Three-in-One [1/1] (KAT-TUN // Kame/Junno)
Title: Three-in-One
Author: Krys Yuy
Summary: Sometimes Junno intends for it to mean more than just a name.
Pairing/Characters: Kamenashi Kazuya/Taguchi Junnosuke (KAT-TUN)
Warning: Shounen-ai.
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: ~2,750
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This fic is purely for entertainment purposes only.
Author’s Notes: Junno POV of Of First Names and Denial. I promised this like two years ago? lol Well, it’s finally here. xD As a reminder, this and its companion fic (Kame POV) was inspired by the May 23, 2010 Sendai KAT-TUN concert (the first one of the day), where Junno calls Kame ‘Kazuya’ during the MC. Koki asks something along the lines of “Since when do you call him Kazuya?”, and Kame answers “eight years”, etc etc. Those two facts are real (also, the latter part when they talk about blood type). However, everything else that happens in this fanfic is NOT. The switch from present to past and back to present tense is intentional.
Anyways, if you’re so inclined, please leave feedback - it would totally make my day. ♥ Enjoy!
Taguchi Junnosuke has been in love with Kamenashi Kazuya for approximately eight years, one month, three weeks, and four days.
… okay, that might be more lie than fact, but the whole being in love with his groupmate thing is one hundred percent truth. How long is the iffy part, and Junno has spent countless hours trying to figure out when and where it happened - the precise moment he fell in love with KAT-TUN’s resident workaholic.
But that doesn’t work because he comes up with new memories each time, Kazuya the one constant through it all - the quirk of his lips as he tries not to smile at one of Junno’s jokes, the full-bellied laughter when he does, the patient attentiveness of his gaze when he listens - really listens - to what Junno has to say, his light, passing touches as he brushes a hand, an arm, his side…
Those especially drive Junno crazy because that’s one of Kazuya’s many quirks - he likes to touch. For anyone else, there might be a hidden meaning behind it. But for Kazuya, he just can’t keep his hands to himself. The more comfortable he is with someone, the more likely you’ll find him leaning against that person’s side, draping an arm around their shoulders, grazing their skin with his hand, almost as if he keeps a connection alive through contact.
Junno himself has always been receptive to touch, preferring the warmth and laughter and light that come with it. It’s why he likes to make others happy, why he cracks so many jokes. To know that he is responsible for making someone laugh, brightening their day for even a brief moment… There is nothing more fulfilling than that. His siblings say he attaches himself to people too easily, tries too hard to please others before himself. He can’t help it - he craves connection, companionship, and this is the only way he knows how.
Sometimes he thinks that’s one of the many reasons he is drawn to Kazuya. They’re more similar than others realize. They both want to please everyone else, though even Junno has a limit. Kazuya keeps going and going, and Junno sometimes worries he won’t ever stop. In their efforts to make others happy, he becomes what everyone else wants him to be, while Junno has never been anything but himself. (Junno wonders how many times Kazuya has lost himself, and if that’s the price of popularity, of receiving so much love.) They both desire connection, the closeness of someone else. Plus the thing about Kazuya - once at ease, he freely gives affection.
It shouldn’t be such a surprise that Junno, a sucker for affection, would eventually seek out Kazuya’s attention. And eight years, one month, three weeks, and four days ago (he hadn’t pulled that timeframe completely out of nowhere), a young Taguchi Junnosuke had decided he wanted to be more than Kamenashi Kazuya’s groupmate, he wanted to be his friend.
In his early Junior days, Junno hadn’t yet developed the patience that would come to him as part of KAT-TUN. In aiming for Kame’s friendship, so what if he decided to skip a few steps? It would either work or fail miserably, and Junno wasn’t afraid of what would happen if it failed. The worst Kame could do was start a fight and Junno was getting pretty good at catching punches and kicks.
Despite waking up earlier than usual, Junno found his energy level growing rapidly the closer he got to work and then as he traveled through the halls of the agency to KAT-TUN’s dressing room. It reached so high that he practically bounced into the room, calling out a loud and sunny “Good morning!”
