[Kame/Shige one shot] There’s a Change In The Weather
Title: There’s a Change In The Weather
Pairings/Characters: Kamenashi Kazuya/Kato Shigeaki, Kamenashi Kazuya/Yamashita Tomohisa/, Kato Shigeaki/Yamashita Tomohisa, Tegoshi Yuya, Nakamaru Yuichi and mentions of Nishikido Ryo, Masuda Takahisa, Koyama Keiichiro and Akanishi Jin
Rating: PG
Warnings: NEWS going from 6nin to 4nin and mentions of the Jincident. Some angst maybe? Some drinking
Summary: Shige breaks the silence between them a short moment later, “How did you feel?”
Kame turns to look at him, “Feel when?” he asks with confusion and Shige’s eyes look even glossier now.
A/N: This was originally written for
reiicharu @ 2011 edition of je_holiday.
When he arrives at the bar and Tegoshi is nowhere in sight, Kame frowns and pulls out his phone to double check the meeting place. His frown grows deeper after reading the message and realizing he hadn‘t gotten the location wrong. He sends a message to Tegoshi, trying not to sound too annoyed, before he makes his way to the bar and orders something to drink while he waits.
While he waits for his drink to be served he looks around the place once more and jolts in slight surprise when he sees someone he recognizes. He watches the guy for a moment until he gets his drink, pays for it and then makes his way over to the other.
“Kato-kun.” Kame says with a little hesitance and the other turns to look at him with glassy eyes but doesn’t say anything. It makes Kame feel slightly uncomfortable and his skin prickles slightly. “Are you here with Tegoshi-kun?” Kame asks, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
“Tego went to the bathroom,” Shige replies, letting go of his glass to look at his wrist watch, “He’s been gone an awful long time now though.”
Kame sighs and wonders if maybe they’ve been set up by Tegoshi. He can’t figure out why though. The thought only lingers for a second before something else hits him. Shige had slurred a bit as he spoke.
“Are you drunk?” Kame asks before he can stop the words spilling out and curses himself for being so blunt with someone he doesn’t know all that well.
“No.” Shige replies, but the row of empty glasses on the counter in front of Shige begs to differ. Kame’s not in the mood to start and argument with a drunk colleague, so he just sits down on the empty chair next to Shige and takes a sip from his gin and tonic.
Shige breaks the silence between them a short moment later, “How did you feel?”
Kame turns to look at him, “Feel when?” he asks with confusion and Shige’s eyes look even glossier now.
“When Akanishi-kun left your group last year.” Kato explains and Kame almost chokes on his drink. He had not expected that. Why does Shige want to know that?
“Let’s,” he starts after a moment of composing himself and Shige looks at him with hopeful eyes, “Let’s go to my place so that we can talk about it in private.” Kame isn’t sure why he’s decided to talk about that incident but there’s something about Shige’s current state that tells him that the other needs to hear about it.
They’re sitting in Kame’s living room, nursing big cups of tea; Kame had decided that Shige didn’t need any more alcohol when the other had stumbled over his own feet and landed in the bushes just outside Kame’s building.
Shige is on the couch, staring into the cup with blank eyes. Kame is sitting in his favorite armchair trying to decide if he should bring up the subject that had made him take Shige with him home or not. Shige hasn’t mentioned it since they left the bar almost forty minutes ago. He doesn’t have to ponder for much longer though, because suddenly Shige turns to look at him.
“Yamapi and Ryo-kun are leaving the group.” he says and for the second time that evening, Kame chokes on his drink. He hadn’t expected to hear that but it does explain Shige’s earlier question.
“Oh.” is all Kame manages to get out, accompanied with a look of sympathy in his eyes. The way Kato must be feeling, and that Tegoshi, Masuda and Koyama must be feeling as well, Kame can certainly relate to.
“It’ll be announced to the public in a couple of days,” Shige continues, voice low, almost a whisper but in the silence of Kame‘s apartment, it rings loud and clear in Kame‘s ears, “And I don’t know how to act or feel.” He sighs deeply and then pauses for a short moment before he turns to look Kame in the eyes. He looks lost, lost like a little kid losing sight of their parents. “What did you feel when Akanishi-kun left you?”
“I …” Kame starts, but pauses as he decides to move over to the couch to sit down next to Shige. “I, well at first I was angry and hurt and thought that Jin was a selfish bastard. I really, really hated him. However I still knew, on some level, that parting was the right decision for both him and the rest of us.”
Kame smiles with melancholy, takes a sip from his cup, and stares at the wall in front of him in silence for a brief moment. It’s been a long time since he last talked about his feelings about that incident.
