The Beauty of the Storm [2/?]
Title: The Beauty of the Storm
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Akanishi Jin/ Kamenashi Kazuya
Disclaimer: They own me, not vice versa.
Beta:
tonieboo0013
Warning: Slash
Summary: When Kame is hit by car and suffers extensive damage to his memory, Jin is given the opportunity to rebuild their crumbling relationship. However, a relationship built on illusion presents its own drawbacks.
A/N: I apologize for how late this came out, but my laptop is fixed (at last) and I promise my updates shall drastically increase.
---
It was like waking up with a brutal hangover; the kind he often got when he partied so hard that the memories of the night before were fuzzy, if existent at all. Though, unless he’d drunkenly thrown himself off a cliff and rolled down a mountainside, the pain that was shooting up his body in constant intervals was from more than drinking a little too much. He’d begun to become vaguely aware of his surroundings; the faint sound of pacing footsteps and frenzied voices.
He breathed in a couple times, his mind moving a mile a minute. He knew there was something he needed to remember; something that he could feel looming in the deepest depths of his mind, but it seemed as distant and unreachable as the commotion that was happening all around him. Kame growled in frustration, his hoarse voice making it sound a lot less threatening than he’d intended, and tried to force his brain into submission, but it remained resistant to his attempts. It was maddening and the fear that had been hovering in the shadows of his mind began to consume him. What was going on?
He could vividly remember the night before; the cheerful conversation and relaxed atmosphere of the office’s Christmas party. However, his mind refused to fill in the missing spots. How had he ended up here? Kame could remember standing at the drink table with Ueda and Koki, exchanging presents and pouring themselves drink after drink. The young businessman sighed in relief before turning a deep shade of crimson; he really had gone and gotten himself drunk, hadn’t he? The horrible reality of everything that could have happened between the last things he could remember and where he found himself now loomed threateningly even as he tried to push it back into his mind.
Kame grunted, willing everything to stop, or better yet, sleep to pull him back under, so the pain would subside a little and he could prolong the inevitable crash of reality. He soon deemed it impossible as the incessant chatter from above him refused to quit.
Only one person could be causing that much racket - “Koki, shut it. I’m trying to think.” And then, silence.
“What is he saying?” An unfamiliar voice spoke instantly with an urgent undertone.
The rushed, shaken voice that replied had an obvious hint of distress to it. “He told Koki to stop talking. He’s an old friend of his from Japan, but he hasn’t seen him in years.”
Kame’s eyes, as heavy as they were, shot open in an instant. He struggled to take in as much as his surroundings as he could, but nothing struck him as the faintest bit familiar. His frenzied eyes landed on the pair of men the voices belonged to and he took a sharp intake of breath. One of them was a wearing a long, white coat that only belonged in doctor’s offices and was staring at him with scrutinizing eyes. The other man was younger and undeniably good looking, but it was nearly overshadowed by the heavy bags under his eyes and the general exhaustion that was evident on his face. Though, he was the most daunted by the unfamiliar words spilling from their mouths. He could vaguely recognize it as English, but he could hardly imagine why they’d be talking such fluent English in the doctor’s office.
Kame barely had any time to adjust to his new surroundings before the younger man’s face was centimetres from his own; so close that Kame got a tantalizing whiff of his minty breath mixed with some expensive cologne. “Oh thank God, Kame. I was so scared; I was so sure you were dead.” His voice broke a little as he continued, finally in the language that Kame could recognize. “T-the way your body flew, the doctor said it’s a miracle that you’re alive, never mind with such few injuries.” The tight arms that embraced him moments later sent him into further shock as the doctor made a small noise behind them.
“Don’t smother him,” the doctor lectured with a stern look. “He seems to be suffering from disorientation which is normal, but don’t overwhelm him any further.”
The younger man’s face showed a hint of rage as he indignantly retorted, “My boyfriend just got hit with a bloody car, so excuse me for being a little upset about it.”
Kame cleared his throat, hoping to draw the two strangers’ attention back onto him. “Excuse me, but could either of you tell me what happened to me, or at least who the hell you are?”
