One Shot - Just Close Your Eyes
Title: Just Close Your Eyes
Pairing: mentions of AkaKame, and KoyaShige maybe RyoDa if you want to interpret it that way
Rating: PG
Summary: When work runs you down and you can feel you body getting heavier and can see the fatigue in the eyes of those around you what more do you ffel like doing than just closing your eyes...if only...for a...moment...
JUST CLOSE YOUR EYES
Jin groaned in exhaustion as he leant back heavily against the mirrors that walled the dance studio, he sighed and passed the back of his wrist over his forehead, bringing it away slathered in a thick layer of shining sweat. He sighed and let his eyes fall shut, the corners of his mouth twitching upward in a tired smile as he felt Kame fall against his side, his quickened heart rate throbbing gently against his ribs as he listened to Kame’s breathing slowly even out.
Opening his eyes he watched Maru lean forward on his knees panting hard, grunting his thanks as Junno threw a towel over his shoulders, dragging his own over his damp head and gratefully accepting the bottle of water Koki handed him. Maru straightened up slowly and accepted his own drink, gulping down almost half the bottle before wiping his forehead and turning to the only remaining member of the band.
Ueda was sitting on the table beside the CD player, his ankles crossed, sipping leisurely from his water bottle as he read over the piece of paper in his hand. He was the only member of the band not swimming in his own sweat, of course he was sweating too, he wasn’t so fit that he didn’t sweat, but he wasn’t nearly as tired or out of breath, in fact he looked like he was just getting warmed up.
They had been practising a particularly complicated dance for the past three hours with only a ten minute break, and that was almost an hour ago. Not only was this dance complicated but it was fast and active and it took a lot of energy simply to remember it, never mind perform it…never mind perform it somewhat in sync.
Maru walked shakily over to his friend and nudged him with a loosely clenched fist; Ueda glanced up at him, wide eyed and expectant, his bottle still hanging from his teeth as he reached for another piece of paper.
“I could seriously consider hating you right now,” Maru said shakily. Ueda laughed and smiled, setting down his water and the paper, leaning his hands on the edge of the table.
“Why? Because I’m fitter than you?” Maru pretended to glare at him.
“We still haven’t quite got it you know,” Ueda said thoughtfully. Jin moaned childishly from his place at the foot of the wall. Kame blearily opened his eyes, having come perilously close to falling asleep against Jin’s warm, soft body. Ueda smiled at his friend and slid gracefully from the table wandering over, crouching beside Jin and Kame, his arms folded on his knees and his chin resting on his arms, a sweet and innocent, yet mature and understanding look on his face.
“I know it’s getting late, and I know everyone is tired, but we were supposed to have learned this dance yesterday and we don’t have time to practice tomorrow, we have a recording in the morning and a meeting about the concert in the afternoon,” Jin sighed. He wasn’t childish enough to keep whining about it, but that didn’t stop him pouting as he lifted both himself and Kame from the floor and grudgingly trudged back to the middle of the room.
Koki, after handing both Junno and Maru their drinks had sat on the floor with his towel over his head, now he tipped himself backwards, laying spread out on the floor, his towel over his face, his muffled voice struggling from beneath it to make itself heard.
“Ueda, you’re a slave driver, you’re slowly killing us all!” he wailed theatrically, Ueda simply laughed and crouched beside him, dragging the towel off his band-mate’s grinning face.
“Such theatrics Koki, are you trying to join me on the stage? I don’t think Shakespeare is your thing somehow,” he dropped the towel back on Koki’s face as the latter sat up and made a show of dragging himself to his feet and taking his place behind and just to the left of Jin. Junno sighed and put down his bottle, bouncing happily toward his place behind and to the right of Kame.
“Okay! I’m more energized now! Uepi’s energy is infecting me!” for once Ueda had to laugh at Junno’s lame attempt at humour. In reality he was quite tired, they had all had a lot of work recently, and he knew Kame and Maru had been giving their all for their dramas, and they were all trying hard for this concert coming up, and he himself was putting every ounce of strength he had into the play. Working with KAT-TUN on numerous things plus performing every night was tiring, but like he always said, a three hour concert night after night on tour didn’t tire him out, to the point that he had to run around during everyone’s solos just to shed some energy, doing this for a month and a bit would be fine.
But a decent night’s sleep would be a welcome reprieve once in a while.
Even if he did get more than the usual four hours, he somehow didn’t seem to sleep as soundly as he wanted to, he didn’t feel he had endured a good night’s sleep. Somehow, the one thing that he felt like he would like to do most in the world right now was just quietly and gently slip into a peaceful slumber…
He sighed, glanced around as the rest of KAT-TUN took their places and reached over to hit play on the CD player before stepping into his own starting position before they started again.
~~~
“Come on Massu, get up, we have to have this stupid dance memorised in time for the performance!” Koyama said, trying to sound as gentle as he possibly could.
Little known to either NEWS or KAT-TUN, they were all trying to learn a complicated dance, and they were all exhausted. Tegoshi’s tired whining was beginning to get on even Ryo and Massu’s nerves. Pi massaged his temples for the millionth time and clapped his hands together.
