30 Days to Uranus (Part 2)
Day Eighteen
“Man-hug?” Koyama asks hopefully when Shige drops onto his couch, and laughs when Shige scowls at him. “Clearly you didn’t invite him in, or you’d still be at home,” he adds with a leer.
“Yes, if you must know. He took me to dinner.” A slow, dopey grin spreads across Shige's face. “He was really sweet and totally nervous.”
“Ah. But... not interested in getting into your pants...”
Shige frowns.
“I mean... this is Jin, we’re talking about, Shige. The man who humps anything that moves.”
“Hey!” Shige protests. “He’s not really like that. Not really,” he adds quietly, but not without looking away, because if he admits it to himself, that thought had already occurred to him too.
“Well,” Koyama says slowly, puzzing it out. “Maybe this just means he knows Shige is as special as I know Shige is and he wants to take it slow. Maybe he respects you.”
Shige snorts. “If he ‘respects’ me like you do, I’ll never get laid, I guess.” And then scrambles off Koyama’s couch, laughing, when Koyama comes toward him making kissy faces.
*
Day Twenty
"You're fucking kidding me," Jin says, staring open-mouthed at Ryo as they walk to the Jimusho together. "They're betting on when I'll break?"
"Don't people tell you anything anymore?" Ryo asks. "I wanted to tell you when I found out, but I didn't have a chance until now."
"Show me," Jin demands.
KAT-TUN look surprised to see their former A storm into their meeting room, rolling his eyes at their poor attempts to hide their obvious betting sheets. Taguchi even went as far as to block a very large chart with his body, and he couldn't hide a twig.
"Give it up, I know all about the bet," Jin says to them. "I can't believe you guys would do this to me. You should be ashamed of yourselves."
"We really didn't expect him to find out," Koki cracks, looking at Jin with genuinely apologetic eyes.
"We were so careful!" Kame adds, although Jin suspects that Kame's more angry at himself than guilty.
"Didn't expect who to find out?" Jin asks slowly.
Kame, Ueda, Koki, and Taguchi all glare at Nakamaru.
"I let it slip to Massu," Nakamaru admits. "I'm so sorry, Jin."
"Oh my god," Jin gasps. "Shige."
Ryo beats Jin to the NEWS room by a second, which is just enough time to hold Shige back when he lunges for Jin..
"Shige, I can explain," Jin begins.
Shige's struggling in Ryo's hold, and Koyama and Massu are glaring at him from either side. The only thing Jin is grateful for right now is that Yamapi's on a plane to Taiwan.
He forgets all about looking on the bright side when he sees Shige's face. "Yes, Jin, please explain how you led me to believe that you really liked me when you just wanted to use me to keep you from sleeping around?"
Jin swallows, because he can't really explain that. It's the truth. "That's how it started-"
"Akanishi-kun is really bad at this," Tegoshi comments smugly from the back of the room.
"I'm being honest!" Jin insists. "Shige, at first I felt that way, but then I got to know you and learned what a cool, fun person you are. I like being with you! When I'm with you, it's not about sex at all."
"Oh, thanks a lot," Shige says sarcastically. "That's just what a guy wants to hear from the guy he's supposedly dating."
"No, no, not like that," Jin says. He wants to kick himself right about now, although Koyama and Massu look like they'd jump to spare him the effort. "I just... I've never done it like this before, Shige. I always just hop into bed with people and skip the whole ~feelings~ part. That's why I took this vow, to take back control of my life and appreciate all of the little things that sex ruins for me. I had no idea the entire agency would place bets on me."
"I could care less about the stupid bet," Shige says. He's much calmer now, but his eyes are still sharp. "I would have bet against you too if, you know, I wasn't the one who's being screwed here - or not screwed, as it is."
"Shige, it's not like that," Jin tries again. "When I called you over to keep my mind off of sex, I never expected the exact opposite to happen."
Shige laughs. "Now Saint Akanishi wants a piece?"
"No!" Jin almost screams.
"You don't want me?" Shige asks, looking hurt.
"Yes, I mean, no." Jin brings his hands to his face, which is quickly heating up at saying these things in front of most of NEWS. "I do, okay, and I wanted to tell you the other day, but I didn't want you to think I was some kind of sex addict-"
"Aren't you?" Shige challenges. "Why else do you need to give it up to control yourself?"
Jin takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry I'm so fucked up. I really didn't expect to fall for you like this. Please forgive me. I'll make it up to you after this is all over, I promise."
"That's not good enough, Jin," Shige says evenly. "Maybe if you would have been honest with me to begin with, I may have taken this better. But you weren't, and now I'm humiliated and insulted and I think it would be better if we didn't see each other for awhile."
"But-"
"This vow is clearly important to you," Shige goes on, his face softening. "I don't want to be a complication. There's what, a week and a half left? Make it to the end and prove whatever it is that you're aiming to prove to yourself, and then maybe we can talk about being together. Maybe."
Jin shoves his hands in his pockets and nods. "Okay."
As he walks out of the building, he hears the frustrated yells and pleased squeals of his so-called friends changing their bets.
*
Day Twenty-Three
"You're pitiful," that annoying voice approaches him in the costume room. "Poor, poor solo Akanishi."
Jin doesn't look up from the row of fedoras. "What do you want, Tegoshi?"
"So curt." Jin gives in and looks over his shoulder, pausing at the way the youngest active member of NEWS strides confidently towards him in a dress and heels. "Why do you hate your penis, Jin-kun? Were you unloved as a child?"
"Spare me your psychobabble bullshit," Jin says, narrowing his eyes, but Tegoshi just laughs. "I don't need to defend myself to you."
"No, you don't," Tegoshi tells him, the curls of his wig bouncing as he grins. "Because you've already won."
Jin's been the victim of Tegoshi's manipulation too many times, but he can't help but be curious. "What do you mean?"
"You've proven all of us wrong!" Tegoshi exclaims. "Everyone thinks you'll make it now. And you know what happens when you make it, Jin?"
Jin shakes his head.
"Kusano keeps the money," Tegoshi says, pouting in a way that is not at all cute. Not at all. "And while he's promised to treat me to something yummy, that's not very fair for you."
"Since when do you care about what's fair for me?" Jin asks suspiciously. "What's in it for you? You bet on today, didn't you?"
Tegoshi reaches into his bra and pulls out a scroll of paper, unrolling it to show an old-fashioned contract. "I don't need money, so I've signed it all over to you. It's your vow - shouldn't you be the one rewarded for making it this far?"
"I only have a week left," Jin insists. "I don't need their money either."
"The quicker you do this, the quicker you get Shige back," Tegoshi tells him. "I shouldn't say this, but he's been looking at someone else lately. Someone who will give him what he wants."
"You're lying." Jin starts shaking in his stance. "You just want bragging rights, don't you? I-"
He stops short when Massu walks out from behind the feather boas, managing to look angry and awkward at the same time. In a suit. "Yuuya, I don't know about this."
"We talked about this, remember?" Tegoshi says sweetly, twirling Massu's tie with his fingers before sharply pulling him close. "We don’t want Jin hurting Shige, right?"
Jin gulps. Ties are his kink.
"But look at him," Massu goes on, his face reddening at Tegoshi's close proximity. "Before I just wanted him to suffer, but now I feel sorry for him."
Jin's about to protest, but then Tegoshi hops up to wrap his legs around Massu's waist, and Massu has to push him into the closest rack to stay balanced.
"It's okay, Buta," Tegoshi says fondly as he loops his arms around Massu's neck. "It'll be over in like two seconds."
And then they kiss, open-mouthed and slutty like every porn Jin has ever seen. It fucks with his head because Tegoshi makes a really convincing girl, but then Massu's hand slides up his thigh and it becomes very obvious that Tegoshi is definitely male - and it makes Jin even hotter.