The silence that fell in the room after the younger man relayed his response in the foreign language was disconcerting and Kame squirmed a little in his spot, watching with dread as the doctor’s face snapped to his and then back to the younger man’s before exiting with quick strides, throwing a comment in English over his shoulder.
The good-looking man turned to face him, his face falling even further with each passing second, looking at him with hopeless expectancy. His voice was edging towards hysteria when he cried out, “Kame, stop fooling around! It’s me, Jin. I know you’re probably still mad at me, but don’t act like this. I was really worried!”
His voice began to raise, the hysteria becoming more prominent as he began to draw the attention of passerby’s. “Kame this isn’t funny! You know who I am, I know you do! Talk to me! Tell me that you know who I am!”
Kame squeezed his eyes shut trying to remember anything about the man in front of him, but he came up blank and could only stare back at the man with sympathy. “Look, I’m really sorry, but I think you have the wrong guy. I mean, I’m pretty good at remembering faces and... I’m sorry I’m not the guy you’re looking for.”
“Kame, you know who I am! Don’t be stupid! How could you say that?” Jin was pacing, his face a disturbing mix of defeat and panic.
Kame continued to squint at the guy, trying to put a memory to the face, but his mind still drew a hopeless blank. Then it all came crashing over him and suddenly he could view the situation with perfect clarity. He had a stalker! Of course; he’d probably slept with the guy the night before and told him some things that he’d wanted to hear and he’d gotten the wrong idea. He was probably the one who put him in here. Kame shivered at the thought, turning back to the handsome man with a wary glare.
“So I’m guessing we’ve...” Kame trailed off, glancing towards the distraught man for confirmation.
“Obviously!” Jin glared back defensively, “Like you could resist me anyways.”
The nerve of this Jin guy; stalking him into a hospital and then daring to speak to him with such outright cockiness. “Look, I think you got the wrong idea. I bet we had a good time, but I’m sure you’re not my type.”
Jin, seemingly forgetting the urgency of the situation, jumped for his phone, flipping it open and searching through his pictures. His face lit up with triumph when he came across the photo he was looking for, turning to Kame and shoving it in his annoyed face. “Hah! This was the second time we met and you sure seem to be enjoying yourself!”
The evidence was in the form of a picture of himself and the man in front of him, clearly after a certain activity and clearly enjoying themselves. Kame recognized himself; head thrown back in laughter while his hand was grasping Jin’s firmly. Jin was staring at him, a wide smile on his face as he outwardly admired the beautiful man lying next to him.
---
It had been a crazy night; celebrities and paparazzi had swarmed the place and Jin could swear the constant flash of the cameras would have him blinded by the end of the night. It wasn’t that he necessarily hated these nights, he just hated the general noise and aggressive behaviour that came along with it. Though despite all of it, he couldn’t help but long to be the man that everyone was fighting for. He wanted to be the one they fought to get pictures of, wanted to be the one that everyone adored.
Jin was snapped out of his reverie when he heard the familiar voice that had been haunting him for the last couple weeks. “I’ll have the usual, please.”
Of course Jin knew what he’d ordered the last time he’d come. In fact he often found himself daydreaming of the way the man had daintily picked up the glass, sipping the alcohol quietly, oblivious to the way Jin stared at his moistened lips. Instead, however, he leaned against the counter and raised an eyebrow expertly. “The usual? Have I served you before? I’m sorry, there are so many customers.”
Jin watched with silent amusement as Kame’s face fell and the smirk he’d been sporting began to slip away. “W-we met a couple weeks ago. You helped me...”
Jin flashed him a brilliant smile and walked to the beer tap, “Kame, I remember.”
“Good one,” Kame muttered, glaring at his hands that were neatly folded on the countertop. “Have you ever considered a comedic career?”
The older man placed the cup in front of the pouting businessman and gave him a light punch on the arm. “Lighten up, love. I don’t easily forget beauties.”
Kame blushed crimson at that, bowing his head even further in an attempt to hide it. “Shut up, Jin. I hate smooth talkers, you know.”
