Chapter Text
Tamayo pretended not to notice the last of the staff leaving for the night. She always told them she would be out right after them, and it wasn’t that she was lying. More often than not, she fully intended to leave with them. It was just… something almost always came up, and she ended up staying late. But that was alright. She was the one running the clinic, so it made sense for her to handle more of the workload than her employees. If something caught her attention, she should just take care of it.
Currently, she was in the middle of filing some paperwork that Kanzaki hadn’t quite had the time to finish up. She was new to the job, so Tamayo didn’t mind much. She’d get faster with time, and Yushiro was a good trainer. But for now, Tamayo could spend her evening catching up on things that fell by the wayside when training was taking priority.
Or at least that was the plan, until Shinobu decided to meddle.
“You’re not seriously going to spend another Friday night here, are you?” she asked as she leaned against the receptionist’s counter.
Tamayo glanced up and raised an eyebrow. “You’re one to talk about overworking. I think you have more overtime here than anyone.”
Shinobu hummed and drummed her fingers against the counter. “True, but not on weekends. I’ll work a sixteen hour day, but when it’s time for the weekend I’m not going to give up my time off.”
“It’s not technically the weekend yet,” Tamayo argued.
“Mm, technically I think it is,” Shinobu argued. “Honestly. Whatever paperwork that is, it can wait until Monday. What are your plans for the night?”
“I’m going to finish this paperwork, and then I’m going to make myself dinner, and perhaps read some of this book I’ve been working through,” she mused.
Shinobu nodded. “Sounds like a lovely night. Honestly, I’m a bit jealous.”
Tamayo tilted her head. “Why? What are you doing?”
Shinobu heaved a great sigh, as if she was about to admit to something truly torturous. “I have this friend, who has this boyfriend. The boyfriend is in a band. My friend asked me to come to his show tonight.”
“Well that doesn’t sound too bad,” Tamayo said. Granted, live music wasn’t really her scene; she could count the number of live shows she’d ever gone to on one hand, but generally they were enjoyable, and she knew most people loved live music.
Shinobu crossed her arms with a fearsome scowl. “It wouldn’t be, if it weren’t for the type of music they play. And the type of people their shows tend to attract. I don’t know about you, but I can’t say I’m too fond of things such as mosh pits.”
“Ah…” Tamayo supposed she could understand that. She also didn’t understand why someone would want to be surrounded by hot and sweaty strangers while everyone pushed and shoved everyone as hard as they possibly could.
“I mean, it’s a shame!” Shinobu continued. “They seem like they would be so fun but I’m so tiny the second I got in one I would just get crushed and thrown around!”
Or maybe they weren’t on the same page… “I see…”
“The music is alright enough, I suppose,” she said. “It’s just not the type of thing I would normally listen to. It’s not the first time Kyojuro has invited me to one of these shows, I don’t know why I don’t just turn him down, but he’s always so hopeful and happy when he invites me. Honestly I think part of the reason he does it is because he’s trying to make the audience a tiny bit bigger. I guess recently the band has been doing better but at first… not so much.”
“What’s the band called?” Tamayo asked.
“The Upper Moons. Hey, you know what…” Shinobu’s smile turned sly.
“No,” Tamayo immediately said.
“You could stand to get out a bit more,” Shinobu argued.
“That may be so, but I don’t think metal shows are where I want to be,” Tamayo said. “Maybe we could go out and get coffee sometime.”
Shinobu shook her head. “I’m not suffering alone.”
“You won’t be alone! Your friend will be there.”
“Yes, and all he’s going to be focused on is his weird boyfriend onstage,” she said. “Come on. You never know, you might enjoy it.”
“Well we both know that’s not true.”
“No we don’t.”
Tamayo eyed her stack of paperwork. “I have things to do.”
“Things that can wait until Monday morning.”
“Shinobu…”
“If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
“That might be true, but—”
“Tamayo. I’m asking you as a friend. Both because I think the company will be nice, but also because you need to do something other than work. Come with me to this show,” she said, her voice entirely too serious.
With a sigh, Tamayo nudged aside the stack of paperwork. “Fine.”
Shinobu’s broad grin nearly made her change her mind. Shinobu shouldn't smile like that; it was unnatural. Her smiles were always small, contained things. “Perfect,” she said. “Come on, the last thing we would want is to be late. Wouldn’t want to miss a single song.”
Tamayo did her best to smile. It did not work.
“Shinobu!” a booming voice exclaimed. “You made it!”
Tamayo nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice, and whipped around to see a man with bright, gold and red hair pushing through the crowd.