"No, no, no, not the tongues," Jin says, warning bells going off in his head as he feels his body start to react without his permission. He's read about how men can come untouched if it's been long enough, and even after everything he's been through, that would be the most embarrassing way to end it.
So he runs. He shoves past the oblivious pair out into the hallway, where he pays no attention to the very obvious bulge in his pants as he races past the group meeting rooms, all of which conveniently have at least one member who points and laughs at him. He doesn't care about any of them. Even Taguchi, who raises an eyebrow in enticement as Jin passes by.
It's Ryo who pulls him into the bathroom and shoves him into the showers fully clothed. Jin never thought being doused with ice-cold water would be such a relief, even though he's shivering and teeth-chattering after a few very long minutes.
"I'm proud of you," Ryo finally says. "You may be stupid sometimes - a lot of times - but you are the most stubborn idiot I know."
Jin grins as he shakes his wet hair out of his face. "Thanks, Ryo-chan."
"I want you to make things right with Shige," Ryo tells him. "Because you're both stubborn idiots and I'm tired of hearing about it."
"He doesn't want to see me," Jin says dejectedly. "Tegoshi said he's found someone new-"
"Tegoshi is a lying whore," Ryo says bluntly. "Shige's done nothing but mope around for three days, and it's even worse because he's pretending he's not upset when he really is."
Even with most of his body numb from the cold water, Jin's heart aches. "There's only a week left. Wouldn't it be better just to wait until then?"
Ryo sighs. "The window of forgiveness is very small," he explains. "But suit yourself."
He leaves Jin to it then, and Jin stays under the water until he's positive that his junk has shrunken to half its original size. It's not until he reaches for Yamapi's stash of spare clothes that he remembers he's had his cell phone in his pocket this whole time, rushing to grab it and assess the damage.
There are several water spots on his display screen, but he can clearly see the one text message notification and the single line it brings up:
Just because we can't have sex doesn't mean we can't hang out.
His phone dies right after, but he couldn't be happier.
*
Day Twenty-Five
Jin probably stands outside the flower shop for half an hour. He knows the lady inside is staring at him nervously, but he can’t quite bring himself to go inside. Flowers are for when you’ve screwed up, right? But is that only with girls? He cocks his head to the side. Shige’s kind of a girl, he thinks.
Fuck it. He’ll bring flowers. It certainly can’t hurt.
Shige answers the door in jeans and a t-shirt, hair still damp and skin still flushed from the bath, and Jin has to bite his lip to keep from saying any number of the things going on in his brain right now, none of them safe. Instead, he thrusts the yellow camellias at Shige who raises an eyebrow and give him a wry half-smile as he takes them and leaves the door open when he turns around and heads into the kitchen. So Jin follows him.
“Thanks,” Jin says, finally breaking the silence as Shige finishes arranging the flowers.
“For what?”
“For being my friend anyway.” He can’t stop jiggling his knees, nervous energy and barely contained desire riding him hard.
The small smile Shige gives him makes his throat dry. “You make it easy, even if you’re an asshole sometimes.” He moves around so he’s standing next to Jin. “Shall we go?”
“Yeah,” Jin whispers.
Low-key is the theme for the night, and they hit up a pub for a laid-back dinner and talk music and travel and a million things that aren’t sex. It’s easy with all the people around them filling the room with white noise, someone playing darts and they can watch him when there’s a lull. But as the place empties, their conversation becomes stilted, tiptoeing around the subject they can’t bring up.
“Why is this so awkward?” Jin finally asks, exasperated.
“If I told you not to think about whales, what would you think about?” Shige asks, smiling.
“...sex.”
It works like a charm, Shige’s unintentional icebreaker loosening their tongues, and they chat easily all the way home, though Jin’s still wound tight with a manic energy he hasn’t been able to get rid of for three weeks, but Shige doesn’t mention it.
“Come in?” Shige asks Jin quietly, leaning back against the door frame casually. “I won’t take advantage of you, I promise,” he says with a smile when Jin hesitates.
“Okay.”
They’re settled on the floor, Shige idly fingering the flowers Jin had brought where they sit on the coffee table, Jin tapping his fingers ceaselessly against his thighs. “Tell me about it, again,” Shige says calmly.
“About what?” Jin scratches his ear and tries to look Shige in the eyes.
“The vow. Why you took it. Why you really did it.”
“Like I said. I needed to take a step back. I just...” Jin blushes. What he’s about to say is definitely on the list of things you never say to someone you’re dating. “I just, had no connection anymore. I was just fucking people. They didn’t mean anything to me. I thought it was okay to just mess around, you know? With people I didn’t care about. I didn’t want to be... hurt again.” He drops his head into his hands. “This is so stupid, I know.”
“No. No, I get it. It’s really easy to confuse physical attraction with a real connection and if you get stuck in that loop...” Shige trails off. “Well, I can see why you might have made this choice.” He pulls one of the flowers out of the arrangement, plays it between his hands.
“Yeah. It’s hard to tell sometimes,” Jin agrees, watching Shige’s fingers and clenching his own together in his lap. “But... I feel like I’m finally getting my bearings back. And I really. I really want it to be with you.”
He watches, rapt, as Shige extends the camellia toward him, shudders when he drags it across sensitive skin between his forefinger and thumb.
“Is this okay?” Shige whispers, looking up at him with dark eyes.
Jin swallows, shaking now. “I-I’ll let you be the judge of that.”
“I’m thinking it’s okay,” Shige says, voice low.
“I’m thinking it’s okay too,” he agrees quickly.
All the blood that powers his brain has gone south or spread across his skin in a blush that probably matches Shige’s and god he was so wrong when he ever thought the younger man was ever anything short of beautiful. Shige drags the flower across Jin’s lips in a pseudo-kiss, watching Jin’s eyes with his mouth open as he breathes heavily. The air gets caught in Jin's throat when Shige lowers the flower, but thankfully he bypasses Jin's collarbone and most of his chest, poking at the hem of Jin's shirt and moves to lift it up until the stem starts to bend.
"This probably isn't allowed," Shige whispers. "But I want this off."
"It's allowed," Jin says quickly, nearly elbowing himself in the face as he pulls off the V-neck. "It's very allowed."
Shige breaks into a grin, splitting his flushed face and calming Jin considerably. He rests the flower on his lap as he pulls off his own shirt, the flush spreading down his chest and telling Jin how aroused he is without looking down. This just makes Jin look anyway, eyes widening at the defined bump in his jeans, and Shige steals back his attention and his breath by sweeping the soft petal across both of Jin's nipples.
"I studied law," Shige says with a smirk. "I know all about loopholes to get around rules."
Jin can’t take it anymore, slips the flower from Shige’s fingers and presses him down to the floor to run it across Shige’s lips too, down the side of his neck, across a pebbled nipple so dark against his pale skin. He sways it along his stomach and down, pausing at the waistband of Shige's pants while seriously contemplating taking them off. It's okay if it's not him...
Shige appears to have the same conundrum judging by the way his hands drop to the button of his fly and abruptly stop. Jin looks up to see the heat in his eyes, asking permission to take this final step and even though his boxers would still be on, this feels more intimate than anything Jin's done completely naked.
Jin gives a short, shaky nod, and Shige's jeans are shoved down his legs and kicked away within seconds. His mind is oddly clear, very aware that there will be no satisfaction for him and therefore he doesn't need to rush through this. He can take his time to tease and watch Shige's body rock with want, until he tells him to stop.
