FIC FOR SCORCH66
For: scorch66
From: krysyuy
Title: More the Same
Pairings/Characters: KAT-TUN, Gen
Rating: G
Warnings: Fluffy fluff fluff (FWP? Fluff w/o plot?)
Notes: Thanks to my beta for everything and all the encouragement! scorch66, I hope this fic makes you smile. ♥
Summary: After a trip to the mountains, Kame and Koki have to deal with three small problems.
Kame appreciates Suzuki because, aside from creative promotion, the car company takes them to a mountain location just for a commercial shoot. It’s like a small vacation. The crew only needs them for the daylight hours and then they’re free to do whatever they want at night. He and the others explore the small town and have dinner together, but then Kame breaks away from the group to try out the hot springs. Koki joins him soon after and the two sit around making small talk. When they return to the large tatami room they all share, they’re both surprised to find their bandmates tucked away in their futons, sound asleep.
“Weird,” Koki says. “I for sure thought Taguchi would pester us all night with ghost stories.”
“Well, don’t wake him up,” Kame replies in a hushed voice. He gets under his own quilted bedcover. “Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Something bugs Kame about the arrangement of the others’ futons, but he brushes it off. He only faintly hears Koki’s whispered agreement as the exhaustion from the day settles in and takes him off to sleep.
It can’t be more than an hour or so later when Kame wakes to the feeling of something squirming under his blanket. Going still, he lifts up the covering slowly. A boy, no more than five or six years old, snuggles against his body.
Kame relaxes, though now there’s a whole other bunch of questions cropping up in his head. He doesn’t remember seeing any families at the inn. He shakes the boy’s shoulder gently. “Hey. You’re in the wrong room, buddy. Your parents must be missing you.”
A pair of eyes blinks up at him sleepily from under a messy fringe of black hair.
“What’s your name?” Kame asks.
The boy groans and rubs his eyes. “Jun… nosuke.”
“What?”
“Junnosuke.”
Kame looks around the dark room, the only light coming from a small lamp in the corner. “Haha, very funny, Taguchi,” he says. “Joke’s over.”
“… Kame?” Koki’s voice drifts over. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but Taguchi’s an idiot,” Kame says, getting up.
Koki shifts around. “Nothing new then? ‘m goin’ back to sleep.”
Kame turns on the light, illuminating the whole room. The first thing he sees is Taguchi’s empty futon and the mess of blankets leading to his own spot. The little boy frowns at him, still drowsy, and buries himself under the comforter. It’s enough time, however, for Kame to get a proper look at his very familiar face.
“Koki.” Face frozen, Kame doesn’t take his eyes off the pile of blankets. He very quietly makes his way across the room and kicks Koki’s body. “Koki!”
“What?” Koki props himself up with one hand, using the other to drag through his hair. “Kame, I love you and all, but can we beat up Taguchi at a decent hour?”
Kame points at his futon. “Look.”
Koki looks over. “Did he crawl into your bed?” he asks, hanging his head.
“Umm… technically?” he replies. Koki gets to his feet and heads to his futon before Kame can stop him. “Hold on -”
“Taguchi, get out -” Koki whips the comforter off. “… of there.”
Arms around his knees but with his eyes stubbornly closed, the little boy rolls over, giving them a perfect view of his young face.
Koki stumbles back to where Kame is standing. “That’s- that’s -”
Kame grips Koki’s shoulders. “I know.”
“Excuse me, but I’m trying to sleep here,” a high-pitched voice chips in, irritated.
Their heads turn slowly in the direction of the two remaining futons. Two other boys sit up, both in pajamas much too large for their small frame.
“Holyyyyyyyy crap.”
-
Kame and Koki sit cross-legged across from three grumpy little boys, all none too happy about being woken up in the middle of the night. While much, much younger, their features are unmistakable. Their faces are a little fuller, their hair all spiky black and short. Taguchi seems to be about five or six, while Ueda and Nakamaru are taller, maybe six or seven.
Staring at one face, then another, Kame realizes what had been bugging him earlier. The shapes underneath the blankets had been smaller than his bandmates’ frames. “I’ve finally lost it,” Kame murmurs. “All my work has fried my brain.”
“What are we supposed to do with them?” Koki says.
Ueda whispers into Nakamaru’s ear. Nakamaru crosses his arms. “Who are you guys?” he asks in that same high-pitched voice. “What’d you wake us up for?”
“You don’t remember us?” Kame replies. When they merely blink at him - well, two of them; Taguchi is already half-snoozing on Nakamaru’s shoulder - he says, “I’m Kame.”
They turn as one towards Koki. “Creepy,” Koki says under his breath. He nods at them. “I’m Koki. We’re just trying to figure something out.”
The suspicion in Nakamaru’s gaze abates somewhat. “I’m Yuichi,” he says. He stands up and the pajama pants are big enough that he just steps out of them. Without missing a beat, he crosses over to them to hold out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Koki shakes Nakamaru’s small hand, trying not to laugh.
Kame has the same problem when he accepts Nakamaru’s hand next. “We know. You’re Nakamaru Yuichi,” he says.
“No.” Nakamaru shakes his head. “I’m just Yuichi.” He points at Ueda, who is now serving as Taguchi’s sitting pillow. “That’s Tatsuya.”
“Yeah,” Koki says slowly. “Ueda Tatsuya.”
Ueda frowns. “Tatsuya.” He pets Taguchi’s hair. “Junnosuke.”
“Okay, Tacchan,” Koki says. He nods at Nakamaru, then Taguchi. “Yucchi. Junno.”
“It’s all right if we call you that?” Kame asks.
Nakamaru considers it thoughtfully. “I guess.” He plops back down. “Can we go to sleep now?”
“Umm, sure,” Kame says. He pushes two of the futons together and helps the three of them settle down under the covers. They’re fast asleep again soon enough.
Kame and Koki relocate to the furthest corner of the room. “What the hel-” Kame glances at the sleeping bodies. “- heck happened when I left you guys?”
“We were just walking around.” Koki shrugs. “But I bailed when Taguchi spotted a fortune teller.”
Kame remembers a tiny corner shop down an alley, a handwritten sign in the window the only indication of what the establishment was. “The one by the restaurant?”
“You don’t think…”
“It’s only eleven. There’s a chance it’s still open at this time,” Kame says. “Aren’t all mystic sort of places?”