“Ah, Kyojuro,” Shinobu greeted. “Nice to see you, as always. It’s a bit, well, crowded compared to the last show you brought me to.”
Tamayo certainly agreed that it was crowded. The venue wasn’t enormous by any means, but it was decently packed. People shuffling through the crowd kept bumping against her, and she and Shinobu had to practically shout to be heard over the noise. It was definitely a bit much for her tastes, but it was nothing unbearable.
“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Kyojuro’s smile was nearly infectious. “The band has actually gained a lot more traction recently, and got picked up by a label. This is actually their last local show before they go on a tour. It’s part of why I invited you.”
“Oh!” Shinobu returned the smile. “Well, that’s good for them. What about you and Akaza?”
Kyojuro’s smile fell the slightest bit, but he was quick to catch himself. “I will miss him, and I’m sure the distance will be a bit difficult, but I’m very happy for him! The whole band has worked hard for this.”
Shinobu hummed. “I suppose so. Oh, Kyojuro, this is my friend and colleague, Tamayo. I hope you don’t mind me inviting her.”
“Not at all!” Kyojuro held his hand out for a shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Tamayo. A doctor, I presume?”
Tamayo laughed. “Yes. What about you? What do you do?”
“Oh, I teach history,” he said.
“And you… date a metal band member?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Kyojuro threw his head back with a boisterous laugh. “Indeed I do! But trust me, he’s not so rough as he presents himself on stage.”
“Debatable,” Shinobu muttered, barely able to be heard above the buzz of the crowd. Then she said louder, “Kyojuro and Akaza have actually known each other since they were still in school. So before Akaza became the drummer in a death metal band.”
“It’s not death metal,” Kyojuro argued.
“Isn’t all metal death metal?” Tamayo asked with a tilt of her head.
“Not at all!” Kyojuro said. “There’s actually a lot of different subgenres, and—”
“God, this band has done a number on you,” Shinobu interrupted. “You don’t even like metal, Kyojuro.”
“It’s grown on me,” he said. “I’ve come to appreciate it. You know, Daki has introduced me to several girl groups, maybe you would like those better.”
Shinobu raised an eyebrow. “Maybe,” she conceded. “Anything’s got to be better than the prick of a lead singer they have.”
“Douma’s not so bad,” Kyojuro attempted.
“Speak for yourself,” Shinobu grumbled.
Tamayo stood silently, not certain how to contribute to the conversation. Kyojuro and Shinobu had clearly known each other for a long time, and had their own history with most members of the band it sounded like. She alternated between listening to the noise of the crowd, and tuning back in when Shinobu did her best to include her in the conversation. It continued on until suddenly the lights dimmed, and the crowd began to cheer. Kyojuro whipped around to watch the stage and joined in cheering, while Shinobu heaved a deep sigh and shot Tamayo a glance, as if telling her to brace herself.
Which, honestly, was probably very fair, because the crowd alone was loud enough that Tamayo wished she brought earplugs, so she couldn’t even imagine how loud things would get once the band was on stage.
She didn’t have long to wonder about it, before the first member ran on stage, and the cheering grew even louder. She grinned and waved both hands as she approached the keyboard set up on stage. Her bright white and green hair practically glowed in the stage lighting, as did the bright pink flowers that had been painted on her face. Her all black, revealing outfit left little to the imagination, and showcased more pink flowers painted across her stomach, thighs, and chest. As she adjusted her mic above the keyboard, the second member sauntered onto the stage with much less energy, a man who might have been tall if it weren’t for the way he hunched over. He wore all black as well, and didn’t so much as look towards the crowd as he approached the bass guitar and pulled it from its stand.
“Gyutaro still doesn’t have much stage presence, does he?” Shinobu commented.
“He’s gotten a bit better!” Kyojuro said. “Especially once he actually starts playing.” He then cheered even louder as another man ran onto stage, this one wearing tastefully torn black clothing to show off the tattoos covering most of his body. His hair was bright pink, and even his face was covered in blue stripes and Tamayo certainly hoped that was makeup and not more tattoos. He gave the bassist a fist bump as he approached the drum set.
Another woman followed him onto the stage, much more regal and poised than the other members so far. She wore a black floor length dress and corset, her face so pale it must be makeup, accentuated by her black lipstick. Her dark hair was so long it brushed her calves, and it hung over her eyes. Before she grabbed her guitar off the stand, she bowed toward the crowd, much too formal for how crazed the environment was.
Honestly, Tamayo couldn’t take her eyes off of her. She barely noticed when the lead singer came on stage and approached his mic, shouting towards the crowd and getting them even more fired up.
Tamayo raised her voice to ask, “Who’s that?” as she pointed towards the guitarist.
