Work Text:
It's chilly when she steps outside.
Well, she thinks, of course it's chilly. Early January is always pretty cold in Tokyo. Kobeni finds it absolutely miserable. It feels as though it lasts forever, what with New Year celebrations all around. It's depressing, the amount of people who celebrate and look happy and remind her of what she doesn’t have. Plus, it’s still winter, the snow gets everywhere when she walks, her clothes always somehow end up wet, there's slush in the streets by the end of it, and it's cold … point is, January sucks.
But today's a good day. Today's a free day. Which means Kobeni gets out of the house, gets some fresh air that makes her regret forgetting a scarf, and she takes her favorite road in the city. She gets to see the cute kitty that never wants the food she gives it (maybe it has an owner?), watch the pretty houses her mother once told her were full of princes go by (she found out they'd been scheduled for renovation recently), smell the bakery on the corner and their Saturday special (delicious sweet bread, of which none remains whenever she comes around).
Free days mean Kobeni marches to a very specific part of the city, brushes the snow off her shoulders and enters the arcade down one of many streets that were destroyed after devil attacks. (She saw this one on the news, the Crab Devil. Not a very powerful one, but it did snip a few dozen people in half before someone's contract cooked it. Vaguely, she wonders if a nearby store couldn't make a dish out of it for the more curious civilians among them. It's obvious some are going to pretend having gotten any of its flesh already. Might as well bring the right kind of publicity to someone's business)
It's an old building. Dilapidated. Kobeni heard some employees were once hurt by parts of the roof falling off, and nobody's seen them around these parts since. It makes her shudder every time she steps in, but as soon as she's safe inside, it's warm and she gives the owner a big grin. He's an older guy, he's been around for a long time, even before Kobeni started coming here, although she's not sure how long, exactly. He's friendly with every person who comes in, whether they spend money or not.
This time, just like any other time, spending money is exactly what she means to do. The games are a wide array of colors all around her, and that, combined with the loud 8-bit music coming from everywhere in the store, would give her a migraine were she not a regular customer. She knows her way around, knows exactly which machine steals your coins and which ones can dispense extra tickets if you know which button to press while you're winning. She loves each and every single one of them (except perhaps the very realistic Demon Hunter Simulator in the darkest corner which gave her nightmares for a week after her first playthrough)
But the one Kobeni prefers, the game that makes her come back every time she has a day off, the one hobby she's had since childhood, is by far the old DDR machine in the center of the room.
She was the very first person ever allowed to use the machine. What feels like ages ago, she'd been playing a racing game and failing miserably to her oldest brother when the handyman had installed the new game. Immediately, all eyes were set on the flashy screen and its intriguing lack of any sort of joystick. Much more confident during her childhood, Kobeni had volunteered to try it out, allowing the owner to figure out whether it worked or not, and she'd fallen in love.
Sure, she wasn't the most coordinated eight year old, but with time, Kobeni learned. It took up most of her awkward adolescence. Now, as a stressed adult stuck in an insanely dangerous job she absolutely hates, it constitutes a good source of stress relief or nostalgia, depending on the day.
Today's visit was purely motivated by an overwhelming sense of dread needing serious washing away. Yesterday's job was horrifying (who ever heard of an Acne devil?!) and Kobeni feels desperate for relief after so much anxiety over her everchanging buddies.
Her purse jingles when she takes off her coat and sets it on the railing next to her, then makes sure her boots aren't too disgusting to hop onto the game. She inserts a few coins into the machine and feels her shoulders relax as soon as the cheery music she picks out starts. She knows the owner's looking at her over the counter, probably amused, but she doesn't mind. She'll get lost in the game soon enough.
Well. Not as soon as she thinks, considering a very strange individual then enters the arcade and goes to stand next to her, looking at the screen intensely.
Kobeni spares a few seconds to glance at the stranger. He's taller than her, for one. He's got multiple piercings on his ears and face that glisten in the heavy lighting. The dark trench coat he wears over ratty clothes does nothing to conceal this guy's sickly frame. The skinniest Kobeni has ever seen. He doesn't look ill, though, there's something in his eyes. Like a fire glowing in the night. Determination? She thinks she can remember the same look in Aki's gaze. And then there's the scars.
She's not one to judge, really. Who knows what happens out there, with devils in the streets and all. She's lucky to be able to help people the way she does. It's just… this guy's skin looks like leather, it's scarred so badly. She almost feels sick for him. The uneven patches along his body contrast with his abnormally pale skin.
Kobeni almost yelps out loud when the man turns his head to stare at her instead of the screen. She barely manages to focus on the game instead and steps off of it after an easy win.
"You're good," a voice sounds out, sending a shiver down Kobeni's spine. At first, she's not even sure where it came from. It's hoarse, like the stranger hasn't spoken in a while.
"Th-thank you," Kobeni replies, offering the man an unsteady smile. She's not usually shy about her dancing accomplishments, it's just… this guy's eyes , woah.
Piercing blue, almost completely covered by messy, brittle hair. It looks like he dyed his hair a while ago. Briefly, she wonders if he's planning to dye it again. Black looks good on him, considering his whole attire. But she's never seen someone with naturally white hair before.
"You play often?" the man continues. Dammit, she thought she could avoid a conversation!
"Ah, um, yes. I-I like coming here when it- when I've got a day off."