Jin grinned, leaning across the counter until his mouth was hovering above the younger man’s ear and whispered, “It’s not smooth talking when it’s the truth.”
He threw his head back in laughter when Kame shoved him away, his blush far past the point of disguisable. Kame brought his beer to his lips for something to do and glared hard at Jin, his blush making him look all the more lovely in Jin’s eyes.
Jin smiled back at him apologetically and put his hands up in mock surrender, “I’m done, I’m done. You’re just too cute not to bug; I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”
Kame’s smile returned to his face as he began to relax and take in the commotion. “Who’s causing this much of an uproar? The outside of this place is swarmed with paparazzi; I only got in because I had a reservation.”
“Matsumoto Jun,” Jin replied with an eye roll and Kame hummed in acknowledgement.
“Well I thought I’d come by and thank you for the other week. They signed the deal without a second thought,” Kame’s wide smile was infectious and Jin found himself returning it unconsciously.
“Congratulations,” he smiled kindly, leaning against the counter and staring shamelessly at the younger man. “I knew you’d get it though.”
This caught Kame’s attention and he looked up doubtfully, “You didn’t even know me, how could you be so sure?”
“You have this air to you,” Jin struggled to explain, “It’s kind of like this intellectual air mixed with unashamed confidence. I don’t even know what you do, but I can tell already that they’d be a fool not to sign with you.”
“My father is the head of the Kamenashi Company,” Kame whispered, already bracing himself for the initial shock and excitement, followed by the flurry of questions.
However, he looked up only to find Jin nodding his head appreciatively. “Ah, so you’re like the heir to the family business.”
Kame hid his smile poorly and grumbled, “Something like that.”
It turned out that yes Kame had made a reservation, but it was only for the sake of going to the bar. He stayed chatting with Jin until the bar closed, making conversation when they were alone and observing Jin quietly when customers approached with their orders. He couldn’t help the giddy feeling that welled in him when Jin would wink at him or miss a customer’s order because he had been too busy sending appreciative looks at the younger man. It was foolish, he knew, to fall so fast. He knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to pay and walk away. Jin’s charming smile and cute remarks kept him rooted to his spot.
Jin had stayed behind with the rest of the staff after his farewells to a slightly tipsy Kame, so he was taken by surprise when he exited to find Kame casually leaning against the wall beside the staff door. He kicked himself off the wall, strutting up to a stunned Jin and asked with a wink, “Your place or mine?”
It was so cheesy that Jin felt himself unable to resist.
---
Kame opened his mouth immediately, about to protest that that could have been the night before for all he knew, but he shut his mouth as he got a better look at himself. He couldn’t recall ever having his hair cut that way and as he squinted harder, his facial features began to look a tad older. It was surreal, like seeing a glimpse of a future self and he looked with renewed uncertainty at the triumphant man in front of him.
“There are more pictures than that,” Jin’s smile was no longer smug, but kind and encouraging and Kame felt compelled to continue flicking through.
He couldn’t hide his distress as he looked at each picture with an equal amount of fascination and uneasiness. With each passing picture, it became more apparent that this was far more than a one nightstand. It almost felt to Kame as he looked through the pictures that he was almost like a bystander looking in on his own life. Kame found himself sifting through the events upon his awakening and it suddenly dawned on him that this situation was a lot more complicated than he’d first anticipated.
His suspicions were proven further when the doctor re-entered, a stack of paper clenched in his hand. His face was gravely serious as he stared straight into Jin’s eyes and spoke to him in the language that was by now driving Kame to madness. He continued to watch as Jin’s face visibly lost all hope and sank back into the chair, tears easily flowing from his eyes.
Jin breathed in shakily and turned to face him, eyes cast downward as he relayed the message. “He’s going to need to take some tests. It’s not confirmed, but he thinks you’re suffering from more than disorientation. He thinks you’re suffering from extensive memory loss.”
Genre: Romance, Fluff, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Akanishi Jin/ Kamenashi Kazuya
Disclaimer: They own me, not vice versa.