The flower trails over Shige's abs and down his left hip, purposely avoiding the part that lifts to seek friction and going back up the other side. Shige makes a whiny noise and it has Jin continuing to tease him until he's had enough, finally brushing over Shige’s erection straining against the silky fabric of his boxers and he’s gasping right along with him. He doesn’t think he’s wanted anything so much in his life as to follow the petals with his tongue, tease Shige until he’s moaning Jin’s name and begging him to take him.
He shakes his head against the thought and tries to focus. Plucks off a petal and moves it slowly down Shige’s chest with his breath alone, across his belly button, over his cock, again and again, Shige’s hands clutching convulsively against the blankets they’d pulled from his couch. And god. The noises he’s making. He wants to touch himself so badly and he thinks he’s going crazy with want.
Louder and louder, his groans dragging out impossibly long and low as Jin’s breath ghosts across his skin and Jin brings the flower up to rub over Shige’s balls, and the younger man lets out an explosive breath, keening wildly and gripping the blankets as he comes, darkening the fabric of his boxers and all Jin can do is stare.
“I wasn’t supposed to do that, was I?” Shige asks sheepishly, and he sounds drugged, voice so low and gravelly and Jin thinks he actually might orgasm just like that and ruin it all. “I’m sorry.”
Jin just shakes his head violently and clutches a pillow to himself, rocking back and forth a bit at he stares at Shige in wonder. “No no,” he says wildly when Shige closes his eyes. “Don’t sleep yet! Let’s talk. Talk about... that crappy French artist you like. Talk about how much Tegoshi annoys you! Shit... Shige.” But he’s already snoring lightly, blissful look on his face, and Jin thinks it’s actually pretty amazing anyway.
*
“A flower,” Koyama says, disbelief written across his face.
“A yellow camellia. It means ‘longing’, you know.”
“Your face is kind of gross right now, Shige. Sappy looks weird on you.”
“Shut up.”
Koyama just grins.
*
Day Twenty-Nine
"This is impossible," Jin says, pacing at top-speed behind Ryo's couch. "But I only have one more day. I can do it. I'm Akanishi fucking Jin. I'm invincible."
"Will you stop moving back and forth like a guard on crack?" Ryo snarks from the recliner. "You make me want to jerk off for you."
"At this point, I'd let you." Jin swallows hard. "This morning, Starbucks was sponsoring Hot Women Wearing No Bras day. I was surrounded by unrestrained breasts."
"Now you're hallucinating, nice." Ryo takes a sip of tea. "Go on. Were there Hung Men Going Commando in Loose Pants at work?"
"Worse," Jin replies. "There were Arashi."
Both of Ryo's eyebrows raise above his cup. "I sincerely hope you're not implying that anyone in Arashi is hung."
"Aiba's decent," Jin replies with a shrug, then fixes Ryo with an unimpressed look. "But you've probably noticed that I'm having a problem, um, keeping it down."
"I've been trying to ignore it," Ryo says. "Unsuccessfully."
"Yeah, well not everyone is as courteous as you," Jin says darkly. "MatsuJun spoke very loudly of my 'little friend' to the entire building, and in case anyone missed it, Nino basically paraded me around for everyone to see."
"And?" Ryo presses. "Didn't you have a meeting today with WMG and Derulo-san?"
Jin's face drops into his hands. "I got sent home."
"Sent home? The meeting was about you!"
"It wouldn't go down!" Jin hisses. "I thought it was, but it wasn't, and oh my god I can never face any of them again."
"Oh, they're all men. They understand." Ryo claps Jin on the back as he stands up. "Since this is your last night and you're not working tomorrow anyway, you should stay over and get so trashed that you can't even think about getting it up."
"You bet on today, didn't you?" Jin accuses him. "You're going to get me drunk and make me throw away everything I've worked hard and humiliated myself for and-"
He's cut off when Ryo slaps him in the back of the head. "Not everyone wants your cock, okay. Anyone else would take advantage of you, including your roommate. I'm doing you a favor, you ungrateful ass. And I would never place a bet on your sex life."
"Why not?" Jin asks, wincing as he rubs his head. "Everyone else did."
"Because I don't care," Ryo replies exasperatedly as he heads to the kitchen to grab some beers. "Let's talk about something else. Anything else. There are five thousand and one things I would rather talk about than where you are or are not sticking-"
"How did you know?" Jin asks suddenly.
Ryo's mouth falls shut as he tosses Jin a can before flopping back down into his chair and cracking open his own. "How did I know what?"
"That I was told to stay home tomorrow," Jin says slowly. "I didn't tell you that."
"Ah, well." Ryo scratches his head and actually looks sheepish. "Nino may have texted me about your hard day."
"And you just made me stand here and relive it." Jin takes a long swig of beer. "Asshole. You're all assholes."
"Oh, stop playing the victim card," Ryo tells him. "You brought this on yourself."
Jin sighs as he sinks down into the couch. "Yeah, but I'm going to make it. And be in complete control of myself from now on." He wiggles his eyebrows at Ryo. "And have a lot of sex with my boyfriend starting tomorrow at the stroke of midnight."
He laughs when Ryo makes a disgusted face. "Ugh, I do not want to hear about any of that."
"I wonder how we'll do it," Jin muses out loud, on purpose. "I probably won't last very long, so maybe we'll just fool around first. It only takes me about ten minutes to go again, so then we'll do the actual sexing."
"I hope you talk yourself right into coming in your pants," Ryo says. "Because my sleep will be filled with nightmares now."
"Aw, Ryo-chan." Jin's grin softens as he looks at his disgruntled friend. "One day you'll find someone who doesn't piss you off."
Ryo rolls his eyes. "Just shut up and drink."
They do. There are old movies on TV they've both seen a hundred times, with gratuitous action and violence and absolutely no sex. This is the first time Jin's really drank since this whole thing started, and it's not long before he's completely blitzed, his mind filled with memories of watching Shige come and thoughts like how there were entirely too many hours until tomorrow at midnight as the electrical outlet in the wall comes into focus.
He sees a spark, equates that with sex and stops his hand before it goes between his legs.
"I just fantasized about fucking your outlet," he says out loud.
"Drink more," Ryo instructs. "And don't ever put your junk in anything of mine."
By the time they get to the bottom of the case, Jin can't feel his lower half and considers this a big success. He just hopes his celebration isn't too premature.
*
Day Thirty
The sun is high in the sky when Jin wakes up with a raging headache and an equally as raging hard-on. He peeks at the time on his phone and all he can think is eight hours from now, this will all be over.
Of course, this means that he still has eight hours to go. Ryo's long-since gone, probably got up early and went to work like everyone else, leaving Jin to his own devices on Ryo's couch. And judging by his impressive morning wood, his own devices hadn't deceived him.
Jin already feels like a winner. He grins even as he takes the coldest possible shower, carefully gets dressed, and returns home. Yamapi's out of the country until tomorrow and Jin's been taking out his sexual frustration on their apartment, putting Kame to shame in the cleaning department. Even though it's already spotless, he manages to find other things to do.
He takes a picture of his bed and sends it to his mother, because he's pretty sure it's never been made that well in his entire life. It's not until he sends the message that he realizes it's kind of creepy to show your mother your silk sex sheets, but when he stops to think about it, he's pretty sure she bought them for him.
Your new boyfriend makes nice hospital corners, she replies, and he frowns at the implication until he hears a knock at the door.
"Just a second!" he calls out, grinning when he sees the familiar hat in the peep hole. It's still early, but Jin flings the door open happily. "Hey, baby."
But it's not Shige who slips past Jin into the apartment. "Oh, Jin, I really needed to hear that right now."
"Kame?" Jin says carefully. He wants to ask what his ex-bandmate/arch-nemesis/former fuck-buddy is doing here, but his concern for his old best friend wins out. "What's wrong?"
