Vinny XIII and Tachigami rp

The steady rhythm of the song washed over the crowd as the young man danced and sang on the stage, his voice sweeping loud and strong over the audience. His brown hair was messily slicked back out of his dark green eyes. With the heat of the lights on him he was thankful he had listened to his stylist and wore the short yellow tank top that exposed part of his stomach and belly button. He was also thankful she insisted on the white baggy pants to go with it, at this point he would hate to feel how hot he'd be if he had gone with the tight black pant he had originally chose.

"Boom! Clap!
The sound of my heart
the beat goes on and on and on and on
and boom! Clap!
You make me feel good!
Come on to me, come on to me now!"

Ken struck a final pose at the end of the song, the fans cheering and roaring loudly as he bowed. He had to admit, he loved the sound of the crowd cheering, but he was glad the show was over for the night. After saying his good byes to the audience he made his way back to his dressing room, passing a few fans along the way. One fan in particular was familiar to him and Ken smiled and waved to him. He still couldn't see why his body guard, Amir, was so worried about this fan.

This wasn't his scene. This wasn't his type of music. He really disliked the stuff, it was too... hectic for him. But Amir wasn't the one to direct his charge's generas---he was just there to keep him alive and out of harm's way. And a musician tended to have some crazy-as-hell fans that couldn't get a hint. He'd dealt with plenty to know that crazy could hide under easy-going masks, and he wouldn't lower his guard just because everyone else didn't think there was any danger. There was always danger, one just had to look for it in the right ways. He stood behind the scenes, backstage, and wore noise-muffling headphones to take the heavy music down a few notches while he read. His watchful side kept him glancing up every page to make sure things were going well, and obviously they were.

When the music died down and was taken over by the dull roar that was the crowd, punctured by Ken's voice, Amir noted the page he was on and looked up as he left the stage and approached. He peered out to scan the nearest fans and narrowed his eyes at one in particular. He seemed to pop up rather frequently, eyes nearly black but no doubt just very dark brown. Those eyes were what Amir remembered most of all. He shook his head, following Ken right behind. He was a black-clad, large shadow behind the musician, the way he always was when Ken was in public or otherwise exposed to those that might have it in their head that they can run right up to him as if no one were crazy enough to hurt him. It was Amir's light paranoia that made him so good at his job.

Ken looked up when he felt a presence behind him and he smiled brightly when he saw Amir. Even if Ken thought he could be too paranoid, he knew he was just trying to keep him safe and Amir was great at that. Amir was the only person Ken could feel so relaxed around. So relaxed in fact that Ken often questioned if he had feeling for Amir. Whenever he would get those feelings though he would always remind himself that it was Amir's job to keep him safe.
"Anything good happen in your book?" Ken asked, still smiling as he turned and began walking backwards.

Amir smiled and shrugged, looking behind Ken while he walked backward. "Well, so far this woman stuck her cat in a tree so she could call the fire department to get it down. I think she's a little crazy." He indicated the book under his arm as he put his hands in his pockets. "But it was hard to concentrate with all those screaming fans. I don't know what they see in you, but it must be good." He smiled a little brighter to let in on the joking tone. "But seriously, I think you have a stalker. I saw the same guy near the stage again..."

He drifted off as the phone in his pocket buzzed with a text, and he pulled it out to glance at the screen. Wrinkling his nose, Amir scoffed quietly. He hated that woman. Hated her more than he thought it was possible for a human to conceive, but there it was, the black ball of writhing, ugly hate in his chest that he did a good job of keeping in its bottle.

"That's an interesting way to pick up guys," Ken laughed, stretching his arms high then placing them behind his head with a smirk, "I'm a charming guy, what can I say?" He chuckled, but it didn't last when he heard Amir get serious, "Are you sure you're just not being too paranoid? I mean, what if he's just a big fan that wants to say he's been to all my concerts or something?"
Ken's curiosity peeked when he saw the taller man wrinkle his nose. He gave him a concerned look and he bit his bottom lip. As he opened his mouth to ask if anything was wrong, he tripped on a loose cord and flailed his arms, yelping as he fell back.

Amir smirked, nodding. He read these books as if they were the antidote to some poison, and still wasn't sure why. They did make for a god laugh, though, especially when one was stressed. He shook his head, though. "No... there's a look in his eyes. Like... studying. I've seen it before." He hated that look. It was the 'scoping' look. Scoping the location, the area, the person. He didn't like it at all.

