Fic: Beneath the Facade; BeKami
Beneath the Façade
By: Liz (fic journal - lilly_scribbles)
Word count: 1,986
Rating: PG
Pairing: BeKami
Summary: Atobe always gets what h wants, and Kamio gets what he didn’t even know he wanted.
Notes: This was written for round 4 of Subrosa, which is now over, so I can share.
**************************
“Game and match Atobe, six games to one.” The words sounded like Ibu was choking on them, which was only fitting, Kamio thought, because they tasted like ash in his own mouth. The worst thing was that he was pretty sure that Atobe had let him have that one game too.
Or maybe the second-worst thing, Kamio thought, looking over to where a stunned and almost despondent-looking Tachibana An stood. Because she knows what’s coming, now…she was hoping it’d be like last time, now she has to date him….
Kamio’s train of thought was interrupted by a hand grabbing his shoulder and turning him around almost forcefully. “Ore-sama will pick you up here at seven. Do try to be presentable.”
“What?!” Kamio squawked out. “ME? I…I thought…you said you’d be dating An-chan!”
“Now, now. Ore-sama never said that.” Atobe’s smirk was amused. “Ore-sama never specified who would be the lucky date.” Atobe’s hand trailed over Kamio’s cheek. “Unless you would rather Ore-sama dated the girl…?”
“No!” Kamio shuddered under Atobe’s touch. No way was he letting An-chan suffer through that! “Fine, you win, bastard. I’ll be here. Seven.” He jerked away from Atobe’s grip and stalked away without even looking back.
Ibu looked at Kamio impassively as Kamio grumbled and shoved his racquet back into his bag. “So…you’re really going on this date?”
Kamio was about to respond, but was interrupted by An. “Kamio-kun!” She came running up to them. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t think…I thought it would be like last time! That he wasn’t serious, or…I didn’t think he’d want to date you!” She truly looked upset. “Not that there’s anything wrong with you, Kamio-kun, but….”
“I understand, An-chan.” Kamio sighed. “Better me than you, anyway. I can probably handle myself with the bastard.” Probably. He wasn’t so sure, but he wasn’t going to tell his friends that.
“Maybe it won’t be that bad.” An’s eyes sparkled up at him trying to keep Kamio’s spirits up. “Maybe he won’t even show up….”
Kamio shook his head. “No, he’ll be there. “Ore-sama” is going to see it as a matter of pride. And I do too, now. I’ll be there, I’ll be presentable, but nothing is going to make me enjoy it.”
“You never know,” Ibu spoke up from Kamio’s other side. “It could be nice. Maybe he’ll just want to…play tennis or something, and I heard some of his fangirls talking once about what a good kisser he is so….”
“He is NOT going to be kissing me, Shinji!” Kamio shouted, but he looked a bit green at the same time. What the Hell have I gotten myself into?
************
Seven that evening found Kamio waiting awkwardly by the entrance to the street courts. Despite Atobe’s pointed remarks, Kamio had taken no particular care with his appearance, other than to make sure his clothes were clean and absent of holes, and that his hair was laying flat. Beyond that, he didn’t care. Let him call me a low-class plebian or whatever. It’s what I am, and if he doesn’t like it, no one asked him to do this.
“You didn’t try to skip out. I am pleased, if a bit surprised,” came a voice from behind Kamio.
He whirled. “Don’t sneak up on me, you bastard!”
Atobe tsked. “Is that any way to speak to your date, Kamio-kun? I thought you would know some manners already.”
He offered his arm to Kamio, who just stared at it like it was going to bite him. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”
Atobe sighed. “I am trying to be polite to my date. It’s what well-bred gentlemen do.” His tone left no doubt as to his opinion of Kamio’s breeding.
Kamio stiffened. “I am not some lady that you are trying to romance. So keep your arm and your snobby manners to yourself!”
“Fine, have it your way.” Atobe sighed and lowered his arm. “Shall we, then?”
“Just what are we doing, anyway?” Kamio’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I understand that dinner and a movie are a traditional first date among those of your class.” Atobe’s face was carefully blank as he spoke. “Is this agreeable to you, Kamio-kun?”