“What? Oh!” Shinobu shrugged. “Nakime, she’s the lead guitarist. Honestly I don’t know her well. She’s the only member of the band we didn’t go to school with.”
“Oh.” Tamayo couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed. Shinobu and Kyojuro knew the whole band well by the sounds of it, except for the member who had most easily captured her attention. A shame, but what was to be done about it?
She couldn’t help but flinch once the music started in earnest. It was so loud. She felt it thrumming with the beat of her heart, thundering against the inside of her skull. The drums, the guitars, the soundwaves nearly felt tangible. Pulsing over even the roar of the crowd. The lights flashed, and Tamayo winced as she was nearly blinded, and the music got louder, louder, louder.
Then the vocals started.
Tamayo flinched, bumping against Shinobu as she did so, who had the gall to laugh at her.
She just—Yes, she knew it was a metal band that played metal music and that often entailed a certain type of vocals, but that didn’t mean she was prepared for the vocalist—Douma, they said his name was Douma—to scream into the mic. His voice careened through the air, shrill and commanding.
Thankfully, after the first overwhelming scream, he sang normally, and Tamayo had to admit, his voice was very beautiful, which now that she actually focused on him, he was a very beautiful man. His long white-blond hair was ethereal, and unlike most of the band member’s makeup, his was more subdued, clearly meant to accentuate features that were already there rather than be flashy.
Tamayo couldn’t help her attention drifting back towards the guitarist, however. As dynamic as all the other musicians were, she couldn’t help but focus on Nakime. Unlike most of the other band members, she didn’t so much as glance towards the crowd. Despite all the screaming and cheering, it was as if they didn’t exist. She focused on her guitar, her fingers expertly moving along its neck and caressing the strings. Then again, maybe she was looking towards the crowd and Tamayo just couldn’t tell thanks to her hair, but she didn’t think that was the case. All she focused on was her guitar and the music she played.
Another sudden scream and growl that sounded as if they destroyed Douma’s throat made Tamayo jump again. This time Daki joined in, screeching into her mic as backup.
Tamayo genuinely wondered if their throats were okay. How did they not lose their voices if they did this regularly?
Eventually, the first song ended, but before she could even breathe, the band launched into the second.
Tamayo closed her eyes, feeling the music inside her body, pulsing, breathing with her.
Was this why people loved live music so much? Because they could feel it? She thought maybe she could understand that.
An elbow was pressed against her side, and her eyes snapped open.
Shinobu leaned to shout towards her ear, “You okay!?”
Blinking, Tamayo nodded. “Yeah! It’s just a lot!”
“Fair enough, but let me know if you need to step out for a bit!”
“I think I’m okay!” Tamayo assured her, and she turned her attention back to the band, to the guitarist. To Nakime.
She really was… so entertaining to watch, and if Tamayo knew anything about music, she was sure she’d be even more impressed by what she was playing. The way her fingers moved against the guitar…
Several songs into the concert, Shinobu glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow as she did so. “Are you even paying attention to the other band members?”
Tamayo blinked. “Huh?”
Shinobu held a hand over her mouth and giggled. “You’ve practically got stars in your eyes.”
“She’s fun to watch,” Tamayo said, though she felt a faint heat dust her cheeks, though she wasn’t sure why. She had no reason to be embarrassed. She was merely watching a performer perform!
“Oh, I’m sure,” Shinobu muttered, barely able to be heard over the music and the crowd.
Tamayo continued to let the music wash over her, barely taking her eyes off of Nakime.
“Do you want to go backstage?” Kyojuro demanded. Or perhaps demanded was not the right word, he just seemed to enthusiastically shout damn near everything that left his mouth.
“Do you really mean you’re going backstage and you would feel rude leaving me?” Shinobu asked.
Kyojuro smiled, a bit sheepish, and held up his phone to display a text message. “Akaza wanted to see me.”
Shinobu sighed. “Sure. Tamayo, want to come?”
Did she? Tamayo wouldn’t consider herself antisocial by any means, but suddenly being a room with a bunch of people who all knew each other while she didn’t know any of them did not sound like the best time, but she also didn’t want to wait alone in the slowly emptying venue while Shinobu and Kyojuro went backstage. “Yes, why not?”
“Akaza will come meet us!” Kyojuro said, and he motioned for both women to follow him.
They pushed through the exiting crowd, moving in the opposite direction. Once they got through the thick of the people, Kyojuro led them down a hall, and one of the doors burst open. “Kyojuro!” The drummer from the band practically leapt out to cling onto Kyojuro. He pressed a kiss to Kyojuro’s cheek, and Tamayo noted with no small amount of relief that the blue markings on his face had smudged, meaning they were makeup and not more tattoos.