Gasping at the sudden trip, Amir dove forward and grabbed the front of Ken's shirt, yanking him up and onto his feet. "See, that's why our feet face the way our eyes do." Amir said with a raised brow. "We're not supposed to walk backward!" At least his tightly-wound nerves were useful for these kinds of quick reactions.

"R-right, sorry ab-bout that." Ken replied, his face burning bright red. He could feel his heart racing, "I-I just- I mean- I wanted to- umm..."
'Breath!' he told himself, 'Calm down! Calm down! You almost landed on you ass of course your hearts going to be racing now!'
He cleared his throat as he straightened up, "A-anyways, you said you think this guy's studying me?" Ken asked as he turned around and began quickly walking forward, trying to hide the fact he was still blushing.

Amir trained his face to be placid, though the smile was still trying to curve his mouth. When Ken turned away he rubbed his hand over his mouth, returning his face to no particular emotion. "Well, yes, I do, actually." Amir rearranged the book under his arm and returned his hands to his pockets. If one were looking, they might be able to see the concealed weapon he carried at all times, even off the job, which was rare. "He has... dim eyes. Like he's not all there. I've seen it before. I've seen it a lot before, actually... It's like he's waiting for something. Or... keeping tabs. And could you tell he wasn't acting as crazy as everyone around him?" He narrowed his eyes and looked behind him, but he only saw the usual people milling about. They were near Ken's dressing room, so their conversation would be cut short since Amir usually made a habit of giving him as much privacy as possible by staying just outside the door.

Now that Ken thought about it, the guy was different from the other fans. A shiver ran up his spine as he thought more about the description Amir just gave. Ken shook his head, trying to get the feeling to go away.
"Maybe he's just used to the atmosphere of these concerts since he's come to so many?" Ken offered, hoping that that thought would ease his creeped out feeling. Unfortunately it didn't. As he started to open the door to his dressing room he looked up at Amir, "Umm... Do you want to come in this time?"

Amir sighed, but nodded. Maybe. Maybe that was it. He was probably some groupie that was on the road a lot, used to these crazy events. But Amir didn't deal in 'maybe'. "Alright, but I'm still gonna watch him. Just in case." It was his job. His job to keep Ken safe. He wasn't stupid, though people liked to think he was because he was big and tall and quiet most of the time. He raised his brows at the offer when they made it to Ken's room.

"Uh... Well, s-sure---" His phone physically rang this time, coupled by its insistent vibration. "Ah... damn... Actually, I'll stay out here to take this, okay? I think it's..." He glanced at the caller ID and barely stifled a depressed groan before accepting the call and leaning against the wall by the door, nodding to Ken. "Hey, Bethany..." The name felt sour on his tongue.

"Okay," Ken said, he knew it was part of his job to be skeptical like that. Ken really hoped it was just Amir being paranoid.
When he heard the phone ring he jumped a little and nodded when Amir said he would stay outside. Ken slipped into his dressing room, sighing as he leaned against the door for a moment. He walked over to the small couch and fell back on it, letting his forearm cover his eyes. He felt his cheeks turning red again as he thought about Amir accepting to come into his room.
'That was a first...' He thought to himself with another small sigh, 'I don't think of him that way. I can't think of him that way. He's just doing his job, I shouldn't confuse myself like this. Yea I'd say we're at least friends, but that's it.'

Once the door was closed, Amir felt a bit more secure with a wall between himself and Ken. Bethany had launched into a list of issues she was having with Elsa, mostly that she wouldn't stop talking about Amir and when she'd see him again. Amir bit his tongue through the exchange, even as she began bringing up the trial, until she paused for a breath.

"Beth for the love of God, shut up." Amir heard a sharp gasp, as if she wasn't used to being told that by literally everyone within hearing distance of her tirades. "I don't know what you've been telling Elsa but she's been calling me at night in tears saying you're never letting her see me again and if I come to her next birthday, you'll have me arrested. The court wouldn't allow you a restraining order because you had. No. Case. The only reason I'm not allowed to drop by more often is because of the nature of my job."

Beth sighed, growling, then muttered something under her breath. Amir squinted, then looked around to make sure his conversation wasn't being spied on by some nosy stagehand.

Ken groaned in frustration as he let half of his body slip off the couch, leaving just his legs on the couch. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, 'Why am I freaking out like this? Amir's more than likely straight anyways, he has an ex-wife and a kid for crying out loud!'
He rolled off of his back and crawled over to a small duffel bag where he had his extra clothes in. He dug through the bag until he found a baggy grey hoody with black devil wings on the back. He smiled, hugging it for a moment before he slipped it on. The hoody had belonged to his older sister, but she had given it to him before he started his singing career. The sweater was baggy on him, but he loved how comfy and soft it was. It always made him feel like his sister was hugging him when he wore it.
Ken glanced at the clock before pulling his phone out of the bag and texting his sister, "Are you awake Vivi?"