Koki snorts. “In this small town?”
“It’s better than doing nothing.” Kame digs through his bag for his clothes. “You stay here and watch the kids.”
Koki wiggles his fingers at him. “Sure thing, honey. Don’t forget to buy milk.”
-
The shop is smaller than Kame previously thought, the shelves on the walls covered with all sorts of knickknacks. The old lady who lets him in is the sweet, grandmotherly type. She offers him a cup of tea.
“No thank you, ma’am,” Kame says politely. “I’m sorry to bother you so late at night.”
“Not to worry, not to worry,” she says with a wave of her hand. “I’m quite the night owl, you know. Today has been a strange day indeed. So many handsome young men visiting me today.”
Kame scrolls through the pictures in his phone and holds up one with the five of them smiling in the restaurant they went to that night. “These young men?” he asks.
“Not the fierce looking one with the hat and glasses,” she says, “but the other three, yes. They had such bright fortunes.” She peers up at him. “Did something happen?”
“Well…” Kame debates whether or not to let an outsider know what’s going on. The probability that she may have answers tips the scale. “This is what they look like now.” He shows her a picture he snapped of his sleeping bandmates.
“Oh dear, not again.”
Only years of perfecting his control keeps Kame’s jaw from dropping open. “This has happened before?”
“My niece must have served them the wrong concoction,” she says, shaking her head. “That girl, always with her head in the clouds.”
“Is there…” Kame feels ridiculous even asking. “… a cure?”
The fortune-teller putters around her shop, checking various jars with different powders and herbs. “The effects usually wear off in a few days or so,” she says.
Not so bad. “A few days?”
She looks like she’s trying very hard to recall the details. “Or maybe a week.”
Kame feels a headache coming on. “They didn’t seem to recognize my friend and I when they woke up.”
“Oh yes, there may be some memory loss,” she says, “but it’s a good thing they saw friendly faces first…”
Later, when Kame relays the information to Koki, his bandmate’s jaw does drop open. “So basically, they imprinted on us,” he says. “Like baby ducks?”
Kame nods. “We can’t hide them away with their families because they won’t know who they are,” he says. “And the less people who know about this, the better.”
Koki massages his temples. “We need to wake up Yamamoto-san.”
Their manager takes one look at them and gets Johnny on the phone despite the midnight hour. After a quick, muted conversation, Yamamoto whisks them away onto the bus. It’s still dark out and no one else is awake, which makes it easy to conceal the fact that, while they came as five idols, they’re leaving as two idols and three children.
Kame and Koki sit side by side while their small bandmates are slumped together, conked out on the backseat.
“A few days, huh?” Koki cranes his neck to look back at them. “What are we supposed to do until then?”
Kame already knows even though their manager has yet to say anything to them.
“Babysit.”
-
Kame has to deal with a Going! filming location that day, so Koki takes the kids first. Kame tries not to worry when he and Yamamoto-san drop the group off at Koki’s apartment. He also has to remind their manager to make arrangements for Nakamaru’s and Ueda’s pets. When the sun is out and the rest of Tokyo is awake, he clears his schedule for the week as much as possible. Koki doesn’t contact him at all during the day, so when Kame finishes filming, he can’t get to Koki’s fast enough. But not before also making a stop at his parents’ house.
Later that night Koki lets him in, a bit disheveled, but none the worse for wear. A blur of energy nearly knocks Kame over, but he manages to steady himself.
Junno clings to his knee. “Kame!” he says, voice at a higher octave than Kame is used to. “Hi!”
“Hey there,” Kame says. Junno doesn’t budge so Kame walks to the living room with him still attached to his leg.
Sakura and Rai are the only ones out of Koki’s many pets outside their cages. They circle and weave around Yuichi and Tatsuya, who wave toys and play with them.
Kame notices the boys are wearing properly sized clothes. Looking at Koki, he asks, “Did you raid your parents’ too?” He gestures to his sports duffle and tosses it out of the way.
“Yeah, after Yamamoto-san dropped off some of his kids’ clothes. I was in and out,” Koki replies. “Though I managed to snag some of my mom’s rice cakes too.” He comes out of the kitchen with a tray of said treats. “Guys? Don’t you want to say hi to Kame?”
Yuichi stands and Tatsuya follows his lead. “Hi.”
The dogs still make a fuss, barking and yapping at their heels. “Sakura,” Koki says sternly. “Rai.”
The toy poodle and pinscher ignore their master, too fascinated by the new children wanting to play with them. When they jump on Tatsuya’s legs, he looks down at each of them. “Sit,” he says.
They sit.
Tatsuya makes a lowering motion with his hand. “Down.”
They lie down.
Kame and Koki look on in amazement as Tatsuya rewards the dogs with a good scratch behind the ears. “Traitors,” Koki mutters.
Junno squats down in front of Kame’s sports duffle, tracing the letters. “Ka-zu-ya.” He tilts his head to the side. “Kazuya?”
Kame takes a bite out of a chewy rice cake. “That’s my name.”
“You said your name was Kame,” Yuichi says, narrowing his eyes.
“It is,” he replies. Kame ruffles Yuichi’s hair, and the young boy’s lips thin to a straight line. “Kamenashi Kazuya.”
“Kazuya!” Junno beams. In this state, his cheeks are a lot chubbier. “I like it.” His attention strays to the fennec fox gnawing at her cage bars and he goes over to talk to her.
When Koki sidles up to him, Kame comments quietly, “Looks like it wasn’t too bad.”
“They’re actually pretty well-behaved,” Koki replies. “But I’m not sure if they should stay here. They kinda rile up my kids and vice versa even when they should be resting.”
With how many pets Koki has, Kame can only imagine. “They can stay at my place,” he says. “Ran and Gerie won’t be a problem.” He slings an arm around Koki’s shoulder, chuckling as he watches their three bandmates squabble amidst the barks, yips and whines.
“What?”
“I was just thinking…” He grins. “I’m finally taller than Taguchi.”
-
Yamamoto-san reschedules all group work for the following week. It’s the first time Kame is thankful that they don’t have a regular variety program. Shuuichi is also notified that Nakamaru is sick, just in case, though Kame hopes they’ll be back to normal by the weekend.
He lets the three rug rats loose in his apartment. Ran and Gerie go crazy with their new playmates. Tatsuya manages to work his magic on them too in a matter of hours. Kame doesn’t question it. Ueda always did have his own special way with things.
