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Ken wasn't one to attend parties; he didn't believe so at least but when Nagi called him late at night crying about her friends being drunk in a bathroom at a party. He rolled out of bed, grabbed his keys and climbed into his van no hesitation.
The party was loud. Louder than live houses and live performances he thought as he walked through the claustrophobic mess of people. Squeezing through, towering over them all for a hope of catching her red hair in amongst the crowd of drunken college students.
He had called her, he had told her that he was there, and she had answered still sniffling into the phone and murmuring out a small, ‘Okay.’ She said she would be there in a moment and a moment had passed. Maybe ten and Ken was regretting not calling Taiga about this or their manager considering he and Nagi were fucked if they knew they were at a party without permission. They would-
“Shit,” Ken cursed as he walked into a woman holding two cups of alcohol.
“Fuck,” she breathed out as she looked up at him and shook her arms. They were both covered in cheap liquor as she looked up at him and- Wow. She was insanely pretty.
She had long black hair that practically reached all the way to the floor like she was a raven-haired Rapunzel figurine. The ends of the hair were dyed a soft blue or grey, maybe it was naturally admittedly or something else. Ken couldn’t tell from the awful lighting of the house of the party and how close they were. She was relatively short too, at most five foot four but she was full of personality. Glaring up at him and staring him down intensely as she held her – now – empty cups between them and backed away from him.
“I’m so sorry,” Ken breathed out apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck. “Here, let me get you another drink or two.”
She looked him up and down and rolled her eyes. “Why should I trust you?”
“I’m just here because my best friend called me to be here. I was in a rush and I didn’t see you.”
“Because I’m short?”
“Because I was distracted.”
She hummed carefully before shaking her head. “You don’t have to do anything. You seem like you couldn’t lie to save your life.”
“Offensive,” Ken grumbled, and the woman laughed. Holy fuck. She had the prettiest laugh ever known to man. She was like an angel laughing. “The name’s Ken. Shiraishi Ken.”
“Aoki Yuka,” she returned easily. “So, are you still up for owing me that drink?”
“I shouldn’t...”
“You’re right but maybe your friend is over there,” Yuka reasoned, and Ken couldn’t disagree. She was right potentially.
“I suppose it can’t hurt,” Ken relented as he texted Nagi once more. This woman was going to kill him.
“So, Ken, what do you do?”
“Currently in college like you and I’m in a music group,” Ken began. She hummed in interest as she tried to battle the crowds and a new song began, people grinding on one another and getting too close for comfort.
“What do you study?”
“Me? Business.”
“Business?” Yuka repeated, grinning a little and looking up at him. She didn’t seem to believe him.
“Business,” Ken confirmed. “And you?”
“Teaching. Teaching Japanese specifically.”
Ken hummed in interest before taking Yuka by the shoulder once they reached a wall of people, she couldn’t get past. She huffed indignantly and broke free once she got to a free area of people and able to take new cups and poured herself two drinks. Having her back turned to him as she continued to talk, “So this music group. Would I know them?”
“Depends if you’re into street music or TV.”
“Do I not look like the type?”
“I wasn’t implying that- I mean anyone can like any kind of music but,” Ken rambled, and Yuka laughed heartily.
“Relax, I was pulling your leg. You’re in that group with Nagi, right?”
“You know us?”
“I know Nagi. We run in the same friend groups,” Yuka explained sipping her cup. “She was outside last time I saw.”
“She was?”
“Mhm, anaemia remember.”
“Oh...”
Yuka snorted a little. “So, you’re a member of RADder and still go to college?”
“You say that like it’s a miracle,” Ken huffed, and Yuka laughed as she opened the door to the outside.
“I thought you and Taiga were dumbasses honestly from how Nagi talked about you. But you’ve surprised me Ken,” Yuka admitted as she headed down into the garden walking towards Nagi and their other friends.
“I have?”
“You’re interesting. Like Nagi I suppose.”
