Title: Camping
Pairing: Akanishi Jin / Kamenashi Kazuya
Rating: PG-13
Author Notes:
soundczech is the only one who's ever gonna get Akame fic from me.
Camping
When Kame is told that after eight years he has to go on another camping trip to Okinawa with Jin - and only Jin - he nods, asks for the details and proceeds to go through the rest of his work day like the professional idol everyone knows he is. He smiles in the photo shoot with a giant teddy bear, he jokes around a little during rehearsal for his guest appearance on Shounen Club; there is no indication at all that Kame is upset.
Until he's finished with work, that is.
No one is with Kame, no one sees it with their own eyes, but the next morning it's right there in the tabloid magazines for all of Japan to read. They write about how Kame got absolutely wasted, how he kissed a 'new half', a cross dresser, how he hit someone in the face for insulting his mother's belly button. It hadn't been about his mother, though; some guy had mocked Kame in his inebriated state (which had been okay, Kame recalled, he hadn't really cared), but when the very same guy had asked Kame if he was following in the footsteps of that "talentless hack Akanishi" Kame had snapped.
No one was allowed to insult his group.
He dreads going to work after that; there's no way around it, though. Kame has never called in sick, not even once, not even when he really was sick, and he certainly won't start skipping work over some half-true drunken violence debacle. Three quarters true, maybe.
"You took it that badly, huh?" Jin quips the second Kame walks into rehearsal. "Scared of the Goya?" Jin sounds like he's teasing but his smile doesn't reach his eyes and his tone sounds anything but playful.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Kame replies airily, avoiding eye contact.
"Oh come on," Jin says. "I'm not that stupid." He's circling Kame like a tiger on the hunt. Kame wonders if he'd jump on him if he just waited long enough. That thought isn't entirely unpleasant and he immediately buries it deep under a bunch of other, safer thoughts. "Come on," Jin says again."It can't be a coincidence that you had a major scandal that very same night. I was informed too, you know."
"It wasn't about that," Kame lies, lips pressed together tightly.
"Really," Jin says and it's not a question, but a statement. A statement that says 'I don't believe you'.
"Really," Kame replies just as their choreographer walks in, officially ending the conversation.
*
They don't talk about it after that. The camping project had been post-poned; Johnny thinks it's better to let the scandal blow over first, let the waves die down, so to speak. Kame won't get any other special projects in that time, apart from regular work with KAT-TUN, and he's fine with that. It's meant as punishment from the company, but it's more of a blessing for Kame. Just the thought of sleeping in a stupid tent with Jin fills him with vague, nervous horror, and if it was up to him, they'd just forget about this whole project altogether.
Johnny doesn't forget it, though. He never does.
About three months after the "incident" Kame receives a schedule, handed to him by his manager, detailing a 'fun, adventurous weekend in Okinawa' that he's to spend with Akanishi Jin. Camping. Again.
"No way around it, Kame!" Jin says, obnoxiously waving his own schedule paper in front of Kame's face. "No drunken escapades can make you escape!"
"Yoroshiku," Kame says and flushes.
*
The flight to Okinawa is long, and the car ride to their camp side even longer. Jin's like a little boy, complaining about being hungry, complaining about being bored, complaining about how uncomfortable the car is, and "Are we there yet?!" Kame is usually not bad at handling this side of Jin, but he's tense and unsure of what to expect and so he snaps at Jin and tells him to just shut up and wait. Jin glares at him then, calls him a killjoy; he's silent for the rest of the drive.
It's similar to their first little excursion. There aren't any rules from Takki or Tsubasa this time, but the idea is to do things in a similar way to show how much they've grown.
Jin hasn't grown, not when it comes to eating disgusting food or wearing terrible shoes or not being allowed to play in the water.
“This sucks,” he complains loudly. “This sucks ass, can we go home yet?”
“It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't won that stupid game,” Kame snaps.
It doesn't occur to him until half an hour later that this had been the exact same conversation they'd had the first time around. Most of it had been cut - and it probably would be cut this time, too - but they'd bickered all the way from the town center to their camp side back then, and Jin's not stopped complaining yet.
The first night in the tent, Kame wants to say something to Jin, something, anything to feel just a little more at ease, but Jin slides into his sleeping bag and falls asleep almost instantly. Kame doesn't understand how that's even possible, it's awkward sleeping in the tent, it's too small, they've grown too big; Kame can't even fully stretch out his legs.
