247 lbs of Love: The Liar’s Game: Third Lie
Three simple rules, thirty short days
Title: 247 lbs of Love: The Liar’s Game
Summary: Jin, Yamashita and Ryo made a bet that Jin couldn’t get into Kame’s pants within a month. Stubbornly, Jin accepted the challenge; what he couldn’t accept were the feelings that came along with it. After all, the third rule was that it was Kame’s job to fall in love; not his
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairings: Akame (main) [Jin/Kame], mentions of Ryoda [Ryo/Ueda] and Tomapi [Yamashita/Toma]
Other Characters: KAT-TUN, Ryo, Yamashita
Content: Romance, drama, light humor, inevitable angst, major Kokame friendship, slightly cruel plot?
Author: Nerd-san
Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Johnny Entertainment
247 lbs of Love: The Liar’s Game: Third Lie
The Liar’s Game: Third Lie
Rule 1: No one is to know about any of this being a game
Rule 2: If anyone is to find out about the lies, the game is over
Rule 3: You, by no means, are to fall in love with your victim
Dinner was silent for the most part. Jin talked, and boy did he talk a lot. He was more surprised, however, at the fact that Kame didn’t seem as eager to chat away with him as he was with the latter.
There was no particular topic they strayed on; their conversations varied from work to personal life and for a minute, Jin could almost feel Kame loosening up to him again. And he smiled. Not in victory, but in genuine happiness.
Being with the younger man like this, just the two of them away from everything else, felt nostalgic. And for another minute, Jin had almost forgotten about the bet. Almost.
But Yamashita and Ryo’s triumphal faces continued to remain astray in his mind. Jin shook his head hoping to shake away the images along with it.
He glanced up from his food to look across from him at Kame who was shyly fiddling with the straw in his drink. Their eyes met for a second, but Kame hurried to break the intimate contact.
Unsurely, Jin swindled with the chopsticks in his plate, absentmindedly tracking them through the food. He wasn’t so sure anymore. Seeing Kame, the bashful Kame he had grown to love as a brother in reality instead of just the theory Yamashita and Ryo predicted was already too much for him.
Unknowing to the latter, there was a pair of curious eyes that continued to watch his movements and despondently, Jin sighed. Kame continued to stare and could feel his heart tighten at Jin’s lack of enthusiasm.
Perhaps this whole get-together was nothing more than pity from the older man. Kame constricted his eyes. He didn’t want that.
Somehow the unruffled atmosphere dispelled itself and with its leaving came that thickening stillness the two were trying too hard to prevent.
“I was thinking-”
“I wanted to say-”
Their words were lost in a tumble of mix-matched voices and the two smiled at each other before resorting to an awkward laughter. Kame let go of the straw and began to rub his sweaty palms together under the table.
Jin smiled gracefully, “You first.”
Kame wondered to himself how someone could present themselves to be so elegant and poised as Jin. He allowed this thought to drift away, however, as he took a deep breath. He wasn’t really sure what he was going to say, but anything was better than the fleeting feelings he had right now.
He scratched the side of his mouth sheepishly. “Why did you ask…me out?”
Kame seemed as shocked as the outcome of his question as Jin did because as soon as those words had left his lips, he covered both his hands over his mouth. Dread filled through the younger man and hurriedly he chastised himself.
God damn it…great going Kazuya. Now he’ll think you don’t want to be here. Stupid, stupid… His inward worry must have shown on his face because in repose to the crude question, Jin only laughed.
“First of all, Kame, you can stop fidgeting like you’ve been doing all day. I’m not going to attack you or something.” Jin pouted with a hint of amusement. Kame flushed at his childishness. He didn’t think Jin would have noticed.
But he did and in fact, looking at him now he was grinning wildly. Embarrassment washed over the younger male and his face retained his normally flustered look.
“And I’m not going to bite you.” Jin added as he took advantage of Kame’s discomfort and he rested his head on his hands, leaning in closer to the latter. “Unless you want me to.”
Kame bit back his rapidly growing blush. “J-Jin!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Jin leaned back against his chair, taking his hands off the table as he threw his arms up in a mock-surrender. “Just teasing,” he smirked, “and you can’t really blame me Kame, you’re as red as a tomato. I really don’t bite, you know.”
