Rock My World - DabiHawks

Constant Headache

*unedited, i'm tired*

3rd person POV

Eight days after the incident between Touya and Keigo, things start returning to how they used to be. Long fingers, calloused and bruised, dance around steel wire strings on an old guitar; fake smiles are offered to unsuspecting customers alongside their drinks and baskets of fries. They fall back into their separate routines, ignoring the constant headache throbbing within the shells of the people they used to be.

Keigo-- Hawks. Hawks goes back to work. He doesn't feel nearly as pretty as he used to, but the people at Mic's don't seem to notice. With the buzz of drama from the LOV's drummer's disaster about two and a half months ago,  the Bar & Grill has been packed wall to wall. Live music is still happening-- right now there's a high school band playing, highly supervised by Aizawa-- but the Battle of the Bands was trashed as soon as everything went to hell.

Mic loves the drama, but not when it has people making up rumors about him and his family. Apparently, there are quite a few people online who think Rumi was the distributor of the drugs Twice was caught with. Supposedly because she has a half-brother from across the country that got into some drug-related trouble.

The public knows nothing about Kaina. The investigation is moving pathetically slow since her lawyers are so strong. Plus, Touya hasn't been very clear about whether or not he's going to press charges against her.

He doesn't want to be a victim.

And Keigo understands that, to a certain degree. He didn't want to admit that he was one, either. But he's learned, over the years, that the world spins a lot smoother if you don't try to run in the opposite direction. n zoo

Keigo is a victim. For the rest of his life, there's a piece of him that will always be a victim. However, it's up to him to decide whether or not he's going to move forward. Clear his mind and try to focus on something else.

Anything else.

"Hey! You almost done over there, Kei?" Rumi asks, lifting two metal trays above her head. Keigo pops his head up, his arms still submerged elbow-deep into the sink filled with warm soapy water. "We're running low on cups and forks out here, so hurry up!"

"I told Mic we should hire a dishwasher," Fatgum chimes in, salting another batch of fries. "I'm almost done here, kid, so why don't you head out and I'll finish the dishes--"

"No need," Aizawa cuts in, ushering in a tired-looking purple-haired kid. "Hawks, Fatgum, I'm sure you've met my son, Hitoshi. Hitoshi, that's Hawks and Fatgum, in case you forgot." Aizawa pushes the kid next to Keigo with obvious signs of sleepless nights under his eyes. Aizawa's, Hitoshi's, and Keigo's. "He's gonna be washing dishes for us for the next three weeks since he decided to get himself suspended. Don't go easy on him."

Aizawa leaves, and Fatgum chuckles. Keigo pulls his arms from the sink, his skin red with irritation from the heat. "You probably know how to wash dishes, right?" he says with his most welcoming grin. The one he gives to the customers. "Extra dish soap is in that cabinet, and scrub brushes and towels are down below. Good luck."

With that, Keigo is back out onto the floor, smiling at Rumi as they work through the needy customers. The band on stage isn't particularly mind-blowing, but for high schoolers, they're pretty damn good. Keigo forces himself to look away from the electric guitar, avoiding the surge of memories that would come with it.

He works. He focuses on work. He doesn't think about anything else besides serving people and looking pretty enough to placate them. The same thing he's been doing all his life.

So why does it feel so wrong now?

-

Outside, the sun is shining. It's an hour past lunchtime. Yesterday's rain makes the grass pop with color. Touya goes to visit Twice by himself.