He's wide awake the whole night.
*
On their second day, their schedule says water sports and playing around at the beach, having fun because that's what the fans want to see but it's just not the same as it was before. They're not as young, not as carefree and somehow even spending time in a luxurious hotel pool seems like a chore to Kame. It's like he's trying to look happy, trying to look like he's enjoying himself, and because he's trying so hard, he's just not relaxed and happy at all.
The fans won't notice of course. Kame is smiling, splashing water at Jin who is lounging on a pool chair sipping some fruity drink with an umbrella in it. They're both professionals, even Jin with all his mishaps and mistakes knows how to fake some enjoyment. He's not very good at it, though, fans who are obsessed with Jin might be able to tell, just a little bit, and Kame can see right through him. He expects Jin sees right through him too, though.
But the camera crew doesn't notice, and that's what matters.
That night, Jin doesn't fall asleep right away. He has his arms crossed behind his head and is staring blankly at the tent ceiling, takes a sip out of his water bottle every now and then. Kame wills himself to fall asleep, presses his eyes shut tightly, but it doesn't work. He's as awake as he was the night before.
“Are you asleep?” Jin suddenly asks and Kame starts.
“Yes,” Kame says not opening his eyes. Despite himself he smiles a little, mostly to himself. This conversation had happened eight years ago as well.
“Liar,” Jin says, outraged, just like back then, but then the story suddenly changes. Jin rolled over, his face suddenly really close to Kame's his breath hot against his cheek. “Liar.”
Kame's about to reply, when suddenly he smells something - is that alcohol on Jin's breath? “Jin,” Kame says slowly. It's hard to tell in the dark, but he's pretty sure Jin's eyes are suspiciously shiny too. “Are you drunk?”
“Had to get some liquid courage,” Jin slurs and moves his face even closer.
“Courage for wha--” Kame starts, and then Jin is suddenly kissing him, openmouthed and sloppy, tongue lazily sliding between his lips. Kame freezes at first; it's not like he has never fantasized about this - he has, countless nights, but it had always been a distant fantasy, something that would never happen, because him and Jin weren't even really friends anymore, and Jin, he liked blonde girls with big breasts and short skirts and too much alcohol in their blood. Kame wasn't opposed to drinking, but he was more into older women and cross dressers and he really couldn't see himself being Jin's type, not in that aspect.
And yet, here he was being kissed by Jin.
Kame doesn't even try to pretend he's not into it; after his initial shock he kisses back, sighing softly as Jin dragging his teeth over his lower lip. It's when Jin slides his hand into Kame's pajamas that Kame fully realizes; it's him, him and Jin, alone in a tent, making out.
Plus a five-person camera crew just outside.
*
“You're such a killjoy, Kame!” Jin says, repeating his words from when they'd arrived two days ago. Kame had pulled away immediately when he'd realized they weren't alone, not really and Jin obviously was quite displeased. It hadn't even helped that Kame had explained, his face bright red, that it definitely wasn't because he didn't want to. “Pi wouldn't care!”
Kame freezes up completely, his face suddenly very hot and his throat dry. “P-Pi?” he says, and he's embarrassed when he realizes how shaky his voice sounds. “You do this with ... Pi?”
There is a moment of silence and then suddenly the whole tent is shaking. Kame thinks, for a split, horrified second that there is an earthquake or a typhoon or something equally life-threatening, but then he realizes Jin is laughing, laughing really hard, his whole body convulsing.
“Gross!” Jin all but shrieks. “I just meant in theory! God, disgusting, Pi's my best friend.”
A wave of relief washes over Kame; it's like a weight he hadn't known he was carrying had been lifted of his shoulders. It's a little embarrassing, he thinks, but at the moment he can't really bring himself to care.
Jin slides closer again and Kame briefly wonders if he's going to try break his resistance again, but then Jin laces their fingers together and snuggles into his sleeping bag, a soft, sleepy sigh escaping his lips.
“Goodnight, Kame,” he whispers.
“Goodnight, Jin,” Kame replies. He knows Jin is already fast asleep, but it doesn't matter.
Last time, eight years ago, he had told everyone how much fun the Okinawa trip had been, despite the Goya, despite wearing old men's shoes, despite promoting Tsubasa to the locals.
He had meant it back then.
He would mean it this time, too.