“Fine, whatever.” The sooner this was over, in Kamio’s opinion, the better it was. And with a movie, at least, that was about half the date that he didn’t have to try making small talk with the arrogant bastard. “And what’s with the ‘first date’ crap, anyway? There will be no more dates.” Kamio shook his head and turned to storm down the sidewalk, heading for the main street.
Atobe said nothing as he quietly followed Kamio, but the look in his eyes was appraising.
************
Two hours later, Kamio was torn between being shocked and appalled with himself.
The movie had been good, something for which Kamio was grateful. It had meant that he was able to just lose himself in the story without having to think about the person sitting next to him. And even though Atobe had insisted that they share popcorn, they did have separate drinks, and Atobe kept his hands to himself for the entire film.
Kamio thought that maybe, just maybe, this date wouldn’t be so bad. Then he remembered that there was still dinner to get through, which meant probably having to listen to Atobe go on and on about how wonderful he was, and it’d probably be at some place designed to make Kamio feel like absolute dirt….
But dinner was turning out to be nothing like that, hence the shock. Atobe had taken him to a rather casual place, didn’t complain once about the quality of the food, and was actually carrying on a decent conversation.
And Kamio…was enjoying it.
He had to work hard to resist the urge to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming, because surely this must be a dream. It was impossible on a variety of levels. Atobe was a jerk, and Kamio was in love with An. That was just how it was.
Now…if only I could make myself believe that. Kamio sighed and poked his plate of pasta.
“Are you full?”
Kamio started and looked up at Atobe. “Huh?”
“I asked if you were full.” Atobe’s eyes narrowed. “You are on another planet, Kamio-kun. Is my company really that distasteful?”
For the first time that night, Kamio realized that Atobe had dropped the “ore-sama.” He wondered how he had missed it before. “I…ummm. No. Not really.” He looked at Atobe. “Actually, you’re kinda nice like this. Why don’t you act like this more often?”
Atobe sighed. “There is a lot of pressure put on appearance in the circles I am forced to run in. It is hard to ever let my guard down because I never know who is watching and waiting to cause my fall.”
Kamio blinked. “That…sounds rough. How can you live like that?”
“I have no choice.” Atobe looked a little embarrassed, than his cool expression-Kamio was starting to wonder if it was really just a mask-came back up. “Anyway. This evening was an adequate diversion.”
“Is that all it was?” Kamio could be stubborn, and yeah, he had a temper, but he was also more perceptive than most people gave him credit for. “‘Cause, y’know, I don’t think that’s it. Not all of it.”
Atobe actually blushed a little.” No…that’s not all.” He sighed. “You have spirit. I like spirit. You haven’t been broken yet.”
“You wanna break me?”
“Not at all.” Atobe shook his head. “I want…to see what it is like. I want to be close to that freedom.”
“Freedom?” Kamio snorted. “There is no such thing. I’m not free.”
“Compared to me, you are free as a bird.” Atobe signaled for the check, ending the discussion.
************
When Atobe insisted on walking Kamio home, Kamio’s initial though was to refuse, but then he realized that he didn’t want it to end just yet. And that just confused Kamio more, so he thought that Atobe should walk him home just so he had more time with which to sort it out.
Their walk was filled with what was, for them, light conversation. Tennis was always something to talk about, and as long as they didn’t discuss Fudomine or Hyotei, it made for an interesting discussion. From there, the talk went on to the movie they had watched, discussing the soundtrack, and music in general. Kamio was actually surprised at how much Atobe knew about J-pop and said as much.
Atobe actually flushed. “I would appreciate it if that bit of information did not become common knowledge, Kamio-kun.”
“Who would I tell? And who would believe me if I did tell them?” Kamio shook his head. “No one. You’re too, well, cultured for that.”
“It’s part of the role I play.” Atobe seemed to tense almost imperceptibly. “This is the most relaxed I’ve been able to be in some time. Thank you for that.”
“Sure….” Kamio was confused as they grew closer to his house. This Atobe is nothing like the one I’ve known for so long. This one has a sense of humor, can use personal pronouns…hell, he’s nice! How much of the Atobe we see is really just a mask? Is this the real Atobe?
Kamio almost tripped over his feet as another thought came to him: I LIKE this Atobe!
“Kamio-kun?” Atobe’s voice broke through Kamio’s reverie. “I believe this is your home?”