“Akaza!” Kyojuro pulled him into an embrace. “The show was wonderful, you sounded amazing!”
“I know! Nothing went wrong! I feel like something almost always goes wrong…” He laughed and shook his head, then peered around Kyojuro. “Hey, Shinobu. Who’s this?”
“Hello,” Tamayo greeted. “I’m a friend of Shinobu’s; we work together. My name is Tamayo. I apologize for intruding.”
Akaza waved her off. “No big deal. Apologies in advance over my freak band mates.”
Tamayo laughed, a bit nervously, because if they were anything like their personas on stage made it seem like, they probably were quite a bit to deal with. “I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Are you like, a fancy doctor or some shit?” he asked, before gesturing towards Shinobu. “I mean, I figure if you work with her.”
“I wouldn’t say fancy,” Tamayo said. “Just a regular doctor!”
Akaza hummed, but it wasn’t an unkind sound. “I see. You know, I wanted to do healthcare at one point, but I flunked out of high school so… was never really in the cards for me.” He turned his palms up. “Things turned out okay enough though I suppose.”
“You could still try!” Kyojuro encouraged.
Akaza waved him off. “I’m happy with the band for now. Come on. I wanna go get this makeup off.” He took Kyojuro’s hand and tugged him along, leaving Tamayo and Shinobu to follow him into the room he popped out of.
“Stop inviting people back here, Akaza,” a deep voice scolded the second they walked in.
Akaza stuck his tongue out at the tall, imposing figure that greeted them. “It’s just Kyojuro.”
“I see two other people here.”
“Shinobu and Tamayo. They’re cool.”
The man sighed, long and slow. “Akaza…”
“Oh, Kokushibo, who cares!” a light voice exclaimed. “The company will be nice!” The lead singer of the band motioned for them to come further inside. “Besides, we all know Shinobu!”
Yes, Tamayo really felt as if she should not be here.
Peering around the imposing man, Tamayo saw the members of the band. Daki was in the middle of wiping makeup off her face, and Gyutaro leaned against the little vanity she was sitting at. Douma pranced over to drape his arm around the man’s shoulders and continue to pester him about letting them in. Rolling his eyes, Akaza shoved passed them both, and Kyojuro was quick to follow, offering an apologetic smile as they went.
“Come on,” Shinobu urged. “Kokushibo is all bark and no bite. He’s just their manager.”
Kokushibo heaved a deep sigh over being ignored, but stepped aside and shrugged Douma off.
Tamayo hurried into the room, trying to keep close to Shinobu. God, this was awkward. She began to wish she hadn’t followed Shinobu and Kyojuro after all.
“Oh, who’s your pretty friend, Kyo?” Daki asked as she leaned back in her seat to examine Tamayo.
“She’s a friend of Shinobu’s!” Kyojuro answered. “Please be nice to her.”
“No promises!” Daki sang before turning her attention back to removing her makeup, and Gyutaro snickered.
Oh, so they were asses. Brilliant.
Shinobu wasted no time making herself at home and sat down on one of the old couches shoved against the wall, and did her best to drag Daki into a conversation. Akaza leaned over Daki’s shoulder to look in the mirror and began removing his own makeup, conversing with Kyojuro as he did so.
Tamayo awkwardly began to fidget with her fingers, not quite sure what to do with herself. She didn’t feel as if she belonged in any of the conversations going on around her. Normally she didn’t let something like that affect her, but—
The door opened, and the final band member slipped through. “I need a drink after this,” Nakime murmured.
“Ooohhh, drinks?!” Daki squealed. “We’re going for drinks?”
“No,” Kokushibo said firmly.
Daki’s bottom lip puffed out in a pout.
Nakime retreated to the corner of the room, and began unlacing her corset.
Tamayo glanced away, though she was unsure why. Nakime had several layers of clothing on, and the corset was merely one of them.
Taking a deep breath, Tamayo approached the other woman.
Nakime tilted her head but said nothing.
“I really enjoyed watching you play,” Tamayo said. Even if she felt out of place in this room with these people, she wanted to give her compliments to Nakime. She’d made Tamayo enjoy a type of music she never thought she would enjoy. “You were really good.”
The tiniest of smiles curled the corners of Nakime’s lips. “Thank you. I assume you are a friend of Kyojuro’s?”
“Shinobu, actually. We work together.”
Nakime nodded. “A doctor then? Or a nurse?”
“Doctor,” Tamayo confirmed with a nod.
“You must be rather brilliant then,” Nakime said.