Kame leans forward on the counter and puts his head in his hands. "Just had a really shitty day. Thought you might want some company while you wait for midnight."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Jin says uneasily. "I'm not in a good place-"
"Don't you trust me?" Kame asks with a kind of indignant laugh. "You're too pitiful to be attractive right now, anyway. You have nothing to worry about."
Jin closes the door and goes to sit on the couch, but he's on edge. "Fine. Since you're here, you can make me something to eat."
Kame snorts. "I don't even have to open your refrigerator to know that you don't have anything I can cook. Order delivery and I'll pay."
"Deal."
Spending the evening with Kame works out surprisingly well. It kills time and Kame can be entertaining when he's not trying to be. He also keeps Jin from thinking about sex, which is odd because for the past couple years, that's all they did when they got together.
"Wow, it's late," Kame comments as he flips open his phone. "Midnight Madness starts soon, right?"
Jin pushes a button on his own phone and sees the clock flash 11:30pm. "Oh, shit. You should go."
"Jin," Kame says, and all of Jin's muscles tense because he's using that voice he uses when he's trying to get what he wants. "Why Kato?"
"Don't," Jin growls, pulling his knees to his chest as he turns to see Kame advancing on him. "Don't you dare fucking do this to me."
"Why not?" Kame asks casually. "This all started because of me, didn't it? It should only be natural that I'm the one to end it."
"How vain of you to think so." Jin slides out from under a prowling Kame and points to the door. "Leave."
Kame glances toward his crotch and laughs as he gets to his feet. "I think someone wants me to stay-"
"He doesn't make the decisions anymore," Jin says firmly, twisting his body out of Kame's reach. "Out."
Eyeing him oddly, Kame walks towards the door. Jin follows, ready to close the door behind him, but Kame spins around in the doorway.
"I just have to say," he says slowly, a little breathless, and Jin recognizes the look in his eyes. It's the same look he had before he punched Jin for the first time years ago. "Seeing you like this, standing up for yourself, taking control... It just... it makes me so..."
Jin lifts an eyebrow impatiently.
"It makes me so hot."
Kame reaches for Jin's waist and Jin quickly pushes the door between them.
"You can slam that door in my face all you want," Kame tells him, his voice low and sultry. "But I'll just be on the other side, getting even hotter."
"Kame -"
"Go ahead. Slam that door, Jin," Kame croons. "Slam that door in my dirty, dirty face."
Jin slams the door. He hears an affronted sound from the hallway and flips the deadbolt, busying himself with cleaning up the delivery boxes as he tries to forget what just happened and focuses on what is about to.
"I did it," he says out loud to no one, strolling down the hallway and facing the sex sheets that haven't been used in exactly a month. "Fuck me, I did it."
*
Shige unties and ties the belt of his trenchcoat for the third time in two minutes, and Koyama places his hands over Shige’s gently.
“I feel like a virgin again,” Shige says nervously, smiling a little, and Koyama laughs.
“It’ll be amazing. You’ll be amazing. Don’t worry. It’s just Jin.”
“Yeah,” Shige replies, grinning like an idiot suddenly. “Yeah, it is.”
Koyama swats him on the ass as he leaves.
*
Zero Hour
Right at midnight, there's a knock on the door. Slow but strong, which Jin hopes is a prelude for the rest of the evening. He's shaking as he reaches for the deadbolt, nervous and excited and so fucking aroused that he honestly thinks he'll explode the second Shige touches him.
"Sorry I don't have any flowers," Shige greets him, a small smile curling his lips as he steps inside.
Jin notices the trenchcoat and steps back, taking in the whole ensemble. "Are you dressed under that?" he asks.
Shige's expression turns knowing. "You're the exhibitionist here, not me." He pauses. "Although the thought crossed my mind."
He shucks the coat and Jin lets out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, feeling like Shige had just torn off all of his clothes, a big red bow on his junk. He's wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, just like the last time, and Jin swallows as he watches Shige's throat shine enticingly.
"I feel kind of weird," Shige confesses. "I've never had scheduled sex before. Kind of takes the thrill out of it."
Jin leads him into the living room and leans against the arm of the couch. "Yeah, I can see that. You probably haven't gone thirty days without any release."
"Yeah, I did it this morning, actually," Shige says sheepishly, his hand scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry."
Visions of Shige pleasuring himself flood Jin's mind, and he has to practically sit on his hands to keep from giving in to the cock that twitches in his pants. "That's hot."
"Yeah?" Shige questions, his tone turning predatory as he steps towards Jin. "You'd probably find anything hot right now."
"I kicked Kame out about a half hour ago," Jin spills in a rush. "He tried to... but he didn't. I didn't let him. I wanted you."
Shige's face falls void of any feeling, and Jin seriously thinks he fucked up until he's pushed back onto the couch with a warm, hard weight jumping on top of him.
"Okay," Shige tells him, in more of a breath than a voice. "Now I want to fuck you."
And he covers Jin's mouth with his own, kissing him for the very first time. Jin thinks all of his sensory nerves must be in his lips, because he's overcome with tingles and his entire attention-deprived body automatically curls towards Shige.
Shige slides his hands up Jin's shirt, fingers exploring the skin beneath, and Jin jerks when Shige bumps a nipple. His legs fall open and Shige slides between them, the hard mass in his pants rubbing against Jin's and Jin could cry from the relief he's finally getting.
"Shige," he gasps against Shige's lips. "There is absolutely no way I can wait any longer. Even just... this... oh god."
His body rocks in contrast with Shige's and Jin starts to throw his head back, unable to stop the tidal wave of indescribable feeling that crashes over him before he's taken to that higher place. He clutches onto Shige and shudders, riding on the high of his own moans, and Shige's mouth on his throat as he comes down makes it a little less embarrassing.
"I can't believe I just came in my pants like a teenager," Jin wheezes out, squirming uncomfortably but not wanting to let go of Shige to move.
When he opens his eyes, Shige's smirking at him. "Payback's a bitch."
Oh, Jin is going to enjoy dating this one.
*
"Welcome home, Pi!" a chorus of voices greet Yamapi as he walks through the front door.
He promptly pauses at the gang of people gathered around his living room, none of whom is his roommate. "I'm home," he says slowly. "What's with the sex music?"
Kusano thumbs towards Jin's room. "Bet ended at midnight. They've been banging for like fourteen hours now."
Ryo makes a face. "Can you not say it like that..."
"Oh, Ryo-chan," Koyama says from next to him. "Don't be such a prude."
"Yeah," Nakamaru agrees, reaching around Massu for his drink. "Sex is a natural part of life."
"He actually made it," Yamapi thinks out loud, dropping his bags and walking towards Jin's closed door that thumped with bass. "Congratulations, Jin! How's it feel to take back control of your dick?"
"Hey, welcome home!" Jin calls back from inside his room. "It feels gre-ohhhh."
Yamapi makes a face at the obscene noise. "We'll talk later."
He's exhausted from his flight, not bothering to move his bags or change his clothes before flopping down onto the couch and lounging on the closest person. He can tell it's Ryo because of the way he tenses, which makes Yamapi laugh sleepily.
"There's no way they've been at it for fourteen hours," Taguchi says skeptically as he whoops Ohkura's ass in Dead Rising (probably because Ohkura is using one hand to eat a bagel). "Jin's dick would have fallen off by now."
"There's no way Jin's topping," Koki comments from where he's sharing headphones with Tegoshi.
"Point," Taguchi says. "Still, Kato's dick would have fallen off by now."
Kusano reaches for his phone. "Want to bet?"
"What, that Kato's dick will fall off?" Taguchi asks, then shrugs. "Sure."
The other KAT-TUN members start throwing in money, and even Koyama is considering his cash.
"You guys are idiots," Ryo says, the bass of his voice soothing to Yamapi's tired brain.