“I don‘t resent him anymore, we‘re still friends.” He turns to look at Kato again, smile still on his face as his eyes meet with the others. “But don’t you know better what it feels like to lose group members? You’ve lost members before.”
Shige doesn’t say anything for a long moment, clenching and unclenching the cup in his hand before he mumbles a reply. A reply Kame can’t hear, so he leans in closer and asks Shige to repeat the words.
“It’s not the same.” Shige says in a harsh whisper that makes a cold shiver run through Kame’s body. He can feel the pain Shige is obviously feeling wash over him with just those few words. “Back then they didn’t decide to leave the group. They were forced to. Yamapi chose going solo over NEWS. Ryo-kun chose Kanjani8 over NEWS. I know they don’t mean anything bad by it, but it still hurts. It hurts, hurts, hurts!”
Kame puts his cup away on the table and then does the same with Shige’s cup before pulling the other into a hug. Shige doesn’t protest, doesn’t try to push him away, and Kame thinks that a hug might be just what the other needs. And apparently a shoulder to cry on as well.
Thanks, Tegoshi’s reply reads in the morning when Kame finds it on his way to the filming set.
Kame comes home tired after a long day of filming to find a note lying neatly on his kitchen table under the salt. He reads it while sipping on a glass of water. It’s nothing special, just the appropriate “Thank you” and “Sorry for bothering” and a promise to make up for it. Shige’s phone number and email is scribbled down at the end of the note. Kame smiles as he stores the contact info in his phone and then sends of a quick message to the other before he gets ready to take a long relaxing bath before bedtime.
Kame doesn't expect to hear from Shige so soon, so he’s surprised when he gets a message from the other hours after the news about Ryo and Yamapi leaving the group hits the nation. Kame tells Shige to come over to his place and an hour later Shige is in his apartment. He looks tired and worn, and a bit awkward sitting on Kame’s couch with a cup of tea in his hands. Kame is on the other end of the couch, holding a matching cup in his own hands. He has no idea what to say or how to act, which is rare. Kame feels pretty confident in most situations, but somehow this one is an exception. They haven’t exchanged any words other than pleasantries and idle small talk about the weather. That was twenty minutes ago. Kame almost regrets inviting the other, but then he notices that Shige seems to relax into the couch and looks more at ease than he had just mere minutes ago.
It takes another ten minutes before Kame decides to break the silence by turning on the TV but he hands the remote control over to his guest. Shige takes the remote with an awkward but grateful smile on his lips. Kame smiles back.
They end up watching some documentary about an old man and his fishing boat. Kame quickly gets drawn in to the story and something about the man’s struggle through life and his passion for fishing moves him. The story doesn’t seem to have the same effect on Shige though; Kame turns to look at his guest once the program is over, finding the other curled up against the armrest, deep in slumber. Kame leans over and pokes his cheek to wake him up. Sleeping like that really can’t be all that comfortable. Shige lifts one of his hands to swat away the intruding finger without opening his eyes, letting out a small grunt. Kame laughs and pokes him again, and again, and again until Shige manages to capture his wrist and fire off a tired glare at him.
“Sorry,” Kame chuckles and tries to get out of Shige’s hold, but he won’t let him. Kame’s surprised of how strong the other is, even if it hasn’t gone completely unnoticed that Shige has a nice set of muscles.
“Why did you wake me up?” Shige asks, still not letting go of Kame’s wrist. He looks really annoyed.
“To make you change positions,” Kame answers truthfully, “I don’t want you to wake up with your body aching all over.”
“Oh,” Shige loosens his hold and his annoyed glare turns into a soft smile, ”Thanks.” Kame smiles back as he withdraws his hand and gives his wrist a massage to lessen the slight pain Shige had inflicted on it. “I forgot you’re not like Tego or Ryo-kun, who take great joy in disturbing me while I sleep.” Kame’s a bit surprised that Shige’s bringing up Ryo but doesn’t comment on it.
“It’s okay,” he says instead, getting up from the couch and taking his cup with him. “Do you want something to eat before you go back to sleep? I totally forgot about dinner. It’s not that late, we can still call for some take out.”
Shige nods and they end up ordering pizza. They eat it together with some beer before both of them fall asleep on the couch, the TV still on in the background, until it turns itself off, just as Kame has it programmed to do.
Kame likes having lunch with Nakamaru; he’s great company and this day isn’t anything different. They enjoy their food while idly chatting about whatever crosses their minds.
“Massu told me to ask you what your favorite gyoza filling is.”
Kame stops his chopsticks midway to his mouth and stares at his friend. “What? Why?”