One quick glance confirmed that Kame was alone, and with his usual cheerful grin, Junno added, “Kazuya~”
If he wasn’t looking for it, he might have missed Kame’s twitch as his groupmate looked up from the binder with their dance routines. Junno made sure not to react at all, instead dumping his stuff in front of the vanities before joining Kame on the couch. He sat on the opposite end and reached for one of the water bottles on the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kame frown and open his mouth - Junno braced himself -
The door opened, and Ueda walked in, followed by Koki and Jin. Letting out a small breath of air, Junno waved and when Kame’s eyes flicked towards them, Junno scooted over. “Kame, can I take a look at the binder for a sec?” he asked.
Kame blinked, his eyebrows scrunching together, but handed it over. “Yeah, I just finished anyway,” he said.
Junno could tell he had confused him, but frankly, he wanted it to be a secret, this kind-of sort-of plan of his. It wasn’t going to work if the others found out about it (not that the chances of it working at all were very high in the first place). And he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t felt strange, his groupmate’s three-syllable name rolling off his tongue.
‘Kazuya’ did have a nice ring to it though.
Over the next several days, Junno kept waiting for Kame to say something. But practices and meetings and tapings came and went, and Kame treated Junno as he normally did. His groupmate probably thought it had been a mistake. Junno figured some part of him should be relieved, but all it did was make him want to try again.
It didn’t happen until weeks later, but that was because KAT-TUN’s schedule was unexpectedly growing busier and busier and at first, Junno was preoccupied with just keeping up.
One day when they had a particularly hectic schedule, they were on the way out of a conference room after a meeting about a possible concert. Excitement was high and Junno couldn’t believe it - a concert! An actual concert just for KAT-TUN. It had never been done before, a concert for a pre-debuted group. Just the possibility alone…
Junno couldn’t stop grinning. That is, until he saw the faraway and way too serious look on Kame’s face. He glanced at the table - only Kame’s water bottle was left in the basket, unopened. He tried to remember if Kame had anything to drink at all since they started dance practices in the morning, but couldn’t recall. He frowned.
Ever since he had made up his mind about befriending Kame, he paid more attention to the comings and goings of his over-achieving groupmate. One thing that became glaringly obvious was Kame’s apparent inability to take care of himself properly. His focus was something to be admired, but on Kame’s list of important things, he obviously held himself at a very low ranking.
Everyone filed out ahead of Junno, and he was thankful Kame trailed behind the rest of the group. He grabbed Kame’s water and caught up with him in the hallway, nudging him in the back with the bottle.
“Here, Kazuya,” he murmured without thinking.
Kame took the bottle from him just as Junno realized what had slipped out. Crap, this wasn’t the time for the Plan! Without looking at Kame or waiting for a reply, Junno jogged past him and pounced on Ueda as a distraction. Ueda responded with a long-suffering sigh and eye-roll. Junno barely felt the jab to his side; he waited for Kame to call out and reprimand him. Surely this time he would say something.
A few seconds passed before he chanced a glance over his shoulder, catching Kame bringing the water bottle to his lips. He took a few big gulps. Junno couldn’t stop a smile from crossing his face, pleased that he was able to help Kame in some way. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on him.
Kame looked up and Junno turned his head quickly, nodding as Ueda said something to him. When they reached the rehearsal room, Junno peeked at Kame from underneath his long bangs, but the shorter boy didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he immediately went to talk to the dance instructor and Junno wondered if Kame was passing it off as a mistake again. Or maybe he hadn’t heard him at all.
It was only after their magazine interview later that day that Junno realized the twinge in his chest was disappointment.
He didn’t have time to give it much thought. If their schedule had been full before, add a concert to the mix, and everything was even messier. Each one of them wanted certain songs or a certain segment or costumes, one opinion after another clashing with someone else’s. Keeping the peace within the group was enough trouble to last a lifetime. It wasn’t until KAT-TUN that Junno found out chaos could be doubled.
But dancing, dancing was where things came together for him, where the chaos calmed. He loved letting the music wash over him as his body flowed from one step to the next. Dancing was his element above all else. Oftentimes, he forgot it wasn’t as easy for the others.
