Tatsuya wouldn't have asked if he wasn't desperate. Hell, he knew his uptight brother wasn't even really into rock music; he was a flamenco guitarist. Desperate times called for desperate measures, and with the rest of his band bailing on him less than a week before the open mic night (there was a registration fee, dammit), Tatsuya wasn't sure who else to turn to. "Look, it's just an acoustic, unplugged gig. I was supposed to be playing with Morita and Sasaki, but they both backed out and-"
"So you want me to perform with you," Katsuya finished flatly. Tatsuya flinched at the harsh tone. Before he could reconsider the idea of asking his older brother, the homicide detective's face softened. "I would need to look at my schedule, but that sounds excellent." As the elder brother whirled away, lost in a storm of paperwork, Tatsuya stood, umoving, eyebrows raised, processing his brother's abrupt change. He would never understand him, he was convinced.
Faster than it took Katsuya to agree to his brother's request, word had spread around the office. Tatsuya had to marvel at the Sumaru PD rumor mill- it was, without a doubt, more efficient than the actual department. Stifling a humored grin and shaking his head at yet another pair of women (this time, a secretary and one of the detectives from Arson whose name he could never quite remember) quietly gushing, he tried to work out whether or not his brother was oblivious to it all, or just intentionally dense. Another mystery.
The question came back to mind a week and several rehearsals later, when several of their coworkers entered the dimly-lit bar thirty-seven minutes later than the duo. Tatsuya had a habit of keeping track of time. The younger brother observed how Katsuya's shoulders tensed as the homicide detective's hand gripped his cocktail tighter- some sort of dark liquor on the rocks. The man's other hand reached for where he used to keep his cigarettes, but, upon finding none, settled for drumming his fingers on the table. Tatsuya tilted his head and teasingly asked, "stage fright?"
"No, it's just… I wasn't expecting that many people we know to come." His lips were drawn into a tight line as the group approached their table. Katsuya began to release the death grip on his poor glass. Tatsuya was starting to wonder if his brother could crush it, fueled by the power of his poorly-managed anxiety.
"Did you not hear the office talking about it?" Tatsuya asked incredulously, eyebrows knitting together.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Tatsuya let out an exasperated sigh as he internally screamed. For a guy so obsessed with curating a perfect public image, could his brother really be that clueless about his office reputation? There was little time to dwell on it as they were joined by their coworkers. As they made small talk waiting for the brothers' set to start, Tatsuya noted the way his brother put up an aloof, but genial-enough facade. Or the way the detective flinched and lightly rebuffed her when Kagawa (wow, did the accountant pregame or was her tolerance really that low?) held onto his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
No, Tatsuya eventually concluded, mind returning to the topic, his brother was aware of it all. Feigning ignorance just made it easier to put up a wall and pretend he was actually competent at interpersonal interactions and feelings. Something tightened in his chest at the thought. He must be lonely.
Forty-three minutes passed and his brother seemed almost relieved when they left the table to tune in a corner- Katsuya had insisted on checking due to the humidity that night. Tatsuya was thankful. His G-string was at least 25 cents sharp, and that would have just been a disaster. Sometimes his brother's oh-so charming anal-retentive personality was a blessing. Glancing up to his brother, he saw him absorbed in quietly rhythmically strumming his guitar, peppering in percussive beats with the palm of his hand. He was playing the role of both rhythmic guitarist and percussionist, as Tatsuya took on the role of melody or vocals, depending on the song. He would need to get Katsuya to teach him flamenco sometime…
As the previous performer at the open mic night, young woman singing while playing the piano, finished, her exit from stage accompanied by applause, Tatsuya shot his brother a light grin. "You ready?"
Katsuya nodded, smiling brightly.