“I don’t know,” Nakamaru shrugs and continues to eat as if it’s nothing, “So, what do you prefer in your gyoza?”
“The regular stuff,” Kame answers, but is still baffled over the question and who it is that wants to know the answer, “You really have no idea why Masuda-kun wants to know?”
“No.” Nakamaru replies, and that’s that.
Kame gets the answer to the question the very next day when he receives a box of gyoza at the drama set with a thank you note from Masuda. He takes out his phone and sends of a message to Tegoshi. He and Masuda should be together right now, working as Tegomass. Then he sends a message to Kato, just to see how he’s doing.
He doesn’t get a reply from either of them until he’s already left the drama set and is making himself comfortable in his car to drive back home. The replies come with mere seconds between them and Kame wonders if maybe they’ve been working together. He smiles at Kato’s reply that tells him he’s okay and is heading off to have dinner with Ohno-kun. Tegoshi’s reply only includes a photo of the foursome NEWS, answering his previous question. They’re all smiling, and Kame can’t help but smile a little wider in return. He stores his phone back in his bag after replying to Kato and then starts the car.
Kame’s not expecting another surprise that day, so when he sees a certain guy sitting outside his apartment with his back against the wall his eyes grows big behind his glasses.
“Yamapi?”
The guy looks up at him and gives him a tired smile, “Shuuji.”
Kame doesn’t bother to ask what Yamapi is doing here, because he has a feeling he already knows. Instead, he just unlocks his door and lets the other inside.
They bath together, they eat the fried rice they prepared together, and then they go to bed together.
It comes, the questions Kame’s waited for all evening, as they’re lying in bed, backs facing each other, when he’s almost fallen asleep.
“How is Shige doing?” Yamapi’s voice is low but clear in the darkness of the room. Kame opens his eyes and twists his head around to look at Yamapi’s back.
“Why do you ask?” Kame asks back, even if he‘s not all that surprised. Yamapi‘s probably heard about their sudden friendship through the grapevine, one way or another. “Why are you asking me? Why don’t you ask Kato-kun personally?”
Yamapi turns his whole body around so that he facing him, but Kame still can’t make out what kind of expression the other is sporting; it’s too dark and his eyelids are too heavy. “Just tell me,” Yamapi says, his voice kind of cracked, sleepy and maybe a bit desperate, “Please.”
Kame sighs, turning his whole body around before answering; “He’s hurt, but he’s doing okay. He took it really hard, and was probably feeling betrayed at some point, but he doesn’t hate you. You should talk to him.” Kame smiles encouragingly and hopes Yamapi can see it in the dark, “I think he’d really like that.”
Yamapi nods slowly before turning around and offering a mumbled “Goodnight.” Kame does the same, and then falls asleep wondering when and why he became the personal counselor of NEWS.
Kame’s lazing around in his yukata with a glass of red wine in hand when Shige calls him. It’s almost midnight and it’s been over a week since he last heard anything from any members of NEWS, current or former.
“Can you give me your opinion on something?” Shige asks after they’ve exchanged pleasantries.
“Sure,” Kame nods, sipping on his wine, “What is it?”
“I’m recording my radio show tomorrow. I’m going to talk about, you know,” Shige says and Kame listens intently, “And I’ve prepared my statement. Can I read it to you? I want to know if what I say sounds good, genuine, if my feelings come though. I’m no good with putting words to my feelings, not like the others.”
“Go ahead, I’ll listen.” Kame smiles putting the glass down and lying down on the couch, resting his head against the armrest and placing his free hand on his stomach.
“Thanks,” Shige says and then takes a deep breath before he starts speaking again. Kame listens, pays attention to every word, and is kind of amazed how natural the other sounds. He wouldn’t have guessed that Shige was reading something he prepared if the other hadn’t told him he was. He must have rewritten and rehearsed the speech over and over again.
“That’s all.” Shige says and falls silent a moment later.
“I,” Kame starts but then takes a short pause before he continues, “I think the fans, and Yamapi and Ryo-kun will understand just how you’ve felt, feel about this situation. You’re better than you give yourself credit for Shige. You’re good, really.” Shige doesn’t say anything, the sound of his breathing being the only sign he’s still there. “Are you okay? Shige?” Kame says softly, moving to sit up again, when Shige hasn’t said anything in maybe a minute.
“Yeah, I am.” Shige replies, his voice sounding a bit strained, “Are you free tomorrow?”
Kame goes though his schedule in his head to see if he has any free time between filming and other work duties, “No, not during the day, but filming shouldn’t end too late. Want to meet up after?”