Amir twisted his hair between his fingers as Bethany replied curtly. "I don't need you filling her head with lies---"

"You mean the way you tried to do with me?"

"That was differ---"

"That. Was. Not. Different. You put some disgusting accusations on me and I had to work through hell to get them dropped, I deal with enough false accusation on a daily damn basis because of my race alone, and I'll never be able to fully shake this! I want to talk to Elsa, right now!"

"No. I don't---"

Remember what the cops said? You really want me to get them involved again? The charges. Were. Dropped. The didn't have any basis to even exist. If you stop me from seeing Elsa, you're breaking the law, Beth, because I never did anything you said I did! I never hurt her, and I sure as hell never hurt you! Give Elsa the phone!"

She huffed, but obliged, and a little voice came on, bright and cheerful. "Hi, Daddy!"

Amir immediately smiled, the stress melting out of his shoulders as he slid down the wall right beside the door.

"I just finished studying, what's up Kenny?" Ken smiled as the text that popped up on his phone.
"I need some advice." Ken typed, "So you know my body guard? Well..." Ken typed out how he felt about Amir. How he knew Amir was just doing his job, but he still felt like he was getting a crush on him. "...and to top it all off he has an ex wife and kid, so I don't think he even is into guys."
As he waited for a reply he laid back down on the couch. He could feel his eye lid getting heaving as his phone made a small jingling sound.
"You'll never know till you try Kenny." Vivianne replied, "There is such a thing as bi you know, I know you prefer guys, but sometimes people prefer both. Just talk to him sweetie."
'Maybe...' Ken thought to himself as he let his eyes shut for a minute.

Amir talked quietly to Elsa for more than ten minutes, and promised that he'd be able to visit within the week, because they were heading back that way tomorrow. When he stood, he pocketed his phone and spied a young man approaching. He stepped in front of the door. "Excuse me, are you allowed back here?"

"Yeah!" The guy nodded, trying to look around Amir. "This's Ken's room?"

"Yes, but I cannot allow you in without approved clearance."

"And who approves?"

"I do."

"I have this." He showed the laminated badge around his neck.

"That's a backstage pass. It doesn't include access to dressing rooms."

"Aw, c'mon, I wanna see 'im! Make an exception just---"

"No. If you want to see him, go back to the public area and wait."

The young man gave Amir a hard stare, then lunged without warning, knocking him into the door until Amir grabbed his hair and flung him back, knocking him to the ground and kneeling on his back. "Stay down! God, it's crazies like you that make my job fun." He plucked the walkie off his belt and radioed for security, which was just a hallway away. He grasped the man's wrists and wrenched them behind his back as the form under him squirmed. It wasn't the one that had been almost stalking Ken recently, but he was just as unpredictable.

Ken's eyes shot open when he heard the knock against the door. Amir never knocked like that, 'What's going on out there?!'
He glanced down at his cell and quickly typed "I'll text you tomorrow" before he went to the door. Ken slowly opened the door and peeked out, seeing the guy pinned on the floor.
"What the heck?" Ken said, stepping out of the room, "T-that's not the guy we were talking about is it?!"
He felt a chill run up his spine just thinking about it. He stopped himself from wondering what would have happened if Amir wasn't there to stop this guy.

Amir stood and wrenched the twitching guy off the floor, swearing under his breath as Ken came out of his room. The fan's eyes went wide and he tried to speak, but Amir clamped a hand over his mouth. "No, this isn't the guy." Amir said stiffly. "He's smaller, has lighter hair and eyes and acts as crazy as he is." He wrenched him around as he tried to turn toward Ken. Two security guards arrived with handcuffs and a scowl. "And I think he's high, his pulse is going insane and he's sweating like crazy."

"I'm just freaked out 'cause you attacked me, man!"

"Yeah, yeah." One of the security officers cuffed him tightly, dragging him away as Amir brushed his hair back. It had come loose when he'd been knocked back against the door. When the fan was escorted away, Amir turned to Ken. "Sorry about that." He sighed. "He looked pretty normal until I said he couldn't come in."

Ken sighed in relief as he put his hand to his chest. His fingers loosely gripped the fabric as he looked up at Amir.
"I'm just glad you were here." Ken said with a smile before watching the fan being taken away.
"It's okay," Ken said, smiling again, at this point he had gotten used to a few fans being like that, though they still put him on edge. "Oh! Was every thing okay with your phone call?"
Ken had wondered if it was his ex wife that had called, but he didn't want to pry.