Kame has them share his bed while he takes the couch. But he does wake up in the middle of the night to find Junno burrowing in his side. He waits until his small bandmate falls asleep before he tucks him in again with the others. They’re all so adorable that Kame can no longer resist the urge to snap another picture of them.
He spends the week in and out of his apartment, making sure Koki’s there when he can’t be. They only risk taking the kids out to a nearby neighborhood park away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded streets. Junno runs wild on the jungle gym. Kame is actually afraid he’ll hurt himself, though Yuichi quickly puts a stop to any nonsense. He organizes a game of hide-and-go-seek instead, and then a much more thrilling game of cops and robbers. Kame is cast in his first villainous role, and he finds himself enjoying it immensely. It’s weird having to literally look down on three of his bandmates, but at the same time, it’s a rather fun novelty.
A majority of the time is spent finding ways to amuse themselves in Kame’s home - games, movies, etc. Kame even reads to them from the books he keeps around for his niece. Tatsuya surprises him one morning by unearthing his keyboard and playing simple nursery rhymes. Yuichi even attempts what Kame assumes is beatboxing, but actually sounds like wet puffs of air. Kame makes sure to record that too.
When the kids are put to bed, he and Koki typically share a glass of wine with their feet propped up. “Aren’t you glad we weren’t the ones who drank that stuff?” he asks.
“The others should be glad,” Koki replies. “I was a terror at that age.”
Kame sticks out his tongue. “Speak for yourself.”
-
Koki waves two plastic bags of take-out when Kame answers the door. “Picked up dinner,” he says. “What are the kids up to?”
Kame leads the way to the kitchen. “Playing video games.”
“Ah, parenthood,” Koki comments wryly. He drops the bags on the counter. The music coming from the living room gets a little louder. “Isn’t that…”
They round the corner just in time to see the quaint bit of choreography from an old Music Station Super Live where Koki gets down on his knees in front of Kame. Koki dives for the DVD player while Kame runs and holds his hands out to block their view of the She Said performance.
“Hey!”
“That was the good part!” Yuichi throws a pillow that hits Koki on the butt.
Koki turns off the player and darts around the coffee table. Yuichi scrambles off the couch, running around the room as Koki chases him. Koki finally snags him by his sleeve, reels him in and gives him a noogie. Junno ignores all the mayhem happily as he chats with Tatsuya.
“Those guys were really cool,” Junno says.
Tatsuya shrugs. “Guess so.”
Junno hops up to Kame and tugs his pants. “Can’t we watch some more?”
“How about I put on some Detective Conan instead?” Kame suggests. He pulls out the discs from the entertainment unit, but not before handing off all the KAT-TUN DVDs and burned performance discs to Koki. “Brand new, bought them last week.”
Junno reacts like Kame just offered him a mountain of candy. “Yay, Conan!” He parks himself right in front of the television screen.
Yuichi, having been freed from Koki’s clutches, grabs Junno by the back of his T-shirt and drags him to the couch. “Don’t mess up your eyes,” he says in a no-nonsense tone.
With the boys’ attention focused elsewhere, Kame has Koki place all the KAT-TUN discs on a shelf in the closet.
“We’re so not kid-friendly.”
-
Junno spins around and around on Kame’s office chair. “I’m boreddd,” he says, head propped up by his hand.
Tatsuya hangs upside down on the couch, Ran and Gerie lapping at his face. “Bored.”
“Can’t we go somewhere fun?” Yuichi asks.
Koki cleans up the toys scattered around the living room. “Tired of video games already?” he asks absentmindedly.
“We need sunshine!” Yuichi retorts. “Kids like us need a healthy amount of exercise, you know.”
“Yeah, okay.” Koki lobs the remote at him. “Now watch some TV.”
“No, it’s time to eat,” Kame interjects. He places three plates of pasta on the kitchen counter. “Come and get it.”
The three kids race for the barstools and dig in while Kame joins Koki in the living room. “We can’t take them out beyond the park. We’ll be recognized,” Kame whispers. “And if we’re with them, people are going to be more likely to connect the dots. Without us, they’re just normal kids. With us, they’re kids that look an awful lot like certain KAT-TUN members- oh, wait.”
Koki idly browses through Kame’s DVD collection when one title in particular catches his eye. “Or…”
Kame doesn’t like the scheming look on his face. “Do I even want to know?”
Koki tries his best to look innocent. “It’ll be painless, I promise.”
-
The next day, early morning, Kame finds himself sitting on a stool in his bathroom as his bandmate applies eyeshadow and eyeliner on him. “How did I let you convince me to do this?” he asks.
“You’re a pushover,” Koki says flippantly. He dodges Kame’s kick to the knee. “Hey, we’re just taking a page out of the Yamanade handbook.”
Koki had already put on his own makeup and was nearly transformed. The wig is the remaining touch. Dressing the part would come after, though Kame put his foot down when Koki mentioned Lolita fashion - “The idea is to be less conspicuous” - instead opting for something simpler. Either a dress or a skirt, he’s not picky as long as there is no lace or fripperies.
A creak of the door announces the entrance of one of the kids. “Whatcha doin’?” Junno asks, rubbing his eyes.
“Putting on makeup,” Kame answers casually. He studies his reflection in the mirror, frowning at the smoky-eyed look Koki had given him. Koki shrugs, grinning, and puts on the last minute touches with mascara and a light hint of blush.
Junno places his hands on Kame’s knee, trying to push himself up to see the progress. “How come?”
“So Kame-chan and I can take you kiddos to -” Koki does a little drum roll with the ends of two makeup brushes. “- Disneyland!”
Junno squeals. “Really? Really, really, really?”
Kame taps him on the chin. “Why don’t you wake up the others?”
Junno sprints to the next room, which is quickly followed by enraged, then excited shouts. Yuichi and Tatsuya rush into the bathroom. Their eager faces fade into horrified confusion at the state of their caretakers.
“No way you’re doing that to me!” Yuichi exclaims. He shakes his head so fast that Kame expects it to pop off.
Tatsuya wrinkles his nose at the floral print dress hanging off the top of the shower door. Kame thinks it says a lot that the kids don’t really question what they’re doing. Some part of them still remembers and is too used to being a Johnny’s idol.
