[In his Care] Chapter 76 ~part 1
I can't believe that this is the first Christmas in YEARS that there will be snow!! I'm so in the Christmas spirit because of that ^________^ For once I love the winter cold! I hope it will continue to snow and be white also during New Year!
AND OUR KAT-TUN DVD:S ARRIVED AND WE SAW THEM ♥♥ So much love ^_______^ Aww at the small glimpses of Akameness too! *is a hopeless, incurable Akame fan*
And then we have a present for you readers of IHC. Thank you for your patience, here is (what I hope is) a quite funny Xmas chap ^^ (I hope!)
Ps. I hope Se7en and Rain won't be hated because of the roles they play in this fic. ^^; I know their attitudes are morally off, but to Kame they reflect a part of Jin he didn't really see.
Title: In his Care
Chapter: 76/84
Pairings: Akame, TxT, KinKi Kids, TomaPi, RyoUchi, YunJae and many more.
Fandoms: JE, wFL, random Jboys, random Kboys and hints of tenimyu and dramas
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: please pay attention to possible separate warnings (e.g. spoiler warnings) posted at each chap, overall warnings for non-con, violence and language
Disclaimer: I own only the story.
Summary: AU. Kame's two years in prison and his life after that. In this chapter Jin does the most humiliating thing in his life... I apologize sincerely for raping a certain dorama with this chapter (and raping a certain character in this fic through that dorama) ^^;;;;
[Phase one] Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21
[Phase two] Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47
[Phase three] Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75
Thank you Cata for working so hard with me to get this chapter out in time for Xmas ♥ Now I'm really sleep deprived, so I'll just relay this wish from both of us to you and go to bed ^^
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!!
Chapter 76
In their usual bar two rival leaders sat side by side over a beer…or quite a few.
“I assume you and Kame-chan have been on good terms these past few days, seeing as he hasn’t taken the ring off.” Yamapi said, sending a glance at the boy next to him. “So, are you planning on moving back in any time soon?”
“Eager to get rid off me, aren’t you?” Jin replied, sipping on his beer. “You wish I would…then again so do I, but I can’t rush him like that.”
“He keeps you on your toes and you keep driving us insane.” the News leader moaned and normally Jin would’ve thrown a comeback, but now his concentration was on everything but trying to out-smart his best friend. There was a reason Jin had wanted to have a beer with Yamapi this evening.
“Maybe some of the things you said the last time are true.” Jin confessed. “He did apologize profoundly and it does seem he is doing some things with me against his will. No matter how hard I’ve tried to be a good boyfriend to him I think he still sees me as someone above him, so he’s putting my needs first even now.”
“Well, what did you except from a boy, who spread his legs for you and told himself he was weak for doing it? He started to believe in his role too much. By the time you realized his worth and told him he wasn’t a boy toy to you it was already too late. You had already turned him into one.” Yamapi replied, but he was sure Jin still wasn’t going to go along with his idea of reminding Kame-chan of how different his true master really used to be.
“How can I ever break his idea of me always being the superior one?” Jin asked with a sigh.
“Bottom for him? Maybe you should become his boy toy.” Yamapi suggested and Jin glared in response. “That’s exactly what your problem is, your big pride. You’re fine with being the one having boy toys, but not with being a boy toy yourself.”
Jin crossed his arms defensively in front of his chest. “Who would be?”
Jin was fine with the sex, but the humiliation that came along with the role would be too much to take for any man let alone a proud and feared gang leader and ex-player.
“Exactly. Why would Kame-chan either?” Yamapi pointed out. “So if you lower yourself to his level and let him play you for a while, maybe he’ll feel more confident and actually believe you are both on the same level.”
Jin shifted position awkwardly where he sat. “He wouldn’t even want a boy toy.” the AT-TUN leader protested.
“A slave then?” Yamapi suggested, enjoying this conversation quite a lot. “He could order you to do stuff outside the bedroom instead.”
He had Jin cornered now. Either Jin would have to admit that Jin couldn’t get over his own pride to do something so degrading or then Jin would actually do it, which would be equally fun if not even more amusing. Yamapi would love seeing Jin humiliated like that.
“I’m telling you that’s not him.” Jin protested and Yamapi thought it seemed as if Jin would have to admit he couldn’t do it.
The AT-TUN leader uncrossed his arms and took a swig, trying to force out the part of him that kept reminding him of the fact that Kame had a strong will and loved taking control too. Jin had seen that when he had allowed Kame to drive his car or ride his bike. If Kame hadn’t become his boy toy Kame might have started doing what he wanted more often instead of keeping his true thoughts trapped inside of him while trying to live up to Jin’s will instead. If they had been just cellmates, Jin might’ve seen a totally different side of Kame when even as a boy toy Kame had gone off and done things on his own.
Shooting a glance at his annoying best friend, Jin didn’t like what he saw. He knew that look on his best friend’s face. Yamapi was in the middle of scheming something awful and he was part of it. He slightly dreaded what the other leader would say, as Yamapi finally leaned over to him and suggested, “Then how about this…”
Jin stood up the moment Yamapi had finished that sentence.
“No way!” he grunted. “That’s ridiculous! I’m out of here!”
“I promise you it will bear some fruit if you do it right!” Yamapi called after him before he could leave and Jin resented the fact that he stopped walking because it meant Yamapi was actually making him consider that insane idea. “Isn’t it worth the shot and the humiliation? If Kame-chan would actually feel just a tiny bit better around you…?”
Jin wanted to protest, but he couldn’t. He wanted to make Kame feel better too much.
“Do it for just one week. I dare you.” Yamapi challenged and Jin hated to admit he was still weak for challenges, though Yamapi probably knew it was Kame he was even weaker for.
With a groan Jin flopped himself back next to a grinning Yamapi so he could finish his beer, because he would need it.
~*~*~*~
Kame opened the front door upon hearing some weird noise coming from outside of it. It was almost as if someone had scratched on the wooden surface, but when opening the door Kame didn’t see anyone or anything…until he lowered his gaze to the floor and was met by the sight of Jin sitting crooked down in front of him.
“Woff.” the older boy greeted him.
Kame looked like a living question mark.
“Homeless puppy looking for a new home because his mean and very annoying housemate kicked him out.
Puppy didn’t want irritating man as his master, wants a kind master.” Jin’s voice was a little tense and when Kame just stared Jin forced himself to continue, “Wants to be fed, taken out, bathed and be cuddled and petted.”
“Did you lose a bet?” Kame had to ask. Or then Jin had lost his mind. Kame wasn’t sure which one was more likely.
“No, was kicked out.” Jin repeated and as if to emphasize his point he shook on the bag next to him, containing all of his stuff. “Can puppy live here?”
The response from Kame was another baffled stare.
“…Does Kazu like cats better?” Jin tried then. “Turtles?”
Still not saying a word Kame slowly stepped aside and Jin flashed him a grin, dragging himself and his bag into the apartment. After Jin had turned him down about living together, Kame hadn’t expected Jin to move back in so fast…or like this.
“Puppy will be a good boy…dog…boy…whatever.” Jin said as he dropped his bag down on the living room floor and himself next to it. “Will never bite master. Will obey.”
Kame was convinced he must be inside a very weird dream.
“Wants a name, too.” Jin said then.
“You have a name, Jin.” Kame said, not sure why he was taking part of such madness. This had to be a prank. That was the only explanation that sounded even remotely logical.
“Has master ever had a pet before?” Jin asked and couldn’t help adding a little smugly, “Or am I your first?”
Ran! The memory of his small dog brought a smile to Kame’s face as he replied, “Once.”
“Puppy has also had a pet- er, another dog.” Jin replied. “Back when puppy was still in school. Irritating man and puppy had a puppy together called Pin…bought, actually stole, whatever, a puppy together. Not had together the way you have a child together- anyway.”
Kame decided not to comment on that.
“Should puppy have the same name as master’s previous pet?” Jin asked then.
“Jin, this is silly.”
“Wants a name!” Jin insisted and Kame was glad to find something familiar about Jin still intact, namely Jin’s stubbornness.
“Hitoshi.” Kame said and Jin froze where he sat. “Your kanji for Jin…it can be read as Hitoshi, too. Is Hitoshi okay?”
Jin shifted position a bit where he sat. He hadn’t heard that name in years. People had always messed up his name in the past, reading his kanji wrongly, but when he had started living among gangsters and made a reputation his name was well-known and no one messed it up ever again. He had never expected to hear that name come rolling off Kame’s lips someday reminding him of times he had nearly forgotten.
“Hitoshi it is then.” he said, raising his eyes back to Kame’s. The smaller boy was looking at him quite unsurely the way Kame did when the boy thought he had said something he shouldn’t have. “Hitoshi will do whatever master asks.”
Kame doubtfully returned the older boy’s gaze, standing rooted to the floor as Jin slowly crawled over to him, offering his head just below Kame’s hand. Dark locks of hair were within his reach and still unsure about what was going on, Kame let his fingers escape into the soft strands of hair and Jin shut his eyes for a while, enjoying the touch.
“Wants to be played with.”
Kame’s hand froze in his hair and Jin slowly pulled back to peer up at the again so baffled expression on Kame’s face. Jin decided that statement might need some clarification.
“Wants to play soccer with master.”
Kame flinched, as Jin just kept repeating that word to him. “Don’t call me that.”
“Soccer?” Jin said with a pleading look and finding no point to refuse, Kame nodded and Jin skipped off to his stuff, digging out a soccer ball and grabbing Kame’s wrist, pulling him along. A quick journey later they ended up in an alley.
This kind of reminded Kame of their date in the stadium and also of those times they had played soccer and baseball in the prison garden, where he had even had a go at tennis a few times.
The way Jin would run after the ball if Kame accidentally kicked it out of range did half remind him of a dog, as Jin was as fast as one, but the form Jin showed when kicking it back reminded Kame more of a true soccer player. Jin could probably have turned professional. Why hadn’t Jin ever tried to achieve such a dream?
They were beat and sweaty by the time they decided to return to their apartment. Jin kept kicking on the ball all the way back, quite skilfully getting it up the stairs too.
Kame had no idea what had flown into Jin today, but he liked the laidback atmosphere around Jin, making him laugh from time to time even when Jin unintentionally did something silly. Somehow he didn’t even worry if he could laugh those times.
“Feels dirty.” Jin sighed as they were back. The older boy immediately proceeded to pull his shirt over his head. “Wants a bath.”
“Go ahead.” Kame said, signalling for the bathroom door. “You can hit the shower first.”
To his surprise that statement left Jin simply standing by the bathroom door, looking at him. Kame raised an eyebrow. What was wrong now? Did Jin want him to turn on the bath for him?
…Did Jin want him to go have a bath with Jin?
“Wants to be bathed.” Jin pouted at him with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
What? Oh, Kame didn’t think so.
“Take a bath, I’ll cook you something in the meantime.” Kame said, but that only made Jin lean back against the door and sulk. “Didn’t you just promise to do whatever I asked?”
Jin didn’t answer and just continued to sulk.
“You’re disobedient.” Kame pointed out, partly still not believing he was letting Jin hook him into this game.
But no matter how disobedient of a pet, or a person, Jin was that look upon the older boy’s face was just heartbreaking.
Kame sighed in defeat. “Turn the water on and add some soap, I’ll be right with you.”
That made Jin’s face brighten and the older boy pushed himself off the door, disappearing into the bathroom.
Kame wondered if he would come to regret that decision and he entered the kitchen, deciding what he’d make for dinner as he listened to the sound of water running.
Having picked out what he needed in order to prepare a nice meal, Kame headed to the bathroom next and halted by the door at the sight of Jin already in the tub. At least Jin had added in a lot of soap and the tub was almost flooding with bubbles, making it hard to see Jin’s features under the surface. Kame was pretty sure Jin had failed to remember the courtesy of leaving something on.
“I’m not joining.” Kame said pointedly, as Jin turned to look at him. Jin didn’t argue with him and Kame doubtfully made his way over to the boy, who was looking very relaxed and satisfied where he was.