“I’ll come pick you up. What time are you supposed to get off?” Shige asks, the strain in his voice gone.
“Ten. I’ll send you the address for the location tomorrow.” Kame smiles for himself, taking a sip from his wine.
“Okay. And Kame?” Shige sounds like he’s blushing, “Thanks, again. And goodnight.”
Kame’s smile grows wider, “Goodnight to you too, Shige.”
Before Kame goes to bed he sends messages to Yamapi and Ryo telling them to listen to Shige’s radio show on Sunday.
There’s an upbeat song playing low on the radio as Shige drives them towards their destination: Shige’s place. They’ve fallen silent after several minutes of idle chitchat about Kame’s new drama and the other actors participating in it. It’s fun to be back on a drama set, even if it means long days and limited time for sleep and other necessary things in life. The song on the radio turns into a slower one, and it only takes Kame a couple of seconds to recognize it. He throws a worried glance over at Shige and is surprised to see the other mouthing the words along with the song.
“Have you been in contact with Yamapi?” he asks, wondering if Yamapi had listened to the advice he had given him a week ago.
“No.” Shige replies, before he goes back to singing along to Loveless and tapping his fingers against the wheel in time to the beat. Kame’s not all that surprised that Yamapi hasn’t done it yet; he’s a bit of a coward at times, but Kame really hopes he will do it soon. If he doesn’t, it will only make things harder later.
“Have you been in contact with Ryo?” Kame continues. He hasn’t heard anything from the guy personally, but from what he’s heard through others, Ryo is doing well, even if he’s still sad it had to come to this.
“Yeah,” Shige says, a soft smile appearing on his lips, “He called a few evenings ago. We didn’t talk much but it felt good, I guess. We didn’t really talk about it, though. I think I was kind of relieved that it wasn’t brought up. I feel like I’ve spoke enough about it for now.”
Kame nods, understanding. That is how it was like with Jin. The first time he spoke to Jin after the other had left the group, they never addressed the issue. Sometimes, later is better than sooner. If you let the situation sink in fully and your emotions cool down, you can look at the whole picture and not only your own corner.
They make dinner together, something simple put together with ingredients found in Shige’s refrigerator: onions, eggs, carrots, mushrooms, rice and pork. They eat it together with a couple of beers, nice light conversation, and a lot of laughs. Kame doesn’t think he could have spent his Friday night in a better way. When he falls asleep on Shige’s couch with a soft pillow under his head and a warm blanket wrapped around his body, it is with a smile on his face.
At half past ten the next evening, Kame gets a message from Shige saying he was great as a humanoid and Kame smiles at the words as he replies with a glowing face and a heart before he returns to celebrating with the drama crew.
Kame returns the action the next day, sending a short message to Shige after listening to the radio show. He gets a reply almost an hour later, but an incoming call prevents him from reading it.
“I listened, and then I called him.” Yamapi’s voice comes from the other end. He sounds tired, relieved, and there’s a string of happiness shining through. Kame doesn’t have to ask who he’s talking about.
“That’s great.” Kame smiles and sits down on his bed, and his dogs Ran-chan and Jelly, which his mother dropped off earlier that day, join him, one dog on each side.
“Yeah,” Yamapi agrees, and Kame can imagine the smile playing on the other’s face, “It seems like he’s doing well. He was the one I was the most afraid of talking to, you know, so he was the one I avoided contacting for the longest, but now I’m happy we talked.” Yamapi sighs, a sigh of contentment, “So how are you doing?”
Kame smiles, a change of topic so soon, but it’s not like he hadn’t expected it. They spend the rest of their conversation talking about Kame’s drama and recent restaurants they’ve visited that have amazing food. It’s light and happy, and Kame’s filled with warmth once they hang up. He then reads the message from Shige. It’s a short but joyous message: a thank you, a happy face and a heart. He feels warmer and fluffier and the smile on his face stays there even when he’s fast asleep hours later.
It feels almost like déjà vu when Kame walks into the restaurant, finding Shige there by the bar. Only this time he and Shige are not mere colleagues, and Shige isn’t drunk and depressed. He’s far from it. Shige smiles, a genuine smile, as he spots him and Kame returns the smile as he walks over.
“It’s been a while.” Kame says, sitting down on the empty seat next to Shige. The last time they met outside of work was almost three months ago.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy.” Shige nods and he looks really happy. NEWS have been doing more work in the last few months than they have in almost a year. Kame can’t help but smile back again.
“I know.” Kame says and reaches out and puts his hand on top Shige’s. The words for how happy he is for the other goes unspoken, but Kame gets the feeling the other already knows as Shige twists his hand around and makes their fingers intertwine.