So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to find Kame in the rehearsal room after hours but, as he looked up and started at the piercing stare of his groupmate, it was. After exchanging a few words and then his offer of shrimp chips rebuffed, Junno knew Kame was in a ‘Leave Me Alone’ mood. He shuffled over to his own corner, a few paces down from where Kame had claimed his own area, and went about his practice routine as usual.
Junno focused primarily on his footwork, ignoring any choreography involved above the waist in favor of munching on his convenient store chips. The next thing he knew Kame was snapping at him. Clueless, he blinked at the group’s youngest member. That seemed to incense Kame further.
“Forget it,” Kame said.
Forget what? Junno tilted his head to the side as he watched Kame struggle through the choreography he had just been practicing. He pinpointed what was wrong right away.
“Your rhythm is off,” Junno said. He noted Kame’s tense shoulders, the deep crease in his forehead. “You should relax.”
Kame’s reply was swift and sharp. “I have to get this right.”
Kame took himself way too seriously. Junno moved towards him to offer his help, but Kame shook his head. The younger teen was also too prideful and stubborn for his own good. Junno stuffed more chips in his mouth and then tossed the bag to the side. He’d have to go about this in another way.
Junno went through the routine again, but at a few beats slower than normal. He watched himself in the mirror, mindful of his groupmate standing a few feet away. He could feel his eyes on him. When Junno finished the combination Kame was having trouble with, he simply started all over again.
Kame’s reflection started moving with him. Junno grinned at having Kame’s concentration solely focused on the image of his feet in the mirror. He began counting the beats aloud, and when Kame nodded in time with him, Junno relished the feeling of being needed, if only in this moment. It was a heady sensation, especially since Kame rarely allowed anyone to take control. His groupmate seemed determined to see KAT-TUN reach the top, even if it meant he had to do it on his own.
Junno wished Kame knew he wasn’t alone in this, wished he had the courage to tell him.
Kame finished the steps perfectly and Junno took that as his cue to leave. He’d gotten farther than Kame had ever allowed him and he didn’t want to push his luck. Kame’s voice stopped him just as he reached the door.
“Hey.”
Junno looked over his shoulder, and unintentionally met Kame’s brown eyes in the reflection of the mirror.
“Again?” Kame’s request was soft, lacking all the hard edges of his usual tone. This was the first time Kame had ever asked him for anything.
Junno felt certain that he had never smiled so big before. “Sure thing, Kazuya.”
The name slipped out of its own accord. Kame paused and Junno prepared himself for a rebuke. Instead, Kame gestured at him impatiently. And was that a glimmer of a smile in his eyes? “Come on,” he said. “Hurry up. And use the proper tempo this time.”
Junno hurried over, half afraid that Kame would change his mind. Kame went straight ahead into the choreography again once Junno stood beside him, but Junno didn’t mind. He felt like this was the first step in a direction he had wanted to go all along.
“Eight years?! That long?” Koki exclaims.
This skirts the edges of things Junno would rather not talk about, but he still can’t help grinning at the surprise in Koki’s voice. His grin only widens when Koki turns to give him the evil eye as if to protect poor, innocent Kazuya from his manic clutches.
Junno adopts a perfectly guileless expression when Koki points at him. “You! You’re so two-faced! Calling Kame ‘Kazuya’ when no one else is around!”
“It’s because he’s blood type AB, right?” Amusement sparkles in Ueda’s expression despite the lazy tone of his delivery.
Junno catches Kazuya’s eye without meaning to - his heart thumps - and he looks away, smiling into the camera. “I’m more B than A, don’t you think?” he says, tossing out the bait.
Koki latches on and begins to tell a delighted audience behind-the-scenes stories about Junno and the side he doesn’t let the fans see. Ueda and Nakamaru chip in, and Junno is grateful for the opening Ueda’s question had given him. It redirects attention away from the original subject.
They may think he’s crossing boundaries, that he and Kazuya aren’t close enough for him to address him by his first name. What they don’t know is that, sometimes, Junno intends for it to mean something else entirely.
It’s a secret that Junno keeps close, especially from Kazuya himself. Somewhere along that eight year, one month, three week and four day track, Junno fell in love. But he is not foolish enough to believe that his feelings could ever be returned.