This pet-thing was probably some ploy Jin and Yamapi had cooked up together to get Kame to lower his defences and Kame was sure he was falling for it. Nevertheless, he seated himself by the tub and rolled up his sleeves, taking the sponge into his hands and unsurely starting to scrub Jin’s bare shoulders with it.
“Ah~ That feels good!” Jin let out, leaning back against the edge and closer into him. The tips of Jin’s hair got wet and soapy.
Kame tried to ignore Jin’s reactions and was careful not to run the sponge over Jin’s collarbones too many times, slowly moving down Jin’s arms next in massaging motions. Jin was very cooperative, happy to always raise either arm to him and Kame couldn’t remember the last time he had treated Jin’s naked skin like this. In the shower stalls, where they had washed each other and made love dozens of times? In their cell when Jin had needed help washing up after being injured?
He still couldn’t remember how it had felt physically good to do all of those things with Jin they had done in the past, but his heart was starting to remember it more and more. He was slightly afraid Jin would see through how he felt for the leader before he was ready to act upon his feelings.
From time to time he would shoot anxious glances at Jin’s blissful looking face. The leader’s eyes were closed and a smile played on his parted lips, every now and then letting out satisfied moans and other such sounds. He was relieved Jin wasn’t looking at him, because then Jin might’ve seen the rush of emotions treating Jin like this was causing inside of him.
One quite wet hand fell into his lap as Jin leaned even closer into him, stretching out over the edge as Kame was done with his arms and then doubtfully moved the sponge over to Jin’s chest. He felt his face heat up a bit at the deeper moans Jin would let out at that point and Kame had to check Jin’s eyes were still closed, as he continued to wash Jin’s chest, gradually moving his hand further under the surface.
This was a brilliant idea! Jin congratulated himself. He was the one to thank for it since Yamapi would obviously never have thought of this if he hadn’t complained about Kame feeling inferior to him! Though at the moment, with Kame giving him such pleasure, Jin had to wonder who was really the one gaining from this experience. Right now he felt much more like a master, being worshipped by his subordinate, than a pet or whatever. Then again he had no idea what it was like to be a pet, so maybe they really felt like this all the time.
“Who’s making you do this?” Kame asked and Jin knew that tone. He didn’t have to open his eyes to see Kame’s flustered face. Kame’s voice already informed him of that.
“I’m doing this…” Jin started, having to give out a rather pleasant sigh in between as the material in Kame’s hand ran over one nipple, “voluntarily. Haven’t I said I like experimenting with you?”
Kame was quiet for a while and it made Jin tempted to open his eyes to have a sneak peek at Kame’s face.
“For how long are you going to keep this up?” Kame finally asked and Jin just enjoyed himself for a while before answering.
“For a week.”
It was far less than two years, but maybe enough to get his point through. In the very least Jin was sure, despite his previous reservations, that he’d have a very good time.
“Sit up. I’ll wash your back.” Kame said then and Jin obeyed, bending a bit forward to give Kame even more access to his entire back, which Kame washed. If Jin had pretended to be a cat he’d be purring by now, wet or not.
He wondered should Kame accidentally drop the sponge then would Kame continue with his bare hands?
“I’m not washing…the rest, you can do it yourself.” Kame said then, obviously done with his back though Jin would disagree.
“Not even my feet?” Jin pressed on and it almost seemed as if Kame was going to shoot that suggestion down when the smaller boy then got up, walked to the other end of the tub and sat down by Jin’s feet. Jin happily stretched out one at a time for him to wash.
Kame still couldn’t believe what he was doing, but he was quite relieved that the bubbles hadn’t all faded yet even with the way Jin had been splashing water onto the floor and everywhere else.
“Hair too!” Jin insisted as Kame let go off the second clean foot, helping it down under the surface.
Kame switched from the sponge to the shampoo bottle and Jin settled happily back into his position by the edge of the tub, closing his eyes and waiting for Kame to begin the next treatment. He once more wanted to moan loudly as Kame’s fingers then slipped inside his wet hair, massaging it with a nicely smelling shampoo. Life was perfect.
The movement of Kame’s fingers relaxed him to the point he wanted to doze off and a shiver went through him as Kame then proceeded to wash both of his ears.
“You’re all covered in soap now.” Kame’s lulling voice said, as the hands went one more time through his hair before releasing him. “Wash it off so you don’t get it into your eyes.”
He felt Kame rise up from the stool by the tub and the smaller boy gazed down at the relaxed leader, stuck in his previous position.
Jin actually looked really irresistible like that. Kame had to smile.
“Mmm…okay…” the older boy murmured, slowly forcing his eyes open and before Kame could as much as react Jin had already stood up in the tub.
“Wait! Stop!” he called out in reflex as Jin turned his soap-covered body into his direction. Kame focused on the floor, searching with his hand for a towel. Without sending Jin as much as a glance he stuffed one into the naked boy’s arms. “Here. I’ll go make dinner now.”
He sensed Jin grinning at him as he exited the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind him.
Once in the kitchen Kame tried his best to calm down. Images of Jin covered in soap ran through his mind as he prepared the dinner, all awhile listening to water splashing and Jin humming in the shower.
Kame wondered if Jin wanted to torture him when the older boy then walked into the kitchen, so fresh from the shower water was still dripping off his dark hair and his skin, and only wearing the towel Kame had given him. He tried not to budge, as Jin stopped behind him, resting his head practically on his shoulder while drawing in the smell of the food Kame was cooking.
“Mmm…” the older boy let out approvingly and Kame wondered if it was possible to feel so awkward, but at the same time strangely excited with the way he knew what was touching him through his own shirt was Jin’s bare chest, damping the piece of clothing he wore. “When is it ready?”
Kame tried to cook like normal, but Jin was making that a very hard task for him. “In a minute. Why don’t you go put on some clothes before then?”
He felt Jin smile against his shoulder. “Sure.” the older boy murmured before pulling away and Kame was left feeling quite cold, listening to the wet, departing steps of Jin disappearing to dig in his bag for something to wear.
Jin returned a while later in a thin, white t-shirt that was quite see-through because Jin had been too lazy to dry off properly before putting it on. The leader was still barefoot and wore these baggy, soft pants.
He served Jin a plate first before sitting down on the opposite side of the table.
“Don’t you want to take a bath too before you eat?” Jin asked, as they dug in and Kame shook his head.
“The food will get cold. I’ll take a shower after we’ve eaten.” Kame replied, fixing his eyes upon Jin then. And don’t you dare suggest washing me, he added silently.
Jin just smiled wider, stuffing more food into his mouth and occasionally mumbling ‘yummy’.
As Kame had finished eating and left for the shower Jin was still finishing up the remaining food.
Kame shut his eyes, relaxing as water began to splash over him, but he couldn’t get the image of Jin covered in soap out of his head.
Once he returned from the bathroom, Jin had spread his stuff practically everywhere in the apartment and the dishes were unwashed in the sink. The place was a mess, but somehow it felt much homier now than it had ever before. Kame couldn’t have been mad even if he had wanted to, seeing Jin’s grin. For a gang leader to be carrying out such a humiliating role Jin didn’t seem so upset about it.
“Bed time now?” Jin asked, eyes travelling over his figure dressed in pyjamas, and the question made Kame flinch.
“I’d like to clean up before that.” Kame replied, escaping into the kitchen again. By doing the dishes he would buy some time to figure out whether that question had implied something and should he act upon it or not.
He rolled up his sleeves, but before he could even turn the water on Jin’s hands caught his from behind him.
“I’ll do that tomorrow.” Jin spoke into his ear again and Kame found the thought of Jin cleaning up after them strange. “You have to work.”
He let Jin guide his hands to his sides and allowed the older boy to turn him around then, anxiously waiting for Jin’s next move.
He held still as Jin then lifted a hand to run it through his moist hair once. “Good night, Kazu.” the leader murmured, fingers releasing the tip of his hair.
Kame was once more rooted to the floor as Jin then turned to walk out of the kitchen, taking a turn towards the living room. “Where are you going?” he called after the older boy in a voice relaying how weak Jin had left him.
Jin stopped to answer him over one shoulder, “To the couch.”
“No, it’s okay. You can have the bed.” Kame protested. “You’ve been sleeping on Yamapi’s couch all this time.”
Jin smiled. “No, take the bed. The couch is good enough for me…for now.”
Kame only stared after the older boy, who disappeared in the direction he had been heading. There was no point arguing with Jin and Jin would make it into the bed if Jin wanted to, but for now it seemed as if he was safe.
After having stopped by the bathroom to brush his teeth, Kame found the living room to be completely dark. Actually it was only the bedroom that was lit up and as he stepped in there he was quite shocked to see Jin curled up on one side of the bed. What had happened to sleeping on the couch for now?
Jin lifted his head from the sheets to look at him just standing there.
“Wants to be cuddled.” the older boy murmured, laying his head back onto the sheets but keeping his eyes locked on Kame’s.
“What?” Kame mumbled out.
“I realized how lonely I’d be in the living room on my own.” Jin added. “And I want to be cuddled and petted.”
Jin was still acting like his pet. Was this really all just a ploy to get into his pants?
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping on the floor?” Kame asked, playing along a bit with Jin’s game, and he made his way further into the room. “Not everyone lets their pets into their beds.”
“I promise no sex if you let me stay.” Jin said and Kame crossed his arms in front of his chest, eyeing the boy lying there waiting for him. “I’m obedient that way.”
Kame wasn’t totally convinced that was the case, but sat down on the other side of the bed anyway and Jin crawled closer, laying his head in his lap and Kame guessed that meant Jin really wanted to be petted, so he carefully caressed the boy’s head, burying his fingers again in the newly washed hair that had just barely dried.
Jin shut his eyes, lying still as Kame continued to pet him for the longest time. Then suddenly arms wandered to his waist and Kame’s hands froze in Jin’s hair, but he never got to protest until it was too late and Jin had dropped him down onto the bed.
“Jin!” Kame let out, surprised, feeling Jin cuddle into him.
“Mm?” Jin murmured, blowing hot air into his pyjamas and making Kame shiver, but then as nothing happened in a while and Jin just lay there silently embracing him he slowly relaxed. It was almost as strong of an embrace as Jin had kept him in the last time Jin had spent the night on this bed with him, but only more enjoyable this time for both of them, Kame was sure. Tonight no hearts had been broken one way or the other.
“Good night, Jin.” he said softly, lifting a hand to Jin’s hair again to continue to pet through it and Jin groaned in satisfaction, nuzzling into him and tightening arms around him. “My Hitoshi.” he added with a small chuckle, but doubted Jin even heard it as the so-called pet seemed to have fallen asleep already a while ago.
Closing his eyes, Kame hooked his free arm around Jin’s back, petting through Jin’s hair until he fell asleep too and they spent the night like that.
~*~*~*~
The first thing that Kame noticed the next morning as he woke up was that something was strange. There was a huge weight upon him and he couldn’t figure out why. Opening his eyes he found himself in the apartment in Korea with Jin spread all over him, one hand having slipped inside his shirt and the other suspiciously somewhere behind him below his waistline. Unexpectedly his first reaction wasn’t to shove Jin off, but instead he stared at the face so close to his and Kame hadn’t remembered his heart could beat so fast without making him feel bad inside...quite the opposite actually.
Memories of the events last night came back to him and Kame would really have thought they were all just a dream if Jin hadn’t murmured out a sleepy “woff?” to his call.
“Jin.” Kame said again, but this time there was no response. “Jin!”
Jin slowly lifted his head, messy hair hanging over sleepy looking eyes as Jin repeated, “woff…?”
“I have to go to work.” Kame explained. “Would you…get off of me?”
Jin quite unwillingly pulled his hands back to himself and rolled off of Kame, ending up in a pile beside him.
Kame sat up, feeling rather hot everywhere as Jin had warmed him up all night with his presence and Kame decided another shower was in order. He took a quick one before making them both some breakfast and taking off to work then. Jin stayed in the apartment, barely as awake as Kame when eating breakfast with him and wishing him a good day as he left. Jin had probably returned to bed right after that, so Kame didn’t expect Jin to come to the diner anytime soon, but he started to wonder where Jin was as the older boy hadn’t showed up after hours had passed. Jin had to be getting hungry soon. Was the older boy eating somewhere else today? Or was Jin still asleep? Kame doubted even Jin could sleep that much.