He's just glad he can walk around naked again.
“Man-hug?” Koyama asks hopefully when Shige drops onto his couch, and laughs when Shige scowls at him. “Clearly you didn’t invite him in, or you’d still be at home,” he adds with a leer.
“Yes, if you must know. He took me to dinner.” A slow, dopey grin spreads across Shige's face. “He was really sweet and totally nervous.”
“Ah. But... not interested in getting into your pants...”
Shige frowns.
“I mean... this is Jin, we’re talking about, Shige. The man who humps anything that moves.”
“Hey!” Shige protests. “He’s not really like that. Not really,” he adds quietly, but not without looking away, because if he admits it to himself, that thought had already occurred to him too.
“Well,” Koyama says slowly, puzzing it out. “Maybe this just means he knows Shige is as special as I know Shige is and he wants to take it slow. Maybe he respects you.”
Shige snorts. “If he ‘respects’ me like you do, I’ll never get laid, I guess.” And then scrambles off Koyama’s couch, laughing, when Koyama comes toward him making kissy faces.
*
Day Twenty
"You're fucking kidding me," Jin says, staring open-mouthed at Ryo as they walk to the Jimusho together. "They're betting on when I'll break?"
"Don't people tell you anything anymore?" Ryo asks. "I wanted to tell you when I found out, but I didn't have a chance until now."
"Show me," Jin demands.
KAT-TUN look surprised to see their former A storm into their meeting room, rolling his eyes at their poor attempts to hide their obvious betting sheets. Taguchi even went as far as to block a very large chart with his body, and he couldn't hide a twig.
"Give it up, I know all about the bet," Jin says to them. "I can't believe you guys would do this to me. You should be ashamed of yourselves."
"We really didn't expect him to find out," Koki cracks, looking at Jin with genuinely apologetic eyes.
"We were so careful!" Kame adds, although Jin suspects that Kame's more angry at himself than guilty.
"Didn't expect who to find out?" Jin asks slowly.
Kame, Ueda, Koki, and Taguchi all glare at Nakamaru.
"I let it slip to Massu," Nakamaru admits. "I'm so sorry, Jin."
"Oh my god," Jin gasps. "Shige."
Ryo beats Jin to the NEWS room by a second, which is just enough time to hold Shige back when he lunges for Jin..
"Shige, I can explain," Jin begins.
Shige's struggling in Ryo's hold, and Koyama and Massu are glaring at him from either side. The only thing Jin is grateful for right now is that Yamapi's on a plane to Taiwan.
He forgets all about looking on the bright side when he sees Shige's face. "Yes, Jin, please explain how you led me to believe that you really liked me when you just wanted to use me to keep you from sleeping around?"
Jin swallows, because he can't really explain that. It's the truth. "That's how it started-"
"Akanishi-kun is really bad at this," Tegoshi comments smugly from the back of the room.
"I'm being honest!" Jin insists. "Shige, at first I felt that way, but then I got to know you and learned what a cool, fun person you are. I like being with you! When I'm with you, it's not about sex at all."
"Oh, thanks a lot," Shige says sarcastically. "That's just what a guy wants to hear from the guy he's supposedly dating."
"No, no, not like that," Jin says. He wants to kick himself right about now, although Koyama and Massu look like they'd jump to spare him the effort. "I just... I've never done it like this before, Shige. I always just hop into bed with people and skip the whole ~feelings~ part. That's why I took this vow, to take back control of my life and appreciate all of the little things that sex ruins for me. I had no idea the entire agency would place bets on me."
"I could care less about the stupid bet," Shige says. He's much calmer now, but his eyes are still sharp. "I would have bet against you too if, you know, I wasn't the one who's being screwed here - or not screwed, as it is."
"Shige, it's not like that," Jin tries again. "When I called you over to keep my mind off of sex, I never expected the exact opposite to happen."
Shige laughs. "Now Saint Akanishi wants a piece?"
"No!" Jin almost screams.
"You don't want me?" Shige asks, looking hurt.
"Yes, I mean, no." Jin brings his hands to his face, which is quickly heating up at saying these things in front of most of NEWS. "I do, okay, and I wanted to tell you the other day, but I didn't want you to think I was some kind of sex addict-"
"Aren't you?" Shige challenges. "Why else do you need to give it up to control yourself?"
Jin takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry I'm so fucked up. I really didn't expect to fall for you like this. Please forgive me. I'll make it up to you after this is all over, I promise."
"That's not good enough, Jin," Shige says evenly. "Maybe if you would have been honest with me to begin with, I may have taken this better. But you weren't, and now I'm humiliated and insulted and I think it would be better if we didn't see each other for awhile."
"But-"
"This vow is clearly important to you," Shige goes on, his face softening. "I don't want to be a complication. There's what, a week and a half left? Make it to the end and prove whatever it is that you're aiming to prove to yourself, and then maybe we can talk about being together. Maybe."
Jin shoves his hands in his pockets and nods. "Okay."
As he walks out of the building, he hears the frustrated yells and pleased squeals of his so-called friends changing their bets.
*
Day Twenty-Three
"You're pitiful," that annoying voice approaches him in the costume room. "Poor, poor solo Akanishi."
Jin doesn't look up from the row of fedoras. "What do you want, Tegoshi?"
"So curt." Jin gives in and looks over his shoulder, pausing at the way the youngest active member of NEWS strides confidently towards him in a dress and heels. "Why do you hate your penis, Jin-kun? Were you unloved as a child?"
"Spare me your psychobabble bullshit," Jin says, narrowing his eyes, but Tegoshi just laughs. "I don't need to defend myself to you."
"No, you don't," Tegoshi tells him, the curls of his wig bouncing as he grins. "Because you've already won."
Jin's been the victim of Tegoshi's manipulation too many times, but he can't help but be curious. "What do you mean?"
"You've proven all of us wrong!" Tegoshi exclaims. "Everyone thinks you'll make it now. And you know what happens when you make it, Jin?"
Jin shakes his head.
"Kusano keeps the money," Tegoshi says, pouting in a way that is not at all cute. Not at all. "And while he's promised to treat me to something yummy, that's not very fair for you."
"Since when do you care about what's fair for me?" Jin asks suspiciously. "What's in it for you? You bet on today, didn't you?"
Tegoshi reaches into his bra and pulls out a scroll of paper, unrolling it to show an old-fashioned contract. "I don't need money, so I've signed it all over to you. It's your vow - shouldn't you be the one rewarded for making it this far?"
"I only have a week left," Jin insists. "I don't need their money either."
"The quicker you do this, the quicker you get Shige back," Tegoshi tells him. "I shouldn't say this, but he's been looking at someone else lately. Someone who will give him what he wants."
"You're lying." Jin starts shaking in his stance. "You just want bragging rights, don't you? I-"
He stops short when Massu walks out from behind the feather boas, managing to look angry and awkward at the same time. In a suit. "Yuuya, I don't know about this."
"We talked about this, remember?" Tegoshi says sweetly, twirling Massu's tie with his fingers before sharply pulling him close. "We don’t want Jin hurting Shige, right?"
Jin gulps. Ties are his kink.
"But look at him," Massu goes on, his face reddening at Tegoshi's close proximity. "Before I just wanted him to suffer, but now I feel sorry for him."
Jin's about to protest, but then Tegoshi hops up to wrap his legs around Massu's waist, and Massu has to push him into the closest rack to stay balanced.
"It's okay, Buta," Tegoshi says fondly as he loops his arms around Massu's neck. "It'll be over in like two seconds."
And then they kiss, open-mouthed and slutty like every porn Jin has ever seen. It fucks with his head because Tegoshi makes a really convincing girl, but then Massu's hand slides up his thigh and it becomes very obvious that Tegoshi is definitely male - and it makes Jin even hotter.