“Why? You’re pretty enough,” Kame teases. He brandishes the mascara brush, laughing when Yuichi pushes Junno in front of him like a sacrifice.
Fearless, Junno bounces over and peers at the contents laid out on the counter. “Can I put on the lipstick?” he asks.
“Knock yourself out, short stuff,” Koki says. He arranges a wavy, shoulder-length dark brown wig on Kame’s head.
Junno chooses the brightest red shade and pulls on Kame’s shirt until Kame leans down to his level. He uncaps the tube and his eyebrows scrunch in concentration as he paints Kame’s lips. Tatsuya and Yuichi creep onto either side of him, watching.
“You colored outside the lines,” Yuichi says, clucking his tongue.
Koki glances at him, swallowing his chuckle, and passes off a hand mirror. Kame checks his reflection and sees that Junno indeed painted outside his mouth. Not his best look. Junno beams at him proudly.
Kame pats each of them on the head. “Go get dressed,” he says, “or you guys are next.”
Yuichi and Tatsuya immediately leave, but Junno lingers until Koki gives him a soft kick to his behind.
Kame grabs a tissue and fixes his lipstick. “I don’t think he has a future as a stylist,” he comments.
“We know what his future is,” Koki says with a fluff of his long black wig. Kame had to talk him down from a blond shade, again citing the reason of not wanting to stand out.
“The week is nearly up. I don’t know if I remember what they look like,” Kame quips.
“We’ll find out soon enough.” Koki tosses a conspiratorial look his way. “Let’s just be sure to take lots of pictures to blackmail them with later.”
With his lipstick ruby red and now perfectly applied, Kame blows him a kiss in the reflection. “Of course.”
-
Kame decides on a white and pink blouse and skirt combination, going for a girl-next-door look, while Koki chooses a short yellow dress. To stay under the radar, Kame and Koki add cute hats to their ensemble, easy for hiding their faces under. They also wear cough masks generally worn when someone is feeling under the weather as an added precaution. The illusion is complete and they’re just two women taking kids out for a day of fun at the happiest place on Earth. The freedom is actually a bit exhilarating.
Junno begs them to meet the characters. Yuichi and Tatsuya roll their eyes, but are oddly hyper when they see Mickey and accept the mouse’s big hug. They allow themselves to be dragged to meet a few more characters, including a princess or two, before they pull Junno to all the rides. They start with the exciting rides first, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the top of the list. When they blow past the Disney cast members in charge of the lines, Kame and Koki have to call them back so their heights can be checked.
After that, it’s off to Fantasyland for a ride in the sky on Dumbo and then through the diamond mines of the seven dwarves. Koki is the one who has to convince the kids to go on Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and he’s more excited than all of them combined. Yuichi and Junno shut their eyes and cover their ears when they go through the Haunted Mansion, while Tatsuya looks on with cool disinterest.
They take a few breaks in between but aren’t even tired by mid-afternoon, so they tackle Westernland next, then Adventureland and Toontown. Kame and Koki buy the kids mickey ears and tiny wizard hat hair clips for themselves. During all this, Kame is taking pictures with his trusted Canon camera. It’s enough for a few scrapbooks’ worth and Kame is totally going to have a blast going through them later.
The kids make it all the way until the fireworks spectacular, but then are so completely wiped out by the end that Kame and Koki have to carry them to the car. Being the oldest, Yuichi holds onto Kame’s hand sleepily but he’s also out once he’s buckled in his seat. While Koki drives, Kame snaps a few more pictures of the three in the back. Just because.
After putting their bandmates to bed and ridding themselves of makeup and female garments, Kame and Koki collapse on the sofa. Kame takes the throw off the back and flings it over the both of them. They each take one end of the couch, stretching out on it. Kame jabs Koki with his elbow when Koki feigns tickling his feet.
“Why does it feel like we’re sharing custody?” Koki asks.
Kame nestles in the cushions, taking as much space as he can, and murmurs, “Be glad I’m not suing for child support.”
-
A shriek startles Kame and Koki awake. Throwing off the blanket, they come running to the bedroom, nearly falling over each other through the doorway. Nakamaru stares at them wide-eyed from the bed, mickey ears still on his head with Taguchi and Ueda wrapped around his body on either side. They’re fully grown and suddenly taking up a lot more space on Kame’s king-sized bed.
Nakamaru tries moving but can’t budge from his position. “I did not sign up for this,” he says.
“Shh… too loud,” Taguchi whispers, reaching up blindly to smother Nakamaru’s mouth. He rests his head in the crook of his bandmate’s neck.
“Ueda, how are you okay with this?”
Ueda cracks open one eye, sees Nakamaru looking at him, and promptly turns over, taking the comforter with him. Taguchi shivers and curls in closer.
Nakamaru looks at his other bandmates pitifully. “Help me,” he mouths.
Kame and Koki exchange looks. Then pounce on the bed, turning it into a pile of flailing limbs.
“What are you doing?” Nakamaru squawks.
“Some people are trying to sleep,” Ueda growls. “Being a kid again was exhausting, thank you very much.”
Koki squeezes his body between Ueda and Nakamaru, hugging them with both arms. “We’re so glad you guys are back to normal,” he says.
“Even though you were much cuter before,” Kame says. He pinches Taguchi’s cheek and laughs as Taguchi giggles groggily and bats his hand away.
Nakamaru shifts again to no avail. “I think it’s time to go home.”
Koki stretches out against him, making himself comfortable. “Just go to sleep, Yucchi,” he says, voice placating.
“But -”
“Sleep.”
Nakamaru sighs, but settles down. Kame spoons against Taguchi’s back, while Koki claims a portion of the blanket from Ueda and hands the end to Kame. He tugs and tugs until it covers all of them and Ueda mutters under his breath about troublesome group members. Nakamaru remains sandwiched between the four of them with a resigned expression, but Kame smiles when Nakamaru pats Taguchi’s head after their taller bandmate tucks himself under Nakamaru’s chin.
Kame reaches over to ruffle his hair, laughing when Nakamaru’s put out look reminds him of Yuichi’s expression exactly. “You love us,” he says.
“Shut up.” Nakamaru sighs, giving him an exasperated look. “You do too.”
Kame has a perfect view of his four friends, bundled together and completely at ease. Even though three of them went through a temporary bizarre transformation, it was really more of the same thing that just further endeared them to him. He grins and snuggles closer.
“Hell yeah.”