“I heard Akanishi moved back in with you.” JaeJoong said almost as soon as the Korean boy had entered the diner and found him there. Kame was amazed JaeJoong knew about that. Whom had the gangster heard that from? “News and TTUN were here around breakfast time and they were talking about it, so it’s true right? Has…everything been all right?”
Kame smiled. “Thanks for the concern, but everything’s good…better than I dared to hope for actually.”
That made the other boy smile too. “Then it’s ok. I’m happy for you, Kame-chan. Give me something spicy.”
Kame nodded and was just about to scribble that down when a voice interrupted him.
“And I’ll have the same.”
He knew that voice and that accent a little too well. Lifting his head his gaze met with Se7en’s and memories of their last meeting flashed through his mind.
“I’ll get you that.” he mumbled in reply, writing down both orders.
“So, your boyfriend is on the win, I heard.” Se7en said and Kame didn’t know if he should be happy or not that Se7en had overheard the conversation just now. “Your relationship seems to have taken a pretty serious turn.”
“Yes.” Kame replied, wishing the news would have the effect he hoped for and make both Se7en and Rain back off. “We’re…happy together.”
Kame didn’t know how to react as Se7en merely smiled at that in a sort of amused way.
“I wonder what he’s done to achieve that.” the other man said playfully. “He must still be up to some of his old tricks even after you defeated him. I’m sort of relieved. I want to see what he can do and so does Rain…I think you do, too.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kame asked.
“Come on, I can tell how badly you want to see beyond the fangless puppy he plays these days.” Se7en said and Kame didn’t want to point out how right Se7en was about the puppy part. “You may have been his boy toy, but he never played you over like he’s done with his endless preys. I think some part of you want to know what that would be like. Some part of you thinks that letting out the true Jin and having him play you is the only way for you two to ever end up in bed again.”
Kame was shocked Se7en would be that frank.
“And I’d love to fight him as equals. I want strong opponents so we don’t need to give each other handicaps and so that the chase won’t get boring.” Se7en added.
“You think this is just a game of chess? That I’m just a piece you can corner and then throw aside?” Kame concluded. “Is that how little other people mean to you?”
“If not for my player side then why are you drawn to me?” Se7en retorted.
“I’m not-”
“Don’t lie. You’re not very good at it.” Se7en stated. “When we kept running into each other you worried about what he would think if he saw us. If there’s really nothing between us you have nothing to worry about and he has no reason to get jealous, aren’t I right?”
“He is very possessive.” Kame replied. “I just didn’t want him to misunderstand something that wasn’t there.”
“Just like a true master, isn’t he? But he doesn’t own you anymore.” Se7en said. “If it wasn’t for Akanishi something might’ve happened between us already. Then again, if Akanishi hadn’t screwed you over then you might not be this drawn to our kind. In either case, Akanishi doesn’t have to be a hinder anymore. You do realize the position your so-called boyfriend is in now?”
At the moment, with the way Jin was acting, Kame had no idea.
“You’re trying so hard to please him, but you don’t have to do that anymore. Now it’s his turn. You can do what you want and I know what you want to do isn’t him.” Se7en said, leaning over the counter to get closer to him and Kame refused the urge to back away. “You’re scared of this relationship you’re in, but I can make you feel good. Why? Because I’m not the one who hurt you. So with your permission, I can help you overcome your problem-”
“Do you really think I’ll let you talk me into being taken advantage of by you?” Kame asked.
“You never know, after one night with me you might remember how good it feels to be that close to someone again.” Se7en said. “Then you can return to your boyfriend should you still want to.”
Kame had to laugh. “You expect him to take me back if I sleep with someone else?”
“You mean he won’t have you back if someone else has touched you?” Se7en shot back and Kame silenced. “There you have the true problem in your relationship. You still sound like his boy toy. You focus on him more than yourself. You’re going to get yourself hurt again and you won’t admit that through me you could actually achieve a position in your relationship where you’re both equals. I can break your role as his boy toy. If you sleep with me, you don’t meet his requirements of boy toys anymore.”
“You know you were right about one thing.” Kame said. “I did think of us as friends a bit, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. And I told you about Jin’s friend back in Japan, right? There was this guy I met and we hung out a bit before I even realized he was one of Jin’s best friends.”
“What has this got to do with you and I?” Se7en asked.
“My point is,” Kame started while attempting to keep himself calm, “that those things you just told me are things I thought about at that time with him. But if my relationship with Jin had been better he would never have come in between us the way he did. I was angry and sad at how Jin behaved and I tried to make myself move on. I wanted revenge on Jin, but I never felt anything even remotely close with Shirota that I feel with Jin. If my relationship with Jin would be better now too, you wouldn’t stand a chance either. You don’t compare to how he can make me feel. None of you compare to him. I know better now than to even pretend I could feel like this with someone else.”
Se7en raised an eyebrow. “You know better?” the man repeated, rather amused. “After almost having a fling with one other guy besides your Jin you think you know that you’ll never feel anything with anyone else besides him?”
Kame didn’t reply.
“You don’t know anything.” Se7en said. “You can’t choose who you’ll love and you can’t choose to do it forever either. Feelings change. People come in and out of your life. You can’t stop that, but all you can really do is to give people a chance to see who you are and get close to you. Everything from there will develop naturally if there’s any true ground for it to. For an example, if you let your guard down you never know what could happen between you and me. Things could develop on their own between us. You could defeat me the way you defeated Jin and we could date for real or you could find how you still feel nothing for me and we’d go our separate ways, but you’ll never know for sure until you give me a fair chance.”
“I know exactly what would happen if I let my guard down.” Kame argued back. “You’re playing me. With every word you utter you try to push me one step further into your bed and that I won’t allow. All you want is sex. Don’t try to make it sound better with pretty words.”
“And you think every possible partner you’d choose wouldn’t look at you in that way?” Se7en said. “Even JinJin. He wants to achieve the same as we do with you. How sure are you he’d still date you if you could never go to bed with him ever again? Would you bet on him sticking around even then? That he’d never have an affair? If you stopped being attractive would you rely on that his eyes would never wander from you?”
Kame couldn’t answer. Part of him had tried to break up with Jin because he had feared just that. Kame wanted to shrink under Se7en’s stare, as he had the feeling this man was as good at reading him as Jin was. Players are players, after all, and Se7en was trying to break them apart from the inside. If the Korean man got him to doubt, then he might ruin his relationship with Jin and be free for Se7en to twirl him around his finger. Maybe he’d even seek comfort from Se7en the way he had done with Shirota.
He had to mean something to Jin otherwise Jin wouldn’t have gone through all of the trouble with him so far. Jin could’ve had it much easier and now too Jin wouldn’t have to wait for him, but Jin did. He had a feeling Jin was even doing this weird role now because of him. He just wasn’t sure why or what Jin wanted to achieve by doing it, but he was sure it had to be important to Jin somehow otherwise the Jin he had known would never have lowered himself to this level.
“I want to bet on this.” Kame said then. “I want to give this relationship my all.”
Se7en didn’t reply and Kame wondered if the man thought he was silly, but it didn’t matter.
“Your only chance of ever coming in between me and Jin was when we weren’t dating.” Kame continued. “Now it’s too late because I know how I feel about him even if I can’t accept him close. So you’re just wasting your time.”
“We’ll see about that.” Se7en said and Kame had to admit he was sort of sad, seeing Se7en walk out and that their conversation had ended like this. He hadn’t wanted things between them to develop into this and he wondered if it was impossible to reverse back to being what Kame had almost considered friends.
“Kame-chan.”
Kame startled, realizing he had forgotten all about JaeJoong’s presence and he turned towards the boy a little terrified. How could he have let JaeJoong overhear all of this?
“Kame-chan, what’s going on?”
Kame went a little pale and he hurried to go concentrate on working again, fetching JaeJooong’s order and wiping the counter then quite vigorously. “It’s…nothing.”
“Nothing?!” JaeJoong repeated, not caring about the food in front of him and instead focusing all his attention on Kame. “How long has this been going on? Kame-chan, you don’t know what Rain and Se7en are capable of! They are of the best players in these blocks! Those two are dangerous! You need help-”
Kame panicked, seeing JaeJoong get up to head for the door and he hurried to stop the boy from leaving by grabbing his arm over the counter.
“Please don’t tell Jin!” he begged. “I’ll handle it. I really will!”
“Kame-chan, you should really tell Akanishi. I know you still feel you can’t and I’ve seen why. I know you were under a lot of stress as you got here and that things from the past rose to the surface making your relationship with him even worse, but you won’t get over things if you don’t talk with him.” JaeJoong insisted. “I’ve heard everything about you and Akanishi from the gangs and I knew since the first time I met you, when you lost control of yourself in your old cell, how there were things you hadn’t dealt with in a long time. I thought the guy who hurt you must’ve been a monster to do all of that to you, but I’ve seen how much Akanishi cares for you and how much he is willing to do for you, so please talk to him about this.”
“I will.” Kame promised. “If I can’t deal with this on my own I will.”
JaeJoong had rather heard that Kame would talk to Akanishi anyway, but it didn’t seem he would be able to change Kame’s mind about that right now and telling Akanishi the truth behind Kame’s back wouldn’t be fair.
The Korean gangster sighed in defeat, settling back by the counter. “Kame-chan, whatever you do don’t run off on your own! If one of them finds you when you’re alone…”
“Don’t you…trust me in staying true to Jin?” Kame asked a bit offended.
“It’s not a lack of trust in you.” JaeJoong explained. “It’s that I trust these two to know what they’re doing too much.”
And Kame wasn’t himself yet. JaeJoong didn’t want anyone else messing with Kame’s head now. He felt sorry for the Japanese boy.
“So how will they approach me now that I already know they will and why they’re coming at me?” Kame asked and JaeJoong shook his head.
“I don’t know.” the Korean boy answered. “The way those two do it, especially Rain’s tactics can be a bit... They’ll profile you, provoke you to see how you’ll react and then come at you somehow. They’re good, but they have some rules.”
“Rules?” Kame repeated.
“The very few rules there are on a level like that is that they won’t physically hurt you to get what they want. They’re too good and too proud of their manipulation skills to do that. Raping someone would therefore be the same as them admitting defeat that they can’t win their preys over.” JaeJoong said. “They also won’t tell lies and that is worse because they’ll use the truth against you.”
Kame remembered Jin having been that kind of a player too.
Lying is a handicap. Just like rape, it’s low. I don’t need to tell lies to get someone head over heels for me.
Rain and Se7en were really the same as Jin.
“If they can’t physically hurt me without ruining their reputations as players then you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Kame assured. “I’ll never fall prey to either one of them.”
JaeJoong sure hoped so, but just to be safe he stayed for as long as possible, watching over Kame until the boy’s shift ended.
Jin hadn’t showed up during the whole time he had been working. That along with Se7en’s visit had left Kame feeling rather down and it didn’t humor him in the least that it started to rain either as he left the diner to go back to the apartment.
This time Kame didn’t care about getting wet and he started his journey under the pouring sky, when halting abruptly at the memory of a man walking in the rain. Come to think of it ever time he had met Rain something strange had happened. It had either rained or…showers had turned on all at once.
Kame threw a look at the dark sky. He was probably in trouble.
“Oh shit…” he mumbled for himself and started to run while cursing under his breath, but he only made it a few blocks before the familiar sight of a soaked man came into his view. “Oh no.”
“Kame-chan.” Rain’s said and Kame focused his eyes on the ground.
It was a given that he wouldn’t fall for either of the two players that were trying to get him, but he would still be very careful whenever meeting one of them. Jin had warned about meeting a player’s eyes or listening to his voice…
Rain stopped beside him, giving him a curious look. “Admiring the wet ground?”
“Why won’t you two just leave me alone?” Kame asked. “I’m not well. I’m-”
“You’re just as sane or insane as any other person on this earth.” Rain said and without really thinking Kame lifted his eyes to meet the player’s. “We all have issues.”
