Everyone knew the name BAD DOG, a name with pride stronger than the force of gravity, with charisma seeping from the curves of each letter, meant to represent power and independence and strong, raw emotions.
It was a name that was cherished and known by people all around the country. He was known.
But he was so excited to be home.
Akito flopped on the red beat up couch of his apartment, the springs creaking as they gave way to the sudden weight. The lights were off, only a bit of sunlight leaking through the cheap blinds of the window facing the west.
It was late afternoon, the hottest part of the day. His skin felt sticky and he heaved a heavy sigh. Sweat collected at his brow. The heat wasn't any better inside than it was out. The AC must had broken in his time away. Dammit.
If he lived like he knew BAD DOG wanted to, he would have chosen to live in some mansion distant from all the people around him, only leaving when he wanted to perform. But Akito knew it was better living in crap to keep his stupid ego in check. Sometimes, though, he wished he had picked a place a little better than this, at least.
Wiping his hair from his face, he sat up to reach for the TV remote. The screen flicked on and Akito found himself watching the latest story for the local news. It was a light hearted story, and he could tell it was an article meant to fill the time slot they had available on the channel. The anchor's rambled about local shops and restaurants and how they've been on the rise across the country, pointing out the Weekend Garage, An's dad's restaurant.
He back down on the couch. The cafe was a favorite of his, and he'd gotten to know the owner and his daughter quite well. Ken was a legend in the street music scene and An was a co-founder of a rival musician of his: Vivids. At least, that was how the media portrayed them. Akito held major respect for the artists of Vivids: An and Kohane. They were incredibly talented musicians with voices capable of transcending the norm, creating one of the most unique sounds of the modern day.
Shinonome reached for his phone in the back pocket of his jeans and opened his messages. He was quick to tell Shiraishi of arriving home and added:
Akito: you're on the news.
Akito: well, not YOU you, but the cafe was.
He smiled a little when he saw the 3 dots move from the recipient.
An: it's cool to get some recognition!
Akito: oh yeah definitely! you're one of the most popular names in music right now so of course you'd be excited about being a little cover story on the local news
Akito: we all know no one pays attention to city-wide news unless they're talking about the weather or the world's ending, so the story doesn't *actually* matter
He chuckled in the quiet room, the sound resonating back to him from the bare walls, only slightly masked by the noise of whatever story was being covered now on the TV, the local restaurants left behind, as insignificant as Akito joked they were. He hoped An picked up the sarcasm in his text.
An: yeah okay, very funny. then it doesn't matter that i'm working a shift at that cafe, and it totally doesn't matter that i'm inviting you over
Akito: oh absolutely. i definitely won't see you in like 15 minutes. make me my usual
With that, he turned off his television, put on his shoes, and escaped his lousy apartment.
~~~~~
"Akito-kun!" An shouted when he made his way through the door, a bell ringing overhead. She had the brightest smile and she frantically waved her hands around as if trying to be seen in a large crowd. He strutted his way over and sat on the opposite side of the booth from her, the fragrant smell of coffee and chocolate welcomed him. He took a second to enjoy the silence of the steam resonating off his mocha, its smell and taste like home.
He was home.
"Welcome to the totally not important cafe serving you totally not important coffee!" her snickering had made it hard to finish the sentence. "I'm so excited to be at this cafe that was on the local news for two whole seconds," Akito responded between sips, equally as amused.
Kohane sat next to An unaware of the reason between the taller two's remarks. She was usually out of the loop on things An and Akito joked about since she and Akito never really texted one another. They've both said that they want to get to know each other better, but neither had really made an effort. For now, Kohane was An's partner, and that's all he needed to know her for.
Shiraishi sobered from laughing finally, the shake in her chest relaxing. She was quick to start conversation. "What's it like to finally be home? I missed you."
Akito immediately put his head in his hands with a groan. He was so exhausted, he hated to admit it. He raised his head again and opened and closed his mouth a few times trying to make the right words. He could barely begin.
"That bad, huh?"
He nodded in response, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms, his elbows resting on the table. "It was one thing to perform locally, but the minute you start to tour the country and sing for hundreds of people, it's so easy to get burnt out."
She nodded along with him. "I'm glad you're home. The cafe's been so quiet without you here."
Kohane was taking sips of her cup of coffee (more like milk with a little coffee flavoring, but Akito wasn't one to judge) in pure bliss. "An-chan's right. With you gone, there've been less customers, too. She said that while it made work easier, it reminded her more of your absence."
Akito shifted his posture to rest his cheek on his fist. His heavy green eyes crinkled into a smile, the bags underneath them ever present. It was like his whole world stopped when he went on tour. He missed it. He missed them.
"One thing for sure is that I'll have to work up my endurance and probably run more if I ever want to tour internationally. That was a fucking nightmare," he complained as he leaned against the cushion of the booth, allowing his head to lol back and rest on the top of it.
As he did, the bell to the cafe rang. The group all turned to see who it was out of curiosity.
A tall boy stalked to the counter where Ken was making himself busy wiping down and restocking the display of various pastries.
"What can I do for you?" Ken asked, rag still in hand. The boy held a paper that, in large print, stated HELP WANTED.
"I'd like an interview."
~~~~~
January 15, 2024
First chapter done. I'll probably unpublish it if I need to make any edits or whatever. Hope you guys have a great day.
I wanted to get this posted as quick as possible and I'll probably work on the next chapter immediately. Can't wait for people to read this!!!
February 10, 2024
1. Happy Birthday Kanade! 2. I did small edits to this chapter just so that it sounds better. The next one may have some conversation editing. Until next time,
-Cyrus
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Make The Most Of It - Akitoya
Fanfiction> He leaned against the cushion of the booth, allowing his head to lol back and rest on the top of it. As he did, the bell to the cafe rang. The group all turned to see who it was out of curiosity. A tall boy stalked to the counter where Ken was...