The end.
Pairings/Characters: Kamenashi Kazuya/Kato Shigeaki, Kamenashi Kazuya/Yamashita Tomohisa/, Kato Shigeaki/Yamashita Tomohisa, Tegoshi Yuya, Nakamaru Yuichi and mentions of Nishikido Ryo, Masuda Takahisa, Koyama Keiichiro and Akanishi Jin
Rating: PG
Warnings: NEWS going from 6nin to 4nin and mentions of the Jincident. Some angst maybe? Some drinking
Summary: Shige breaks the silence between them a short moment later, “How did you feel?”
Kame turns to look at him, “Feel when?” he asks with confusion and Shige’s eyes look even glossier now.
A/N: This was originally written for
reiicharu @ 2011 edition of je_holiday.
When he arrives at the bar and Tegoshi is nowhere in sight, Kame frowns and pulls out his phone to double check the meeting place. His frown grows deeper after reading the message and realizing he hadn‘t gotten the location wrong. He sends a message to Tegoshi, trying not to sound too annoyed, before he makes his way to the bar and orders something to drink while he waits.
While he waits for his drink to be served he looks around the place once more and jolts in slight surprise when he sees someone he recognizes. He watches the guy for a moment until he gets his drink, pays for it and then makes his way over to the other.
“Kato-kun.” Kame says with a little hesitance and the other turns to look at him with glassy eyes but doesn’t say anything. It makes Kame feel slightly uncomfortable and his skin prickles slightly. “Are you here with Tegoshi-kun?” Kame asks, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.
“Tego went to the bathroom,” Shige replies, letting go of his glass to look at his wrist watch, “He’s been gone an awful long time now though.”
Kame sighs and wonders if maybe they’ve been set up by Tegoshi. He can’t figure out why though. The thought only lingers for a second before something else hits him. Shige had slurred a bit as he spoke.
“Are you drunk?” Kame asks before he can stop the words spilling out and curses himself for being so blunt with someone he doesn’t know all that well.
“No.” Shige replies, but the row of empty glasses on the counter in front of Shige begs to differ. Kame’s not in the mood to start and argument with a drunk colleague, so he just sits down on the empty chair next to Shige and takes a sip from his gin and tonic.
Shige breaks the silence between them a short moment later, “How did you feel?”
Kame turns to look at him, “Feel when?” he asks with confusion and Shige’s eyes look even glossier now.
“When Akanishi-kun left your group last year.” Kato explains and Kame almost chokes on his drink. He had not expected that. Why does Shige want to know that?
“Let’s,” he starts after a moment of composing himself and Shige looks at him with hopeful eyes, “Let’s go to my place so that we can talk about it in private.” Kame isn’t sure why he’s decided to talk about that incident but there’s something about Shige’s current state that tells him that the other needs to hear about it.
They’re sitting in Kame’s living room, nursing big cups of tea; Kame had decided that Shige didn’t need any more alcohol when the other had stumbled over his own feet and landed in the bushes just outside Kame’s building.
Shige is on the couch, staring into the cup with blank eyes. Kame is sitting in his favorite armchair trying to decide if he should bring up the subject that had made him take Shige with him home or not. Shige hasn’t mentioned it since they left the bar almost forty minutes ago. He doesn’t have to ponder for much longer though, because suddenly Shige turns to look at him.
“Yamapi and Ryo-kun are leaving the group.” he says and for the second time that evening, Kame chokes on his drink. He hadn’t expected to hear that but it does explain Shige’s earlier question.
“Oh.” is all Kame manages to get out, accompanied with a look of sympathy in his eyes. The way Kato must be feeling, and that Tegoshi, Masuda and Koyama must be feeling as well, Kame can certainly relate to.
“It’ll be announced to the public in a couple of days,” Shige continues, voice low, almost a whisper but in the silence of Kame‘s apartment, it rings loud and clear in Kame‘s ears, “And I don’t know how to act or feel.” He sighs deeply and then pauses for a short moment before he turns to look Kame in the eyes. He looks lost, lost like a little kid losing sight of their parents. “What did you feel when Akanishi-kun left you?”
“I …” Kame starts, but pauses as he decides to move over to the couch to sit down next to Shige. “I, well at first I was angry and hurt and thought that Jin was a selfish bastard. I really, really hated him. However I still knew, on some level, that parting was the right decision for both him and the rest of us.”
Kame smiles with melancholy, takes a sip from his cup, and stares at the wall in front of him in silence for a brief moment. It’s been a long time since he last talked about his feelings about that incident.