Kamio looked up at the house and blinked in surprise. “Yeah…it is. Hm.” He looked up at Atobe-and yeah, that did still irritate him some, having to look up to the other boy. “I…actually had a pretty decent time tonight, I guess.”
Atobe’s mouth turned up in an amused smirk. “I will take that as the highest compliment. Thank you for accompanying me tonight, Kamio-kun. Good night.” He turned to walk away.
“Hey, wait!”
Atobe looked back at Kamio, the surprise clear on his face. “Did I forget something?”
“Yeah. Where’s my goodnight kiss?” Kamio’s jaw dropped a little as soon as the words left his mouth. That’s not what I wanted to say…was it?
“You…are you certain that is what you want to say to me, Kamio-kun?” Atobe sounded wary, almost like he was waiting for the punch line to the joke.
Kamio paused, then nodded. “Yeah. Where’s my kiss?”
Atobe stepped close to Kamio, leaned down, and hesitated, his mouth a bare inch from Kamio’s. “Are you certain?” he asked again, softly.
Kamio didn’t bother to answer, instead rolling his eyes and reaching to pull Atobe down to meet his lips.
When the finally parted many long moments later, Atobe looked down at Kamio with an odd expression in his eyes. “Does this mean that if I were to ask you on a date next week, that you would not refuse.”
“Yeah,” Kamio admitted. “I wouldn’t. But all bets are off if you revert on that one and act like an epic jerk again.”
“Kamio-kun, when we are around others, especially my teammates, I have to act like an ‘epic jerk,’ as you put it,” Atobe warned.
Kamio shrugged. “I can deal with that. For now. If you want more than a couple dates, though, something about that is gonna have to change.”
“We will discuss that at a later date. For now,” Atobe stole another soft kiss from Kamio’s lips, “I need to go. I will call you, Kamio-kun.” Without another backward glance, Atobe turned and strode down the street.
Kamio shook his head in confused silence as he went into his house. That confusion stayed with him until he was in bed and settling to sleep. He was about to give himself over to slumber, when a sudden stray thought made Kamio sit bolt upright, his stomach lurching at the thought.
“Shit! What am I going to tell Shinji and them tomorrow?!”
******************************
The End
By: Liz (fic journal - lilly_scribbles)
Word count: 1,986
Rating: PG
Pairing: BeKami
Summary: Atobe always gets what h wants, and Kamio gets what he didn’t even know he wanted.
Notes: This was written for round 4 of Subrosa, which is now over, so I can share.
**************************
“Game and match Atobe, six games to one.” The words sounded like Ibu was choking on them, which was only fitting, Kamio thought, because they tasted like ash in his own mouth. The worst thing was that he was pretty sure that Atobe had let him have that one game too.
Or maybe the second-worst thing, Kamio thought, looking over to where a stunned and almost despondent-looking Tachibana An stood. Because she knows what’s coming, now…she was hoping it’d be like last time, now she has to date him….
Kamio’s train of thought was interrupted by a hand grabbing his shoulder and turning him around almost forcefully. “Ore-sama will pick you up here at seven. Do try to be presentable.”
“What?!” Kamio squawked out. “ME? I…I thought…you said you’d be dating An-chan!”
“Now, now. Ore-sama never said that.” Atobe’s smirk was amused. “Ore-sama never specified who would be the lucky date.” Atobe’s hand trailed over Kamio’s cheek. “Unless you would rather Ore-sama dated the girl…?”
“No!” Kamio shuddered under Atobe’s touch. No way was he letting An-chan suffer through that! “Fine, you win, bastard. I’ll be here. Seven.” He jerked away from Atobe’s grip and stalked away without even looking back.
Ibu looked at Kamio impassively as Kamio grumbled and shoved his racquet back into his bag. “So…you’re really going on this date?”
Kamio was about to respond, but was interrupted by An. “Kamio-kun!” She came running up to them. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t think…I thought it would be like last time! That he wasn’t serious, or…I didn’t think he’d want to date you!” She truly looked upset. “Not that there’s anything wrong with you, Kamio-kun, but….”
“I understand, An-chan.” Kamio sighed. “Better me than you, anyway. I can probably handle myself with the bastard.” Probably. He wasn’t so sure, but he wasn’t going to tell his friends that.