So many people love Kazuya. They fall in love with him every day. Junno is just another number. But it must be nice, he thinks, to have people love you like that. He has spent endless hours watching his groupmate, trying to decipher the ins and outs of his psyche, to see not only his Kazuya, but also the Kamenashi Kazuya the world sees.
All it does is make him fall deeper and deeper, and sometimes Junno despairs at ever finding his way back. You’d think that wouldn’t be possible - Junno certainly didn’t think so at first - but then again, if anyone had the ability to make someone fall in love even past the point of no return, it would be Kazuya.
The Kansai Juniors take the stage and when KAT-TUN makes their exit, Junno’s gaze falls on Kazuya’s back. Without thinking, he reaches out for the shorter man’s vest and tugs. Junno expects to be shrugged off. Instead, Kazuya stops at the bottom of the stairs and watches as the others rush to their individual clothing racks.
“What?” Kazuya asks. Junno feels the tenseness in his posture, knows that Kazuya is eager to get ready for the next number. But the fact that he takes the time to wait for whatever it is Junno has to say warms him from the inside. It makes Junno reckless.
He leans in and presses his nose briefly to the back of Kazuya’s head so he can breathe him in. Even combined with the sweat from running around in front of their fans, he smells intoxicating.
“Nothing,” he answers. His breath fans out over Kazuya’s neck and Junno takes great pleasure when it causes the younger man to shiver. “That went well, huh? The MC.”
“Taguchi, we have to change,” Kazuya retorts. The edge in his tone alerts Junno to his intent and he is able to dodge before Kazuya’s elbow lands in his gut.
Junno practically dances over to his costume rack, giddy. “Hai, hai~” he sings. He takes a quick look around to make sure no one is paying attention and turns back to the object of his affections. “Kazuya~”
I love you.
Junno winks and when Kazuya squirts his water bottle at him in retaliation, he laughs. He’ll never be able to say it aloud, so this will have to be enough. Kazuya rolls his eyes and turns away. Junno immediately feels bereft.
He prays it will be enough.
.fin*
*Sequel?! Idk. lol Thanks for reading!
Crossposted to jent_fanfics, kattun_fanfics, kattunlove, theadorkable1.
Author: Krys Yuy
Summary: Sometimes Junno intends for it to mean more than just a name.
Pairing/Characters: Kamenashi Kazuya/Taguchi Junnosuke (KAT-TUN)
Warning: Shounen-ai.
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: ~2,750
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This fic is purely for entertainment purposes only.
Author’s Notes: Junno POV of Of First Names and Denial. I promised this like two years ago? lol Well, it’s finally here. xD As a reminder, this and its companion fic (Kame POV) was inspired by the May 23, 2010 Sendai KAT-TUN concert (the first one of the day), where Junno calls Kame ‘Kazuya’ during the MC. Koki asks something along the lines of “Since when do you call him Kazuya?”, and Kame answers “eight years”, etc etc. Those two facts are real (also, the latter part when they talk about blood type). However, everything else that happens in this fanfic is NOT. The switch from present to past and back to present tense is intentional.
Anyways, if you’re so inclined, please leave feedback - it would totally make my day. ♥ Enjoy!
Taguchi Junnosuke has been in love with Kamenashi Kazuya for approximately eight years, one month, three weeks, and four days.
… okay, that might be more lie than fact, but the whole being in love with his groupmate thing is one hundred percent truth. How long is the iffy part, and Junno has spent countless hours trying to figure out when and where it happened - the precise moment he fell in love with KAT-TUN’s resident workaholic.
But that doesn’t work because he comes up with new memories each time, Kazuya the one constant through it all - the quirk of his lips as he tries not to smile at one of Junno’s jokes, the full-bellied laughter when he does, the patient attentiveness of his gaze when he listens - really listens - to what Junno has to say, his light, passing touches as he brushes a hand, an arm, his side…
Those especially drive Junno crazy because that’s one of Kazuya’s many quirks - he likes to touch. For anyone else, there might be a hidden meaning behind it. But for Kazuya, he just can’t keep his hands to himself. The more comfortable he is with someone, the more likely you’ll find him leaning against that person’s side, draping an arm around their shoulders, grazing their skin with his hand, almost as if he keeps a connection alive through contact.