Ken flushed a little and he had to pray it was dark enough for Yuka to not notice. His ears felt red as she took a drink and looked up at him. “Do you think I could see you all at a performance one day?”
“You most certainly can,” Ken agreed readily, his words slurring from nervous and excitement. He was so pathetic he had spoken to her once and he was already so whipped. “If you’re free next Saturday, we have a gig at Crawl Green on Vivid Street.”
“Vivid Street,” she hummed thoughtfully. “I’ll see you there. Wherever it is.”
“You’ll find it. It’s a song away,” Ken laughed, and Yuka rolled her eyes and took a deeper drink from her cup. “I’m being serious. This street is always filled with songs and live artists and graffiti.”
“Genuinely?”
“Swear down. Ask Nagi if you don’t believe me,” he promised, and the corner of her lips turned up.
“I believe I will,” she grinned as she continued their walk and met up with Nagi who was sat on one of the ledges of the house. She smirked at him and wiggling her fingers in greeting before drinking from her water bottle.
“O-i~~~ Ken~~~” she grinned, “You found me! And our Yuka!”
“I did, now, are you ready to go?” he huffed, raking his hands through his hair as Nagi huffed.
“But Ken~~”
“Nagi.”
She sighed sadly but slide off the wall and pulled down her short skirt as she turned to the girls all smoking or doing whatever the hell they were doing. “I have to love you all and leave you,” she sighed dramatically.
“See you Nagi,” one of them called out and Yuka nodded.
“See you Nagi, Ken,” she smiled, and Ken’s heart skipped a beat before he remembered he had to say goodbye too.
“Erm, right, see you Yuka, ladies,” he waved, and he heard Yuka laughed heartily again as he turned around and led Nagi away. A Nagi who kept grinning evilly st him and buzzing with excitement.
She waited until they got into the truck before she began. “So, Yuka~~~?”
“It’s nothing, Nagi,” he huffed as he looked in the rear-view mirror as he began to pull out. “I bumped into her at the party looking for you at three in the fucking morning.”
“Sure, you did,” Nagi replied unconvinced. “It was clear. You liked her. I knew you would.”
Ken had to stop himself from slamming on as he looked to Nagi who was texting on her phone. Whilst Nagi kept on acting casual as if she hadn’t started the whole mess. Ken was going to kill her.
He always wanted a little sister, and Nagi was like one. But sometimes, sometimes he wanted to strangle her because she was such a brat. Such an annoying and irritating brat.
“Nagi...”
“I’m not wrong, am I?”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“There was no way you two were going to meet otherwise, besides, she’s really cute.”
Ken couldn’t deny it so instead he focused on the road ahead of him.
“Ken, are you really annoyed at me?”
“I’m annoyed you weren’t honest with me. I would’ve went on a date with her naturally, I didn’t have to get up at God knows what time,” Ken sighed and Nagi tapped her newly manicured red nails on the side of the car door. Looking out the window as Ken let air into the car so she didn’t die being fully decked out in leather and the likes.
“I’m sorry...”
“It’s fine,” Ken relented. “What’s done is done and she’s coming to a show soon anyway.”
“She is!?” Nagi exclaimed excitedly, turning to look at him.
“Are you trying to make me crash the car?”
“No, yes, maybe, I don’t know but you’re going on a date,” Nagi screeched excitedly.
“Not a date, she’s just watching our gig on Saturday,” Ken explained easily but he knew Nagi didn’t believe him as she giggled to herself.
“Then why the blush?”
“I’m not-“
“You so are! This is exciting. I finally get a brother to laugh at for being a lovesick fool!”
Ken rolled his eyes as Nagi kept talking to him and teasing him excitedly.
It would be a long week.
#
The gig was interesting, and Ken was giving his all. Ken was giving it his best shot and had a new vigour as he looked in the crowd and there was no sign of Yuka. He nearly deflated when he made the realisation admittedly, but he kept going strong and soon, soon the event was over.
