Author's Notes: I know that Kalel isn't Japanese, but I always thought she looked a little like it. So for the sake of AU plot, she's now half Japanese haha. Also, I'm sorry for the lack of Ian just yet. I promise he will either make his grand entry next chapter or the chapter after that. A little minor warning that I'm not sure requires a warning, but this chapter contains David's skeptical views about the mental health field. If you're extra sensitive to those things, I would say to stay away. But his opinions are his own and in no way reflect mine. Anyway, thanks for reading!
Dr. Kenichi Takahashi had his PhD in Psychiatry, and was one of the most esteemed psychotherapists in all of Sacramento County. If you were ever looking for a mental health professional, someone would always recommend his name. He had numerous clients, most of which were satisfied and all of which were repeat customers. He had worked on high profile cases. He wrote books, and if he didn't write them and they were related to psychology in this modern era, his name would most likely be found in there somewhere. He had so many credentials, so much going for him - but David wondered, as he boredly picked at the piece of wedding cake with his fork, how a man who made an career of helping people couldn't help himself? The marriage to his mother would be Kenichi's third marriage, after all.
David didn't like him. Though the man was nothing short of pleasant, and had been a charming groom - both romantic and appreciative to his mother throughout the ceremony and reception; though the man breezed through the room and made each of the guests feel welcome, including David himself - David still didn't like him. He maintained his skepticism, believing the pleasant face was just a facade - something Kenichi went to school for. He had trained many years just to learn how to shut off his humanity and become someone people were supposed to trust, a living receptacle for all of their problems. And the world was so stupid, they fell into his trap.
David was no stranger to the world of psychotherapy - of sitting on that damn couch while some overpaid professional told him they were there to help. Depression, bipolar tendencies, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts, he had received medication for it all at some point - and several adjustments later, he was still fucked up. Go figure. Dr. Takahashi and all of the other so called "doctors of the mind" made their money off of people having problems. Why would they even bother to fix what was broken if what was broken fueled their paychecks and paid for their swimming pools?
He tore his cake apart further until it was in complete crumbles. His eyes lifted, flickering to his Mom while she laughed and enjoyed herself, gliding across the floor like a princess at a ball. He had to admit it was nice to see her doing something other than stressing, but that didn't make him glad to be here. He hated being in the center of a huge social event, hearing from family members about how he had grown and how handsome he looked in his suit. And as though honing in on his thoughts, one of his aunts started walking his way. David caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and shrank down in his seat, hoping that if he didn't make eye contact, she would just go away.
No such luck, though. She waddled her way over and sat on the chair across from him - the seat creaking under her girth. This was Aunt Margaret - his mother's older and much heavier sister. She had her graying brown hair twisted in fat sausage curls on her head, and her makeup reminded David of a clown trying to go subtle. Aunt Margaret was the gossip of the family, thriving on getting in everyone's business and doing a damn good job of it - she didn't even need the fancy doctorate.
"Wow, David! You've grown so much since the last time I saw you. And you're handsome too! I'm sure you're very popular with the ladies at school, aren't you?" There was a twinkle in her eye that pretended to be conversational and kind, but David could tell she was fishing for information.
He finally picked up a few fork fulls of cake and crammed them in his mouth, making a noncommittal sound.
She laughed and left it at that. Obviously, she had more important things to discuss than David's business because she was very quick to move on, "There's nothing wrong with attracting women - well, unless you're like Kenichi, of course. Poor Claire doesn't know what she has gotten herself into. Look over there at those two pretty asian women..."
He followed her gesture so his eyes could land on them. An older woman dressed in a conservative, yet fashionable, dress stood beside an even prettier younger woman - who wore a light green, high-low dress that flowed airily to her knees, showing off her rather nice legs. David got distracted by checking them out for a little too long before shaking himself out of his daze. The two women were both dark haired, both Japanese, and both very beautiful.