“Okay guys, another run through or two and I think we’ll have it, we’ll be out of here in no time.”
True enough, it didn’t take very long for them to perfect their dance, and, sitting in a circle in the middle of the practise room, unable to bring themselves to more just yet, they briefly discussed their upcoming schedule before dragging themselves to their feet and back up to NEWS’ room.
Massu and Tegoshi left quickly muttering about take away. Clearly this would be another night Tegoshi spent at Massu’s apartment, buying him pizza or Chinese food by way of rent.
Koyama struggled to lift a half-asleep Shige from the couch where he had dropped only moments before, quelling his sleepy grumbling with the promise that they would soon be home and asleep. Muttering promises of clean sheets and a thick duvet and fluffy pillows, Koyama nodded and waved cheerily, yet wearily as he willed Shige from the room.
Ryo waved back before slowly gathering his things into his bag. None of the trains would be running anymore, he couldn’t help but wonder how he was going to get home, and cursed himself for not bringing his car today, as Massu and Koyama evidently had.
He turned to Pi, who looked like he was about to fall asleep on his feet and threw his spare t-shirt at him, hitting his forehead. Pi jerked involuntarily, looking panicked and confused for a second before the t-shirt fell into his arms, and he looked up at Ryo with a sulky pout.
“Mou, Ryo-chan you’re so cruel,”
“Don’t fall asleep standing up Pi, you’ll fall over and crush your face, and that will be your career out the window,” Ryo’s words were ever so slightly slurred by his fatigue and Pi could tell. He rolled his eyes and threw the t-shirt back.
“Ryo-chan, didn’t Jin say he’d be working late too?” Ryo stopped for a moment and thought about it, his eyebrows suddenly rising.
“Ah, actually he did, what, you want to go up and see if he’s still here?” Pi grinned and nodded.
“I take it you didn’t bring your car either?” Ryo said, grinning. Pi stuck out his tongue and moved toward the door.
“You coming or what?” Ryo grabbed his bag and trailed after him, yawning.
~~~
“Yes! Finally! We’ve got it!” Koki yelled happily, high fiving Junno and Jin who immediately slung his arms over Kame’s shoulders. Kame smiled and raised one hand to Jin’s, not pausing in his conversation with Maru.
Ueda wiped the sweat from his forehead and proceeded to pack up the CD player and the empty water bottles and the folder full of release schedules and reminders. Loading it all into his arms he prepared to carry it all back up to KAT-TUN’s room.
“Tat-chan! You can’t carry all that yourself!” Koki said, pretending to scold his former leader. Ueda raised one eyebrow.
“I’m a boxer and you’re telling me I can’t carry a CD player? I’d re-check my logic if I were you Koki,” but Koki prised the thick folder, which was threatening to spill numerous important papers on to the ground, out of Ueda’s arms, tipping it upright to keep the papers in place.
“There’s a bit of a different between knocking a sandbag for six and carrying a load of awkward heavy stuff up two flights of stairs Uebo,” Kame said, materialising at his side to pluck three half empty water bottles from Ueda’s grip. Without a word Maru took the other three from him and he smiled as they began to lead the way back up to their room.
Setting the CD player down on the table Ueda turned to his band-mates, planning to ask how they were all planning to get home, the trains were no longer running and he wasn’t sure they all had their cars. But before he could form the words he found himself watching as Jin flopped onto the couch and tugged on Kame’s hand until the younger man dropped onto the couch beside him and leaned his head on his shoulder.
“Oi, how are you all going to get home?” he asked. Jin groaned.
“Crap, we didn’t drive today, now what?” he opened his eyes and looked over at Koki who had seated himself on the floor a few feet away to change his shoes.
“Don’t look at me, I came by bike, and I can’t ride it safely when I’m this tired,”
“I caught the train this morning too,” Maru said, sounding exasperated, he looked over at Junno who shook his head sitting down and leaning back against the opposite end of the sofa to Jin and Kame, who was almost asleep already.
“I got a lift from my girlfriend this morning,” Ueda sighed and massaged his temples, his vision was beginning to blur from tiredness. He turned back to his mirror and took out his contacts, slotting his glasses onto his face before turning back to his group.
Maru had sunk to the floor beside Koki, leaning back against the second couch and Junno had tipped his head back onto the sofa cushions. Everyone’s exhausted…
In the light cast by the lights around his mirror the dark circles beneath their eyes were lengthened and further darkened giving them a hollow haunted look, yet the gentle yellow glow on their skin only made them more beautiful somehow, sliding over their skin like gentle fingertips and glinting delicately off their hair creating softly glowing highlights that winked when they moved.
Ueda smiled fondly.
“Okay, everyone stay put, it looks like we’re staying here tonight,” Jin opened one eye and looked at him as incredulously as he could.
“Here?” he asked croakily, fatigue wrestling with his vocal chords. Ueda nodded decisively.