“Maybe it won’t be that bad.” An’s eyes sparkled up at him trying to keep Kamio’s spirits up. “Maybe he won’t even show up….”
Kamio shook his head. “No, he’ll be there. “Ore-sama” is going to see it as a matter of pride. And I do too, now. I’ll be there, I’ll be presentable, but nothing is going to make me enjoy it.”
“You never know,” Ibu spoke up from Kamio’s other side. “It could be nice. Maybe he’ll just want to…play tennis or something, and I heard some of his fangirls talking once about what a good kisser he is so….”
“He is NOT going to be kissing me, Shinji!” Kamio shouted, but he looked a bit green at the same time. What the Hell have I gotten myself into?
************
Seven that evening found Kamio waiting awkwardly by the entrance to the street courts. Despite Atobe’s pointed remarks, Kamio had taken no particular care with his appearance, other than to make sure his clothes were clean and absent of holes, and that his hair was laying flat. Beyond that, he didn’t care. Let him call me a low-class plebian or whatever. It’s what I am, and if he doesn’t like it, no one asked him to do this.
“You didn’t try to skip out. I am pleased, if a bit surprised,” came a voice from behind Kamio.
He whirled. “Don’t sneak up on me, you bastard!”
Atobe tsked. “Is that any way to speak to your date, Kamio-kun? I thought you would know some manners already.”
He offered his arm to Kamio, who just stared at it like it was going to bite him. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”
Atobe sighed. “I am trying to be polite to my date. It’s what well-bred gentlemen do.” His tone left no doubt as to his opinion of Kamio’s breeding.
Kamio stiffened. “I am not some lady that you are trying to romance. So keep your arm and your snobby manners to yourself!”
“Fine, have it your way.” Atobe sighed and lowered his arm. “Shall we, then?”
“Just what are we doing, anyway?” Kamio’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“I understand that dinner and a movie are a traditional first date among those of your class.” Atobe’s face was carefully blank as he spoke. “Is this agreeable to you, Kamio-kun?”
“Fine, whatever.” The sooner this was over, in Kamio’s opinion, the better it was. And with a movie, at least, that was about half the date that he didn’t have to try making small talk with the arrogant bastard. “And what’s with the ‘first date’ crap, anyway? There will be no more dates.” Kamio shook his head and turned to storm down the sidewalk, heading for the main street.
Atobe said nothing as he quietly followed Kamio, but the look in his eyes was appraising.
************
Two hours later, Kamio was torn between being shocked and appalled with himself.
The movie had been good, something for which Kamio was grateful. It had meant that he was able to just lose himself in the story without having to think about the person sitting next to him. And even though Atobe had insisted that they share popcorn, they did have separate drinks, and Atobe kept his hands to himself for the entire film.
Kamio thought that maybe, just maybe, this date wouldn’t be so bad. Then he remembered that there was still dinner to get through, which meant probably having to listen to Atobe go on and on about how wonderful he was, and it’d probably be at some place designed to make Kamio feel like absolute dirt….
But dinner was turning out to be nothing like that, hence the shock. Atobe had taken him to a rather casual place, didn’t complain once about the quality of the food, and was actually carrying on a decent conversation.
And Kamio…was enjoying it.
He had to work hard to resist the urge to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming, because surely this must be a dream. It was impossible on a variety of levels. Atobe was a jerk, and Kamio was in love with An. That was just how it was.
Now…if only I could make myself believe that. Kamio sighed and poked his plate of pasta.
“Are you full?”
Kamio started and looked up at Atobe. “Huh?”
“I asked if you were full.” Atobe’s eyes narrowed. “You are on another planet, Kamio-kun. Is my company really that distasteful?”
For the first time that night, Kamio realized that Atobe had dropped the “ore-sama.” He wondered how he had missed it before. “I…ummm. No. Not really.” He looked at Atobe. “Actually, you’re kinda nice like this. Why don’t you act like this more often?”
Atobe sighed. “There is a lot of pressure put on appearance in the circles I am forced to run in. It is hard to ever let my guard down because I never know who is watching and waiting to cause my fall.”
Kamio blinked. “That…sounds rough. How can you live like that?”
“I have no choice.” Atobe looked a little embarrassed, than his cool expression-Kamio was starting to wonder if it was really just a mask-came back up. “Anyway. This evening was an adequate diversion.”
