𝙼𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙰 𝙼𝚒𝚡𝚝𝚊𝚙𝚎 - 𝙷. 𝚈𝚊𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚊 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Thirty

(Shout out to biffstix for being so crazy amazing and commissioning the above fan art of Aoki and Yamada. You're the best, Biffy!  And now...the final chapter. *Sigh*)

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Aoki and Yamada sat in his car parked just outside the radio station the next morning. When he noticed her hand tremble as she reached for the door handle after saying their goodbye, he hadn't realized how worried she was. "Hey," he reached out and put his hand on her shoulder to keep her in place. "It'll be okay."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah... probably."

"You don't need to worry about Kimura. I'm sure Ito will be by your side today, right?"

"Most likely...but it's not only that. I mean, I can handle her but the pitiful looks from everyone else is what's going to be the hardest," Aoki slipped a hand under her curtain of wavy hair and rubbed the back of her neck.

Yamada nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that."

"But maybe it won't be as bad as I think," she exhaled and tried to put on a smile for him. "And I get to look forward to seeing you later too, so even if my day sucks I know my night will be better."

With a smile he leaned in closer and kissed her, sucking on her bottom lip just a little before parting. "We will have an awesome night tonight, Dimples. I promise."

After a final innocent kiss, Aoki exited the vehicle and prepared herself for the shit storm she was expecting work to be today. Kimura said she'd make her pay for what happened and who knew what form that would come in.

Avoiding the slight glare of Yoshida the receptionist, Aoki kept her head down as she walked to the break room to set down her things and get a cup of coffee. She breathed a short breath of relief when she found only Ito occupying the room and when he noticed her as well, he grinned.

"You haven't checked your e-mail yet, have you?"

Aoki raised her eyebrow. "I'm clearly just walking in, Reij, so no. Why?"

"Kimura's show was cancelled."

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she placed her backpack in her cubby. "No way."

"Yeah," he laughed. "The e-mail was sent out early this morning. Apparently, some listeners started a petition boycott the station because of the toxic nature of her show, saying that it goes against the station's code of conduct."

"Holy shit," she whispered incredulously. "So...it's over?"

"The reign of terror is over, my friend," he smiled as he stood up and walked over to her with open arms.

Aoki walked into his hug and as his arms wrapped around her, he felt her tension dissipate. "Everything's gonna be great around here now," he squeezed her tightly before letting her go. "Now c'mon. Time to get to work."

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The minute classes were over for the day, Yamada quickly made his way to his apartment and changed into a nice black button-down shirt with dark wash jeans. He pulled his hair up into a messy bun and threw on his black leather jacket, patting his pocket to make sure his cassette was still safe inside before he headed out the door.

After a few quick stops to follow through with his arrangements, Yamada drove to the station to pick up Aoki.  Knowing there was still about ten minutes before his girlfriend was officially off for the day, Yamada poked his head into the production room to find her and when his eyes landed on her wavy brown hair he smiled. Even though he was anxious about what tonight would bring, seeing her always made his heart jump with joy.