Kame nodded shamefacedly but sustained to keep his gawk angled downwards.
Jin frowned at Kame’s reluctant actions. The latter had every reason to be hesitant, but in the end Jin found this harder to woo Kame. Kame who would hardly spare him a glimpse. Kame who kept his gaze at anywhere but Jin.
“Do you hate me that much?”
The question forced Kame to jerk his head upward and directly at Jin, who now was looking at his lap. Kame bit his lower lip harshly; he didn’t want to hurt Jin. Of course I don’t hate you; he wanted to say, because I’m still in love with you.
He settled with a small silence followed by a head shake. “I don’t hate you…” his voice was quiet and neatly kept but his facial expression remained neutral to any emotion. “I can’t bring myself to it.” He spoke in all seriousness.
Jin nodded slowly, hoping to properly digest the words. “I’m going to be blunt,” Kame stared in wonder as Jin raised his head; his piercing eyes smack on to Kame’s, “I want you to give me another chance. I want to be your friend again.”
Kame wished he never fell in love. Simply because it only leads to trouble. Jin looked sad, nervously hacking away at his lower lips with his teeth, anxiously awaiting Kame’s words.
Still, Kame wouldn’t mind fooling himself into thinking that Jin was also in love. He wouldn’t mind fooling himself into thinking that Jin could feel his heartbeat rise to points unimaginable, and then gaze into those gentle, excited eyes, and give all of himself to Jin.
Instead of saying any of that, Kame merely said nothing. And sometimes, he thought, lying was also possible through his blunt silence. “We were always friends,” he said, “we never stopped.” Denial.
“This,” Jin outstretched his arms and pointed to the restaurant around them, pointed to himself and then to the edgy Kame, “this isn’t called friendship, Kame. You’ve been downright ignoring me since the moment we’ve got here. I don’t want this. I want to go back.”
Kame continued to stray with his words and Jin only sighed empathetically. “It wasn’t my fault.” Kame nodded. He knew that much.
If anything, even if the others didn’t believe him, it wasn’t Jin’s fault at all. It was Kame’s for being oversensitive. It was Kame’s for being frank and for uttering such tender words. In fact, Kame frowned, it was all my fault.
“We’ll get to know each other all over again. How does that sound?”
Kame looked up from his spot and at Jin. How could someone hurt him so much and yet all Kame wanted was for Jin to be here? I want to say I love you but I don’t want to scare you away. He thought repenting on Koki’s words. Not a second time.
Kame’s interior struggle hadn’t gone unnoticed to Jin but the older man did nothing. He simply remained seated, willing for his friend to sort out the problem on his own. He desperately awaited the answer
“I think…” Kame started off awkwardly, “I think I’d like that.”
Silence strayed on once again, and finally Kame blurted out what was on his mind. “If we’re starting all over again then…” he held his hand out across the table for Jin and Jin, confused, placed his hesitant hand in Kame’s. “My name’s Kame. And you are?”
Jin couldn’t help it; he burst out laughing. He smiled back at Kame. The defenseless, childish Kame that Jin had always known. Grinning, he shook the man’s hand. “My name’s Akanishi Jin. Let’s be good friends, okay?”
Kame smiled and nodded.
“Good.” Jin nodded in approval. “Now come on and eat up, there are better things we can be doing than eating all night.” With that, Kame chuckled lightly, watching Jin scarf down his food. Maybe, just maybe, he thought, it was possible to go back.
“Stop being shy Kame.” Jin grinned at Kame’s confused blink as he shuffled his way out of his seat and stuck himself next to Kame.
A moment of stillness passed before Kame jerked back at the sudden gesture. Jin withdrew in resignation. “Come on,” he held his hand out for Kame to look at, “see? Completely harmless.” He vouched for himself but Kame said nothing in response.
Jin sighed mournfully, “I knew it!” He threw his hands up in a joking defeat, “Kame doesn’t like me!” He childishly cried aloud, extracting the attention of most of the restaurant’s staff and customers.
Kame blushed, hurrying to stand up, flailing his hands over Jin’s in an embarrassed attempt to keep the watchful eyes of the other patrons off of the whining man. “Jin!” He growled through gritted teeth, “stop!”