“What is yours?” Kame asked, knowing he shouldn’t be making conversation, but the thought of someone seeing him as normal and not mentally unstable felt kind of good.
“The uncontrollable urge to push people past their limits.” Rain replied.
“You’re a horrible person-” Kame said, making an attempt to continue on his way when the other man grabbed his arm, keeping him in place.
“Don’t say that when you’re dying to get to know us better.” Rain said and Kame shot him a baffled look.
Us?! Se7en and Rain? He’d like one good reason why!
“Through us you can see your boyfriend.” Rain said and Kame froze, hearing that again. Se7en had drawn the same conclusions about him. “Akanishi was like us. Deep down inside he still is and you can sense that, can’t you? You should know how hard it is to let go off one’s past. Rumor has it he was just as good as us…”
Kame pulled his arm to himself, backing away a bit to create some distance between them.
“You yearn to know who Akanishi Jin is. He may have changed his tune a bit, but not everything can be tossed away and forgotten.” Rain continued. “Just like us it’s in his nature to be like this. You know it too. You’ve probably seen the signs so many times before you can’t find any other way to relate to him. It makes thinking of him as your boyfriend such a ridiculous idea.”
Kame didn’t want to admit that was kind of true, that those kinds of thoughts had crossed his mind on several occasions.
“You can’t help liking it a bit whenever either of us shows up, because through us you see what he used to be like.” Rain said, leaning in closer. “He used to play games…and now you know what it would be like to be the prey. The game he started with you in prison ended too fast, leaving no real time for an exciting chase and thus never allowing you to get to witness exactly what he is capable of as a player.”
Kame didn’t reply. His not looking into a player’s eyes was failing as he was stuck staring into the taunting gaze, keeping him rooted to the spot.
“In truth…you want to be his prey. Did you know that just like us it was in Akanishi’s and Yamashita’s style to only counter a prey once the prey begun to yearn to be defeated? Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll just submit to either of us three and close your eyes while letting it happen the way you did in prison. You’ll want it this time, I promise you that. The game won’t end and no one will win before you do.” Rain continued. “By now you must already secretly wish for Akanishi to return to himself, to figure out he’s tired of waiting and play you. If it wasn’t for these traumas of yours you’d enjoy having him chase after you for once and not the other way around like you used to-”
“How did you know that?” Kame asked. “How can you know so much about me and Jin? You weren’t even there!”
“I don’t need to be to figure that much out.” Rain said. “You tell me everything I need to know. You’re telling me right now. Everything you do gives away something about you and everything you don’t gives away even more.”
How could that be possible? Yet he knew it had to be, as Jin had several times just waltzed into their cell and upon the sight of him had been able to say when something was up. Then Jin had always lured the truth out of him…
“Add that to the rumors on the streets…I think I can separate the truth from lies.” Rain said and Kame wanted to swallow, but couldn’t.
“I don’t need you.” he said sternly. “I’ll understand everything I need from Jin himself.”
To his surprise Rain only chuckled. “Then why has it taken you so long to do it?”
Kame couldn’t give an answer to that.
“Want a hint?” Rain asked. “Because you got too used to serving him you’re still not comfortable with asking him too many questions. It must’ve taken a lot for someone as stubborn as you to accept such a role upon yourself.”
Kame didn’t think he had been stubborn enough. He had accepted his role a little too fast.
“The change back is always more complicated.” Rain added. “Besides no matter how much you fell in love with him you were used to him dictating and some parts of you are still afraid to piss him off, because you think this nice façade he wears now will vanish once he gets angry and he’ll turn back into what it is you still fear.”
“I-I trust him.” Kame managed to reply and the other one smiled, amused. He seemed to be amusing many people lately.
“You never trusted him.” Rain retorted. “At least not as your lover, but I guess you had plenty of reasons for your lack of trust as every important promise he ever made you he broke, didn’t he?”
Kame finally managed to rip his gaze free, letting it sink to the ground.
“Ah, the dilemma of a player in love~” Rain sighed. “You probably made him give into his emotions from time to time and thus make you promises, even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep them once his pride stepped in and warned him not to fall in love.”
Rain and Jin had only shared a few short conversations as far as Kame knew, but still the Korean man had figured things out about Jin a lot faster than he had. He hadn’t understood back then what Jin had been thinking. He had thought he hadn’t been enough for Jin and that Jin hadn’t felt anything for him. It had been the opposite of that.
“I won’t make you any promises.” Rain said then. “Akanishi didn’t used to either. It’s just with you he suddenly started wanting two things at the same time he couldn’t combine; his life and you. Hence with all the times he pushed you away.”
Kame didn’t lift his gaze even as the other man leaned in to say something in his ear. He had forgotten all about the rain by now.
“I will keep every promise I make you, but I won’t make you many.” Rain said, his voice lower than before. “You won’t need to wonder what you are to me. I’ll make that very clear to you. I’ll give you one night. You won’t have to wonder if I’ll come back for more.”
Kame stiffened as Rain led wet hair behind his ear.
“Rather tense, aren’t you? Does my presence around you make you feel uncomfortable? If you want to get rid of us then all you need to do is sleep with your boyfriend.” Rain said. “Our bet includes him.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“It’s kind of our way to show him some respect as fellow players.” Rain continued and Kame found that hardly to be respectful in his eyes. “It’s not so bad, is it? A pretty easy bet for you to escape, since you love him right?” the man added in that taunting voice as Rain circled closely around him. “And you want to make love with him, right? That’s what lovers do… Then just open up to him.”
He knew that. It should be easy, so why was he hesitating to go there with Jin? Never in his life had Kame felt this frustrated with himself.
“Leave me alone, both of you.” he said before getting out of there as fast as he could and he didn’t relax before he had shut and locked the door to the apartment behind him, hopefully leaving all problems and players behind him too.
Today had been awful. He hadn’t seen Jin and instead those two had appeared. Where was Jin anyway? Kame was just about to enter the apartment when a shape flew at him.
“Welcome back!” Jin let out, almost squishing him to death hadn’t he already practically died from shock. “Did you get soaked on the way?”
Kame just stared as Jin slowly let him go. Jin was here? For a moment there he had forgotten Jin lived here now.
“Yeah, it started to rain all of a sudden…” he said then, hanging his jacket up. “What…have you been up to today? Have you been here all day?”
Jin nodded and beamed at him. “I did the dishes. Then I’ve just been waiting for you to come back.”
“What?” Kame asked. “Why?”
“Because that’s what pets do~” Jin said. “I’m hungry and I want a bath!”
Kame slowly managed to smile. Jin had been here all along when he had thought Jin had forgotten all about him since the leader hadn’t come to the diner like usually. Forgetting about all the events of the day Kame said, “Then let’s go make a bath ready.”
Jin seemed happy about how little Kame objected to bathing him that evening, but Kame still had to admit it wasn’t an easy task. Se7en and Rain’s lectures ran through his mind as he couldn’t help wondering if they were right. Would Jin eventually give up on him and find someone else? Jin had to be desperate to do something like this to begin with…
“Are you going to pass me the towel or do you want me to get it myself?” the question startled him out of his thoughts and Kame realized he had been fetching Jin a towel for ages now. He looked embarrassedly at the boy thankfully still in the tub.
“H-here.” he said, leaving it by the edge. “I’ll go make dinner now.”
He was sure Jin smiled at him again as he hurried out of the room. After having cooked them some dinner and washed up himself, Kame returned to the bedroom that night only to find Jin waiting on the bed again.
“Wants to be cuddled?” Kame guessed as he entered the room and Jin shot him a smirk.
“Unless you’ve got something else in mind…” Jin replied and Kame brushed that off, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“So…for this one week…” Kame started unsurely and Jin gave him a curious look, waiting for him to continue and Kame added, “I can really…order you to do anything?”
“Yup. What does master want Hitoshi to do?” Jin practically purred, sending Kame a bright look, but the look upon Kame’s face was everything but bright.
“Don’t call me that.” he said seriously. He didn’t want to be called that one more time.
“What does Kazu want?” Jin asked instead, climbing closer. “If Kazu wants me to break any certain rules, then it can be done~”
Kame edged away on the bed, almost falling off of it, knowing fully well what rule Jin was talking about.
“No, I…” he started and Jin paused a small distance away from him. “I want to know…what you wanted to become when you were still in high school.”
At first Jin didn’t really react and then the boy smiled, laying his head into Kame’s lap and spreading out comfortably on his back on the bed. As soon as Kame’s hands were petting through his hair, Jin answered, “I didn’t really have anything I thought I’d become.”
Kame flinched at that. Nothing? No dream whatsoever? “Why?”
“Because I never thought I had a brilliant future ahead of me.” Jin replied. “I wasn’t a very good student…and I kept being blamed for crimes I didn’t commit just because I was different. Well, we all were - the whole class…that’s why we were put together into one class and separated from the rest of the school.”
“But your class…” Kame started. He had met them. They hadn’t ended up in the gangsters’ blocks.
“Well, in the end most of us proved everyone wrong by becoming good members of the society while me and TTUN, we did just what they expected from us.” Jin said. “We became crooks. Maybe on some level they made us into ones. They never believed in us, except for one teacher.”
Yankumi, Kame remembered the stories about her.
“She was good to have saved the majority of the class from this life.” Jin added, absently trailing a finger on Kame’s legs and Kame noted that the three kanjis the older boy was writing were his own name.
Kame shifted position a bit on the bed, pushing away memories that had resurfaced at that. “You could’ve…been a soccer star. Why didn’t you ever dream of becoming that?”
“Why didn’t you try to be a baseball player?” Jin shot back and Kame was a little taken aback.
“Because…” he started, giving it some thought before adding, “I didn’t think I could make a living out of it.”
He had chosen a steady, secure life instead, which had ended up being everything but steady and secure. Maybe that had happened because he hadn’t wanted what he had chosen.
Still focusing on his leg, Jin replied, “Although I love soccer, I think I’m most suited for this, but being a soccer star would definitely have suited better for the police chief’s oldest son…”
Kame had spent most of the time he had known Jin admiring the leader for his strength, his status…you name it, wishing he could have been like that, but deep down inside Jin didn’t seem to be all that proud of himself.
He bent down and kissed the leader’s head. “We should brush your hair and clean your ears.”
The suggestion immediately brought a smile back upon Jin’s face and Kame fetched what he needed, letting Jin lay his head back into his lap as he treated the older boy carefully.
“Can I sleep here too?” Jin asked as he was done, obviously taking advantage of the fact that Jin’s story had touched him and he felt the need to cheer the leader up, but even knowing that Kame ended up nodding.
“Lay down.” he said softly and Jin stretched out on his back, offering a hand for Kame, who took it and settled into the older boy’s arms. It was probably safer this way. If he let Jin climb on top of him again who knows what position they would find themselves in tomorrow morning.
He hugged Jin tighter, learning this was more comfortable than he had originally thought. Somehow Jin felt good this way. Kame couldn’t put his finger on why, though. Maybe Jin was like Ran. Kame remembered how he had hugged Ran, though Jin was way bigger than his little dog, but Jin’s hair was soft like his pet’s fur. Jin really didn’t behave like a dog, but something about Jin still made Kame want to cuddle him and take care of him.
Kame shut his eyes and he had another good night of sleep.
The next time he opened them again it was morning…and somehow he hadn’t remembered falling asleep quite in this position.
“Jin.” Kame mumbled, trying to move the heavy boy off of him. “Jin.” he said again, but when there still wasn’t a reaction he said in a much louder voice, “Hitoshi!”
Jin woke up with a shock, falling off of him and the bed.
That day Kame got off work a little later than yesterday, but thankfully he was spared from running into either Se7en or Rain. Jin hadn’t showed up at the diner, but this time he hadn’t expected it either and when entering their apartment Kame paused, waiting to see if Jin would come greet him again.
A few seconds had passed before a shape appeared in the hallway. “Welcome back! I’m hungry and it’s time for my bath!”