“Is that all it was?” Kamio could be stubborn, and yeah, he had a temper, but he was also more perceptive than most people gave him credit for. “‘Cause, y’know, I don’t think that’s it. Not all of it.”
Atobe actually blushed a little.” No…that’s not all.” He sighed. “You have spirit. I like spirit. You haven’t been broken yet.”
“You wanna break me?”
“Not at all.” Atobe shook his head. “I want…to see what it is like. I want to be close to that freedom.”
“Freedom?” Kamio snorted. “There is no such thing. I’m not free.”
“Compared to me, you are free as a bird.” Atobe signaled for the check, ending the discussion.
************
When Atobe insisted on walking Kamio home, Kamio’s initial though was to refuse, but then he realized that he didn’t want it to end just yet. And that just confused Kamio more, so he thought that Atobe should walk him home just so he had more time with which to sort it out.
Their walk was filled with what was, for them, light conversation. Tennis was always something to talk about, and as long as they didn’t discuss Fudomine or Hyotei, it made for an interesting discussion. From there, the talk went on to the movie they had watched, discussing the soundtrack, and music in general. Kamio was actually surprised at how much Atobe knew about J-pop and said as much.
Atobe actually flushed. “I would appreciate it if that bit of information did not become common knowledge, Kamio-kun.”
“Who would I tell? And who would believe me if I did tell them?” Kamio shook his head. “No one. You’re too, well, cultured for that.”
“It’s part of the role I play.” Atobe seemed to tense almost imperceptibly. “This is the most relaxed I’ve been able to be in some time. Thank you for that.”
“Sure….” Kamio was confused as they grew closer to his house. This Atobe is nothing like the one I’ve known for so long. This one has a sense of humor, can use personal pronouns…hell, he’s nice! How much of the Atobe we see is really just a mask? Is this the real Atobe?
Kamio almost tripped over his feet as another thought came to him: I LIKE this Atobe!
“Kamio-kun?” Atobe’s voice broke through Kamio’s reverie. “I believe this is your home?”
Kamio looked up at the house and blinked in surprise. “Yeah…it is. Hm.” He looked up at Atobe-and yeah, that did still irritate him some, having to look up to the other boy. “I…actually had a pretty decent time tonight, I guess.”
Atobe’s mouth turned up in an amused smirk. “I will take that as the highest compliment. Thank you for accompanying me tonight, Kamio-kun. Good night.” He turned to walk away.
“Hey, wait!”
Atobe looked back at Kamio, the surprise clear on his face. “Did I forget something?”
“Yeah. Where’s my goodnight kiss?” Kamio’s jaw dropped a little as soon as the words left his mouth. That’s not what I wanted to say…was it?
“You…are you certain that is what you want to say to me, Kamio-kun?” Atobe sounded wary, almost like he was waiting for the punch line to the joke.
Kamio paused, then nodded. “Yeah. Where’s my kiss?”
Atobe stepped close to Kamio, leaned down, and hesitated, his mouth a bare inch from Kamio’s. “Are you certain?” he asked again, softly.
Kamio didn’t bother to answer, instead rolling his eyes and reaching to pull Atobe down to meet his lips.
When the finally parted many long moments later, Atobe looked down at Kamio with an odd expression in his eyes. “Does this mean that if I were to ask you on a date next week, that you would not refuse.”
“Yeah,” Kamio admitted. “I wouldn’t. But all bets are off if you revert on that one and act like an epic jerk again.”
“Kamio-kun, when we are around others, especially my teammates, I have to act like an ‘epic jerk,’ as you put it,” Atobe warned.
Kamio shrugged. “I can deal with that. For now. If you want more than a couple dates, though, something about that is gonna have to change.”
“We will discuss that at a later date. For now,” Atobe stole another soft kiss from Kamio’s lips, “I need to go. I will call you, Kamio-kun.” Without another backward glance, Atobe turned and strode down the street.
Kamio shook his head in confused silence as he went into his house. That confusion stayed with him until he was in bed and settling to sleep. He was about to give himself over to slumber, when a sudden stray thought made Kamio sit bolt upright, his stomach lurching at the thought.
“Shit! What am I going to tell Shinji and them tomorrow?!”
******************************
The End