"No, no, no, not the tongues," Jin says, warning bells going off in his head as he feels his body start to react without his permission. He's read about how men can come untouched if it's been long enough, and even after everything he's been through, that would be the most embarrassing way to end it.
So he runs. He shoves past the oblivious pair out into the hallway, where he pays no attention to the very obvious bulge in his pants as he races past the group meeting rooms, all of which conveniently have at least one member who points and laughs at him. He doesn't care about any of them. Even Taguchi, who raises an eyebrow in enticement as Jin passes by.
It's Ryo who pulls him into the bathroom and shoves him into the showers fully clothed. Jin never thought being doused with ice-cold water would be such a relief, even though he's shivering and teeth-chattering after a few very long minutes.
"I'm proud of you," Ryo finally says. "You may be stupid sometimes - a lot of times - but you are the most stubborn idiot I know."
Jin grins as he shakes his wet hair out of his face. "Thanks, Ryo-chan."
"I want you to make things right with Shige," Ryo tells him. "Because you're both stubborn idiots and I'm tired of hearing about it."
"He doesn't want to see me," Jin says dejectedly. "Tegoshi said he's found someone new-"
"Tegoshi is a lying whore," Ryo says bluntly. "Shige's done nothing but mope around for three days, and it's even worse because he's pretending he's not upset when he really is."
Even with most of his body numb from the cold water, Jin's heart aches. "There's only a week left. Wouldn't it be better just to wait until then?"
Ryo sighs. "The window of forgiveness is very small," he explains. "But suit yourself."
He leaves Jin to it then, and Jin stays under the water until he's positive that his junk has shrunken to half its original size. It's not until he reaches for Yamapi's stash of spare clothes that he remembers he's had his cell phone in his pocket this whole time, rushing to grab it and assess the damage.
There are several water spots on his display screen, but he can clearly see the one text message notification and the single line it brings up:
Just because we can't have sex doesn't mean we can't hang out.
His phone dies right after, but he couldn't be happier.
*
Day Twenty-Five
Jin probably stands outside the flower shop for half an hour. He knows the lady inside is staring at him nervously, but he can’t quite bring himself to go inside. Flowers are for when you’ve screwed up, right? But is that only with girls? He cocks his head to the side. Shige’s kind of a girl, he thinks.
Fuck it. He’ll bring flowers. It certainly can’t hurt.
Shige answers the door in jeans and a t-shirt, hair still damp and skin still flushed from the bath, and Jin has to bite his lip to keep from saying any number of the things going on in his brain right now, none of them safe. Instead, he thrusts the yellow camellias at Shige who raises an eyebrow and give him a wry half-smile as he takes them and leaves the door open when he turns around and heads into the kitchen. So Jin follows him.
“Thanks,” Jin says, finally breaking the silence as Shige finishes arranging the flowers.
“For what?”
“For being my friend anyway.” He can’t stop jiggling his knees, nervous energy and barely contained desire riding him hard.
The small smile Shige gives him makes his throat dry. “You make it easy, even if you’re an asshole sometimes.” He moves around so he’s standing next to Jin. “Shall we go?”
“Yeah,” Jin whispers.
Low-key is the theme for the night, and they hit up a pub for a laid-back dinner and talk music and travel and a million things that aren’t sex. It’s easy with all the people around them filling the room with white noise, someone playing darts and they can watch him when there’s a lull. But as the place empties, their conversation becomes stilted, tiptoeing around the subject they can’t bring up.
“Why is this so awkward?” Jin finally asks, exasperated.
“If I told you not to think about whales, what would you think about?” Shige asks, smiling.
“...sex.”
It works like a charm, Shige’s unintentional icebreaker loosening their tongues, and they chat easily all the way home, though Jin’s still wound tight with a manic energy he hasn’t been able to get rid of for three weeks, but Shige doesn’t mention it.
“Come in?” Shige asks Jin quietly, leaning back against the door frame casually. “I won’t take advantage of you, I promise,” he says with a smile when Jin hesitates.
“Okay.”
They’re settled on the floor, Shige idly fingering the flowers Jin had brought where they sit on the coffee table, Jin tapping his fingers ceaselessly against his thighs. “Tell me about it, again,” Shige says calmly.
“About what?” Jin scratches his ear and tries to look Shige in the eyes.
“The vow. Why you took it. Why you really did it.”
“Like I said. I needed to take a step back. I just...” Jin blushes. What he’s about to say is definitely on the list of things you never say to someone you’re dating. “I just, had no connection anymore. I was just fucking people. They didn’t mean anything to me. I thought it was okay to just mess around, you know? With people I didn’t care about. I didn’t want to be... hurt again.” He drops his head into his hands. “This is so stupid, I know.”
“No. No, I get it. It’s really easy to confuse physical attraction with a real connection and if you get stuck in that loop...” Shige trails off. “Well, I can see why you might have made this choice.” He pulls one of the flowers out of the arrangement, plays it between his hands.
“Yeah. It’s hard to tell sometimes,” Jin agrees, watching Shige’s fingers and clenching his own together in his lap. “But... I feel like I’m finally getting my bearings back. And I really. I really want it to be with you.”
He watches, rapt, as Shige extends the camellia toward him, shudders when he drags it across sensitive skin between his forefinger and thumb.
“Is this okay?” Shige whispers, looking up at him with dark eyes.
Jin swallows, shaking now. “I-I’ll let you be the judge of that.”
“I’m thinking it’s okay,” Shige says, voice low.
“I’m thinking it’s okay too,” he agrees quickly.
All the blood that powers his brain has gone south or spread across his skin in a blush that probably matches Shige’s and god he was so wrong when he ever thought the younger man was ever anything short of beautiful. Shige drags the flower across Jin’s lips in a pseudo-kiss, watching Jin’s eyes with his mouth open as he breathes heavily. The air gets caught in Jin's throat when Shige lowers the flower, but thankfully he bypasses Jin's collarbone and most of his chest, poking at the hem of Jin's shirt and moves to lift it up until the stem starts to bend.
"This probably isn't allowed," Shige whispers. "But I want this off."
"It's allowed," Jin says quickly, nearly elbowing himself in the face as he pulls off the V-neck. "It's very allowed."
Shige breaks into a grin, splitting his flushed face and calming Jin considerably. He rests the flower on his lap as he pulls off his own shirt, the flush spreading down his chest and telling Jin how aroused he is without looking down. This just makes Jin look anyway, eyes widening at the defined bump in his jeans, and Shige steals back his attention and his breath by sweeping the soft petal across both of Jin's nipples.
"I studied law," Shige says with a smirk. "I know all about loopholes to get around rules."
Jin can’t take it anymore, slips the flower from Shige’s fingers and presses him down to the floor to run it across Shige’s lips too, down the side of his neck, across a pebbled nipple so dark against his pale skin. He sways it along his stomach and down, pausing at the waistband of Shige's pants while seriously contemplating taking them off. It's okay if it's not him...
Shige appears to have the same conundrum judging by the way his hands drop to the button of his fly and abruptly stop. Jin looks up to see the heat in his eyes, asking permission to take this final step and even though his boxers would still be on, this feels more intimate than anything Jin's done completely naked.
Jin gives a short, shaky nod, and Shige's jeans are shoved down his legs and kicked away within seconds. His mind is oddly clear, very aware that there will be no satisfaction for him and therefore he doesn't need to rush through this. He can take his time to tease and watch Shige's body rock with want, until he tells him to stop.
The flower trails over Shige's abs and down his left hip, purposely avoiding the part that lifts to seek friction and going back up the other side. Shige makes a whiny noise and it has Jin continuing to tease him until he's had enough, finally brushing over Shige’s erection straining against the silky fabric of his boxers and he’s gasping right along with him. He doesn’t think he’s wanted anything so much in his life as to follow the petals with his tongue, tease Shige until he’s moaning Jin’s name and begging him to take him.
