get money somehow were out of food," Shigaraki said they had spent the little money Shigaraki had brought with him over the week they had been in the new town.

"How do you think we do that?" Touya asked he didn't think a lot of places would hire runaway fourteen-year-olds.

"I don't know." Shigaraki let out a frustrated sigh while he enjoyed playing music with Touya during the day they needed to eat or they'd starve.

"I got it!" Touya said as he came up with an idea.

"What?" Shigaraki asked confused.

"What can we do with instruments?" Touya asked Shigaraki was about to tell him he didn't know when he caught on to Touya's plan.

"So, you think we should write songs?" Shigaraki asked Touya nodded.

"Yeah, but it ain't gonna be easy to write something people like. Besides, the only instruments we have are acoustic guitars." Touya said they'd have to find some way to make original songs with two of the same instrument.

"I know it won't be easy but I'm up for it," Shigaraki said they'd come this far he wasn't going to back out.

"Alright, let's get started then," Touya said Shigaraki got out a notebook he'd brought with him and a pencil to start writing down ideas.

After a few hours of tossing ideas around and writing then discarding some of the songs, the two teens had come up with four songs. While they weren't the most original or impressive Shigaraki thought they'd work for their first ones. Shigaraki only knew how to play four chords he only knew three before he ran away but knew one more courtesy of Touya. So all the songs only involved four chords because Shigaraki didn't have time to learn more if they wanted to make money. They practiced the songs for another day before going out to busk for money.

Shigaraki and Touya went out to the town park deciding it was a good place to start as it was a public place they could legally busk. There also lots of people went to the parks during the evenings in small towns since there was nothing better to do. Shigaraki knew that in small towns everyone loved it when musicians came and played because it was rare they did. They had set out Shigaraki's guitar case out for donations for when someone tipped them. The two started to play one of the songs they wrote Shigaraki was nervous about being in a public area. Their music attracted the attention of some of the park occupants which crowded around in a circle to watch the teens play music. Touya sang out the lyrics in the raspiest voice he could for a fourteen-year-old boy. They'd decided previously would fit the tone of the song with its darker tone. Their song was about running away from a dead-end town on a freight train they'd written it about their recent adventures.

Shigaraki's part of the song was coming up he froze up when Touya stopped singing everyone in the crowd was now looking at him expectantly. Shigaraki wanted to scratch at his throat with his hands the itch burned under his skin but he was too petrified to reach up to scratch it. He looked over at Touya desperately who gave him an encouraging nod Shigaraki took a deep breath before strumming his guitar. The teen closed his eyes to not see the crowd he imagined it was just him and Touya in the abandoned building they'd been staying in singing the song. He heard Touya's guitar as the other played with him Shigaraki started singing his part of the song, "The place where I feel tangible the place where I feel free is down by the railroad tracks where they rail ties meet my feet I watch the train cars roll on by then pick one that I like run up and hop right on I'm going for a ride." The song ended with Touya and Shigaraki singing together at the end. The crowd clapped or cheered and they even got some money from donations. The teens played the other songs Shigaraki got a bit braver on the second on not having to close his eyes after that.

"How much did we make?" Shigaraki asked as Touya counted through their earnings.

"Uh, two hundred and thirty-two dollars," Touya said in shock Shigaraki was just as surprised as he was.

"Woah that's more than I was expecting," Shigaraki said they had enough for food for a few weeks.

"No kidding," Touya said sarcastically Shigaraki rolled his eyes at the black-haired male.

"You did great Dabi," Shigaraki said he thought that Touya had done amazing on his solo.

"You did to creep," Touya said Shigaraki felt himself blush at the praise.

"Even though I froze up?" He asked.

Touya smiled, "Even if you froze up."

"Thanks for encouraging me." Shigaraki thanked the other teen.

"No problem mophead."

"What's up with you and nicknames?" Shigaraki asked.

"I like them," Touya said it didn't answer Shigaraki's question but he decided to give it up.

"When do we busk again?" Shigaraki asked Touya while they had the money for food they'd need to do it again soon.

"When we need to right now since it's getting warmer we shouldn't need a place with proper heating or colling for a few months. We can just keep squatting where we are," Touya said they needed shelter eventually they couldn't go through winter in an abandoned house. Shigaraki nodded the would just keep busking until they found something else.