Junno himself has always been receptive to touch, preferring the warmth and laughter and light that come with it. It’s why he likes to make others happy, why he cracks so many jokes. To know that he is responsible for making someone laugh, brightening their day for even a brief moment… There is nothing more fulfilling than that. His siblings say he attaches himself to people too easily, tries too hard to please others before himself. He can’t help it - he craves connection, companionship, and this is the only way he knows how.
Sometimes he thinks that’s one of the many reasons he is drawn to Kazuya. They’re more similar than others realize. They both want to please everyone else, though even Junno has a limit. Kazuya keeps going and going, and Junno sometimes worries he won’t ever stop. In their efforts to make others happy, he becomes what everyone else wants him to be, while Junno has never been anything but himself. (Junno wonders how many times Kazuya has lost himself, and if that’s the price of popularity, of receiving so much love.) They both desire connection, the closeness of someone else. Plus the thing about Kazuya - once at ease, he freely gives affection.
It shouldn’t be such a surprise that Junno, a sucker for affection, would eventually seek out Kazuya’s attention. And eight years, one month, three weeks, and four days ago (he hadn’t pulled that timeframe completely out of nowhere), a young Taguchi Junnosuke had decided he wanted to be more than Kamenashi Kazuya’s groupmate, he wanted to be his friend.
In his early Junior days, Junno hadn’t yet developed the patience that would come to him as part of KAT-TUN. In aiming for Kame’s friendship, so what if he decided to skip a few steps? It would either work or fail miserably, and Junno wasn’t afraid of what would happen if it failed. The worst Kame could do was start a fight and Junno was getting pretty good at catching punches and kicks.
Despite waking up earlier than usual, Junno found his energy level growing rapidly the closer he got to work and then as he traveled through the halls of the agency to KAT-TUN’s dressing room. It reached so high that he practically bounced into the room, calling out a loud and sunny “Good morning!”
One quick glance confirmed that Kame was alone, and with his usual cheerful grin, Junno added, “Kazuya~”
If he wasn’t looking for it, he might have missed Kame’s twitch as his groupmate looked up from the binder with their dance routines. Junno made sure not to react at all, instead dumping his stuff in front of the vanities before joining Kame on the couch. He sat on the opposite end and reached for one of the water bottles on the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kame frown and open his mouth - Junno braced himself -
The door opened, and Ueda walked in, followed by Koki and Jin. Letting out a small breath of air, Junno waved and when Kame’s eyes flicked towards them, Junno scooted over. “Kame, can I take a look at the binder for a sec?” he asked.
Kame blinked, his eyebrows scrunching together, but handed it over. “Yeah, I just finished anyway,” he said.
Junno could tell he had confused him, but frankly, he wanted it to be a secret, this kind-of sort-of plan of his. It wasn’t going to work if the others found out about it (not that the chances of it working at all were very high in the first place). And he’d be lying if he said it hadn’t felt strange, his groupmate’s three-syllable name rolling off his tongue.
‘Kazuya’ did have a nice ring to it though.
Over the next several days, Junno kept waiting for Kame to say something. But practices and meetings and tapings came and went, and Kame treated Junno as he normally did. His groupmate probably thought it had been a mistake. Junno figured some part of him should be relieved, but all it did was make him want to try again.
It didn’t happen until weeks later, but that was because KAT-TUN’s schedule was unexpectedly growing busier and busier and at first, Junno was preoccupied with just keeping up.
One day when they had a particularly hectic schedule, they were on the way out of a conference room after a meeting about a possible concert. Excitement was high and Junno couldn’t believe it - a concert! An actual concert just for KAT-TUN. It had never been done before, a concert for a pre-debuted group. Just the possibility alone…
Junno couldn’t stop grinning. That is, until he saw the faraway and way too serious look on Kame’s face. He glanced at the table - only Kame’s water bottle was left in the basket, unopened. He tried to remember if Kame had anything to drink at all since they started dance practices in the morning, but couldn’t recall. He frowned.
Ever since he had made up his mind about befriending Kame, he paid more attention to the comings and goings of his over-achieving groupmate. One thing that became glaringly obvious was Kame’s apparent inability to take care of himself properly. His focus was something to be admired, but on Kame’s list of important things, he obviously held himself at a very low ranking.