“Then say you like me~”
Kame snarled in frustration, still struggling to keep Jin’s extended arms down. “I like you!” He shouted without hesitation or any form of guilt and Jin only grinned knowingly in response.
“Yatta!” Jin giggled and leaned over to the smaller man, planting a hearty kiss on his cheek. “Kame likes me.”
“S-Shut up. I do not!” Kame sat back down, fidgeting in his seat.
Jin looked over at him in confusion, pressing his lips together in a firm manner. “Yes you do!”
“No I don’t!” Kame shouted back, unable to keep the red from disguising his features. He hated that about Jin. He hated how easily the older man was able to make him blush. Jin didn’t seem to realize, however, more caught up in the juvenile argument than anything else.
“You do!” Jin complained, “you said so yourself!”
“When?!”
“A few seconds ago!”
“I did not!”
Kame was ready to throw away another false statement, waiting the moment where Jin would open his mouth and once again defend his declaration. When Jin didn’t say anything, however, Kame began to feel nostalgic goose bumps forming on his skin. Surprised at Jin’s sudden silence, he did nothing but blankly stare at his glass of water.
The question wasn’t reproachful, but instead spoken in an uncharacteristic quiet that was so unlike Jin that it made Kame shiver. “Is liking me that bad?”
Kame felt a large lump of nothingness clog his throat. That was why he couldn’t come up with an answer, he reminded himself. Because he was at a loss for words. Not because he hadn’t known the answer.
He sneaked a peek at latter. Liking Jin felt surreal. This was because Kame knew that Jin was a demon; the only person who could bring him to the tops of heaven before sending him back down to the pits of hell.
But Jin was still Jin - even if he was a demon.
Jin had an odd childlike innocence and was bluntly truthful. He acted childishly and was very easily pleased. Thinking of Jin the Demon like this, Kame realized that maybe the man wasn’t as demonic as he made him out to be.
“H-How would I know?” He blurted out at last, fretfully playing with the napkin he hadn’t known how he had gotten into his hands. “I don’t really know how to like someone…probably.”
“Eh?” Jin leaned towards Kame who was beside him, interested in the new information offered up by the latter. “How can’t you like someone? It’s easy.”
Are you acting like this because it’s convenient for you?! Are you pretending to forget everything that’s happened between us because it’s easier for you?! Kame was tempted to shout but refrained from actually doing so. He took a deep breath and stood up. Hurriedly, Jin copied his actions.
“Let’s get out of here,” he held his hand out for the reluctant Kame. Upon noting that the shorter man was making no movement towards his extended hand, Jin let it fall to his side in a crestfallen manner.
It hurt Kame to have to see the man like this, but nonetheless he made no attempt to cheer him up. Jin’s smile as they left the eatery was fake - Kame could tell - but he made no notion to correct the injustice of his actions.
Jin slung his hands at his sides in hopes of forgetting Kame’s unvoiced refusal, and after declaring aloud how cold it was outside, he shoved his hands inside of his jacket pockets. Kame couldn’t feel the cold Jin was referring to, but he remained silent.
“Ah! Let’s go in here!” Jin’s sudden shout brought Kame from his hallucination and questioningly he began to follow Jin into the clothing store he was so keen on going in to.
From the corner of his eyes, Kame saw Jin’s hand subconsciously coming for his elbow, hoping to tug him in the direction he wanted to show him to.
Kame frowned as Jin remembered Kame’s earlier rejection and dropped his hand. “Over here…” Jin cautiously smiled wide enough for the both of them as he dragged Kame over with his soft-spoken words.
“I saw this the other day. I just wanted to buy it.” Jin grinned, holding up a beautifully embroidered red winter hat, one that Kame noted, fitted perfectly with his crimson-red winter jacket. Kame shrugged and the two left to the checkout.
“While you’re in line do you mind if I look around?” Kame asked as he walked Jin to the end of the seemingly endless line. Jin shook his head and opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it.
“Ah…sure. I don’t mind.”
It didn’t take too long for Kame to return from browsing the familiar shop. He and Jin had come here quite often at a time. Their coming would usually fall into the same pattern.