Magaret didn't wait to have David's attention again, leaning in to speak softly, "The older one is his first wife Kyoko. Apparently, they're on very amicable terms. And standing right next to her is her daughter Mariko. A very established ballerina, that one. She's toured the nation with some of the most well known troupes in the country, as the lead in most of her shows. Do you know how difficult that is? You have to be extraordinary! Perfect, even! Kenichi and Kyoko have the bond of having the perfect child, and I'm sure that's not the only bond between them. How long do you think it'll be before they start sleeping together again?"
David made a disgusted face and pushed his cake to the side.
Still, Aunt Magaret carried on, "And that's not even the worst of it. Even if by some miracle they don't hook up - and trust me, a man would have to be a eunuch to pass that up - I heard the second wife is absolutely insane. Like the type of ex wife you'd watch on Snapped."
His eyebrows rose and in spite of himself, she had caught his attention.
"She's apparently an alcoholic and has been arrested for assault on more than one occasion. Kenichi currently has custody of his child with her. Your stepsister...right over there," she gestured. "Her name is Kalel - perhaps a bit of evidence of her mother's insanity. Who in their right mind would name their daughter something like that? But anyway, that poor soul. She's beautiful, but look at how sad she is. Where does she fit in? She's not the prettiest daughter and as far as she's concerned, she has no mother. Hopefully she doesn't take her anger out on Claire or turn out to be just as crazy as her mother. I'd like to think that being born from someone who treats insanity and someone who IS insane would create some sort of balance, but you never can tell, can you?"
She continued to ramble on, but David's eyes had drifted toward the girl she spoke about - Kalel. She stood by herself, pretty in pastel pink, with her light brown hair swept up in a clip. She had the almond shaped eyes of her father, but other than her complexion, the rest of her appearance must have come from her mother. There was a distance about her expression, though. One David recognized and understood far too well - the feeling of being out of place. He saw in Kalel a kindred spirit and suddenly felt compelled to go talk to her.
"I need to go...over there," David made a vague gesture to some section of the room, dismissing himself from being the receptacle of his aunt's gossip. No sooner had he stood up was Magaret already finding the next poor soul to chat with. They had his condolences.
In the meantime, he drew in a breath and went through the typical apprehension when it came to talking to anyone new. David wrung his hands, running what he was going to say over and over in his head on the walk, and a voice kept telling him it wasn't too late to back out now. But for once, he stood up to the voice because damnit this was going to be his 'sister.' Interaction would be a necessity at some point, so might as well get the worst of it over and done with now.
He reached Kalel, standing before her. She met his gaze and arched her brow in question. He supposed he was taking far too long to talk, so he blurted out the first word his mouth would form in order to break the ice, "Hey."
"Hey," she responded in kind, the brow raising higher.
Awkward. "So...I guess we're siblings now."
"Yeah," she looked down at the long stemmed glass in her hand, swishing it around idly. "Guess so."
"Look, I'm not really happy about it either..."
"Do I look not happy to you?" Kalel's expression became sharp; her tone biting.
"Well," David grew a little flustered under her harsh stare, flubbing his thoughts. "Y-yeah?"
"I am happy. I'm just fucking peachy. I love weddings," she swigged her drink and swallowed her bitterness along with it.
"Yeaaaah. You sound like you do," he muttered to himself.
"What was that?"
David shook his head. This had been a bad idea. He should have known better, "Nothing. Nevermind. It was nice meeting you and all."
He started to walk away. Much to his surprise, she caught his sleeve to stop him, "Wait..."
David paused, giving her his attention.
Kalel released his jacket when she realized he wasn't going anywhere. "Look, I'm sorry. You're right. I'm not happy about this. It's nothing against your Mom or anything, but it's just...it's complicated."
He opened his mouth to respond, but the next thing he knew - the pretty girl in green had just approached them. Mariko, the other daughter. "Kalel, Dad wants to get a picture with the both of us." She paused and then glanced over at David. "Oh! Is this your boyfriend Anthony?"
"No. It's David Moss. Our newest brother from another mother..."
Since Kalel took care of the introduction, David offered a shy little wave.
"Hi, David! I'm Mariko, but most people just call me Mari. It's nice to meet you, and welcome to the family," she smiled a smile that lit up her face. She was beautiful. Was it wrong to get a boner for a stepsister?