“I’ll go find some blankets, stay here,” Not that they’d go anywhere right now, he thought, wandering from the room in search of a store cupboard.
~~~
“Are you sure Jin even drove today Pi?” Ryo asked, or rather mumbled as they shuffled along the corridor towards KAT-TUN’s room. Before Pi could answer they saw a door on the right hand side of the corridor open. That isn’t KAT-TUN’s room…that’s not anyone’s room… Ryo thought, frowning slightly. As he tried to figure out just what kind of room it was Ueda shuffled out, a pile of thick red blankets and a couple of thin and old looking pillows balanced in his arms.
“Ueda-kun!” Pi said in sleepy surprise and Ueda looked up at them, also surprised, and also clearly exhausted. He was wearing black sweatpants and grey sneakers and a grey v-neck t-shirt, his hair was a mess and he was wearing his glasses instead of his contacts.
“Nishikido, Yamashita-kun, what are you still doing here?” he asked.
“Could ask you the same thing,” Ryo said.
“We were practising late and none of us drove so we can’t get home yet, besides I don’t think anyone here is in any condition to be driving,” he said, giving the two NEWS members a pointed look, imploring them to explain why they were there.
“We were all practising late too, we were hoping Jin had his car, damn,” Pi suddenly bit his lip and Ueda gave him a tired smile before nudging the door to the store room open with his foot. A moment later he emerged with more blankets and smiled at the two before him.
“C’mon, we’re all sleeping in our room for now, you can join us if you want, unless you can think of some other way of getting home at this hour,” Ryo sighed and plucked the pillows off the top of the pile so Ueda could at least see where he was walking.
“Lead the way princess,” he said.
He and Pi followed Ueda back to KAT-TUN’s room to find Jin and Kame lying along one couch, wrapped in each other’s embrace, Kame’s head on Jin’s chest and Jin’s resting on a cushion, one hand on Kame’s hair, he wasn’t quite asleep yet and smiled sleepily as Ueda entered, closely followed by Pi and Ryo.
“Pi! Ryo-chan! What are you two doing here?”
“Practising late, just like you,” Pi said sleepily, giving his friend the widest smile he could before yawning widely and moving to the second couch, which no one had occupied yet. There was only about five feet of space between the two couches, Junno was curled up with his head resting near Kame’s feet, and Maru and Koki were leaning back against the second couch, Pi stepped carefully over them, spreading out on the cushions and closing his eyes.
“God, I never realised quite how glorious it is just to lie down,” he mumbled. Ueda laughed softly and stepped over to him, draping a blanket over him as he buried his head in a cushion.
“Thanks Ueda-kun,” he mumbled, sliding easily to sleep. Ryo rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling fondly at his best friend. He then watched Ueda spread a second blanket over Jin and Kame. Jin slowly blinked up at him, his eyelids heavy, and smiled.
“You’re an angel Uebo,” he mumbled.
“Oyasumi Jin,” Ueda said, momentarily resting his hand on Jin’s head as he finally surrendered to his nagging fatigue. He then moved towards Junno, gently wrapping him in a third blanket, making it sure it was high on his shoulders to keep him warm.
Finally he stepped towards Maru and Koki. Maru had managed to keep a sitting position, curled against the couch, his arm resting on the cushions close to Pi’s legs, his head resting in the crook of his elbow. He woke briefly when Ueda wrapped a blanket around his shoulders.
“Thanks Tat-chan, but what about you?” Ueda smiled and moved over to Koki.
“There’s enough blankets for everyone,” he said, lifting Koki’s head from where it lay by Maru’s knees and sliding a pillow beneath it before draping him in his own blanket. Maru nodded, looking slightly dizzy, letting sleep claim him once more.
All this Ryo watched with fascination before Ueda turned back to him.
“You’re a regular mother hen you know,” Ryo said, but he smiled as he said it, handing Ueda one of the remaining two pillows, and receiving one of the remaining two blankets in return. Ueda only smiled at him, and took off his glasses, setting them down in front of his mirror. He then moved over to the corner of the room, switching on the electric space heater and toeing off his sneakers.
They wordlessly set up their pillows beside each other in the remaining space between the two couches and snuggled into their blankets. Ueda rolled slightly to face Ryo who, sensing his blurred gaze, did the same, playing absently with the corner of his pillow, feeling a black veil slowly lowering itself over his consciousness.
Ueda tugged his blanket over his shoulders and rested his hand beside his head on the pillow, giving Ryo a sleepy smile. Somehow, even though he wasn’t asleep yet he felt that for once he would wake up feeling like this night’s sleep had been truly effective, he would finally be able to slip peacefully into a gently, warm enveloping slumber.
Even as their eyes began to close they smiled, gently coaxing their exhaustion coated voices out of hiding.
“Good night Ueda,”
“Good night Nishikido,”
OWARI
A/N Not really sure where this idea came from, but maybe it stemmed from the fact that I’m incredibly tired…that probably means I should be sleeping, not writing one-shots…my logic needs some fine tuning I think. Enjoy~