Kame smiled, removing his shoes and jacket, following Jin to the bathroom then where a bath already was ready. He failed to notice when he stopped uttering words of resistance to these suggestions and instead scrubbed Jin day after day.
next part
AND OUR KAT-TUN DVD:S ARRIVED AND WE SAW THEM ♥♥ So much love ^_______^ Aww at the small glimpses of Akameness too! *is a hopeless, incurable Akame fan*
And then we have a present for you readers of IHC. Thank you for your patience, here is (what I hope is) a quite funny Xmas chap ^^ (I hope!)
Ps. I hope Se7en and Rain won't be hated because of the roles they play in this fic. ^^; I know their attitudes are morally off, but to Kame they reflect a part of Jin he didn't really see.
Title: In his Care
Chapter: 76/84
Pairings: Akame, TxT, KinKi Kids, TomaPi, RyoUchi, YunJae and many more.
Fandoms: JE, wFL, random Jboys, random Kboys and hints of tenimyu and dramas
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: please pay attention to possible separate warnings (e.g. spoiler warnings) posted at each chap, overall warnings for non-con, violence and language
Disclaimer: I own only the story.
Summary: AU. Kame's two years in prison and his life after that. In this chapter Jin does the most humiliating thing in his life... I apologize sincerely for raping a certain dorama with this chapter (and raping a certain character in this fic through that dorama) ^^;;;;
[Phase one] Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21
[Phase two] Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47
[Phase three] Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75
Thank you Cata for working so hard with me to get this chapter out in time for Xmas ♥ Now I'm really sleep deprived, so I'll just relay this wish from both of us to you and go to bed ^^
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2010!!
Chapter 76
In their usual bar two rival leaders sat side by side over a beer…or quite a few.
“I assume you and Kame-chan have been on good terms these past few days, seeing as he hasn’t taken the ring off.” Yamapi said, sending a glance at the boy next to him. “So, are you planning on moving back in any time soon?”
“Eager to get rid off me, aren’t you?” Jin replied, sipping on his beer. “You wish I would…then again so do I, but I can’t rush him like that.”
“He keeps you on your toes and you keep driving us insane.” the News leader moaned and normally Jin would’ve thrown a comeback, but now his concentration was on everything but trying to out-smart his best friend. There was a reason Jin had wanted to have a beer with Yamapi this evening.
“Maybe some of the things you said the last time are true.” Jin confessed. “He did apologize profoundly and it does seem he is doing some things with me against his will. No matter how hard I’ve tried to be a good boyfriend to him I think he still sees me as someone above him, so he’s putting my needs first even now.”
“Well, what did you except from a boy, who spread his legs for you and told himself he was weak for doing it? He started to believe in his role too much. By the time you realized his worth and told him he wasn’t a boy toy to you it was already too late. You had already turned him into one.” Yamapi replied, but he was sure Jin still wasn’t going to go along with his idea of reminding Kame-chan of how different his true master really used to be.
“How can I ever break his idea of me always being the superior one?” Jin asked with a sigh.
“Bottom for him? Maybe you should become his boy toy.” Yamapi suggested and Jin glared in response. “That’s exactly what your problem is, your big pride. You’re fine with being the one having boy toys, but not with being a boy toy yourself.”
Jin crossed his arms defensively in front of his chest. “Who would be?”
Jin was fine with the sex, but the humiliation that came along with the role would be too much to take for any man let alone a proud and feared gang leader and ex-player.
“Exactly. Why would Kame-chan either?” Yamapi pointed out. “So if you lower yourself to his level and let him play you for a while, maybe he’ll feel more confident and actually believe you are both on the same level.”
Jin shifted position awkwardly where he sat. “He wouldn’t even want a boy toy.” the AT-TUN leader protested.
“A slave then?” Yamapi suggested, enjoying this conversation quite a lot. “He could order you to do stuff outside the bedroom instead.”
He had Jin cornered now. Either Jin would have to admit that Jin couldn’t get over his own pride to do something so degrading or then Jin would actually do it, which would be equally fun if not even more amusing. Yamapi would love seeing Jin humiliated like that.
“I’m telling you that’s not him.” Jin protested and Yamapi thought it seemed as if Jin would have to admit he couldn’t do it.
The AT-TUN leader uncrossed his arms and took a swig, trying to force out the part of him that kept reminding him of the fact that Kame had a strong will and loved taking control too. Jin had seen that when he had allowed Kame to drive his car or ride his bike. If Kame hadn’t become his boy toy Kame might have started doing what he wanted more often instead of keeping his true thoughts trapped inside of him while trying to live up to Jin’s will instead. If they had been just cellmates, Jin might’ve seen a totally different side of Kame when even as a boy toy Kame had gone off and done things on his own.
Shooting a glance at his annoying best friend, Jin didn’t like what he saw. He knew that look on his best friend’s face. Yamapi was in the middle of scheming something awful and he was part of it. He slightly dreaded what the other leader would say, as Yamapi finally leaned over to him and suggested, “Then how about this…”
Jin stood up the moment Yamapi had finished that sentence.
“No way!” he grunted. “That’s ridiculous! I’m out of here!”
“I promise you it will bear some fruit if you do it right!” Yamapi called after him before he could leave and Jin resented the fact that he stopped walking because it meant Yamapi was actually making him consider that insane idea. “Isn’t it worth the shot and the humiliation? If Kame-chan would actually feel just a tiny bit better around you…?”
Jin wanted to protest, but he couldn’t. He wanted to make Kame feel better too much.
“Do it for just one week. I dare you.” Yamapi challenged and Jin hated to admit he was still weak for challenges, though Yamapi probably knew it was Kame he was even weaker for.
With a groan Jin flopped himself back next to a grinning Yamapi so he could finish his beer, because he would need it.
~*~*~*~
Kame opened the front door upon hearing some weird noise coming from outside of it. It was almost as if someone had scratched on the wooden surface, but when opening the door Kame didn’t see anyone or anything…until he lowered his gaze to the floor and was met by the sight of Jin sitting crooked down in front of him.
“Woff.” the older boy greeted him.
Kame looked like a living question mark.
“Homeless puppy looking for a new home because his mean and very annoying housemate kicked him out.
Puppy didn’t want irritating man as his master, wants a kind master.” Jin’s voice was a little tense and when Kame just stared Jin forced himself to continue, “Wants to be fed, taken out, bathed and be cuddled and petted.”
“Did you lose a bet?” Kame had to ask. Or then Jin had lost his mind. Kame wasn’t sure which one was more likely.
“No, was kicked out.” Jin repeated and as if to emphasize his point he shook on the bag next to him, containing all of his stuff. “Can puppy live here?”
The response from Kame was another baffled stare.
“…Does Kazu like cats better?” Jin tried then. “Turtles?”
Still not saying a word Kame slowly stepped aside and Jin flashed him a grin, dragging himself and his bag into the apartment. After Jin had turned him down about living together, Kame hadn’t expected Jin to move back in so fast…or like this.
“Puppy will be a good boy…dog…boy…whatever.” Jin said as he dropped his bag down on the living room floor and himself next to it. “Will never bite master. Will obey.”
Kame was convinced he must be inside a very weird dream.
“Wants a name, too.” Jin said then.
“You have a name, Jin.” Kame said, not sure why he was taking part of such madness. This had to be a prank. That was the only explanation that sounded even remotely logical.
“Has master ever had a pet before?” Jin asked and couldn’t help adding a little smugly, “Or am I your first?”
Ran! The memory of his small dog brought a smile to Kame’s face as he replied, “Once.”
“Puppy has also had a pet- er, another dog.” Jin replied. “Back when puppy was still in school. Irritating man and puppy had a puppy together called Pin…bought, actually stole, whatever, a puppy together. Not had together the way you have a child together- anyway.”
Kame decided not to comment on that.
“Should puppy have the same name as master’s previous pet?” Jin asked then.
“Jin, this is silly.”
“Wants a name!” Jin insisted and Kame was glad to find something familiar about Jin still intact, namely Jin’s stubbornness.
“Hitoshi.” Kame said and Jin froze where he sat. “Your kanji for Jin…it can be read as Hitoshi, too. Is Hitoshi okay?”
Jin shifted position a bit where he sat. He hadn’t heard that name in years. People had always messed up his name in the past, reading his kanji wrongly, but when he had started living among gangsters and made a reputation his name was well-known and no one messed it up ever again. He had never expected to hear that name come rolling off Kame’s lips someday reminding him of times he had nearly forgotten.
“Hitoshi it is then.” he said, raising his eyes back to Kame’s. The smaller boy was looking at him quite unsurely the way Kame did when the boy thought he had said something he shouldn’t have. “Hitoshi will do whatever master asks.”
Kame doubtfully returned the older boy’s gaze, standing rooted to the floor as Jin slowly crawled over to him, offering his head just below Kame’s hand. Dark locks of hair were within his reach and still unsure about what was going on, Kame let his fingers escape into the soft strands of hair and Jin shut his eyes for a while, enjoying the touch.
“Wants to be played with.”
Kame’s hand froze in his hair and Jin slowly pulled back to peer up at the again so baffled expression on Kame’s face. Jin decided that statement might need some clarification.
“Wants to play soccer with master.”
Kame flinched, as Jin just kept repeating that word to him. “Don’t call me that.”
“Soccer?” Jin said with a pleading look and finding no point to refuse, Kame nodded and Jin skipped off to his stuff, digging out a soccer ball and grabbing Kame’s wrist, pulling him along. A quick journey later they ended up in an alley.
This kind of reminded Kame of their date in the stadium and also of those times they had played soccer and baseball in the prison garden, where he had even had a go at tennis a few times.
The way Jin would run after the ball if Kame accidentally kicked it out of range did half remind him of a dog, as Jin was as fast as one, but the form Jin showed when kicking it back reminded Kame more of a true soccer player. Jin could probably have turned professional. Why hadn’t Jin ever tried to achieve such a dream?
They were beat and sweaty by the time they decided to return to their apartment. Jin kept kicking on the ball all the way back, quite skilfully getting it up the stairs too.
Kame had no idea what had flown into Jin today, but he liked the laidback atmosphere around Jin, making him laugh from time to time even when Jin unintentionally did something silly. Somehow he didn’t even worry if he could laugh those times.
“Feels dirty.” Jin sighed as they were back. The older boy immediately proceeded to pull his shirt over his head. “Wants a bath.”
“Go ahead.” Kame said, signalling for the bathroom door. “You can hit the shower first.”
To his surprise that statement left Jin simply standing by the bathroom door, looking at him. Kame raised an eyebrow. What was wrong now? Did Jin want him to turn on the bath for him?
…Did Jin want him to go have a bath with Jin?
“Wants to be bathed.” Jin pouted at him with his arms crossed in front of his chest.
What? Oh, Kame didn’t think so.
“Take a bath, I’ll cook you something in the meantime.” Kame said, but that only made Jin lean back against the door and sulk. “Didn’t you just promise to do whatever I asked?”
Jin didn’t answer and just continued to sulk.
“You’re disobedient.” Kame pointed out, partly still not believing he was letting Jin hook him into this game.
But no matter how disobedient of a pet, or a person, Jin was that look upon the older boy’s face was just heartbreaking.
Kame sighed in defeat. “Turn the water on and add some soap, I’ll be right with you.”
That made Jin’s face brighten and the older boy pushed himself off the door, disappearing into the bathroom.
Kame wondered if he would come to regret that decision and he entered the kitchen, deciding what he’d make for dinner as he listened to the sound of water running.
Having picked out what he needed in order to prepare a nice meal, Kame headed to the bathroom next and halted by the door at the sight of Jin already in the tub. At least Jin had added in a lot of soap and the tub was almost flooding with bubbles, making it hard to see Jin’s features under the surface. Kame was pretty sure Jin had failed to remember the courtesy of leaving something on.
“I’m not joining.” Kame said pointedly, as Jin turned to look at him. Jin didn’t argue with him and Kame doubtfully made his way over to the boy, who was looking very relaxed and satisfied where he was.
This pet-thing was probably some ploy Jin and Yamapi had cooked up together to get Kame to lower his defences and Kame was sure he was falling for it. Nevertheless, he seated himself by the tub and rolled up his sleeves, taking the sponge into his hands and unsurely starting to scrub Jin’s bare shoulders with it.