From: krysyuy
Title: More the Same
Pairings/Characters: KAT-TUN, Gen
Rating: G
Warnings: Fluffy fluff fluff (FWP? Fluff w/o plot?)
Notes: Thanks to my beta for everything and all the encouragement! scorch66, I hope this fic makes you smile. ♥
Summary: After a trip to the mountains, Kame and Koki have to deal with three small problems.
Kame appreciates Suzuki because, aside from creative promotion, the car company takes them to a mountain location just for a commercial shoot. It’s like a small vacation. The crew only needs them for the daylight hours and then they’re free to do whatever they want at night. He and the others explore the small town and have dinner together, but then Kame breaks away from the group to try out the hot springs. Koki joins him soon after and the two sit around making small talk. When they return to the large tatami room they all share, they’re both surprised to find their bandmates tucked away in their futons, sound asleep.
“Weird,” Koki says. “I for sure thought Taguchi would pester us all night with ghost stories.”
“Well, don’t wake him up,” Kame replies in a hushed voice. He gets under his own quilted bedcover. “Let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth.”
Something bugs Kame about the arrangement of the others’ futons, but he brushes it off. He only faintly hears Koki’s whispered agreement as the exhaustion from the day settles in and takes him off to sleep.
It can’t be more than an hour or so later when Kame wakes to the feeling of something squirming under his blanket. Going still, he lifts up the covering slowly. A boy, no more than five or six years old, snuggles against his body.
Kame relaxes, though now there’s a whole other bunch of questions cropping up in his head. He doesn’t remember seeing any families at the inn. He shakes the boy’s shoulder gently. “Hey. You’re in the wrong room, buddy. Your parents must be missing you.”
A pair of eyes blinks up at him sleepily from under a messy fringe of black hair.
“What’s your name?” Kame asks.
The boy groans and rubs his eyes. “Jun… nosuke.”
“What?”
“Junnosuke.”
Kame looks around the dark room, the only light coming from a small lamp in the corner. “Haha, very funny, Taguchi,” he says. “Joke’s over.”
“… Kame?” Koki’s voice drifts over. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know, but Taguchi’s an idiot,” Kame says, getting up.
Koki shifts around. “Nothing new then? ‘m goin’ back to sleep.”
Kame turns on the light, illuminating the whole room. The first thing he sees is Taguchi’s empty futon and the mess of blankets leading to his own spot. The little boy frowns at him, still drowsy, and buries himself under the comforter. It’s enough time, however, for Kame to get a proper look at his very familiar face.
“Koki.” Face frozen, Kame doesn’t take his eyes off the pile of blankets. He very quietly makes his way across the room and kicks Koki’s body. “Koki!”
“What?” Koki props himself up with one hand, using the other to drag through his hair. “Kame, I love you and all, but can we beat up Taguchi at a decent hour?”
Kame points at his futon. “Look.”
Koki looks over. “Did he crawl into your bed?” he asks, hanging his head.
“Umm… technically?” he replies. Koki gets to his feet and heads to his futon before Kame can stop him. “Hold on -”
“Taguchi, get out -” Koki whips the comforter off. “… of there.”
Arms around his knees but with his eyes stubbornly closed, the little boy rolls over, giving them a perfect view of his young face.
Koki stumbles back to where Kame is standing. “That’s- that’s -”
Kame grips Koki’s shoulders. “I know.”
“Excuse me, but I’m trying to sleep here,” a high-pitched voice chips in, irritated.
Their heads turn slowly in the direction of the two remaining futons. Two other boys sit up, both in pajamas much too large for their small frame.
“Holyyyyyyyy crap.”
-
Kame and Koki sit cross-legged across from three grumpy little boys, all none too happy about being woken up in the middle of the night. While much, much younger, their features are unmistakable. Their faces are a little fuller, their hair all spiky black and short. Taguchi seems to be about five or six, while Ueda and Nakamaru are taller, maybe six or seven.
Staring at one face, then another, Kame realizes what had been bugging him earlier. The shapes underneath the blankets had been smaller than his bandmates’ frames. “I’ve finally lost it,” Kame murmurs. “All my work has fried my brain.”
“What are we supposed to do with them?” Koki says.
Ueda whispers into Nakamaru’s ear. Nakamaru crosses his arms. “Who are you guys?” he asks in that same high-pitched voice. “What’d you wake us up for?”
“You don’t remember us?” Kame replies. When they merely blink at him - well, two of them; Taguchi is already half-snoozing on Nakamaru’s shoulder - he says, “I’m Kame.”
They turn as one towards Koki. “Creepy,” Koki says under his breath. He nods at them. “I’m Koki. We’re just trying to figure something out.”
The suspicion in Nakamaru’s gaze abates somewhat. “I’m Yuichi,” he says. He stands up and the pajama pants are big enough that he just steps out of them. Without missing a beat, he crosses over to them to hold out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Koki shakes Nakamaru’s small hand, trying not to laugh.
Kame has the same problem when he accepts Nakamaru’s hand next. “We know. You’re Nakamaru Yuichi,” he says.
“No.” Nakamaru shakes his head. “I’m just Yuichi.” He points at Ueda, who is now serving as Taguchi’s sitting pillow. “That’s Tatsuya.”
“Yeah,” Koki says slowly. “Ueda Tatsuya.”
Ueda frowns. “Tatsuya.” He pets Taguchi’s hair. “Junnosuke.”
“Okay, Tacchan,” Koki says. He nods at Nakamaru, then Taguchi. “Yucchi. Junno.”
“It’s all right if we call you that?” Kame asks.
Nakamaru considers it thoughtfully. “I guess.” He plops back down. “Can we go to sleep now?”
“Umm, sure,” Kame says. He pushes two of the futons together and helps the three of them settle down under the covers. They’re fast asleep again soon enough.
Kame and Koki relocate to the furthest corner of the room. “What the hel-” Kame glances at the sleeping bodies. “- heck happened when I left you guys?”
“We were just walking around.” Koki shrugs. “But I bailed when Taguchi spotted a fortune teller.”
Kame remembers a tiny corner shop down an alley, a handwritten sign in the window the only indication of what the establishment was. “The one by the restaurant?”
“You don’t think…”
“It’s only eleven. There’s a chance it’s still open at this time,” Kame says. “Aren’t all mystic sort of places?”
Koki snorts. “In this small town?”