Kame would ask Jin to accompany him, Jin would agree but the older man would stand around for the duration of their time out as Kame numbed himself to the dressing room, trying on various clothing. Kame didn’t think Jin was ever having much fun.
“Find anything you like?” Jin called over his shoulder as he handed the female cashier a few bills. Kame shook his head. He wasn’t going to allow Jin to buy him anything. Even back then, it was always Jin mooching money off of the falsely-irritated Kame.
Jin looked sad. “Oh,” he muttered. The two walked out with Kame meekly trailing behind Jin’s awkwardly quick footsteps. “Your favorite color’s red, right?”
“How many times do I have to tell you having a favorite color is insignificant?” Kame laughed, slowly matching his pace with Jin’s.
Jin pouted, one hand remaining in his pocket whilst the other held the shopping bag. “Because your winter jacket’s red, right?”
“I’m not wearing my jacket now.” He contradicted. “And that doesn’t necessarily mean my favorite color’s red.” Kame didn’t say anything afterwards, he settled for listening to Jin’s odd logic.
They reached Kame’s apartment soon after and Jin didn’t know why, but his heart was beginning to contract. It was now or never, he thought.
“Here!”
Kame raised a brow. “What?”
Jin stuck the bag in front of Kame’s face. “For you.” He looked down at his feet, the natural color of his face easily replacing itself with a variety of red hues.
“I-I bought it.” He said again, answering Kame’s confused look. “I bought it for you because I thought you liked red I mean it matched your jacket so I thought-”
“Thank you.” Kame stuttered with his words himself, cutting off Jin’s embarrassed rambles. Jin held out the bag again, and Kame removed his hands from his sides.
Instead of going after the bag dangling in front of him, he grabbed Jin’s right hand - the hand he had dejectedly kept in his pocket and enclosed it with his own.
“K-Kame what are you…?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, “for…for today. For everything.”
A soothing quiet engulfed the two, and slowly the two decided to embrace it.
Jin accompanied Kame in his quiet and heaved a sigh as he began to stare at Kame’s apartment door. “I want Kame to like me,” he mumbled inaudibly, deliberately turning his gawk away from the smaller man as he did so. “I want Kame to love me.”
Lying the first time is easy. And because you get away with it the first time, it becomes easier the second time…and the third time. And eventually, you find that nothing you say holds any truth whatsoever anymore.
“I was probably just scared of my sexuality.” Kame bit his tongue upon hearing the words and shut his eyes, turning away from Jin. He didn’t need this. Not now. Not when he decided that finally, finally he was going to let go of Jin.
Jin bit his lips, “I mean, come on, if I can be this happy being with you then I think…no I’m sure…that there’s no way I can be completely straight.” He took a small, withdrawn step towards the younger man. Out of instinct, Kame took one back.
“J-Jin what are you talking about…”
Jin just smiled. He shrugged carefully and waved Kame off. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
It took Kame six entire minutes to open his front door. He blamed it on his old keys and not his sweaty, shaking palms that refused to still for even a second. To his gratitude, the heavy door opened at last and Kame scurried inside, his small shopping bag accompanying him inside.
He leaned against the wall of his apartment for support, his feet no longer able to keep himself steady. He grinned madly and tightly hugged the bag to his chest, sliding down the partition. He laughed to himself and, at a loss for words, continued to hug his beloved present tighter.
“If I can be this happy being with you,” Jin words rang through his head and he almost felt complied to explode in sheer joy. Jin was happy being with him. More than happy, he had said.
Kame’s volatile smile doubled in size as he laid his head back against the door, slowly taking in the sounds of Jin’s heavy footsteps fading off in the distance.
The walk to Yamashita’s apartment hadn’t taken as long as Jin would have hoped. He needed to stay out in the cool winter air to keep his mind off of a certain dark-haired friend.
Unhurriedly, Jin could feel his heart starting to race. He gripped on his light jacket tightly and feigning ignorance towards the feeling began up the heavy steps to Yamashita’s floor.
He could have taken the elevator. He should have taken the elevator. Yamashita lived on the ninth floor. But for reasons unknown, Jin found himself taking the stairs.
When he had reached his destination, Jin smiled to himself as he knocked on the hard wood door. He even laughed at the remembrance of Kame’s childishly smiling face while shopping.