“Ah~ That feels good!” Jin let out, leaning back against the edge and closer into him. The tips of Jin’s hair got wet and soapy.
Kame tried to ignore Jin’s reactions and was careful not to run the sponge over Jin’s collarbones too many times, slowly moving down Jin’s arms next in massaging motions. Jin was very cooperative, happy to always raise either arm to him and Kame couldn’t remember the last time he had treated Jin’s naked skin like this. In the shower stalls, where they had washed each other and made love dozens of times? In their cell when Jin had needed help washing up after being injured?
He still couldn’t remember how it had felt physically good to do all of those things with Jin they had done in the past, but his heart was starting to remember it more and more. He was slightly afraid Jin would see through how he felt for the leader before he was ready to act upon his feelings.
From time to time he would shoot anxious glances at Jin’s blissful looking face. The leader’s eyes were closed and a smile played on his parted lips, every now and then letting out satisfied moans and other such sounds. He was relieved Jin wasn’t looking at him, because then Jin might’ve seen the rush of emotions treating Jin like this was causing inside of him.
One quite wet hand fell into his lap as Jin leaned even closer into him, stretching out over the edge as Kame was done with his arms and then doubtfully moved the sponge over to Jin’s chest. He felt his face heat up a bit at the deeper moans Jin would let out at that point and Kame had to check Jin’s eyes were still closed, as he continued to wash Jin’s chest, gradually moving his hand further under the surface.
This was a brilliant idea! Jin congratulated himself. He was the one to thank for it since Yamapi would obviously never have thought of this if he hadn’t complained about Kame feeling inferior to him! Though at the moment, with Kame giving him such pleasure, Jin had to wonder who was really the one gaining from this experience. Right now he felt much more like a master, being worshipped by his subordinate, than a pet or whatever. Then again he had no idea what it was like to be a pet, so maybe they really felt like this all the time.
“Who’s making you do this?” Kame asked and Jin knew that tone. He didn’t have to open his eyes to see Kame’s flustered face. Kame’s voice already informed him of that.
“I’m doing this…” Jin started, having to give out a rather pleasant sigh in between as the material in Kame’s hand ran over one nipple, “voluntarily. Haven’t I said I like experimenting with you?”
Kame was quiet for a while and it made Jin tempted to open his eyes to have a sneak peek at Kame’s face.
“For how long are you going to keep this up?” Kame finally asked and Jin just enjoyed himself for a while before answering.
“For a week.”
It was far less than two years, but maybe enough to get his point through. In the very least Jin was sure, despite his previous reservations, that he’d have a very good time.
“Sit up. I’ll wash your back.” Kame said then and Jin obeyed, bending a bit forward to give Kame even more access to his entire back, which Kame washed. If Jin had pretended to be a cat he’d be purring by now, wet or not.
He wondered should Kame accidentally drop the sponge then would Kame continue with his bare hands?
“I’m not washing…the rest, you can do it yourself.” Kame said then, obviously done with his back though Jin would disagree.
“Not even my feet?” Jin pressed on and it almost seemed as if Kame was going to shoot that suggestion down when the smaller boy then got up, walked to the other end of the tub and sat down by Jin’s feet. Jin happily stretched out one at a time for him to wash.
Kame still couldn’t believe what he was doing, but he was quite relieved that the bubbles hadn’t all faded yet even with the way Jin had been splashing water onto the floor and everywhere else.
“Hair too!” Jin insisted as Kame let go off the second clean foot, helping it down under the surface.
Kame switched from the sponge to the shampoo bottle and Jin settled happily back into his position by the edge of the tub, closing his eyes and waiting for Kame to begin the next treatment. He once more wanted to moan loudly as Kame’s fingers then slipped inside his wet hair, massaging it with a nicely smelling shampoo. Life was perfect.
The movement of Kame’s fingers relaxed him to the point he wanted to doze off and a shiver went through him as Kame then proceeded to wash both of his ears.
“You’re all covered in soap now.” Kame’s lulling voice said, as the hands went one more time through his hair before releasing him. “Wash it off so you don’t get it into your eyes.”
He felt Kame rise up from the stool by the tub and the smaller boy gazed down at the relaxed leader, stuck in his previous position.
Jin actually looked really irresistible like that. Kame had to smile.
“Mmm…okay…” the older boy murmured, slowly forcing his eyes open and before Kame could as much as react Jin had already stood up in the tub.
“Wait! Stop!” he called out in reflex as Jin turned his soap-covered body into his direction. Kame focused on the floor, searching with his hand for a towel. Without sending Jin as much as a glance he stuffed one into the naked boy’s arms. “Here. I’ll go make dinner now.”
He sensed Jin grinning at him as he exited the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind him.
Once in the kitchen Kame tried his best to calm down. Images of Jin covered in soap ran through his mind as he prepared the dinner, all awhile listening to water splashing and Jin humming in the shower.
Kame wondered if Jin wanted to torture him when the older boy then walked into the kitchen, so fresh from the shower water was still dripping off his dark hair and his skin, and only wearing the towel Kame had given him. He tried not to budge, as Jin stopped behind him, resting his head practically on his shoulder while drawing in the smell of the food Kame was cooking.
“Mmm…” the older boy let out approvingly and Kame wondered if it was possible to feel so awkward, but at the same time strangely excited with the way he knew what was touching him through his own shirt was Jin’s bare chest, damping the piece of clothing he wore. “When is it ready?”
Kame tried to cook like normal, but Jin was making that a very hard task for him. “In a minute. Why don’t you go put on some clothes before then?”
He felt Jin smile against his shoulder. “Sure.” the older boy murmured before pulling away and Kame was left feeling quite cold, listening to the wet, departing steps of Jin disappearing to dig in his bag for something to wear.
Jin returned a while later in a thin, white t-shirt that was quite see-through because Jin had been too lazy to dry off properly before putting it on. The leader was still barefoot and wore these baggy, soft pants.
He served Jin a plate first before sitting down on the opposite side of the table.
“Don’t you want to take a bath too before you eat?” Jin asked, as they dug in and Kame shook his head.
“The food will get cold. I’ll take a shower after we’ve eaten.” Kame replied, fixing his eyes upon Jin then. And don’t you dare suggest washing me, he added silently.
Jin just smiled wider, stuffing more food into his mouth and occasionally mumbling ‘yummy’.
As Kame had finished eating and left for the shower Jin was still finishing up the remaining food.
Kame shut his eyes, relaxing as water began to splash over him, but he couldn’t get the image of Jin covered in soap out of his head.
Once he returned from the bathroom, Jin had spread his stuff practically everywhere in the apartment and the dishes were unwashed in the sink. The place was a mess, but somehow it felt much homier now than it had ever before. Kame couldn’t have been mad even if he had wanted to, seeing Jin’s grin. For a gang leader to be carrying out such a humiliating role Jin didn’t seem so upset about it.
“Bed time now?” Jin asked, eyes travelling over his figure dressed in pyjamas, and the question made Kame flinch.
“I’d like to clean up before that.” Kame replied, escaping into the kitchen again. By doing the dishes he would buy some time to figure out whether that question had implied something and should he act upon it or not.
He rolled up his sleeves, but before he could even turn the water on Jin’s hands caught his from behind him.
“I’ll do that tomorrow.” Jin spoke into his ear again and Kame found the thought of Jin cleaning up after them strange. “You have to work.”
He let Jin guide his hands to his sides and allowed the older boy to turn him around then, anxiously waiting for Jin’s next move.
He held still as Jin then lifted a hand to run it through his moist hair once. “Good night, Kazu.” the leader murmured, fingers releasing the tip of his hair.
Kame was once more rooted to the floor as Jin then turned to walk out of the kitchen, taking a turn towards the living room. “Where are you going?” he called after the older boy in a voice relaying how weak Jin had left him.
Jin stopped to answer him over one shoulder, “To the couch.”
“No, it’s okay. You can have the bed.” Kame protested. “You’ve been sleeping on Yamapi’s couch all this time.”
Jin smiled. “No, take the bed. The couch is good enough for me…for now.”
Kame only stared after the older boy, who disappeared in the direction he had been heading. There was no point arguing with Jin and Jin would make it into the bed if Jin wanted to, but for now it seemed as if he was safe.
After having stopped by the bathroom to brush his teeth, Kame found the living room to be completely dark. Actually it was only the bedroom that was lit up and as he stepped in there he was quite shocked to see Jin curled up on one side of the bed. What had happened to sleeping on the couch for now?
Jin lifted his head from the sheets to look at him just standing there.
“Wants to be cuddled.” the older boy murmured, laying his head back onto the sheets but keeping his eyes locked on Kame’s.
“What?” Kame mumbled out.
“I realized how lonely I’d be in the living room on my own.” Jin added. “And I want to be cuddled and petted.”
Jin was still acting like his pet. Was this really all just a ploy to get into his pants?
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping on the floor?” Kame asked, playing along a bit with Jin’s game, and he made his way further into the room. “Not everyone lets their pets into their beds.”
“I promise no sex if you let me stay.” Jin said and Kame crossed his arms in front of his chest, eyeing the boy lying there waiting for him. “I’m obedient that way.”
Kame wasn’t totally convinced that was the case, but sat down on the other side of the bed anyway and Jin crawled closer, laying his head in his lap and Kame guessed that meant Jin really wanted to be petted, so he carefully caressed the boy’s head, burying his fingers again in the newly washed hair that had just barely dried.
Jin shut his eyes, lying still as Kame continued to pet him for the longest time. Then suddenly arms wandered to his waist and Kame’s hands froze in Jin’s hair, but he never got to protest until it was too late and Jin had dropped him down onto the bed.
“Jin!” Kame let out, surprised, feeling Jin cuddle into him.
“Mm?” Jin murmured, blowing hot air into his pyjamas and making Kame shiver, but then as nothing happened in a while and Jin just lay there silently embracing him he slowly relaxed. It was almost as strong of an embrace as Jin had kept him in the last time Jin had spent the night on this bed with him, but only more enjoyable this time for both of them, Kame was sure. Tonight no hearts had been broken one way or the other.
“Good night, Jin.” he said softly, lifting a hand to Jin’s hair again to continue to pet through it and Jin groaned in satisfaction, nuzzling into him and tightening arms around him. “My Hitoshi.” he added with a small chuckle, but doubted Jin even heard it as the so-called pet seemed to have fallen asleep already a while ago.
Closing his eyes, Kame hooked his free arm around Jin’s back, petting through Jin’s hair until he fell asleep too and they spent the night like that.
~*~*~*~
The first thing that Kame noticed the next morning as he woke up was that something was strange. There was a huge weight upon him and he couldn’t figure out why. Opening his eyes he found himself in the apartment in Korea with Jin spread all over him, one hand having slipped inside his shirt and the other suspiciously somewhere behind him below his waistline. Unexpectedly his first reaction wasn’t to shove Jin off, but instead he stared at the face so close to his and Kame hadn’t remembered his heart could beat so fast without making him feel bad inside...quite the opposite actually.
Memories of the events last night came back to him and Kame would really have thought they were all just a dream if Jin hadn’t murmured out a sleepy “woff?” to his call.
“Jin.” Kame said again, but this time there was no response. “Jin!”
Jin slowly lifted his head, messy hair hanging over sleepy looking eyes as Jin repeated, “woff…?”
“I have to go to work.” Kame explained. “Would you…get off of me?”
Jin quite unwillingly pulled his hands back to himself and rolled off of Kame, ending up in a pile beside him.
Kame sat up, feeling rather hot everywhere as Jin had warmed him up all night with his presence and Kame decided another shower was in order. He took a quick one before making them both some breakfast and taking off to work then. Jin stayed in the apartment, barely as awake as Kame when eating breakfast with him and wishing him a good day as he left. Jin had probably returned to bed right after that, so Kame didn’t expect Jin to come to the diner anytime soon, but he started to wonder where Jin was as the older boy hadn’t showed up after hours had passed. Jin had to be getting hungry soon. Was the older boy eating somewhere else today? Or was Jin still asleep? Kame doubted even Jin could sleep that much.
