[fic] : Morphogenesis pt 4
Title: Morphogenesis
Author:
nicotine_gum
Pairing: Pikame
Rating: PG 13
Summary: Yamapi had been watching Kame all these years..
Status: 4/5
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Kame was falling, he realised with a start, as he watched Pi on the set. It made him a little scared, because he wasn’t sure how it happened. Maybe because Pi had always believed in him? When everyone else had assumed that Kame had changed completely because of how he acted onscreen and onstage- never giving him a chance to prove to them that he was still pretty much the same on the inside, and in the process shutting him out. Pi had treated him as he normally did, even better in fact.
Kame was worried that he was getting his feelings all mixed up. Maybe he wasn’t really falling. Most likely he was confusing his gratitude with love. That was most likely it.
Pi was his most important person now, the one who made everything go away. Once, it had been Jin, who had taken his hand and led him brazenly forward. Jin, who had kept encouraging him to move on. Jin…who had, with all his good intentions, introduced him to Pi.
For that reason alone, Kame strongly believed he could forget everything that lay between them, and forgive, if Jin ever asked for it. He had brought them together- at the very beginning, and then reunited them again now. Intentionally at first, and later by accident.
Jin was always taking care of him, only now it was through Pi.
-
Yamapi felt that maybe he liked his friend more than he should. The need to protect Kame all the time…it felt natural. He had never really thought about it, because he had always felt like Kame needed his protection. He was sure he wasn’t the only one, because back then, Jin had also been very protective of Kame. The only difference between then and now was that Yamapi was starting to get possessive as well.
He was crossing the line he thought, when he snapped at one of the girls on their set because she was shamelessly draping herself all over Kame. Both the girl and Kame had looked back at him in confusion, and the girl had reluctantly stepped away from the other boy, more than a little frightened.
And it wasn’t just that one time either. There were countless occasions when he seemed to play the jealous boyfriend, getting upset if he saw anyone try to get closer to Kame than what was appropriate.
He knew Kame must have realised this, but wasn’t saying anything. For that, Yamapi was grateful.
-
There were a lot of people who hit on him. Too many for him to keep tabs. All that attention was very flattering, and made him incredibly vain, but he had since gotten used to it. They all liked him because of his looks. Of course it was because of his looks, because Kame was sure he didn’t have a charming personality. Onstage maybe, but as his own person, he failed miserably.
People were shallow, he noted, caring only about what’s on the surface. If it was pretty enough, they would overlook its bad points. His observations made him find all the attention even more ridiculous, and he honestly couldn’t stand it when people tried to pick him up, because frankly, they just wanted to get in his pants; they didn’t care about him.
If he was ugly, surely none of them would even consider approaching him. That realisation didn’t surprise him, because he’d been there, done that. He had been awful-looking as a child. Unlike Jin and Pi, he hadn’t been gorgeous all his life. It was only fairly recently that his features had developed, just as his mother had predicted.
“The ugly duckling had turned into a beautiful swan,” his mother used to read. It was a book she had picked when he had been feeling especially blue one day. They had gone shopping, and she had taken him to the local bookstore, and pointed it out. The story was an inspiring one, and he loved how the ugly duckling morphed from being the outcast into everyone’s object of admiration. What he loved even more was how the mother duck loved the duckling despite his looks, and tried to encourage the others to accept him. Kame also realised the parallels in the story to his own. When the ugly duckling became the most beautiful swan of all, so many people praised him; his own duck-brothers included, who didn’t realise that ‘little ugly’ was the very swan they admired.
“So easy it is to love what you see,” he whispered softly to himself, “and ignore what’s beneath.”
No, people could keep trying, but he would never accept them.
-
Yamapi had his share of fans, and appreciated them for their support, but it couldn’t go beyond that. These people didn’t know him; if he wasn’t a star, would they still love him? Probably not. His fame and success were part of his appeal- that he was fully aware of. The minute his star started to fade, they would be gone.
But it wouldn’t matter, because those were people he didn’t need to keep living. No, what he cared about were his friends. The people who loved him for who he was- not Yamashita Tomohisa the star, but Yamashita Tomohisa the boy. Their love was all he needed.
-
Jin had been his first and best friend in JE. The older boy had taken Kame under his wing, and guided him around, keeping him company and teaching him. He hadn’t judged Kame on his looks, had accepted him for who he was, and for that Kame appreciated him so very much.
That was why he found it so incredibly hard to believe that those days were over. The one most important person who had accepted him as who he was…gone. It was so difficult to let go.