He couldn't even think of a response before Kalel was interjecting with an air of just wanting to get it over and done with, "Anyway. Dad wanted the picture, yeah? Let's go do it."
"Right," Mari agreed and offered one final wave to David before floating off into the crowd with Kalel dragging her feet behind her.
David watched them wordlessly, unsure of what to think. It was easy to get taken in by Mari's charm, but Kalel was the one he would be living with. He hadn't had much of a chance to form an opinion on Kalel beyond initially thinking she was a bitch. How would that have changed if Mari hadn't interrupted with her strong beautiful legs and her gorgeously long hair and her small but perky-
"I'd do her," a voice sounded in David's ear, causing him to jump and whirl around. Matt stood there with a grin on his face and a stolen piece of cake in his hands.
"Matt! What're you doing here?" David hissed, looking around to make sure everyone else was too distracted to notice. He wasn't even dressed in anything that would be considered wedding appropriate.
"I crashed. C'mon. I have a right to go to Mom's wedding, don't I? So you gonna introduce me to the tall one? Or do I have to go meet her myself?" Matt scarfed down the cake as he watched the fleeting form of the two sisters.
"No. No. No! You have to get out of here..."
"But I JUST got here. Can't I stay for a little bit?"
David shook his head adamantly, giving Matt a subtle push toward the exit. Matt did have a point. He should be allowed to be here and stay for the wedding, but his mother apparently thought otherwise. It was her day, and as unfair and shitty as it was - David didn't want it ruined by Matt being obnoxious because he knew his brother well enough to know that was the only reason he showed up. Relenting, Matt made his way out of the reception area, but not without grabbing a glass of champagne on the way. David looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching, that no one would question him. He was thankful, for once, that he was pretty much invisible to the world and so he ducked out of the party to follow Matt outside.
Once they were free from the stuffy indoors and alone in the parking lot did David speak, "She told me she loves you, you know..."
"Bullshit. If she did, you wouldn't be rushing me out the door. Who's side are you on, anyway?" He slammed back the glass of champagne like a champion, not even wincing at the bubbles.
"I'm not on a side. That's half the problem," David muttered. "Do you know how fucking difficult it is for me to be trapped between the two of you? I love you both! You're my family and it kills me that she treats you the way she does. But it also kills me that you act the way you do. This is her wedding day, so can you just not...be you for once?"
Matt stared at David, offended. But after a few seconds, the expression became blank, "Oh my god. It's happening..."
"What's happening?"
"You. She's winning and you're letting her."
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Save the bullshit, David! You know exactly what I mean. You're just choosing not to care. This normal life she promised you? I think you're thinking maybe things will be normal if you fall into her trap and live with this rich guy because hey, money buys happiness...or at least it buys happy pills, right?"
It struck a nerve. "Fuck you! What do you know about me?! I hate having to go live with that guy! I hate our stepdad. But what choice do I have? I don't have any money. I don't have a job. Am I supposed to just go live on the streets? I think the problem here is that you're jealous. You wish Mom would take you with her. You WISH she loved you as much as she loves me!"
David went too far. He knew it as soon as he said it - as soon as he saw the way Matt's face crumbled and the pain that manifested itself in its place. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Matt held up his hand to silence him, dropping the champagne glass onto the pavement. It shattered into a million tiny fragments, glimmering in the moonlight like freshly fallen tears. Matt didn't say anything. He just started walking away aimlessly, and for some reason, David was rooted in his spot. He was torn between following and staying behind - torn between Matt and his mother once again.
The door opened behind him, and a feminine voice rose up in question. It was Kalel, "David? Is everything okay?"
He looked back at her, "Oh...uh. Yeah. I was just getting some air..."
Her eyes flickered toward the broken glass and then back up at him, expression entirely unreadable, "Your Mom's looking for you. They want to get a few 'family' photos." She finger quoted.
David spared one final, lingering look in the direction Matt had gone before he slumped and turned toward the door. "Alright. I'm coming..." Because as torn as his heart was at the moment, he really had no other choice. Why couldn't Matt understand that?