“No more brilliant than any other doctor,” Tamayo laughed. “But thank you. You know, I never listened to this type of music before tonight, but maybe I’ll have to give more of it a try. Do you have any recommendations?”
“I might be able to come up with a few,” she said. “I must admit, metal is not my favorite genre however.”
“It’s not?” Tamayo couldn’t help but ask.
Nakime shook her head. “But I’ll give you some recommendations regardless. Do not get them from my band mates.”
Tamayo couldn’t hold back her laughter. “I’ll take your word for it. How long have you been playing?”
“Guitar specifically?” Nakime hummed and tilted her head back, as if she were thinking hard about the answer. “I believe I started learning when I was about six or seven.”
“Wow, really?” Tamayo couldn’t help but lean a little closer. “No wonder you’re as good as you are!”
Nakime chuckled. “The flattery is nice.”
“Oh!” Tamayo’s eyes went wide. “Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I was—I was genuinely impressed!”
Nakime reached up to brush the bangs out of her eyes for the first time that night, revealing one bright pink eye, and a patch covering her left eye, though Tamayo could see the faint edges of scarring peaking out from beneath the patch. “Well, thank you. That’s very kind of you.”
Tamayo forced herself not to stare at what was clearly an old injury. It was rude to do such a thing, and it was none of her business how Nakime may have ended up with an injury like that anyway.
“Of course.” Tamayo clasped her hands together, doing her best not to fidget with her fingers. This was so strange. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so awkward around a stranger. She prided herself on her ability to converse with anyone and remain calm and collected no matter the circumstances. It was a skill that aided her well given her career. But something about Nakime just made that so difficult.
“I’m going to go out for a smoke,” Nakime announced, and for a split second, Tamayo almost considered lying and saying she smoked as well, just for an excuse to go with her. Fuck, she wanted to have an actual conversation with the other woman, but she’d made things tense, hadn’t she?
“Oh…” Tamayo wondered if her disappointment showed. She hoped not, she didn’t want to make Nakime any more uncomfortable than she already had.
Nakime pulled a box of cigarettes out of the pocket of her dress, and held it out towards Tamayo. “Want one?”
“Oh, um, I don’t smoke,” she said, almost disappointed by that fact. She’d never once felt the desire to smoke, not needing or wanting the buzz of nicotine, to say nothing of the negative health side effects, but if she smoked, she could have had the opportunity to talk with Nakime some more, share a cigarette. That could be intimate, couldn’t it?
“Good, you shouldn’t,” Nakime said as she pulled the box back. “Smart choice.” She pulled a lighter from her other pocket. “Maybe I’ll see you around…?”
“Tamayo,” she said, guessing that Nakime was fishing for her name. “My name is Tamayo.”
“Tamayo,” Nakime said with a curt nod. And with that, she turned and walked towards the door, skirting around Kokushibo as she went who tried to insist she not go out alone, but he was ignored.
“Didn’t you just come back from smoking?” Douma asked. “I thought you were trying to kick that nasty little habit!”
Nakime ignored him and left.
She’d just come back from smoking? Had she wanted to get away from Tamayo? Well, perhaps that was fair. She must be tired, after putting on such a show. Who would want to talk to strangers in those circumstances? Especially one acting like a silly fan?
Tamayo did her best not to frown or feel guilty, but she was not very successful.
She stayed leaned against the far wall, not trying to insert herself into anymore conversations with the other band members, and Nakime never came back.
Eventually, Shinobu decided to leave, motioning for Tamayo to come with her. “See you around, Kyojuro. Thanks for the invite,” she said. “Try not to stay out too late.”
Kyojuro laughed. “Of course not, Shinobu! But it is the weekend!”
“I suppose it is,” she conceded. “Come on, Tamayo. This is pretty late for you, let’s get you home.”
And with that, they left.
“You alright?” Shinobu asked as they walked out of the venue. “You were looking a little overwhelmed in there.”
“Hm? Oh. I’m fine,” Tamayo assured her. “I didn’t mean to make Nakime uncomfortable…”
Shinobu waved her off. “Don’t mind Nakime, she’s just a bit antisocial.”
“I see.”
Shinobu narrowed her eyes. “You know, I’ve never seen you try to flirt with someone like that before.”
“I-I wasn’t flirting!” Tamayo protested. She just wanted to express that she thought Nakime was incredibly talented! That was all!
“Uh huh…” Shinobu clearly didn’t believe her. “Whatever you say.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket, and began typing out a text. “Well, let’s get home. It’s been a long night.”
Tamayo could certainly agree with that.
What a long night indeed.
Even if Nakime’s performance had been worth it.