The man hums in response, then digs into his pocket. Kobeni flinches back. She half-expects him to pull out a knife, a gun, a lighter… but instead there's a couple coins in his palm when he takes it back out. What?
He steps onto the machine himself and turns on an old song. It's good, though he isn't. He struggles a little with his coordination and it looks as though he's going to topple over whenever he has to switch quickly between his feet. Kobeni doesn't know why she stays, why she watches him dance the entire song, but she does. Maybe she feels entitled to it, since he watched her? Maybe she's curious. She wants to talk to him some more anyways, and judging by the look on his face once he steps off, he does too.
"Damn, I suck," he laughs.
Kobeni shakes her head. "Y-you just need more practice! Um. I think so, anyways."
He does not seem to like those words, so quickly, she adds, "I've been coming here since I was… what, nine maybe? I-I came with my sisters at first, then brother, then I was all alone. But-but that's fine, they're busy, um, and gaming isn't- it's not for everyone."
He relaxes and leans against the railing so he can dust his coat. "Big family," he comments. Fuck, she should have known better than to tell a stranger about her life. Especially someone so suspicious! What if he attacks them? What if he kidnaps her and then asks them for a ransom? Her parents wouldn't pay, and then she'd stay kidnapped forever, or die, or worse.
He must have noticed she's breathing a little heavier now, because he looks away and sighs. "What song's your favorite?"
"Huh?" Kobeni responds, but he doesn't look like he's going to repeat himself, so she clears her throat and points. "That-that one. My first high score. It's good. I think so."
"You ever play the one I did?"
"Um, n-no. It's not really the type of songs I listen to. Or- ah, it's quite fast, too. So. But you're allowed to like it!"
"Who ever said otherwise?"
"Right," Kobeni murmurs, not any less anxious now. But the guy's not moving. He doesn't look mad. She swears she can see a glint of pity in his gaze, which is not the intended sentiment, but she'll take it. "Sorry. Uh. Do you- would you like to play again?"
The guy shakes his head. "Nah, you go ahead. I like watchin' anyways."
Oh great , a weirdo. Kobeni plays her favorite song and almost manages to erase him from her mind while she dances. It's always helped her relax after all, and today isn't an exception.
"You come here often, right? What is it you do again?" the stranger chirps after she finishes.
"Public Safety Devil Hunter," Kobeni recites the way she's practiced in front of the mirror, just in case any higher-ups got upset with her and had to fire her. You never know. "Special Division Four. Um. But-but today's a day off."
Fuck. Fuck, the guy's face falls ! He looks really upset now. Shit. Kobeni braces herself, but all that comes is a groan.
"Not another one." He sighs, looks away. "You guys are so entitled."
"Wha- well, I mean, some of us, I-I guess," Kobeni starts. "But- it's a hard job, they're allowed! Right? I don't- I'm not very good, personally. So I can't really… talk. Sorry."
Another groan. What a pleasant man, Kobeni thinks to herself.
“You seem like a bit of a chicken to me,” the stranger notes. While he’s not totally wrong, the words still hurt. Kobeni whimpers. “Fuck made you go into the business then, if you say it’s such a dangerous job?”
She pauses. “Peer pressure?”
A snort. That’s something, right? She’s not being delusional? The way he looks at her suggests it is. Does he look sympathetic, or is she imagining things?
“Mommy issues?”
“What?“ is, of course, Kobeni’s immediate response.
“Nobody gets talked into almost dying daily by a friend. They leave that friend,” he replies, raising an eyebrow at her. “So it’s gotta be your parents. And I figured, shit self-esteem, mommy issues.”
“Ah- ah, well, um. Both parents, actually. So I could put my brother through college. But- but it’s fine, you know, we still get along,” Kobeni elaborates. She can’t tell what it is about the guy. He’s not familiar at all, yet she feels like he’ll understand.
Her sentiment is only aided by the fact he hums and replies, “Ah. Daddy never said he loved me. Instead, he pushed me into a contract and then decided I did it wrong. But I’ll show him.”
"What- oh, geez , that sounds awful, Mister," Kobeni replies, eyes wide, horrified. Sure, her parents were awful, but they'd never abandoned her to her own devices after- well. Hm. At least she could fare for herself?
"It's fine. Hey, this thing got a two-player option?" the man asks, motioning towards the machine. Kobeni follows his gaze and nods.
"It does! It's just, uh, nobody ever uses it. 'Cause they don't want to dance with me."
The guy hoists himself up and pays for a new game. "Loser treats the other to a drink?"
Kobeni hesitates, blinks, then nods and takes her spot next to the stranger. "Deal."
She wins, it almost goes without saying. He’s a good sport about it, which is a relief, even though when he says Good job Kobeni’s 80% sure he’s planning to come here twice as often as her and get better just so he can win. But maybe that’s just her paranoia-slash-inferiority-complex shining through the already nervous front she keeps up constantly… because she is constantly nervous.
“Well, um, you don’t have to pay,” she tries telling him, but he stops her.
“Pleasure’s all mine… hey, I never actually got your name?”
“Y-you can call me Kobeni,” she answers. Never a good idea to give out your first name, she then remembers, fuck!
The man in front of her seems to hesitate, but then he relaxes and states confidently, “Name’s Dabi.”
“N-nice to meet you, Dabi-san.”