“It’s better than doing nothing.” Kame digs through his bag for his clothes. “You stay here and watch the kids.”
Koki wiggles his fingers at him. “Sure thing, honey. Don’t forget to buy milk.”
-
The shop is smaller than Kame previously thought, the shelves on the walls covered with all sorts of knickknacks. The old lady who lets him in is the sweet, grandmotherly type. She offers him a cup of tea.
“No thank you, ma’am,” Kame says politely. “I’m sorry to bother you so late at night.”
“Not to worry, not to worry,” she says with a wave of her hand. “I’m quite the night owl, you know. Today has been a strange day indeed. So many handsome young men visiting me today.”
Kame scrolls through the pictures in his phone and holds up one with the five of them smiling in the restaurant they went to that night. “These young men?” he asks.
“Not the fierce looking one with the hat and glasses,” she says, “but the other three, yes. They had such bright fortunes.” She peers up at him. “Did something happen?”
“Well…” Kame debates whether or not to let an outsider know what’s going on. The probability that she may have answers tips the scale. “This is what they look like now.” He shows her a picture he snapped of his sleeping bandmates.
“Oh dear, not again.”
Only years of perfecting his control keeps Kame’s jaw from dropping open. “This has happened before?”
“My niece must have served them the wrong concoction,” she says, shaking her head. “That girl, always with her head in the clouds.”
“Is there…” Kame feels ridiculous even asking. “… a cure?”
The fortune-teller putters around her shop, checking various jars with different powders and herbs. “The effects usually wear off in a few days or so,” she says.
Not so bad. “A few days?”
She looks like she’s trying very hard to recall the details. “Or maybe a week.”
Kame feels a headache coming on. “They didn’t seem to recognize my friend and I when they woke up.”
“Oh yes, there may be some memory loss,” she says, “but it’s a good thing they saw friendly faces first…”
Later, when Kame relays the information to Koki, his bandmate’s jaw does drop open. “So basically, they imprinted on us,” he says. “Like baby ducks?”
Kame nods. “We can’t hide them away with their families because they won’t know who they are,” he says. “And the less people who know about this, the better.”
Koki massages his temples. “We need to wake up Yamamoto-san.”
Their manager takes one look at them and gets Johnny on the phone despite the midnight hour. After a quick, muted conversation, Yamamoto whisks them away onto the bus. It’s still dark out and no one else is awake, which makes it easy to conceal the fact that, while they came as five idols, they’re leaving as two idols and three children.
Kame and Koki sit side by side while their small bandmates are slumped together, conked out on the backseat.
“A few days, huh?” Koki cranes his neck to look back at them. “What are we supposed to do until then?”
Kame already knows even though their manager has yet to say anything to them.
“Babysit.”
-
Kame has to deal with a Going! filming location that day, so Koki takes the kids first. Kame tries not to worry when he and Yamamoto-san drop the group off at Koki’s apartment. He also has to remind their manager to make arrangements for Nakamaru’s and Ueda’s pets. When the sun is out and the rest of Tokyo is awake, he clears his schedule for the week as much as possible. Koki doesn’t contact him at all during the day, so when Kame finishes filming, he can’t get to Koki’s fast enough. But not before also making a stop at his parents’ house.
Later that night Koki lets him in, a bit disheveled, but none the worse for wear. A blur of energy nearly knocks Kame over, but he manages to steady himself.
Junno clings to his knee. “Kame!” he says, voice at a higher octave than Kame is used to. “Hi!”
“Hey there,” Kame says. Junno doesn’t budge so Kame walks to the living room with him still attached to his leg.
Sakura and Rai are the only ones out of Koki’s many pets outside their cages. They circle and weave around Yuichi and Tatsuya, who wave toys and play with them.
Kame notices the boys are wearing properly sized clothes. Looking at Koki, he asks, “Did you raid your parents’ too?” He gestures to his sports duffle and tosses it out of the way.
“Yeah, after Yamamoto-san dropped off some of his kids’ clothes. I was in and out,” Koki replies. “Though I managed to snag some of my mom’s rice cakes too.” He comes out of the kitchen with a tray of said treats. “Guys? Don’t you want to say hi to Kame?”
Yuichi stands and Tatsuya follows his lead. “Hi.”
The dogs still make a fuss, barking and yapping at their heels. “Sakura,” Koki says sternly. “Rai.”
The toy poodle and pinscher ignore their master, too fascinated by the new children wanting to play with them. When they jump on Tatsuya’s legs, he looks down at each of them. “Sit,” he says.
They sit.
Tatsuya makes a lowering motion with his hand. “Down.”
They lie down.
Kame and Koki look on in amazement as Tatsuya rewards the dogs with a good scratch behind the ears. “Traitors,” Koki mutters.
Junno squats down in front of Kame’s sports duffle, tracing the letters. “Ka-zu-ya.” He tilts his head to the side. “Kazuya?”
Kame takes a bite out of a chewy rice cake. “That’s my name.”
“You said your name was Kame,” Yuichi says, narrowing his eyes.
“It is,” he replies. Kame ruffles Yuichi’s hair, and the young boy’s lips thin to a straight line. “Kamenashi Kazuya.”
“Kazuya!” Junno beams. In this state, his cheeks are a lot chubbier. “I like it.” His attention strays to the fennec fox gnawing at her cage bars and he goes over to talk to her.
When Koki sidles up to him, Kame comments quietly, “Looks like it wasn’t too bad.”
“They’re actually pretty well-behaved,” Koki replies. “But I’m not sure if they should stay here. They kinda rile up my kids and vice versa even when they should be resting.”
With how many pets Koki has, Kame can only imagine. “They can stay at my place,” he says. “Ran and Gerie won’t be a problem.” He slings an arm around Koki’s shoulder, chuckling as he watches their three bandmates squabble amidst the barks, yips and whines.
“What?”
“I was just thinking…” He grins. “I’m finally taller than Taguchi.”
-
Yamamoto-san reschedules all group work for the following week. It’s the first time Kame is thankful that they don’t have a regular variety program. Shuuichi is also notified that Nakamaru is sick, just in case, though Kame hopes they’ll be back to normal by the weekend.
He lets the three rug rats loose in his apartment. Ran and Gerie go crazy with their new playmates. Tatsuya manages to work his magic on them too in a matter of hours. Kame doesn’t question it. Ueda always did have his own special way with things.