“I don‘t resent him anymore, we‘re still friends.” He turns to look at Kato again, smile still on his face as his eyes meet with the others. “But don’t you know better what it feels like to lose group members? You’ve lost members before.”
Shige doesn’t say anything for a long moment, clenching and unclenching the cup in his hand before he mumbles a reply. A reply Kame can’t hear, so he leans in closer and asks Shige to repeat the words.
“It’s not the same.” Shige says in a harsh whisper that makes a cold shiver run through Kame’s body. He can feel the pain Shige is obviously feeling wash over him with just those few words. “Back then they didn’t decide to leave the group. They were forced to. Yamapi chose going solo over NEWS. Ryo-kun chose Kanjani8 over NEWS. I know they don’t mean anything bad by it, but it still hurts. It hurts, hurts, hurts!”
Kame puts his cup away on the table and then does the same with Shige’s cup before pulling the other into a hug. Shige doesn’t protest, doesn’t try to push him away, and Kame thinks that a hug might be just what the other needs. And apparently a shoulder to cry on as well.
Thanks, Tegoshi’s reply reads in the morning when Kame finds it on his way to the filming set.
Kame comes home tired after a long day of filming to find a note lying neatly on his kitchen table under the salt. He reads it while sipping on a glass of water. It’s nothing special, just the appropriate “Thank you” and “Sorry for bothering” and a promise to make up for it. Shige’s phone number and email is scribbled down at the end of the note. Kame smiles as he stores the contact info in his phone and then sends of a quick message to the other before he gets ready to take a long relaxing bath before bedtime.
Kame doesn't expect to hear from Shige so soon, so he’s surprised when he gets a message from the other hours after the news about Ryo and Yamapi leaving the group hits the nation. Kame tells Shige to come over to his place and an hour later Shige is in his apartment. He looks tired and worn, and a bit awkward sitting on Kame’s couch with a cup of tea in his hands. Kame is on the other end of the couch, holding a matching cup in his own hands. He has no idea what to say or how to act, which is rare. Kame feels pretty confident in most situations, but somehow this one is an exception. They haven’t exchanged any words other than pleasantries and idle small talk about the weather. That was twenty minutes ago. Kame almost regrets inviting the other, but then he notices that Shige seems to relax into the couch and looks more at ease than he had just mere minutes ago.
It takes another ten minutes before Kame decides to break the silence by turning on the TV but he hands the remote control over to his guest. Shige takes the remote with an awkward but grateful smile on his lips. Kame smiles back.
They end up watching some documentary about an old man and his fishing boat. Kame quickly gets drawn in to the story and something about the man’s struggle through life and his passion for fishing moves him. The story doesn’t seem to have the same effect on Shige though; Kame turns to look at his guest once the program is over, finding the other curled up against the armrest, deep in slumber. Kame leans over and pokes his cheek to wake him up. Sleeping like that really can’t be all that comfortable. Shige lifts one of his hands to swat away the intruding finger without opening his eyes, letting out a small grunt. Kame laughs and pokes him again, and again, and again until Shige manages to capture his wrist and fire off a tired glare at him.
“Sorry,” Kame chuckles and tries to get out of Shige’s hold, but he won’t let him. Kame’s surprised of how strong the other is, even if it hasn’t gone completely unnoticed that Shige has a nice set of muscles.
“Why did you wake me up?” Shige asks, still not letting go of Kame’s wrist. He looks really annoyed.
“To make you change positions,” Kame answers truthfully, “I don’t want you to wake up with your body aching all over.”
“Oh,” Shige loosens his hold and his annoyed glare turns into a soft smile, ”Thanks.” Kame smiles back as he withdraws his hand and gives his wrist a massage to lessen the slight pain Shige had inflicted on it. “I forgot you’re not like Tego or Ryo-kun, who take great joy in disturbing me while I sleep.” Kame’s a bit surprised that Shige’s bringing up Ryo but doesn’t comment on it.
“It’s okay,” he says instead, getting up from the couch and taking his cup with him. “Do you want something to eat before you go back to sleep? I totally forgot about dinner. It’s not that late, we can still call for some take out.”
Shige nods and they end up ordering pizza. They eat it together with some beer before both of them fall asleep on the couch, the TV still on in the background, until it turns itself off, just as Kame has it programmed to do.
Kame likes having lunch with Nakamaru; he’s great company and this day isn’t anything different. They enjoy their food while idly chatting about whatever crosses their minds.
“Massu told me to ask you what your favorite gyoza filling is.”
Kame stops his chopsticks midway to his mouth and stares at his friend. “What? Why?”