Kame still cried at night sometimes, but lately, it didn’t hurt so much.
-
Yamapi growled low in his throat. Another old pervert hitting on Kazuya. He had had enough of it. Couldn’t they at least be a bit more subtle in their advances? Come to think of it, how could they even dare to pick him up? Kazuya wasn’t a whore they could buy over, use and abuse, and then throw afterwards! Kazuya was Kazuya and he was very precious. All these people were after was his body, and it disgusted him. They didn’t love Kazuya. They only loved what they saw.
True, Kame flirted, and yes, Kame messed around. But it never went beyond his little charade. No, Kame with his teasing expressions and coy smiles was what he showed to the world. But the Kame inside didn’t want any of it- not the attention, not the faked interest. He wanted affection, and it was so damn obvious it actually hurt to see the pain in his eyes whenever he was confronted with suitors.
That being said, Yamapi stalked over to where the younger boy was trying to shake off his persistent pursuer.
“If you mean to ask him out,” he said coldly when he approached, “he’s already taken.”
The man shot him a look that spoke volumes.
“It hasn’t been made public, but he is taken. And I’m afraid I cannot stand by and watch you harass him. It would make his lover very upset.”
To prove his point, Yamapi grabbed Kame’s wrist and dragged him away.
“Have a nice day,” he said over his shoulder.
-
“Thank you,” Kame said once they were far enough.
“No problem,” Yamapi replied, his hand still wrapped around the other’s thin wrist.
“Where are we going?” he asked as he was dragged out of the building and into the parking lot.
“Away from here,” was all the other boy would say.
-
They drove to Kame’s apartment, and when he parked the car, he noticed the confusion clearly evident on the younger boy’s face.
“Sorry,” he apologised, “I didn’t know where else to go.”
“It’s fine…” Kame began, “but we might get in trouble if we left in the middle of shooting.”
“Aa,” he smiled apologetically, “I thought of that too, but I had to take you away.”
A moment of silence as they both got out of the car, the alarm beeping as he switched it on. In the elevator, Kame finally replied.
“Why?”
‘Because I can’t stand seeing people who don’t know you try to flirt with you’, Yamapi he thought, and decided to say.
Kame’s eyes widened and he made no move even as the elevator reached his floor. Yamapi pulled the stunned boy out of the lift, held his hand out for the other’s keys, and opened the door for both of them.
Once they were inside, and Kame had seated himself on the couch, Yamapi continued.
“I believe you know how I feel.”
“I’m not sure…”
Yamapi took his hand into both of his own, kneeling in front of the other. “Kazuya, I cannot stand it when people try to hit on you. I hate it.” His words were laced with so much honesty that he winced when they were vocalised.
“I’m sorry.”
Yamapi stared at the other boy, “Why are you apologising? It’s not your fault.”
“Still, I feel I should say something.”
“Then say something else. I can’t accept that.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of Kame’s lips, and Yamapi squeezed the hand he held tightly.
“It’s okay,” Kame tried again, “I’m used to it.”
It was the wrong answer. Yamapi’s eyes narrowed and he scowled, “It’s not okay, and you shouldn’t get used to it. I think it’s shameful.”
“I-I’m sorry.” Kame blinked, his face paling considerably. His hands clutched at his pants, so hard that the pretty knuckles were turning white.
Yamapi realised how he must have sounded, and quickly tried to make amends. “No, Kazuya, I didn’t mean it like that. What I really wanted to say was it’s shameful that people who don’t know you try to hit on you. It’s disgraceful. Them, not you.”
A small smile slowly spread across Kame’s lips, “Really?” he turned around to face Yamapi again, “I always thought I was the only one who thought it disappointing” he said, all excited now, “I don’t understand how people can be interested in someone they hardly know, or hold romantic notions towards a complete stranger. I think it’s not realistic at all!”
Yamapi grinned, amused at the abrupt change in the other’s demeanour, “People are so shallow huh?” He let go of Kame’s hand and went to sit next to the other on the couch, his arm wrapping around the other’s slim waist to pull him closer. Kame’s head automatically nestled in the crook of his neck as he snuggled closer. It felt so natural, even if it was the first time he had ever held the younger boy this way. Kame didn’t even seem to mind, and it gave him courage to continue. “They only see what’s on the outside. They see pretty, pretty Kamenashi Kazuya…” at his name Kame sat up to look at him, and his grin widened, “but not the cute little Kame-chan on the inside.”