He shakes his head against the thought and tries to focus. Plucks off a petal and moves it slowly down Shige’s chest with his breath alone, across his belly button, over his cock, again and again, Shige’s hands clutching convulsively against the blankets they’d pulled from his couch. And god. The noises he’s making. He wants to touch himself so badly and he thinks he’s going crazy with want.
Louder and louder, his groans dragging out impossibly long and low as Jin’s breath ghosts across his skin and Jin brings the flower up to rub over Shige’s balls, and the younger man lets out an explosive breath, keening wildly and gripping the blankets as he comes, darkening the fabric of his boxers and all Jin can do is stare.
“I wasn’t supposed to do that, was I?” Shige asks sheepishly, and he sounds drugged, voice so low and gravelly and Jin thinks he actually might orgasm just like that and ruin it all. “I’m sorry.”
Jin just shakes his head violently and clutches a pillow to himself, rocking back and forth a bit at he stares at Shige in wonder. “No no,” he says wildly when Shige closes his eyes. “Don’t sleep yet! Let’s talk. Talk about... that crappy French artist you like. Talk about how much Tegoshi annoys you! Shit... Shige.” But he’s already snoring lightly, blissful look on his face, and Jin thinks it’s actually pretty amazing anyway.
*
“A flower,” Koyama says, disbelief written across his face.
“A yellow camellia. It means ‘longing’, you know.”
“Your face is kind of gross right now, Shige. Sappy looks weird on you.”
“Shut up.”
Koyama just grins.
*
Day Twenty-Nine
"This is impossible," Jin says, pacing at top-speed behind Ryo's couch. "But I only have one more day. I can do it. I'm Akanishi fucking Jin. I'm invincible."
"Will you stop moving back and forth like a guard on crack?" Ryo snarks from the recliner. "You make me want to jerk off for you."
"At this point, I'd let you." Jin swallows hard. "This morning, Starbucks was sponsoring Hot Women Wearing No Bras day. I was surrounded by unrestrained breasts."
"Now you're hallucinating, nice." Ryo takes a sip of tea. "Go on. Were there Hung Men Going Commando in Loose Pants at work?"
"Worse," Jin replies. "There were Arashi."
Both of Ryo's eyebrows raise above his cup. "I sincerely hope you're not implying that anyone in Arashi is hung."
"Aiba's decent," Jin replies with a shrug, then fixes Ryo with an unimpressed look. "But you've probably noticed that I'm having a problem, um, keeping it down."
"I've been trying to ignore it," Ryo says. "Unsuccessfully."
"Yeah, well not everyone is as courteous as you," Jin says darkly. "MatsuJun spoke very loudly of my 'little friend' to the entire building, and in case anyone missed it, Nino basically paraded me around for everyone to see."
"And?" Ryo presses. "Didn't you have a meeting today with WMG and Derulo-san?"
Jin's face drops into his hands. "I got sent home."
"Sent home? The meeting was about you!"
"It wouldn't go down!" Jin hisses. "I thought it was, but it wasn't, and oh my god I can never face any of them again."
"Oh, they're all men. They understand." Ryo claps Jin on the back as he stands up. "Since this is your last night and you're not working tomorrow anyway, you should stay over and get so trashed that you can't even think about getting it up."
"You bet on today, didn't you?" Jin accuses him. "You're going to get me drunk and make me throw away everything I've worked hard and humiliated myself for and-"
He's cut off when Ryo slaps him in the back of the head. "Not everyone wants your cock, okay. Anyone else would take advantage of you, including your roommate. I'm doing you a favor, you ungrateful ass. And I would never place a bet on your sex life."
"Why not?" Jin asks, wincing as he rubs his head. "Everyone else did."
"Because I don't care," Ryo replies exasperatedly as he heads to the kitchen to grab some beers. "Let's talk about something else. Anything else. There are five thousand and one things I would rather talk about than where you are or are not sticking-"
"How did you know?" Jin asks suddenly.
Ryo's mouth falls shut as he tosses Jin a can before flopping back down into his chair and cracking open his own. "How did I know what?"
"That I was told to stay home tomorrow," Jin says slowly. "I didn't tell you that."
"Ah, well." Ryo scratches his head and actually looks sheepish. "Nino may have texted me about your hard day."
"And you just made me stand here and relive it." Jin takes a long swig of beer. "Asshole. You're all assholes."
"Oh, stop playing the victim card," Ryo tells him. "You brought this on yourself."
Jin sighs as he sinks down into the couch. "Yeah, but I'm going to make it. And be in complete control of myself from now on." He wiggles his eyebrows at Ryo. "And have a lot of sex with my boyfriend starting tomorrow at the stroke of midnight."
He laughs when Ryo makes a disgusted face. "Ugh, I do not want to hear about any of that."
"I wonder how we'll do it," Jin muses out loud, on purpose. "I probably won't last very long, so maybe we'll just fool around first. It only takes me about ten minutes to go again, so then we'll do the actual sexing."
"I hope you talk yourself right into coming in your pants," Ryo says. "Because my sleep will be filled with nightmares now."
"Aw, Ryo-chan." Jin's grin softens as he looks at his disgruntled friend. "One day you'll find someone who doesn't piss you off."
Ryo rolls his eyes. "Just shut up and drink."
They do. There are old movies on TV they've both seen a hundred times, with gratuitous action and violence and absolutely no sex. This is the first time Jin's really drank since this whole thing started, and it's not long before he's completely blitzed, his mind filled with memories of watching Shige come and thoughts like how there were entirely too many hours until tomorrow at midnight as the electrical outlet in the wall comes into focus.
He sees a spark, equates that with sex and stops his hand before it goes between his legs.
"I just fantasized about fucking your outlet," he says out loud.
"Drink more," Ryo instructs. "And don't ever put your junk in anything of mine."
By the time they get to the bottom of the case, Jin can't feel his lower half and considers this a big success. He just hopes his celebration isn't too premature.
*
Day Thirty
The sun is high in the sky when Jin wakes up with a raging headache and an equally as raging hard-on. He peeks at the time on his phone and all he can think is eight hours from now, this will all be over.
Of course, this means that he still has eight hours to go. Ryo's long-since gone, probably got up early and went to work like everyone else, leaving Jin to his own devices on Ryo's couch. And judging by his impressive morning wood, his own devices hadn't deceived him.
Jin already feels like a winner. He grins even as he takes the coldest possible shower, carefully gets dressed, and returns home. Yamapi's out of the country until tomorrow and Jin's been taking out his sexual frustration on their apartment, putting Kame to shame in the cleaning department. Even though it's already spotless, he manages to find other things to do.
He takes a picture of his bed and sends it to his mother, because he's pretty sure it's never been made that well in his entire life. It's not until he sends the message that he realizes it's kind of creepy to show your mother your silk sex sheets, but when he stops to think about it, he's pretty sure she bought them for him.
Your new boyfriend makes nice hospital corners, she replies, and he frowns at the implication until he hears a knock at the door.
"Just a second!" he calls out, grinning when he sees the familiar hat in the peep hole. It's still early, but Jin flings the door open happily. "Hey, baby."
But it's not Shige who slips past Jin into the apartment. "Oh, Jin, I really needed to hear that right now."
"Kame?" Jin says carefully. He wants to ask what his ex-bandmate/arch-nemesis/former fuck-buddy is doing here, but his concern for his old best friend wins out. "What's wrong?"