Kame has them share his bed while he takes the couch. But he does wake up in the middle of the night to find Junno burrowing in his side. He waits until his small bandmate falls asleep before he tucks him in again with the others. They’re all so adorable that Kame can no longer resist the urge to snap another picture of them.
He spends the week in and out of his apartment, making sure Koki’s there when he can’t be. They only risk taking the kids out to a nearby neighborhood park away from the hustle and bustle of the crowded streets. Junno runs wild on the jungle gym. Kame is actually afraid he’ll hurt himself, though Yuichi quickly puts a stop to any nonsense. He organizes a game of hide-and-go-seek instead, and then a much more thrilling game of cops and robbers. Kame is cast in his first villainous role, and he finds himself enjoying it immensely. It’s weird having to literally look down on three of his bandmates, but at the same time, it’s a rather fun novelty.
A majority of the time is spent finding ways to amuse themselves in Kame’s home - games, movies, etc. Kame even reads to them from the books he keeps around for his niece. Tatsuya surprises him one morning by unearthing his keyboard and playing simple nursery rhymes. Yuichi even attempts what Kame assumes is beatboxing, but actually sounds like wet puffs of air. Kame makes sure to record that too.
When the kids are put to bed, he and Koki typically share a glass of wine with their feet propped up. “Aren’t you glad we weren’t the ones who drank that stuff?” he asks.
“The others should be glad,” Koki replies. “I was a terror at that age.”
Kame sticks out his tongue. “Speak for yourself.”
-
Koki waves two plastic bags of take-out when Kame answers the door. “Picked up dinner,” he says. “What are the kids up to?”
Kame leads the way to the kitchen. “Playing video games.”
“Ah, parenthood,” Koki comments wryly. He drops the bags on the counter. The music coming from the living room gets a little louder. “Isn’t that…”
They round the corner just in time to see the quaint bit of choreography from an old Music Station Super Live where Koki gets down on his knees in front of Kame. Koki dives for the DVD player while Kame runs and holds his hands out to block their view of the She Said performance.
“Hey!”
“That was the good part!” Yuichi throws a pillow that hits Koki on the butt.
Koki turns off the player and darts around the coffee table. Yuichi scrambles off the couch, running around the room as Koki chases him. Koki finally snags him by his sleeve, reels him in and gives him a noogie. Junno ignores all the mayhem happily as he chats with Tatsuya.
“Those guys were really cool,” Junno says.
Tatsuya shrugs. “Guess so.”
Junno hops up to Kame and tugs his pants. “Can’t we watch some more?”
“How about I put on some Detective Conan instead?” Kame suggests. He pulls out the discs from the entertainment unit, but not before handing off all the KAT-TUN DVDs and burned performance discs to Koki. “Brand new, bought them last week.”
Junno reacts like Kame just offered him a mountain of candy. “Yay, Conan!” He parks himself right in front of the television screen.
Yuichi, having been freed from Koki’s clutches, grabs Junno by the back of his T-shirt and drags him to the couch. “Don’t mess up your eyes,” he says in a no-nonsense tone.
With the boys’ attention focused elsewhere, Kame has Koki place all the KAT-TUN discs on a shelf in the closet.
“We’re so not kid-friendly.”
-
Junno spins around and around on Kame’s office chair. “I’m boreddd,” he says, head propped up by his hand.
Tatsuya hangs upside down on the couch, Ran and Gerie lapping at his face. “Bored.”
“Can’t we go somewhere fun?” Yuichi asks.
Koki cleans up the toys scattered around the living room. “Tired of video games already?” he asks absentmindedly.
“We need sunshine!” Yuichi retorts. “Kids like us need a healthy amount of exercise, you know.”
“Yeah, okay.” Koki lobs the remote at him. “Now watch some TV.”
“No, it’s time to eat,” Kame interjects. He places three plates of pasta on the kitchen counter. “Come and get it.”
The three kids race for the barstools and dig in while Kame joins Koki in the living room. “We can’t take them out beyond the park. We’ll be recognized,” Kame whispers. “And if we’re with them, people are going to be more likely to connect the dots. Without us, they’re just normal kids. With us, they’re kids that look an awful lot like certain KAT-TUN members- oh, wait.”
Koki idly browses through Kame’s DVD collection when one title in particular catches his eye. “Or…”
Kame doesn’t like the scheming look on his face. “Do I even want to know?”
Koki tries his best to look innocent. “It’ll be painless, I promise.”
-
The next day, early morning, Kame finds himself sitting on a stool in his bathroom as his bandmate applies eyeshadow and eyeliner on him. “How did I let you convince me to do this?” he asks.
“You’re a pushover,” Koki says flippantly. He dodges Kame’s kick to the knee. “Hey, we’re just taking a page out of the Yamanade handbook.”
Koki had already put on his own makeup and was nearly transformed. The wig is the remaining touch. Dressing the part would come after, though Kame put his foot down when Koki mentioned Lolita fashion - “The idea is to be less conspicuous” - instead opting for something simpler. Either a dress or a skirt, he’s not picky as long as there is no lace or fripperies.
A creak of the door announces the entrance of one of the kids. “Whatcha doin’?” Junno asks, rubbing his eyes.
“Putting on makeup,” Kame answers casually. He studies his reflection in the mirror, frowning at the smoky-eyed look Koki had given him. Koki shrugs, grinning, and puts on the last minute touches with mascara and a light hint of blush.
Junno places his hands on Kame’s knee, trying to push himself up to see the progress. “How come?”
“So Kame-chan and I can take you kiddos to -” Koki does a little drum roll with the ends of two makeup brushes. “- Disneyland!”
Junno squeals. “Really? Really, really, really?”
Kame taps him on the chin. “Why don’t you wake up the others?”
Junno sprints to the next room, which is quickly followed by enraged, then excited shouts. Yuichi and Tatsuya rush into the bathroom. Their eager faces fade into horrified confusion at the state of their caretakers.
“No way you’re doing that to me!” Yuichi exclaims. He shakes his head so fast that Kame expects it to pop off.
Tatsuya wrinkles his nose at the floral print dress hanging off the top of the shower door. Kame thinks it says a lot that the kids don’t really question what they’re doing. Some part of them still remembers and is too used to being a Johnny’s idol.
“Why? You’re pretty enough,” Kame teases. He brandishes the mascara brush, laughing when Yuichi pushes Junno in front of him like a sacrifice.