“I heard Akanishi moved back in with you.” JaeJoong said almost as soon as the Korean boy had entered the diner and found him there. Kame was amazed JaeJoong knew about that. Whom had the gangster heard that from? “News and TTUN were here around breakfast time and they were talking about it, so it’s true right? Has…everything been all right?”
Kame smiled. “Thanks for the concern, but everything’s good…better than I dared to hope for actually.”
That made the other boy smile too. “Then it’s ok. I’m happy for you, Kame-chan. Give me something spicy.”
Kame nodded and was just about to scribble that down when a voice interrupted him.
“And I’ll have the same.”
He knew that voice and that accent a little too well. Lifting his head his gaze met with Se7en’s and memories of their last meeting flashed through his mind.
“I’ll get you that.” he mumbled in reply, writing down both orders.
“So, your boyfriend is on the win, I heard.” Se7en said and Kame didn’t know if he should be happy or not that Se7en had overheard the conversation just now. “Your relationship seems to have taken a pretty serious turn.”
“Yes.” Kame replied, wishing the news would have the effect he hoped for and make both Se7en and Rain back off. “We’re…happy together.”
Kame didn’t know how to react as Se7en merely smiled at that in a sort of amused way.
“I wonder what he’s done to achieve that.” the other man said playfully. “He must still be up to some of his old tricks even after you defeated him. I’m sort of relieved. I want to see what he can do and so does Rain…I think you do, too.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Kame asked.
“Come on, I can tell how badly you want to see beyond the fangless puppy he plays these days.” Se7en said and Kame didn’t want to point out how right Se7en was about the puppy part. “You may have been his boy toy, but he never played you over like he’s done with his endless preys. I think some part of you want to know what that would be like. Some part of you thinks that letting out the true Jin and having him play you is the only way for you two to ever end up in bed again.”
Kame was shocked Se7en would be that frank.
“And I’d love to fight him as equals. I want strong opponents so we don’t need to give each other handicaps and so that the chase won’t get boring.” Se7en added.
“You think this is just a game of chess? That I’m just a piece you can corner and then throw aside?” Kame concluded. “Is that how little other people mean to you?”
“If not for my player side then why are you drawn to me?” Se7en retorted.
“I’m not-”
“Don’t lie. You’re not very good at it.” Se7en stated. “When we kept running into each other you worried about what he would think if he saw us. If there’s really nothing between us you have nothing to worry about and he has no reason to get jealous, aren’t I right?”
“He is very possessive.” Kame replied. “I just didn’t want him to misunderstand something that wasn’t there.”
“Just like a true master, isn’t he? But he doesn’t own you anymore.” Se7en said. “If it wasn’t for Akanishi something might’ve happened between us already. Then again, if Akanishi hadn’t screwed you over then you might not be this drawn to our kind. In either case, Akanishi doesn’t have to be a hinder anymore. You do realize the position your so-called boyfriend is in now?”
At the moment, with the way Jin was acting, Kame had no idea.
“You’re trying so hard to please him, but you don’t have to do that anymore. Now it’s his turn. You can do what you want and I know what you want to do isn’t him.” Se7en said, leaning over the counter to get closer to him and Kame refused the urge to back away. “You’re scared of this relationship you’re in, but I can make you feel good. Why? Because I’m not the one who hurt you. So with your permission, I can help you overcome your problem-”
“Do you really think I’ll let you talk me into being taken advantage of by you?” Kame asked.
“You never know, after one night with me you might remember how good it feels to be that close to someone again.” Se7en said. “Then you can return to your boyfriend should you still want to.”
Kame had to laugh. “You expect him to take me back if I sleep with someone else?”
“You mean he won’t have you back if someone else has touched you?” Se7en shot back and Kame silenced. “There you have the true problem in your relationship. You still sound like his boy toy. You focus on him more than yourself. You’re going to get yourself hurt again and you won’t admit that through me you could actually achieve a position in your relationship where you’re both equals. I can break your role as his boy toy. If you sleep with me, you don’t meet his requirements of boy toys anymore.”
“You know you were right about one thing.” Kame said. “I did think of us as friends a bit, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. And I told you about Jin’s friend back in Japan, right? There was this guy I met and we hung out a bit before I even realized he was one of Jin’s best friends.”
“What has this got to do with you and I?” Se7en asked.
“My point is,” Kame started while attempting to keep himself calm, “that those things you just told me are things I thought about at that time with him. But if my relationship with Jin had been better he would never have come in between us the way he did. I was angry and sad at how Jin behaved and I tried to make myself move on. I wanted revenge on Jin, but I never felt anything even remotely close with Shirota that I feel with Jin. If my relationship with Jin would be better now too, you wouldn’t stand a chance either. You don’t compare to how he can make me feel. None of you compare to him. I know better now than to even pretend I could feel like this with someone else.”
Se7en raised an eyebrow. “You know better?” the man repeated, rather amused. “After almost having a fling with one other guy besides your Jin you think you know that you’ll never feel anything with anyone else besides him?”
Kame didn’t reply.
“You don’t know anything.” Se7en said. “You can’t choose who you’ll love and you can’t choose to do it forever either. Feelings change. People come in and out of your life. You can’t stop that, but all you can really do is to give people a chance to see who you are and get close to you. Everything from there will develop naturally if there’s any true ground for it to. For an example, if you let your guard down you never know what could happen between you and me. Things could develop on their own between us. You could defeat me the way you defeated Jin and we could date for real or you could find how you still feel nothing for me and we’d go our separate ways, but you’ll never know for sure until you give me a fair chance.”
“I know exactly what would happen if I let my guard down.” Kame argued back. “You’re playing me. With every word you utter you try to push me one step further into your bed and that I won’t allow. All you want is sex. Don’t try to make it sound better with pretty words.”
“And you think every possible partner you’d choose wouldn’t look at you in that way?” Se7en said. “Even JinJin. He wants to achieve the same as we do with you. How sure are you he’d still date you if you could never go to bed with him ever again? Would you bet on him sticking around even then? That he’d never have an affair? If you stopped being attractive would you rely on that his eyes would never wander from you?”
Kame couldn’t answer. Part of him had tried to break up with Jin because he had feared just that. Kame wanted to shrink under Se7en’s stare, as he had the feeling this man was as good at reading him as Jin was. Players are players, after all, and Se7en was trying to break them apart from the inside. If the Korean man got him to doubt, then he might ruin his relationship with Jin and be free for Se7en to twirl him around his finger. Maybe he’d even seek comfort from Se7en the way he had done with Shirota.
He had to mean something to Jin otherwise Jin wouldn’t have gone through all of the trouble with him so far. Jin could’ve had it much easier and now too Jin wouldn’t have to wait for him, but Jin did. He had a feeling Jin was even doing this weird role now because of him. He just wasn’t sure why or what Jin wanted to achieve by doing it, but he was sure it had to be important to Jin somehow otherwise the Jin he had known would never have lowered himself to this level.
“I want to bet on this.” Kame said then. “I want to give this relationship my all.”
Se7en didn’t reply and Kame wondered if the man thought he was silly, but it didn’t matter.
“Your only chance of ever coming in between me and Jin was when we weren’t dating.” Kame continued. “Now it’s too late because I know how I feel about him even if I can’t accept him close. So you’re just wasting your time.”
“We’ll see about that.” Se7en said and Kame had to admit he was sort of sad, seeing Se7en walk out and that their conversation had ended like this. He hadn’t wanted things between them to develop into this and he wondered if it was impossible to reverse back to being what Kame had almost considered friends.
“Kame-chan.”
Kame startled, realizing he had forgotten all about JaeJoong’s presence and he turned towards the boy a little terrified. How could he have let JaeJoong overhear all of this?
“Kame-chan, what’s going on?”
Kame went a little pale and he hurried to go concentrate on working again, fetching JaeJooong’s order and wiping the counter then quite vigorously. “It’s…nothing.”
“Nothing?!” JaeJoong repeated, not caring about the food in front of him and instead focusing all his attention on Kame. “How long has this been going on? Kame-chan, you don’t know what Rain and Se7en are capable of! They are of the best players in these blocks! Those two are dangerous! You need help-”
Kame panicked, seeing JaeJoong get up to head for the door and he hurried to stop the boy from leaving by grabbing his arm over the counter.
“Please don’t tell Jin!” he begged. “I’ll handle it. I really will!”
“Kame-chan, you should really tell Akanishi. I know you still feel you can’t and I’ve seen why. I know you were under a lot of stress as you got here and that things from the past rose to the surface making your relationship with him even worse, but you won’t get over things if you don’t talk with him.” JaeJoong insisted. “I’ve heard everything about you and Akanishi from the gangs and I knew since the first time I met you, when you lost control of yourself in your old cell, how there were things you hadn’t dealt with in a long time. I thought the guy who hurt you must’ve been a monster to do all of that to you, but I’ve seen how much Akanishi cares for you and how much he is willing to do for you, so please talk to him about this.”
“I will.” Kame promised. “If I can’t deal with this on my own I will.”
JaeJoong had rather heard that Kame would talk to Akanishi anyway, but it didn’t seem he would be able to change Kame’s mind about that right now and telling Akanishi the truth behind Kame’s back wouldn’t be fair.
The Korean gangster sighed in defeat, settling back by the counter. “Kame-chan, whatever you do don’t run off on your own! If one of them finds you when you’re alone…”
“Don’t you…trust me in staying true to Jin?” Kame asked a bit offended.
“It’s not a lack of trust in you.” JaeJoong explained. “It’s that I trust these two to know what they’re doing too much.”
And Kame wasn’t himself yet. JaeJoong didn’t want anyone else messing with Kame’s head now. He felt sorry for the Japanese boy.
“So how will they approach me now that I already know they will and why they’re coming at me?” Kame asked and JaeJoong shook his head.
“I don’t know.” the Korean boy answered. “The way those two do it, especially Rain’s tactics can be a bit... They’ll profile you, provoke you to see how you’ll react and then come at you somehow. They’re good, but they have some rules.”
“Rules?” Kame repeated.
“The very few rules there are on a level like that is that they won’t physically hurt you to get what they want. They’re too good and too proud of their manipulation skills to do that. Raping someone would therefore be the same as them admitting defeat that they can’t win their preys over.” JaeJoong said. “They also won’t tell lies and that is worse because they’ll use the truth against you.”
Kame remembered Jin having been that kind of a player too.
Lying is a handicap. Just like rape, it’s low. I don’t need to tell lies to get someone head over heels for me.
Rain and Se7en were really the same as Jin.
“If they can’t physically hurt me without ruining their reputations as players then you’ve got nothing to worry about.” Kame assured. “I’ll never fall prey to either one of them.”
JaeJoong sure hoped so, but just to be safe he stayed for as long as possible, watching over Kame until the boy’s shift ended.
Jin hadn’t showed up during the whole time he had been working. That along with Se7en’s visit had left Kame feeling rather down and it didn’t humor him in the least that it started to rain either as he left the diner to go back to the apartment.
This time Kame didn’t care about getting wet and he started his journey under the pouring sky, when halting abruptly at the memory of a man walking in the rain. Come to think of it ever time he had met Rain something strange had happened. It had either rained or…showers had turned on all at once.
Kame threw a look at the dark sky. He was probably in trouble.
“Oh shit…” he mumbled for himself and started to run while cursing under his breath, but he only made it a few blocks before the familiar sight of a soaked man came into his view. “Oh no.”
“Kame-chan.” Rain’s said and Kame focused his eyes on the ground.
It was a given that he wouldn’t fall for either of the two players that were trying to get him, but he would still be very careful whenever meeting one of them. Jin had warned about meeting a player’s eyes or listening to his voice…
Rain stopped beside him, giving him a curious look. “Admiring the wet ground?”
“Why won’t you two just leave me alone?” Kame asked. “I’m not well. I’m-”
“You’re just as sane or insane as any other person on this earth.” Rain said and without really thinking Kame lifted his eyes to meet the player’s. “We all have issues.”