And at that moment Jin wanted nothing more than to be the only one who could bring that smile to the man’s face. That same feeling began to wash over Jin’s mind, leaving his body rendered useless. He gripped his shirt again. Another irregular pulse.
What…what the hell?
“Yo,”
Jin blinked twice at the sudden voice that had brought him from his distant thoughts.
He blinked again to see Yamashita’s naturally delicate grin in front of him, his thin body leaning heavily against the door frame. “What’cha gaping at like a fish for? Come in! Ryo’s already here~”
He smoothly stepped aside to allow his dazed friend inside. It had been weeks since Jin had last been to Yamashita’s apartment, but looking at it now, he noticed that everything was as it always was. Messy, yet contemporarily neat.
“Hey!” Ryo called from the living room, walking out in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt; the remote lazily dawdling in his arms. “What took you so long?” He threw Jin, who was busy leaning against the nearest wall to take off his shoes, a surprised look.
“You didn’t do him already did you?”
Jin nearly lost his balance. “W-What?!”
When he was with Kame he had completely forgotten about that. It had only hit him when his two best friends shared a satisfied smirk. Jin furrowed into himself. “I will. I still have 29 days.”
He attempted to sound cool, nonchalant - unbothered by the fact that maybe, just a little, he kind of wanted to do Kame.
“He’s not going to do it, is he?” Yamashita laughed.
Ryo joined in soon after, throwing his hands up in a mock defeat. “Not at all.”
Jin rolled his eyes, finally ridding of his shoes and began to join his friends in the other room, displacing his winter jacket on the way. “You don’t have to talk like I’m not here!” He whined playfully, throwing himself against the couch, rolled up next to Ryo.
Ryo poked the forehead nestled in his lap teasingly. “Struck out, huh?” He turned to Yamashita who nodded, jabbing away at the rustling Jin’s ribcage with his fingers. “Don’t worry; you still have another 29 days to fail.”
Jin sat up, relocating his friend’s mockery gestures. “I’m not going to fail,” he stated boldly.
“Whatever.”
“Of course you’re not.”
The man pouted further, scooting himself away from the two NEWS members. Childishly he stuck his tongue out at the two when their faces were turned and then turned to the neglected television.
Yamashita wasn’t sitting on the couch, but rather on his comfortably carpeted floor, his body leaning against the one hand that he nestled softly into the ground. He made eye contact with Ryo who sat next to Jin every now and then before turning back to their bland source of entertainment for the night.
Ryo was contentedly wrapped around a white blanket, his eyes on the verge of running together to get some needed rest. It wasn’t surprising; Yamashita shared a secret smile with himself, to see the three of them like this. Lazy, yet content in each other’s company.
Jin was playing with the hem of his socks, willing them to come off when Yamashita spoke again.
“…saw you at that new place today.”
The incomplete sentence hung in the air and Ryo only looked over at his two friends in an attempt of understanding the direction of Yamashita’s words. “You work fast.” NEWS’ leader added.
“As I like to say,” Jin yawned tiredly, dragging the blanket away from Ryo’s cold feet and onto his own, “make haste.”
“You don’t say that,” Ryo argued. “You’re as slow as a turtle.”
“A turtle who wants to be my friend again.” Jin corrected stubbornly, hastily grabbing away the piece of fabric that was rightfully his.
The latter smiled, followed by a halfheartedly sincere shrug. “Mmhm, you got pretty far - for the first day.” Yamashita leaned his weight against the opposing arm and crooked his neck back at the two on the couch. “Maybe Bakanishi really can pull this off…”
Ryo bristled, unsure of how to take his friend’s words. “Who’s side are you on, baka?!”
“I’m just saying…” Yamashita heatedly defended himself. “It seemed easy. Too easy.” He turned to Jin, “I only chose Kame ‘cus I was sure he’d be one of the only people to refuse Jin’s pathetic advances.”
Jin made sure his eye-roll was visible to the latter. “Not so pathetic if I have him where I want him.” He pointed out with his usual hint of smugness. “And anyways we’re friends. Kame’s not the type of person to do that with just his friends.”