Everyone filed out ahead of Junno, and he was thankful Kame trailed behind the rest of the group. He grabbed Kame’s water and caught up with him in the hallway, nudging him in the back with the bottle.
“Here, Kazuya,” he murmured without thinking.
Kame took the bottle from him just as Junno realized what had slipped out. Crap, this wasn’t the time for the Plan! Without looking at Kame or waiting for a reply, Junno jogged past him and pounced on Ueda as a distraction. Ueda responded with a long-suffering sigh and eye-roll. Junno barely felt the jab to his side; he waited for Kame to call out and reprimand him. Surely this time he would say something.
A few seconds passed before he chanced a glance over his shoulder, catching Kame bringing the water bottle to his lips. He took a few big gulps. Junno couldn’t stop a smile from crossing his face, pleased that he was able to help Kame in some way. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on him.
Kame looked up and Junno turned his head quickly, nodding as Ueda said something to him. When they reached the rehearsal room, Junno peeked at Kame from underneath his long bangs, but the shorter boy didn’t even spare him a glance. Instead, he immediately went to talk to the dance instructor and Junno wondered if Kame was passing it off as a mistake again. Or maybe he hadn’t heard him at all.
It was only after their magazine interview later that day that Junno realized the twinge in his chest was disappointment.
He didn’t have time to give it much thought. If their schedule had been full before, add a concert to the mix, and everything was even messier. Each one of them wanted certain songs or a certain segment or costumes, one opinion after another clashing with someone else’s. Keeping the peace within the group was enough trouble to last a lifetime. It wasn’t until KAT-TUN that Junno found out chaos could be doubled.
But dancing, dancing was where things came together for him, where the chaos calmed. He loved letting the music wash over him as his body flowed from one step to the next. Dancing was his element above all else. Oftentimes, he forgot it wasn’t as easy for the others.
So it shouldn’t have been a surprise to find Kame in the rehearsal room after hours but, as he looked up and started at the piercing stare of his groupmate, it was. After exchanging a few words and then his offer of shrimp chips rebuffed, Junno knew Kame was in a ‘Leave Me Alone’ mood. He shuffled over to his own corner, a few paces down from where Kame had claimed his own area, and went about his practice routine as usual.
Junno focused primarily on his footwork, ignoring any choreography involved above the waist in favor of munching on his convenient store chips. The next thing he knew Kame was snapping at him. Clueless, he blinked at the group’s youngest member. That seemed to incense Kame further.
“Forget it,” Kame said.
Forget what? Junno tilted his head to the side as he watched Kame struggle through the choreography he had just been practicing. He pinpointed what was wrong right away.
“Your rhythm is off,” Junno said. He noted Kame’s tense shoulders, the deep crease in his forehead. “You should relax.”
Kame’s reply was swift and sharp. “I have to get this right.”
Kame took himself way too seriously. Junno moved towards him to offer his help, but Kame shook his head. The younger teen was also too prideful and stubborn for his own good. Junno stuffed more chips in his mouth and then tossed the bag to the side. He’d have to go about this in another way.
Junno went through the routine again, but at a few beats slower than normal. He watched himself in the mirror, mindful of his groupmate standing a few feet away. He could feel his eyes on him. When Junno finished the combination Kame was having trouble with, he simply started all over again.
Kame’s reflection started moving with him. Junno grinned at having Kame’s concentration solely focused on the image of his feet in the mirror. He began counting the beats aloud, and when Kame nodded in time with him, Junno relished the feeling of being needed, if only in this moment. It was a heady sensation, especially since Kame rarely allowed anyone to take control. His groupmate seemed determined to see KAT-TUN reach the top, even if it meant he had to do it on his own.
Junno wished Kame knew he wasn’t alone in this, wished he had the courage to tell him.
Kame finished the steps perfectly and Junno took that as his cue to leave. He’d gotten farther than Kame had ever allowed him and he didn’t want to push his luck. Kame’s voice stopped him just as he reached the door.
“Hey.”
Junno looked over his shoulder, and unintentionally met Kame’s brown eyes in the reflection of the mirror.