He finished by hugging the other boy fully, trying to squeeze the breath out of the other. Kame struggled, laughing madly, and tried to push him away, but his small build was no match for Yamapi’s more muscular one.
“Pi!” he gasped, “I can’t breathe, let me go!”
“Not until you say the magic word,” he smirked at the boy.
“Onegai?”
“Try harder.”
“Onegai?” this time Kame made doe-eyes at him, and looked so adorable it made his heart pound so furiously he could hear the blood rushing through his ears.
“That’s it,” he said softly, and reluctantly relinquished his hold.
Kame smiled sweetly up at him, before leaning over to place a light peck on his cheek. “Thank you for always taking care of me.”
Startled, but recovering his wits fairly quickly, he replied, “That’s all I get?” he said in mock disappointment. “No kissu-kissu for your hero?” He wondered why he suddenly felt so bold.
Kazuya flushed prettily, turning his head to the side to hide it. Yamapi chuckled, and guided the other’s face gently back to his own. “Go on,” he urged, his voice as gentle as his touch.
A moment’s hesitation, and then Kame moved forward, agonisingly slowly, and closed the distance between them.
-
It was the briefest of kisses, but Kame felt his stomach do a back flip as his lips met Yamapi’s soft ones. He moved away almost immediately, but before he knew it, Yamapi’s hand had gone to the back of his neck, the other around his body, to pull him back into the kiss. He shivered when the other boy’s tongue traced his lips, silently asking for entry. He complied, parting his lips, and that hot tongue slipped in, eagerly exploring every inch.
Yamapi had him pressed between the armrest and his body, and seeing as there was no way to escape this, Kame’s hands found themselves resting against the other boy’s chest, before they slowly, and hesitantly wrapped themselves around his neck. Pi moaned into his mouth in approval, sucking at his tongue and causing all the blood to rush to his face.
When they finally parted, they were both breathless. Kame was blushing so hard he could feel the heat radiating off his face. Yamapi smiled at him, a hand reaching out to stroke his reddened cheek.
“That’s more like it,” he said in a teasing tone, but the tender expression on his face took away the effect.
The phone started to ring.
-
Yamapi had never felt this happy before. He felt like he was on a high, his heart skipping on its beats, and his stomach doing flip-flops. He didn’t know what had made him so daring, but something about the younger boy told him that he wouldn’t be rejected.
Waiting for Kazuya to come back from answering the persistent ringing of the phone, he let a goofy smile spread across his face.
-
Kame cringed as he answered. He had a good guess who it was that was calling.
“Moshi moshi?” he asked cautiously, well aware he needed to tread carefully here.
“WHERE ARE THE TWO OF YOU?” their director screamed, “RUNNING OFF JUST LIKE THAT!”
“I can explain-” he began, holding the phone away from his ear, “Iwamoto-san, I can-”
“HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO FILM IF THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS AREN’T ON THE SET?” the director was yelling himself hoarse, and was so loud that Yamapi came out into the hallway to see what was the matter.
The agonised look on his face said it all, and the older boy shuddered, looking a bit pained, before taking the handset away and took responsibility for his actions.
“Iwamoto-san,” he began, “I can explain.”
“YAMASHITA?” their director was surely on a roll, “GET BACK ON THE SET NOW! BECAUSE OF THIS WE’RE FALLING BEHIND SCHEDULE!”
“Aa, I understand,” he tried, “sorry for the trouble.”
“COME BACK AND THEN WE’LL TALK.” Their angry director hung up, his threat hanging heavily in the air.
Yamapi turned to Kame as he replaced the phone in its cradle. “I’m sorry.”
Kame shook his head, “We better get back before he gets even more upset.”
-
“I’m really, really sorry,” Yamapi whispered, as they wrapped up for the day.
Kame smiled back at him reassuringly, “Don’t worry about it. If you don’t take it too seriously, all that telling off was actually quite amusing.” He schooled his face, and lowered his voice to imitate the director’s. “Yamashita-kun, driving off in the middle of recording is unacceptable! I expect you not to repeat this again!” Kame wrinkled his nose, “And if you’re going to, don’t take Kamenashi-kun with you! I can’t work with both of you running off!” He burst into laughter at his own impersonation.
Yamapi stared at the boy. The brilliance that he exuded...it was blinding. Kame was beautiful like this, so breathtakingly beautiful.
At that moment he knew- when Kame was happy, he was happy too.