Ryo smirked, planting his face into one of the stray couch pillows. “You know a lot about Kame’s sex life, Jin.”
Ryo felt Jin’s feet tense against his own at the statement. He threw Yamashita a look and the latter returned it with an equal amount of self-satisfaction. “S-Shut up.”
Jin stumbled across his words, much to his two friend’s pleasure. “It’s just common sense…well a common knowledge of Kame, anyway.”
Yamashita laughed as Jin fought to defend himself against Ryo’s onslaught of teasing words.
Curiosity bit Ryo’s insides as he asked in a small voice, “did he find out?” He wasn’t sure how long Jin, of all people, would be able to put up with the façade.
“Doesn’t suspect a thing.” KAT-TUN’s ‘A’ wasn’t sure whether or not he was delighted by the aspect.
Yamashita couldn’t help but to yawn, it was well past midnight and he needed rest. But somehow the childish bet kept his eyes opened. “Maybe Jin’s going about this the right way…” He shrugged at Ryo, “…you know, becoming his friend first and all?”
Ryo laughed aloud at the thought. “You plan on dating him too?” He teased mercilessly, nudging Jin’s warm foot with his own.
We’ve already been on one today; Jin thought suddenly. He wasn’t one to date without feelings, but Jin convinced himself that this one time it was an exception.
“Well, it can’t be helped,” he sighed, “Kame’s not going to let up his defenses otherwise.”
Jin didn’t bother to change out of his clothes; he was far too tired with his mind swiveling around in endless circles that usually led back to the same thing. Kame.
The three said nothing for the longest time, and slowly Jin could feel his eyelids drooping evenly. He shut them completely after almost half an hour, unconsciously brushing his feet against Ryo’s as he allowed sleep to overtake his system.
“I don’t get it…” Yamashita pondered aloud, stifling a yawn as he stretched his hands far over the tops of his head, hoping the lengthy stretching would awaken his systems.
Ryo looked over at him in confusion. “What?”
Yamashita furrowed his eyebrows and turned to Jin’s sleeping figure. He thought his words over before allowing them to softly pollute the quiet atmosphere.
“I mean, I chose Kame because I was sure he’d be revolted…” he trailed off, nudging a look at Ryo, hoping the older man to add in a few words of advice.
Ryo had none however, and only nodded. “Mmhm…”
“But he’s not putting up any resistance.” Yamashita continued to pester his inquisitiveness. “Why?”
“Jin didn’t ask him to anything more than a small dinner.” Ryo huffed in all directness. “It’s not like Kamenashi likes him. So it’s fine. Jin’s not going to win.” He yawned, further enclosing the blanket around himself. “And if worse comes to worse, we’ll just call off the game.”
“I guess.” He didn’t know why, but Yamashita didn’t sound too convinced by his friend’s logic. No one asides Jin and Kame really knew what happened between them; everyone else was merely a spectator in the on-and-off game of the two’s plummeting relationship.
They never went out; Jin assured them of that. Words that were exchanged minutes before Jin’s departure were kept mutely secret between the two but all that was known by everyone else was that the connection between KAT-TUN’s lead singers had never been the same since.
Thinking of it now, Yamashita realized all that was left between the two was nothing more than the awkward glances, hesitant touches and withdrawn expressions everyone had become so accustomed to. And that was exactly why he had chosen Kame. Because it was impossible.
He didn’t hear Ryo’s last remark; his mind far too engrossed to process the latter’s words. Instead, he merely smiled at his friend and let out a teasing wink. “Just go to sleep and dream of Ueda.”
“Damn it - I don’t like fish-lips! I hate him!”
Yamashita thought of Jin. And then of Kame who he had chosen because he was sure he had hated the latter. Hoping to follow the exhausted Jin’s example and to just fall asleep, he murmured, “It seems that there’s a very thin line that borders love and hate.”
Ryo wearily blinked, rubbing his lazy eyes together, unable to catch his good friend’s last words of wisdom. Instead he settled for a small “what?”
“Nothing.” Yamashita yawned, hauling his blanket over his head. “Goodnight Ryo.”
Ryo muffled a nod between his sheets. “’Night.”
It was just a game, wasn’t it?
-
I’m sorry, I completely forgot to set this from public to private -_-;;