“Again?” Kame’s request was soft, lacking all the hard edges of his usual tone. This was the first time Kame had ever asked him for anything.
Junno felt certain that he had never smiled so big before. “Sure thing, Kazuya.”
The name slipped out of its own accord. Kame paused and Junno prepared himself for a rebuke. Instead, Kame gestured at him impatiently. And was that a glimmer of a smile in his eyes? “Come on,” he said. “Hurry up. And use the proper tempo this time.”
Junno hurried over, half afraid that Kame would change his mind. Kame went straight ahead into the choreography again once Junno stood beside him, but Junno didn’t mind. He felt like this was the first step in a direction he had wanted to go all along.
“Eight years?! That long?” Koki exclaims.
This skirts the edges of things Junno would rather not talk about, but he still can’t help grinning at the surprise in Koki’s voice. His grin only widens when Koki turns to give him the evil eye as if to protect poor, innocent Kazuya from his manic clutches.
Junno adopts a perfectly guileless expression when Koki points at him. “You! You’re so two-faced! Calling Kame ‘Kazuya’ when no one else is around!”
“It’s because he’s blood type AB, right?” Amusement sparkles in Ueda’s expression despite the lazy tone of his delivery.
Junno catches Kazuya’s eye without meaning to - his heart thumps - and he looks away, smiling into the camera. “I’m more B than A, don’t you think?” he says, tossing out the bait.
Koki latches on and begins to tell a delighted audience behind-the-scenes stories about Junno and the side he doesn’t let the fans see. Ueda and Nakamaru chip in, and Junno is grateful for the opening Ueda’s question had given him. It redirects attention away from the original subject.
They may think he’s crossing boundaries, that he and Kazuya aren’t close enough for him to address him by his first name. What they don’t know is that, sometimes, Junno intends for it to mean something else entirely.
It’s a secret that Junno keeps close, especially from Kazuya himself. Somewhere along that eight year, one month, three week and four day track, Junno fell in love. But he is not foolish enough to believe that his feelings could ever be returned.
So many people love Kazuya. They fall in love with him every day. Junno is just another number. But it must be nice, he thinks, to have people love you like that. He has spent endless hours watching his groupmate, trying to decipher the ins and outs of his psyche, to see not only his Kazuya, but also the Kamenashi Kazuya the world sees.
All it does is make him fall deeper and deeper, and sometimes Junno despairs at ever finding his way back. You’d think that wouldn’t be possible - Junno certainly didn’t think so at first - but then again, if anyone had the ability to make someone fall in love even past the point of no return, it would be Kazuya.
The Kansai Juniors take the stage and when KAT-TUN makes their exit, Junno’s gaze falls on Kazuya’s back. Without thinking, he reaches out for the shorter man’s vest and tugs. Junno expects to be shrugged off. Instead, Kazuya stops at the bottom of the stairs and watches as the others rush to their individual clothing racks.
“What?” Kazuya asks. Junno feels the tenseness in his posture, knows that Kazuya is eager to get ready for the next number. But the fact that he takes the time to wait for whatever it is Junno has to say warms him from the inside. It makes Junno reckless.
He leans in and presses his nose briefly to the back of Kazuya’s head so he can breathe him in. Even combined with the sweat from running around in front of their fans, he smells intoxicating.
“Nothing,” he answers. His breath fans out over Kazuya’s neck and Junno takes great pleasure when it causes the younger man to shiver. “That went well, huh? The MC.”
“Taguchi, we have to change,” Kazuya retorts. The edge in his tone alerts Junno to his intent and he is able to dodge before Kazuya’s elbow lands in his gut.
Junno practically dances over to his costume rack, giddy. “Hai, hai~” he sings. He takes a quick look around to make sure no one is paying attention and turns back to the object of his affections. “Kazuya~”
I love you.
Junno winks and when Kazuya squirts his water bottle at him in retaliation, he laughs. He’ll never be able to say it aloud, so this will have to be enough. Kazuya rolls his eyes and turns away. Junno immediately feels bereft.
He prays it will be enough.
.fin*
*Sequel?! Idk. lol Thanks for reading!
Crossposted to jent_fanfics, kattun_fanfics, kattunlove, theadorkable1.