Fearless, Junno bounces over and peers at the contents laid out on the counter. “Can I put on the lipstick?” he asks.
“Knock yourself out, short stuff,” Koki says. He arranges a wavy, shoulder-length dark brown wig on Kame’s head.
Junno chooses the brightest red shade and pulls on Kame’s shirt until Kame leans down to his level. He uncaps the tube and his eyebrows scrunch in concentration as he paints Kame’s lips. Tatsuya and Yuichi creep onto either side of him, watching.
“You colored outside the lines,” Yuichi says, clucking his tongue.
Koki glances at him, swallowing his chuckle, and passes off a hand mirror. Kame checks his reflection and sees that Junno indeed painted outside his mouth. Not his best look. Junno beams at him proudly.
Kame pats each of them on the head. “Go get dressed,” he says, “or you guys are next.”
Yuichi and Tatsuya immediately leave, but Junno lingers until Koki gives him a soft kick to his behind.
Kame grabs a tissue and fixes his lipstick. “I don’t think he has a future as a stylist,” he comments.
“We know what his future is,” Koki says with a fluff of his long black wig. Kame had to talk him down from a blond shade, again citing the reason of not wanting to stand out.
“The week is nearly up. I don’t know if I remember what they look like,” Kame quips.
“We’ll find out soon enough.” Koki tosses a conspiratorial look his way. “Let’s just be sure to take lots of pictures to blackmail them with later.”
With his lipstick ruby red and now perfectly applied, Kame blows him a kiss in the reflection. “Of course.”
-
Kame decides on a white and pink blouse and skirt combination, going for a girl-next-door look, while Koki chooses a short yellow dress. To stay under the radar, Kame and Koki add cute hats to their ensemble, easy for hiding their faces under. They also wear cough masks generally worn when someone is feeling under the weather as an added precaution. The illusion is complete and they’re just two women taking kids out for a day of fun at the happiest place on Earth. The freedom is actually a bit exhilarating.
Junno begs them to meet the characters. Yuichi and Tatsuya roll their eyes, but are oddly hyper when they see Mickey and accept the mouse’s big hug. They allow themselves to be dragged to meet a few more characters, including a princess or two, before they pull Junno to all the rides. They start with the exciting rides first, Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at the top of the list. When they blow past the Disney cast members in charge of the lines, Kame and Koki have to call them back so their heights can be checked.
After that, it’s off to Fantasyland for a ride in the sky on Dumbo and then through the diamond mines of the seven dwarves. Koki is the one who has to convince the kids to go on Pooh’s Hunny Hunt and he’s more excited than all of them combined. Yuichi and Junno shut their eyes and cover their ears when they go through the Haunted Mansion, while Tatsuya looks on with cool disinterest.
They take a few breaks in between but aren’t even tired by mid-afternoon, so they tackle Westernland next, then Adventureland and Toontown. Kame and Koki buy the kids mickey ears and tiny wizard hat hair clips for themselves. During all this, Kame is taking pictures with his trusted Canon camera. It’s enough for a few scrapbooks’ worth and Kame is totally going to have a blast going through them later.
The kids make it all the way until the fireworks spectacular, but then are so completely wiped out by the end that Kame and Koki have to carry them to the car. Being the oldest, Yuichi holds onto Kame’s hand sleepily but he’s also out once he’s buckled in his seat. While Koki drives, Kame snaps a few more pictures of the three in the back. Just because.
After putting their bandmates to bed and ridding themselves of makeup and female garments, Kame and Koki collapse on the sofa. Kame takes the throw off the back and flings it over the both of them. They each take one end of the couch, stretching out on it. Kame jabs Koki with his elbow when Koki feigns tickling his feet.
“Why does it feel like we’re sharing custody?” Koki asks.
Kame nestles in the cushions, taking as much space as he can, and murmurs, “Be glad I’m not suing for child support.”
-
A shriek startles Kame and Koki awake. Throwing off the blanket, they come running to the bedroom, nearly falling over each other through the doorway. Nakamaru stares at them wide-eyed from the bed, mickey ears still on his head with Taguchi and Ueda wrapped around his body on either side. They’re fully grown and suddenly taking up a lot more space on Kame’s king-sized bed.
Nakamaru tries moving but can’t budge from his position. “I did not sign up for this,” he says.
“Shh… too loud,” Taguchi whispers, reaching up blindly to smother Nakamaru’s mouth. He rests his head in the crook of his bandmate’s neck.
“Ueda, how are you okay with this?”
Ueda cracks open one eye, sees Nakamaru looking at him, and promptly turns over, taking the comforter with him. Taguchi shivers and curls in closer.
Nakamaru looks at his other bandmates pitifully. “Help me,” he mouths.
Kame and Koki exchange looks. Then pounce on the bed, turning it into a pile of flailing limbs.
“What are you doing?” Nakamaru squawks.
“Some people are trying to sleep,” Ueda growls. “Being a kid again was exhausting, thank you very much.”
Koki squeezes his body between Ueda and Nakamaru, hugging them with both arms. “We’re so glad you guys are back to normal,” he says.
“Even though you were much cuter before,” Kame says. He pinches Taguchi’s cheek and laughs as Taguchi giggles groggily and bats his hand away.
Nakamaru shifts again to no avail. “I think it’s time to go home.”
Koki stretches out against him, making himself comfortable. “Just go to sleep, Yucchi,” he says, voice placating.
“But -”
“Sleep.”
Nakamaru sighs, but settles down. Kame spoons against Taguchi’s back, while Koki claims a portion of the blanket from Ueda and hands the end to Kame. He tugs and tugs until it covers all of them and Ueda mutters under his breath about troublesome group members. Nakamaru remains sandwiched between the four of them with a resigned expression, but Kame smiles when Nakamaru pats Taguchi’s head after their taller bandmate tucks himself under Nakamaru’s chin.
Kame reaches over to ruffle his hair, laughing when Nakamaru’s put out look reminds him of Yuichi’s expression exactly. “You love us,” he says.
“Shut up.” Nakamaru sighs, giving him an exasperated look. “You do too.”
Kame has a perfect view of his four friends, bundled together and completely at ease. Even though three of them went through a temporary bizarre transformation, it was really more of the same thing that just further endeared them to him. He grins and snuggles closer.
“Hell yeah.”