“I don’t know,” Nakamaru shrugs and continues to eat as if it’s nothing, “So, what do you prefer in your gyoza?”
“The regular stuff,” Kame answers, but is still baffled over the question and who it is that wants to know the answer, “You really have no idea why Masuda-kun wants to know?”
“No.” Nakamaru replies, and that’s that.
Kame gets the answer to the question the very next day when he receives a box of gyoza at the drama set with a thank you note from Masuda. He takes out his phone and sends of a message to Tegoshi. He and Masuda should be together right now, working as Tegomass. Then he sends a message to Kato, just to see how he’s doing.
He doesn’t get a reply from either of them until he’s already left the drama set and is making himself comfortable in his car to drive back home. The replies come with mere seconds between them and Kame wonders if maybe they’ve been working together. He smiles at Kato’s reply that tells him he’s okay and is heading off to have dinner with Ohno-kun. Tegoshi’s reply only includes a photo of the foursome NEWS, answering his previous question. They’re all smiling, and Kame can’t help but smile a little wider in return. He stores his phone back in his bag after replying to Kato and then starts the car.
Kame’s not expecting another surprise that day, so when he sees a certain guy sitting outside his apartment with his back against the wall his eyes grows big behind his glasses.
“Yamapi?”
The guy looks up at him and gives him a tired smile, “Shuuji.”
Kame doesn’t bother to ask what Yamapi is doing here, because he has a feeling he already knows. Instead, he just unlocks his door and lets the other inside.
They bath together, they eat the fried rice they prepared together, and then they go to bed together.
It comes, the questions Kame’s waited for all evening, as they’re lying in bed, backs facing each other, when he’s almost fallen asleep.
“How is Shige doing?” Yamapi’s voice is low but clear in the darkness of the room. Kame opens his eyes and twists his head around to look at Yamapi’s back.
“Why do you ask?” Kame asks back, even if he‘s not all that surprised. Yamapi‘s probably heard about their sudden friendship through the grapevine, one way or another. “Why are you asking me? Why don’t you ask Kato-kun personally?”
Yamapi turns his whole body around so that he facing him, but Kame still can’t make out what kind of expression the other is sporting; it’s too dark and his eyelids are too heavy. “Just tell me,” Yamapi says, his voice kind of cracked, sleepy and maybe a bit desperate, “Please.”
Kame sighs, turning his whole body around before answering; “He’s hurt, but he’s doing okay. He took it really hard, and was probably feeling betrayed at some point, but he doesn’t hate you. You should talk to him.” Kame smiles encouragingly and hopes Yamapi can see it in the dark, “I think he’d really like that.”
Yamapi nods slowly before turning around and offering a mumbled “Goodnight.” Kame does the same, and then falls asleep wondering when and why he became the personal counselor of NEWS.
Kame’s lazing around in his yukata with a glass of red wine in hand when Shige calls him. It’s almost midnight and it’s been over a week since he last heard anything from any members of NEWS, current or former.
“Can you give me your opinion on something?” Shige asks after they’ve exchanged pleasantries.
“Sure,” Kame nods, sipping on his wine, “What is it?”
“I’m recording my radio show tomorrow. I’m going to talk about, you know,” Shige says and Kame listens intently, “And I’ve prepared my statement. Can I read it to you? I want to know if what I say sounds good, genuine, if my feelings come though. I’m no good with putting words to my feelings, not like the others.”
“Go ahead, I’ll listen.” Kame smiles putting the glass down and lying down on the couch, resting his head against the armrest and placing his free hand on his stomach.
“Thanks,” Shige says and then takes a deep breath before he starts speaking again. Kame listens, pays attention to every word, and is kind of amazed how natural the other sounds. He wouldn’t have guessed that Shige was reading something he prepared if the other hadn’t told him he was. He must have rewritten and rehearsed the speech over and over again.
“That’s all.” Shige says and falls silent a moment later.
“I,” Kame starts but then takes a short pause before he continues, “I think the fans, and Yamapi and Ryo-kun will understand just how you’ve felt, feel about this situation. You’re better than you give yourself credit for Shige. You’re good, really.” Shige doesn’t say anything, the sound of his breathing being the only sign he’s still there. “Are you okay? Shige?” Kame says softly, moving to sit up again, when Shige hasn’t said anything in maybe a minute.
“Yeah, I am.” Shige replies, his voice sounding a bit strained, “Are you free tomorrow?”
Kame goes though his schedule in his head to see if he has any free time between filming and other work duties, “No, not during the day, but filming shouldn’t end too late. Want to meet up after?”
“I’ll come pick you up. What time are you supposed to get off?” Shige asks, the strain in his voice gone.