They won. Obviously, but it didn’t feel nice since Yuka wasn’t there, and Ken didn’t want to harass Nagi or let Taiga know.
(Nagi already bullied him enough. Taiga too? Ken would have to kill himself in front of everyone to change the trajectories of their lives.)
Nagi hummed easily as Ken looked through the crowd. He was tall, half a head taller than her so she always wore ridiculously heeled shoes to be close to height for him.
“So, you found your girlfriend yet?”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” Ken sighed and Nagi rolled her eyes.
“Sure...” she huffed, “Yuka definitely wasn’t eye fucking you during the performance.”
Ken’s mood brightened immediately and sat up straighter. “She was here?”
“She is here,” Nagi pointed out, gesturing to her with her cup of water.
And Ken looked. He looked and then, then he made eye contact with her, and she looked gorgeous.
The first night, the first night he had met her she looked pretty. With a small black dress and pretty heels and a necklace that trailed down her centre with a heart locket on the end. Tonight, tonight she looked stunning. She looked like she had dipped into Nagi’s wardrobe and stole every item in there. She looked like a fish out of water, but at the same time, like she perfectly belonged. Like she was simply meant to be there, and it stole his breath away.
Nagi snorted next to him. "You stare at her like you just learnt what love is."
"And you've felt love, Nagi?"
She scoffed slightly as she continued to drink her water, nursing the cup closer to her. She hummed a little, “Once.”
“Once?” Ken repeated and Nagi shrugged.
She gave him no further response and Ken was stood to her left to wonder before she clapped him on the shoulders. "Don't do anything I wouldn’t do~~" she teased before pushing him into the crowd and towards Yuka.
And in the sea of so many people, she was the only one he could see.
-
Déjà vu was an ass kicker Ken realised as he made his regular orders for Vivid Bad Squad. He could make them in his sleep and according to Yuka, he mumbled their orders in his sleep as he contemplated experimenting with them. He never did because the kids liked consistency in the chaos of their lives, but he thought about it from time to time.
Regardless, Ken could make those orders in his sleep hence him nosing in on his daughter’s conversations.
She was happier since she had met VBS (as they called themselves for ease), especially Kohane. His daughter stared at her like she hung the stars in the sky up for her. Like she was everything good in the world and more.
She did it so much, even Yuka has commented on it and, considering she rarely visited the cafe, she too was interested. Intrigued and often joked how it was just a ‘Shiraishi thing.’
Ken never understood what it meant fully. An was a good friend, right? But maybe, maybe they were something more than just friends he realised that day as he listened in on An and Akito. Toya and Kohane had to visit a CD store and An and Akito wanted to rest up since they had to help out the sports clubs at school. But resting meant they were free to talk.
And they were relatively free to talk, and their conversations went from Akito’s sister to their mutual friend Mizuki to a new artist and all the way to Akito and Toya’s less than ambiguous relationship. But Akito, Akito was defensive and wouldn’t just let her do so. So, instead he turned the conversation to her and Kohane.
Now, Ken thought he understood his daughter and was perceptive. But he was not perceptive enough. From the way she started to splutter and stutter. To how she averted her gaze and begun to kick Akito harshly in the shin, the boy crying out in pain as she threatened him creatively. Taking out her phone and showing him Mizuki’s contact to get her point across even more whilst her cheeks were a deep, dark red. Ken thought he was perceptive, but he had missed the most obvious thing of all. Her blatant crush on Azusawa Kohane.
Déjà vu was an ass kicker he realised from how Kohane was just like a younger Nagi. A Nagi she never knew or had heard of, but Kohane was just like her. To how Akito was just like him, deflecting when the situation got tough and An, An was a hopeless romantic like him. A stumbling and blubbering mess when it came to love.
And it all became worse when Akito said those dreaded words. Words that repeated in Ken’s head constantly thanks to Nagi.
“You stare at her like you’ve just learnt what love is,” Akito grimaced, turning to look at An who was staring wistfully at the girl who had just entered the café again.