Work Text:
Aikawa thought that Endou was so cool. He was able to play almost any song on the piano, and could perform several classical pieces by memory. While classical music in general wasn’t Aikawa’s forte, he admired Endou’s skill. He found Endou cool for other reasons too, and found himself in his debt since he took him in. They were practically brothers, always watching out for each other…
…but yet, Aikawa wanted to be able to impress Endou as well. Endou seemed…hard to please, to put it nicely, and it didn’t help that Aikawa wasn’t very interested in classical music (most of his knowledge of the genre came from Endou himself). Endou never hated Aikawa’s performances or harshly criticized them, in fact, he clapped quite often for the young Aikawa yet…he never seemed wowed. He decided to ask a question in order to get some ideas.
“Hibiki-san, why did you want to play piano?” Aikawa asked.
“Hmmm…it’s a long story…” replied Endou Hibiki. “I suppose I’ll try to answer in a quick and understandable way. Before my younger sister and I were born, my father played in the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra…”
“Ah! Your father played in Sakkyo?! You told me how much you admired them,” Aikawa Kiyoshi interrupted.
“Yes, Kiyoshi-kun, now let me tell my story. Shortly after my sister’s birth, my father suffered a critical injury, and was no longer able to play. But he still had a passion for the genre, so he often took us to recitals. I became so invested that he decided to send me to a music program after school. My instructor was…harsh, yet not abusive. I tried almost every instrument available, and I was about to give up…yet he put me on the piano stool and directed my small fingers across the keys. I was able to perfect Beethovan’s Ode to Joy within 10 minutes…which doesn’t sound impressive, yet my instructor was proud…” Hibiki paused once more to hear Kiyoshi speak.
“In 10 minutes? That’s amazing for any song! You must have been a gifted kid!” the teen beamed.
“...I wish it were so…really, piano is the only thing I was good at. I was horrible at school, only barely being able to advance to the next grade. It got especially bad in my 1 year of high school…but I suppose I’ll save all of my vents for another day. What about you? What made you want to become a DJ…?” When this question was asked, Kiyoshi slowly started to sob. “Is it a touchy subject…? We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“Well…” Kiyoshi tried to wipe away his tears as he answered. “It’s personal, but since you’re my new caretaker now, I suppose…I can tell you…” He cleared his throat. “Both of my parents have physically and verbally abused me ever since I could remember. As far as I know, my abuse was the only thing keeping them together, as their marriage was deteriorating. I was horrified of them…I still am, so for comfort, I made songs on my laptop when I was in middle school. A classmate of mine managed to see me making them, and they asked if I could come over to their house to practice with their older brother’s DJ equipment…I only agreed to temporarily escape the abuse…”
“Christ…that’s awful…” Hibiki gave Kiyoshi a pat on the back. “I’m glad you were able to find comfort in your passion.”
“...I wasn’t very passionate about DJing at first,” Kiyoshi corrected. “I was actually quite bad at it…I wanted to give up, but their older brother told me I had potential, and that I should keep going…it gave me the final push. I practiced more and more, and I eventually gained some skill. I still have a long way to go.”
“I’m glad you kept going then. Kiyoshi-kun, you have a gift.” This statement made Kiyoshi feel all flustered, and his face was warm and red.
“A-aniki! You don’t have to say that!” he blurted out.
“Kehehe…what did you call me?” Hibiki asked, making his junior feel even more embarrassed.
“A-aniki…”
“Kehehe…again,” he snickered, finding that term cute.
“Aniki!”
“Isn’t that cute? I wouldn’t mind if you called me ‘aniki’ again,” he joked, poking Kiyoshi’s cheek.
“N-no, it was just in the spur of the moment, Hibiki-san…actually, I still have some homework to finish, so I guess I’ll leave you alone now,” the younger boy peeped, and he ran off to another room.
“ Hm…aniki, ” thought Hibiki. “ I’ll be the best brother I can be, Kiyoshi-kun. ”