“Ten. I’ll send you the address for the location tomorrow.” Kame smiles for himself, taking a sip from his wine.
“Okay. And Kame?” Shige sounds like he’s blushing, “Thanks, again. And goodnight.”
Kame’s smile grows wider, “Goodnight to you too, Shige.”
Before Kame goes to bed he sends messages to Yamapi and Ryo telling them to listen to Shige’s radio show on Sunday.
There’s an upbeat song playing low on the radio as Shige drives them towards their destination: Shige’s place. They’ve fallen silent after several minutes of idle chitchat about Kame’s new drama and the other actors participating in it. It’s fun to be back on a drama set, even if it means long days and limited time for sleep and other necessary things in life. The song on the radio turns into a slower one, and it only takes Kame a couple of seconds to recognize it. He throws a worried glance over at Shige and is surprised to see the other mouthing the words along with the song.
“Have you been in contact with Yamapi?” he asks, wondering if Yamapi had listened to the advice he had given him a week ago.
“No.” Shige replies, before he goes back to singing along to Loveless and tapping his fingers against the wheel in time to the beat. Kame’s not all that surprised that Yamapi hasn’t done it yet; he’s a bit of a coward at times, but Kame really hopes he will do it soon. If he doesn’t, it will only make things harder later.
“Have you been in contact with Ryo?” Kame continues. He hasn’t heard anything from the guy personally, but from what he’s heard through others, Ryo is doing well, even if he’s still sad it had to come to this.
“Yeah,” Shige says, a soft smile appearing on his lips, “He called a few evenings ago. We didn’t talk much but it felt good, I guess. We didn’t really talk about it, though. I think I was kind of relieved that it wasn’t brought up. I feel like I’ve spoke enough about it for now.”
Kame nods, understanding. That is how it was like with Jin. The first time he spoke to Jin after the other had left the group, they never addressed the issue. Sometimes, later is better than sooner. If you let the situation sink in fully and your emotions cool down, you can look at the whole picture and not only your own corner.
They make dinner together, something simple put together with ingredients found in Shige’s refrigerator: onions, eggs, carrots, mushrooms, rice and pork. They eat it together with a couple of beers, nice light conversation, and a lot of laughs. Kame doesn’t think he could have spent his Friday night in a better way. When he falls asleep on Shige’s couch with a soft pillow under his head and a warm blanket wrapped around his body, it is with a smile on his face.
At half past ten the next evening, Kame gets a message from Shige saying he was great as a humanoid and Kame smiles at the words as he replies with a glowing face and a heart before he returns to celebrating with the drama crew.
Kame returns the action the next day, sending a short message to Shige after listening to the radio show. He gets a reply almost an hour later, but an incoming call prevents him from reading it.
“I listened, and then I called him.” Yamapi’s voice comes from the other end. He sounds tired, relieved, and there’s a string of happiness shining through. Kame doesn’t have to ask who he’s talking about.
“That’s great.” Kame smiles and sits down on his bed, and his dogs Ran-chan and Jelly, which his mother dropped off earlier that day, join him, one dog on each side.
“Yeah,” Yamapi agrees, and Kame can imagine the smile playing on the other’s face, “It seems like he’s doing well. He was the one I was the most afraid of talking to, you know, so he was the one I avoided contacting for the longest, but now I’m happy we talked.” Yamapi sighs, a sigh of contentment, “So how are you doing?”
Kame smiles, a change of topic so soon, but it’s not like he hadn’t expected it. They spend the rest of their conversation talking about Kame’s drama and recent restaurants they’ve visited that have amazing food. It’s light and happy, and Kame’s filled with warmth once they hang up. He then reads the message from Shige. It’s a short but joyous message: a thank you, a happy face and a heart. He feels warmer and fluffier and the smile on his face stays there even when he’s fast asleep hours later.
It feels almost like déjà vu when Kame walks into the restaurant, finding Shige there by the bar. Only this time he and Shige are not mere colleagues, and Shige isn’t drunk and depressed. He’s far from it. Shige smiles, a genuine smile, as he spots him and Kame returns the smile as he walks over.
“It’s been a while.” Kame says, sitting down on the empty seat next to Shige. The last time they met outside of work was almost three months ago.
“Yeah, I’ve been busy.” Shige nods and he looks really happy. NEWS have been doing more work in the last few months than they have in almost a year. Kame can’t help but smile back again.
“I know.” Kame says and reaches out and puts his hand on top Shige’s. The words for how happy he is for the other goes unspoken, but Kame gets the feeling the other already knows as Shige twists his hand around and makes their fingers intertwine.
The end.