Kame leans forward on the counter and puts his head in his hands. "Just had a really shitty day. Thought you might want some company while you wait for midnight."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Jin says uneasily. "I'm not in a good place-"
"Don't you trust me?" Kame asks with a kind of indignant laugh. "You're too pitiful to be attractive right now, anyway. You have nothing to worry about."
Jin closes the door and goes to sit on the couch, but he's on edge. "Fine. Since you're here, you can make me something to eat."
Kame snorts. "I don't even have to open your refrigerator to know that you don't have anything I can cook. Order delivery and I'll pay."
"Deal."
Spending the evening with Kame works out surprisingly well. It kills time and Kame can be entertaining when he's not trying to be. He also keeps Jin from thinking about sex, which is odd because for the past couple years, that's all they did when they got together.
"Wow, it's late," Kame comments as he flips open his phone. "Midnight Madness starts soon, right?"
Jin pushes a button on his own phone and sees the clock flash 11:30pm. "Oh, shit. You should go."
"Jin," Kame says, and all of Jin's muscles tense because he's using that voice he uses when he's trying to get what he wants. "Why Kato?"
"Don't," Jin growls, pulling his knees to his chest as he turns to see Kame advancing on him. "Don't you dare fucking do this to me."
"Why not?" Kame asks casually. "This all started because of me, didn't it? It should only be natural that I'm the one to end it."
"How vain of you to think so." Jin slides out from under a prowling Kame and points to the door. "Leave."
Kame glances toward his crotch and laughs as he gets to his feet. "I think someone wants me to stay-"
"He doesn't make the decisions anymore," Jin says firmly, twisting his body out of Kame's reach. "Out."
Eyeing him oddly, Kame walks towards the door. Jin follows, ready to close the door behind him, but Kame spins around in the doorway.
"I just have to say," he says slowly, a little breathless, and Jin recognizes the look in his eyes. It's the same look he had before he punched Jin for the first time years ago. "Seeing you like this, standing up for yourself, taking control... It just... it makes me so..."
Jin lifts an eyebrow impatiently.
"It makes me so hot."
Kame reaches for Jin's waist and Jin quickly pushes the door between them.
"You can slam that door in my face all you want," Kame tells him, his voice low and sultry. "But I'll just be on the other side, getting even hotter."
"Kame -"
"Go ahead. Slam that door, Jin," Kame croons. "Slam that door in my dirty, dirty face."
Jin slams the door. He hears an affronted sound from the hallway and flips the deadbolt, busying himself with cleaning up the delivery boxes as he tries to forget what just happened and focuses on what is about to.
"I did it," he says out loud to no one, strolling down the hallway and facing the sex sheets that haven't been used in exactly a month. "Fuck me, I did it."
*
Shige unties and ties the belt of his trenchcoat for the third time in two minutes, and Koyama places his hands over Shige’s gently.
“I feel like a virgin again,” Shige says nervously, smiling a little, and Koyama laughs.
“It’ll be amazing. You’ll be amazing. Don’t worry. It’s just Jin.”
“Yeah,” Shige replies, grinning like an idiot suddenly. “Yeah, it is.”
Koyama swats him on the ass as he leaves.
*
Zero Hour
Right at midnight, there's a knock on the door. Slow but strong, which Jin hopes is a prelude for the rest of the evening. He's shaking as he reaches for the deadbolt, nervous and excited and so fucking aroused that he honestly thinks he'll explode the second Shige touches him.
"Sorry I don't have any flowers," Shige greets him, a small smile curling his lips as he steps inside.
Jin notices the trenchcoat and steps back, taking in the whole ensemble. "Are you dressed under that?" he asks.
Shige's expression turns knowing. "You're the exhibitionist here, not me." He pauses. "Although the thought crossed my mind."
He shucks the coat and Jin lets out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, feeling like Shige had just torn off all of his clothes, a big red bow on his junk. He's wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, just like the last time, and Jin swallows as he watches Shige's throat shine enticingly.
"I feel kind of weird," Shige confesses. "I've never had scheduled sex before. Kind of takes the thrill out of it."
Jin leads him into the living room and leans against the arm of the couch. "Yeah, I can see that. You probably haven't gone thirty days without any release."
"Yeah, I did it this morning, actually," Shige says sheepishly, his hand scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry."
Visions of Shige pleasuring himself flood Jin's mind, and he has to practically sit on his hands to keep from giving in to the cock that twitches in his pants. "That's hot."
"Yeah?" Shige questions, his tone turning predatory as he steps towards Jin. "You'd probably find anything hot right now."
"I kicked Kame out about a half hour ago," Jin spills in a rush. "He tried to... but he didn't. I didn't let him. I wanted you."
Shige's face falls void of any feeling, and Jin seriously thinks he fucked up until he's pushed back onto the couch with a warm, hard weight jumping on top of him.
"Okay," Shige tells him, in more of a breath than a voice. "Now I want to fuck you."
And he covers Jin's mouth with his own, kissing him for the very first time. Jin thinks all of his sensory nerves must be in his lips, because he's overcome with tingles and his entire attention-deprived body automatically curls towards Shige.
Shige slides his hands up Jin's shirt, fingers exploring the skin beneath, and Jin jerks when Shige bumps a nipple. His legs fall open and Shige slides between them, the hard mass in his pants rubbing against Jin's and Jin could cry from the relief he's finally getting.
"Shige," he gasps against Shige's lips. "There is absolutely no way I can wait any longer. Even just... this... oh god."
His body rocks in contrast with Shige's and Jin starts to throw his head back, unable to stop the tidal wave of indescribable feeling that crashes over him before he's taken to that higher place. He clutches onto Shige and shudders, riding on the high of his own moans, and Shige's mouth on his throat as he comes down makes it a little less embarrassing.
"I can't believe I just came in my pants like a teenager," Jin wheezes out, squirming uncomfortably but not wanting to let go of Shige to move.
When he opens his eyes, Shige's smirking at him. "Payback's a bitch."
Oh, Jin is going to enjoy dating this one.
*
"Welcome home, Pi!" a chorus of voices greet Yamapi as he walks through the front door.
He promptly pauses at the gang of people gathered around his living room, none of whom is his roommate. "I'm home," he says slowly. "What's with the sex music?"
Kusano thumbs towards Jin's room. "Bet ended at midnight. They've been banging for like fourteen hours now."
Ryo makes a face. "Can you not say it like that..."
"Oh, Ryo-chan," Koyama says from next to him. "Don't be such a prude."
"Yeah," Nakamaru agrees, reaching around Massu for his drink. "Sex is a natural part of life."
"He actually made it," Yamapi thinks out loud, dropping his bags and walking towards Jin's closed door that thumped with bass. "Congratulations, Jin! How's it feel to take back control of your dick?"
"Hey, welcome home!" Jin calls back from inside his room. "It feels gre-ohhhh."
Yamapi makes a face at the obscene noise. "We'll talk later."
He's exhausted from his flight, not bothering to move his bags or change his clothes before flopping down onto the couch and lounging on the closest person. He can tell it's Ryo because of the way he tenses, which makes Yamapi laugh sleepily.
"There's no way they've been at it for fourteen hours," Taguchi says skeptically as he whoops Ohkura's ass in Dead Rising (probably because Ohkura is using one hand to eat a bagel). "Jin's dick would have fallen off by now."
"There's no way Jin's topping," Koki comments from where he's sharing headphones with Tegoshi.
"Point," Taguchi says. "Still, Kato's dick would have fallen off by now."
Kusano reaches for his phone. "Want to bet?"
"What, that Kato's dick will fall off?" Taguchi asks, then shrugs. "Sure."
The other KAT-TUN members start throwing in money, and even Koyama is considering his cash.
"You guys are idiots," Ryo says, the bass of his voice soothing to Yamapi's tired brain.
He's just glad he can walk around naked again.