“What is yours?” Kame asked, knowing he shouldn’t be making conversation, but the thought of someone seeing him as normal and not mentally unstable felt kind of good.
“The uncontrollable urge to push people past their limits.” Rain replied.
“You’re a horrible person-” Kame said, making an attempt to continue on his way when the other man grabbed his arm, keeping him in place.
“Don’t say that when you’re dying to get to know us better.” Rain said and Kame shot him a baffled look.
Us?! Se7en and Rain? He’d like one good reason why!
“Through us you can see your boyfriend.” Rain said and Kame froze, hearing that again. Se7en had drawn the same conclusions about him. “Akanishi was like us. Deep down inside he still is and you can sense that, can’t you? You should know how hard it is to let go off one’s past. Rumor has it he was just as good as us…”
Kame pulled his arm to himself, backing away a bit to create some distance between them.
“You yearn to know who Akanishi Jin is. He may have changed his tune a bit, but not everything can be tossed away and forgotten.” Rain continued. “Just like us it’s in his nature to be like this. You know it too. You’ve probably seen the signs so many times before you can’t find any other way to relate to him. It makes thinking of him as your boyfriend such a ridiculous idea.”
Kame didn’t want to admit that was kind of true, that those kinds of thoughts had crossed his mind on several occasions.
“You can’t help liking it a bit whenever either of us shows up, because through us you see what he used to be like.” Rain said, leaning in closer. “He used to play games…and now you know what it would be like to be the prey. The game he started with you in prison ended too fast, leaving no real time for an exciting chase and thus never allowing you to get to witness exactly what he is capable of as a player.”
Kame didn’t reply. His not looking into a player’s eyes was failing as he was stuck staring into the taunting gaze, keeping him rooted to the spot.
“In truth…you want to be his prey. Did you know that just like us it was in Akanishi’s and Yamashita’s style to only counter a prey once the prey begun to yearn to be defeated? Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll just submit to either of us three and close your eyes while letting it happen the way you did in prison. You’ll want it this time, I promise you that. The game won’t end and no one will win before you do.” Rain continued. “By now you must already secretly wish for Akanishi to return to himself, to figure out he’s tired of waiting and play you. If it wasn’t for these traumas of yours you’d enjoy having him chase after you for once and not the other way around like you used to-”
“How did you know that?” Kame asked. “How can you know so much about me and Jin? You weren’t even there!”
“I don’t need to be to figure that much out.” Rain said. “You tell me everything I need to know. You’re telling me right now. Everything you do gives away something about you and everything you don’t gives away even more.”
How could that be possible? Yet he knew it had to be, as Jin had several times just waltzed into their cell and upon the sight of him had been able to say when something was up. Then Jin had always lured the truth out of him…
“Add that to the rumors on the streets…I think I can separate the truth from lies.” Rain said and Kame wanted to swallow, but couldn’t.
“I don’t need you.” he said sternly. “I’ll understand everything I need from Jin himself.”
To his surprise Rain only chuckled. “Then why has it taken you so long to do it?”
Kame couldn’t give an answer to that.
“Want a hint?” Rain asked. “Because you got too used to serving him you’re still not comfortable with asking him too many questions. It must’ve taken a lot for someone as stubborn as you to accept such a role upon yourself.”
Kame didn’t think he had been stubborn enough. He had accepted his role a little too fast.
“The change back is always more complicated.” Rain added. “Besides no matter how much you fell in love with him you were used to him dictating and some parts of you are still afraid to piss him off, because you think this nice façade he wears now will vanish once he gets angry and he’ll turn back into what it is you still fear.”
“I-I trust him.” Kame managed to reply and the other one smiled, amused. He seemed to be amusing many people lately.
“You never trusted him.” Rain retorted. “At least not as your lover, but I guess you had plenty of reasons for your lack of trust as every important promise he ever made you he broke, didn’t he?”
Kame finally managed to rip his gaze free, letting it sink to the ground.
“Ah, the dilemma of a player in love~” Rain sighed. “You probably made him give into his emotions from time to time and thus make you promises, even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep them once his pride stepped in and warned him not to fall in love.”
Rain and Jin had only shared a few short conversations as far as Kame knew, but still the Korean man had figured things out about Jin a lot faster than he had. He hadn’t understood back then what Jin had been thinking. He had thought he hadn’t been enough for Jin and that Jin hadn’t felt anything for him. It had been the opposite of that.
“I won’t make you any promises.” Rain said then. “Akanishi didn’t used to either. It’s just with you he suddenly started wanting two things at the same time he couldn’t combine; his life and you. Hence with all the times he pushed you away.”
Kame didn’t lift his gaze even as the other man leaned in to say something in his ear. He had forgotten all about the rain by now.
“I will keep every promise I make you, but I won’t make you many.” Rain said, his voice lower than before. “You won’t need to wonder what you are to me. I’ll make that very clear to you. I’ll give you one night. You won’t have to wonder if I’ll come back for more.”
Kame stiffened as Rain led wet hair behind his ear.
“Rather tense, aren’t you? Does my presence around you make you feel uncomfortable? If you want to get rid of us then all you need to do is sleep with your boyfriend.” Rain said. “Our bet includes him.”
What was that supposed to mean?
“It’s kind of our way to show him some respect as fellow players.” Rain continued and Kame found that hardly to be respectful in his eyes. “It’s not so bad, is it? A pretty easy bet for you to escape, since you love him right?” the man added in that taunting voice as Rain circled closely around him. “And you want to make love with him, right? That’s what lovers do… Then just open up to him.”
He knew that. It should be easy, so why was he hesitating to go there with Jin? Never in his life had Kame felt this frustrated with himself.
“Leave me alone, both of you.” he said before getting out of there as fast as he could and he didn’t relax before he had shut and locked the door to the apartment behind him, hopefully leaving all problems and players behind him too.
Today had been awful. He hadn’t seen Jin and instead those two had appeared. Where was Jin anyway? Kame was just about to enter the apartment when a shape flew at him.
“Welcome back!” Jin let out, almost squishing him to death hadn’t he already practically died from shock. “Did you get soaked on the way?”
Kame just stared as Jin slowly let him go. Jin was here? For a moment there he had forgotten Jin lived here now.
“Yeah, it started to rain all of a sudden…” he said then, hanging his jacket up. “What…have you been up to today? Have you been here all day?”
Jin nodded and beamed at him. “I did the dishes. Then I’ve just been waiting for you to come back.”
“What?” Kame asked. “Why?”
“Because that’s what pets do~” Jin said. “I’m hungry and I want a bath!”
Kame slowly managed to smile. Jin had been here all along when he had thought Jin had forgotten all about him since the leader hadn’t come to the diner like usually. Forgetting about all the events of the day Kame said, “Then let’s go make a bath ready.”
Jin seemed happy about how little Kame objected to bathing him that evening, but Kame still had to admit it wasn’t an easy task. Se7en and Rain’s lectures ran through his mind as he couldn’t help wondering if they were right. Would Jin eventually give up on him and find someone else? Jin had to be desperate to do something like this to begin with…
“Are you going to pass me the towel or do you want me to get it myself?” the question startled him out of his thoughts and Kame realized he had been fetching Jin a towel for ages now. He looked embarrassedly at the boy thankfully still in the tub.
“H-here.” he said, leaving it by the edge. “I’ll go make dinner now.”
He was sure Jin smiled at him again as he hurried out of the room. After having cooked them some dinner and washed up himself, Kame returned to the bedroom that night only to find Jin waiting on the bed again.
“Wants to be cuddled?” Kame guessed as he entered the room and Jin shot him a smirk.
“Unless you’ve got something else in mind…” Jin replied and Kame brushed that off, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“So…for this one week…” Kame started unsurely and Jin gave him a curious look, waiting for him to continue and Kame added, “I can really…order you to do anything?”
“Yup. What does master want Hitoshi to do?” Jin practically purred, sending Kame a bright look, but the look upon Kame’s face was everything but bright.
“Don’t call me that.” he said seriously. He didn’t want to be called that one more time.
“What does Kazu want?” Jin asked instead, climbing closer. “If Kazu wants me to break any certain rules, then it can be done~”
Kame edged away on the bed, almost falling off of it, knowing fully well what rule Jin was talking about.
“No, I…” he started and Jin paused a small distance away from him. “I want to know…what you wanted to become when you were still in high school.”
At first Jin didn’t really react and then the boy smiled, laying his head into Kame’s lap and spreading out comfortably on his back on the bed. As soon as Kame’s hands were petting through his hair, Jin answered, “I didn’t really have anything I thought I’d become.”
Kame flinched at that. Nothing? No dream whatsoever? “Why?”
“Because I never thought I had a brilliant future ahead of me.” Jin replied. “I wasn’t a very good student…and I kept being blamed for crimes I didn’t commit just because I was different. Well, we all were - the whole class…that’s why we were put together into one class and separated from the rest of the school.”
“But your class…” Kame started. He had met them. They hadn’t ended up in the gangsters’ blocks.
“Well, in the end most of us proved everyone wrong by becoming good members of the society while me and TTUN, we did just what they expected from us.” Jin said. “We became crooks. Maybe on some level they made us into ones. They never believed in us, except for one teacher.”
Yankumi, Kame remembered the stories about her.
“She was good to have saved the majority of the class from this life.” Jin added, absently trailing a finger on Kame’s legs and Kame noted that the three kanjis the older boy was writing were his own name.
Kame shifted position a bit on the bed, pushing away memories that had resurfaced at that. “You could’ve…been a soccer star. Why didn’t you ever dream of becoming that?”
“Why didn’t you try to be a baseball player?” Jin shot back and Kame was a little taken aback.
“Because…” he started, giving it some thought before adding, “I didn’t think I could make a living out of it.”
He had chosen a steady, secure life instead, which had ended up being everything but steady and secure. Maybe that had happened because he hadn’t wanted what he had chosen.
Still focusing on his leg, Jin replied, “Although I love soccer, I think I’m most suited for this, but being a soccer star would definitely have suited better for the police chief’s oldest son…”
Kame had spent most of the time he had known Jin admiring the leader for his strength, his status…you name it, wishing he could have been like that, but deep down inside Jin didn’t seem to be all that proud of himself.
He bent down and kissed the leader’s head. “We should brush your hair and clean your ears.”
The suggestion immediately brought a smile back upon Jin’s face and Kame fetched what he needed, letting Jin lay his head back into his lap as he treated the older boy carefully.
“Can I sleep here too?” Jin asked as he was done, obviously taking advantage of the fact that Jin’s story had touched him and he felt the need to cheer the leader up, but even knowing that Kame ended up nodding.
“Lay down.” he said softly and Jin stretched out on his back, offering a hand for Kame, who took it and settled into the older boy’s arms. It was probably safer this way. If he let Jin climb on top of him again who knows what position they would find themselves in tomorrow morning.
He hugged Jin tighter, learning this was more comfortable than he had originally thought. Somehow Jin felt good this way. Kame couldn’t put his finger on why, though. Maybe Jin was like Ran. Kame remembered how he had hugged Ran, though Jin was way bigger than his little dog, but Jin’s hair was soft like his pet’s fur. Jin really didn’t behave like a dog, but something about Jin still made Kame want to cuddle him and take care of him.
Kame shut his eyes and he had another good night of sleep.
The next time he opened them again it was morning…and somehow he hadn’t remembered falling asleep quite in this position.
“Jin.” Kame mumbled, trying to move the heavy boy off of him. “Jin.” he said again, but when there still wasn’t a reaction he said in a much louder voice, “Hitoshi!”
Jin woke up with a shock, falling off of him and the bed.
That day Kame got off work a little later than yesterday, but thankfully he was spared from running into either Se7en or Rain. Jin hadn’t showed up at the diner, but this time he hadn’t expected it either and when entering their apartment Kame paused, waiting to see if Jin would come greet him again.
A few seconds had passed before a shape appeared in the hallway. “Welcome back! I’m hungry and it’s time for my bath!”
Kame smiled, removing his shoes and jacket, following Jin to the bathroom then where a bath already was ready. He failed to notice when he stopped uttering words of resistance to these suggestions and instead scrubbed Jin day after day.
next part