Unlikely Harmony || DaouOffroad AU

CH2. Clashing Chords

Daou was no stranger to tension, but the atmosphere in the studio was unlike anything he had experienced before. The silence between him and Offroad was thick, punctuated only by the occasional strum of a guitar or the soft notes Daou played on the piano. It was the kind of silence that made everything feel risky, like walking on a tightrope with no safety net below.

Offroad seemed content to let the silence stretch, he sat on a chair near the piano, tuning his electric guitar with deliberate slowness, his eyes flicking up occasionally to watch Daou. There was a hint of a challenge in his gaze, as if daring Daou to make the first move.

Daou took a deep breath, centering himself. This was just another project, he told himself. A difficult one, yes, but still a project. He was a professional, and he could handle this. He played a simple melody, letting the notes fill the room.

"So, do you have any ideas?" Daou asked, breaking the silence. His voice was calm, but noticeable with a hint of frustration.

Offroad's fingers paused on the strings of his guitar. He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Ideas? Sure. Plenty. But I'm guessing you already have something in mind."

Daou's lips pressed into a thin line. "I thought we could start with something simple, build a foundation, and then... see where it takes us."

Offroad chuckled a low sound that didn't reach his eyes. "Build a foundation? Sounds like a business pitch."

"It's a collaboration," Daou shot back. "We need something we can both work with. Or did you plan to just wing it?"

Offroad leaned back in his chair, putting down the guitar and stretching his arms over his head.

As he stretched, the hem of his shirt lifted slightly, revealing a glimpse of his toned stomach and the soft, honey skin underneath. Daou caught the sight out of the corner of his eye, and for a brief moment, his thoughts scattered. The tight lines of Offroad's muscles stood in contrast to his easygoing demeanour, and Daou's focus slipped, his mind wandering to how those muscles might feel—solid yet fluid—if he ever got close enough to touch.

He quickly looked away, forcing himself to stay composed, but the image lingered in the back of his mind. There was something so effortless about Offroad's confidence, the way his body moved without concern, like everything was just another part of his game. Daou could feel himself growing distracted, his irritation momentarily forgotten as he traced the fleeting glimpse of skin in his head.

"Why not? Some of the best music comes from improvisation. But I get it, you like things neat and tidy."

Daou blinked, Offroad's words cutting through his haze. He snapped his attention back to the conversation, his frustration returning in full force. The casual dismissal of his method annoyed him, but that brief distraction gnawed at him from the inside, leaving him off balance.

He resisted the urge to snap.

"Improvisation has its place, but we're under a deadline. We don't have the luxury of just seeing what happens."

Offroad's smile faded slightly, his eyes taking on a harder edge. "So you want everything all planned out? That's not how I roll. If you can't handle a bit of unpredictability, maybe you should've stuck to your safe little bubble."

Daou's fingers stilled on the keys. He had always prided himself on his precision, his ability to bring order to the chaos of music. But Offroad seemed to embrace the chaos it in a way that both intrigued and infuriated him.

"We don't have time to just mess around. The festival is in a month and we need to come up with an original song. Plus, we still have to choose two more for the set. We can't afford to waste time."