Amir paused to tug the band out of his hair and retie it back out of his face. He glanced at Ken, sighing and shrugging. "I dunno. I hate that harpy so much, Ken! She's trying to intimidate me out of seeing Elsa but damned if that'll happen. So... since we're heading through their town next week, I was hoping to stop by to spend a little time with her. You know how it is, traveling all the time. Not even with you, I mean... generally, I used to be away from home a lot. So I hope I can drop by for just a little bit and say hi. I might not be able to be there for her birthday, I mean, so I have to take it where I can get it, y'know?" He shrugged a bit, going toward the dressing room door to pick up his book, which he'd set down while taking the phone call.

Ken looked at him in surprise, it wasn't often that he saw Amir talk about his ex wife or daughter. Even though he didn't hear about her often, Ken could tell that Amir really cared for his little girl.
"Yea of course we can see her!" Ken said with a grin, "If you want we can swing by any store on the way there and we could get her some presents for her birthday! I know we don't have much time before the next concert, but we could at least be there long enough for you to be able to spend a whole day with her, maybe two days! I know that's not much time, but I'm sure that'd mean a lot to her."
Ken's smile softened as he thought about his own dad. His mom was gone for most of his childhood and with his dad being a surgeon he had gotten used to it being just him and Vivianne. Ken couldn't help but wonder how well Amir's daughter handled him being gone.
"And ya know," Ken said as he leaned against the door frame of his dressing room, "I bet we could figure out some kind of schedule that could let you see her more."

Amir's tired expression fell away like a cheap mask, and he beamed. "Really? Two days? Two days? Oh... that'd be more time than I've had in... years... Since she was six... I wasn't there for three years of her life, I have... so much to make up for her for being overseas at the time... She didn't understand, you know, she was... young." He shook his head and sighed. "Sorry about that, I... just got excited...!"

Amir was close to hugging Ken, but he wasn't supposed to specifically show that kind of closeness. It was his job to protect Ken, nothing more. Friendship was inevitable, trust necessary, of course. But overly affectionate actions were just uncalled for in his line of work. "Anyway, I'd love to be able to see her since I can't on her birthday..." He had told Bethany that he'd be around for a while within the next week. Spending a whole day with Elsa had been the last thing on his mind but now, it was possible. He could spend time with his little girl, more time than he'd had in a very long time.

Ken felt himself blush as his heart skipped a beat when he saw Amir's smile. He was glad to see he could make him so happy to see his little girl.
"I didn't realize it'd been so long since you got to see her." Ken said as he put his hand on Amir's shoulder, "We need to figure something out so you can see her more! I know what it's like to be in her shoes, my dad was a surgeon so it was just me and Vivi a lot of the time. So if we can figure something out for you to see her more then that'd be great! Maybe we could work it so you could see her once a week?" Ken smiled, "I know that's not much but with all the traveling and all that..."
He trailed off, trying to think of other possibilities.

Amir was quiet for a minute, blinking slightly as if he'd just been hit by a ghost. "... Once a week...? But... Ken, that can't happen, not logically! I'm supposed to bend to your schedule, not you to mine. All I ask is a day now and then to myself so I can see my girl. And hope to God I can get her away from that crazy woman. I've been worried about her for a while, know? Trying to figure out just what to think. Seeing her now and then would be helpful but Ken, once a week is just... unconventional to try to travel any extra."

He put a hand on Ken's shoulder. "Thanks for your concern, though, Ken, I really appreciate it. I'll figure something out, though, okay? I don't want to put your safety into anyone else's hands unless it's absolutely necessary." He sighed and stretched, putting his book back under his arm. "Ready to head out? I got a car out back so we can dodge the fray." He thumbed over his shoulder to nowhere in particular.

'Hmmm he's got a point,' Ken thought as he tried thinking of another solution. When he felt Amir's hand on his shoulder his whole face went bright red, 'Ahh! Calm down! Calm down! Calm down!
"Oh, y-yea I'm ready, just let me grab my bag!" Ken said, turning into the dressing room and grabbing his bag.
'What does he mean he doesn't want to put my safety in someone else's hands?' Ken wondered, the thought making his heart skip a beat. He shook his head quickly, 'Don't think about it! Just don't think about it or you'll be back to square one!'
"Okay, ready!" Ken said, walking back to him. "Sooo, once a week may not work, but what about once a month?"
Ken continued on their topic, hoping it'd keep his mind off his latest question.