Beta:
tonieboo0013
Warning: Slash
Summary: When Kame is hit by car and suffers extensive damage to his memory, Jin is given the opportunity to rebuild their crumbling relationship. However, a relationship built on illusion presents its own drawbacks.
A/N: I apologize for how late this came out, but my laptop is fixed (at last) and I promise my updates shall drastically increase.
---
It was like waking up with a brutal hangover; the kind he often got when he partied so hard that the memories of the night before were fuzzy, if existent at all. Though, unless he’d drunkenly thrown himself off a cliff and rolled down a mountainside, the pain that was shooting up his body in constant intervals was from more than drinking a little too much. He’d begun to become vaguely aware of his surroundings; the faint sound of pacing footsteps and frenzied voices.
He breathed in a couple times, his mind moving a mile a minute. He knew there was something he needed to remember; something that he could feel looming in the deepest depths of his mind, but it seemed as distant and unreachable as the commotion that was happening all around him. Kame growled in frustration, his hoarse voice making it sound a lot less threatening than he’d intended, and tried to force his brain into submission, but it remained resistant to his attempts. It was maddening and the fear that had been hovering in the shadows of his mind began to consume him. What was going on?
He could vividly remember the night before; the cheerful conversation and relaxed atmosphere of the office’s Christmas party. However, his mind refused to fill in the missing spots. How had he ended up here? Kame could remember standing at the drink table with Ueda and Koki, exchanging presents and pouring themselves drink after drink. The young businessman sighed in relief before turning a deep shade of crimson; he really had gone and gotten himself drunk, hadn’t he? The horrible reality of everything that could have happened between the last things he could remember and where he found himself now loomed threateningly even as he tried to push it back into his mind.
Kame grunted, willing everything to stop, or better yet, sleep to pull him back under, so the pain would subside a little and he could prolong the inevitable crash of reality. He soon deemed it impossible as the incessant chatter from above him refused to quit.
Only one person could be causing that much racket - “Koki, shut it. I’m trying to think.” And then, silence.
“What is he saying?” An unfamiliar voice spoke instantly with an urgent undertone.
The rushed, shaken voice that replied had an obvious hint of distress to it. “He told Koki to stop talking. He’s an old friend of his from Japan, but he hasn’t seen him in years.”
Kame’s eyes, as heavy as they were, shot open in an instant. He struggled to take in as much as his surroundings as he could, but nothing struck him as the faintest bit familiar. His frenzied eyes landed on the pair of men the voices belonged to and he took a sharp intake of breath. One of them was a wearing a long, white coat that only belonged in doctor’s offices and was staring at him with scrutinizing eyes. The other man was younger and undeniably good looking, but it was nearly overshadowed by the heavy bags under his eyes and the general exhaustion that was evident on his face. Though, he was the most daunted by the unfamiliar words spilling from their mouths. He could vaguely recognize it as English, but he could hardly imagine why they’d be talking such fluent English in the doctor’s office.
Kame barely had any time to adjust to his new surroundings before the younger man’s face was centimetres from his own; so close that Kame got a tantalizing whiff of his minty breath mixed with some expensive cologne. “Oh thank God, Kame. I was so scared; I was so sure you were dead.” His voice broke a little as he continued, finally in the language that Kame could recognize. “T-the way your body flew, the doctor said it’s a miracle that you’re alive, never mind with such few injuries.” The tight arms that embraced him moments later sent him into further shock as the doctor made a small noise behind them.
“Don’t smother him,” the doctor lectured with a stern look. “He seems to be suffering from disorientation which is normal, but don’t overwhelm him any further.”
The younger man’s face showed a hint of rage as he indignantly retorted, “My boyfriend just got hit with a bloody car, so excuse me for being a little upset about it.”
Kame cleared his throat, hoping to draw the two strangers’ attention back onto him. “Excuse me, but could either of you tell me what happened to me, or at least who the hell you are?”
The silence that fell in the room after the younger man relayed his response in the foreign language was disconcerting and Kame squirmed a little in his spot, watching with dread as the doctor’s face snapped to his and then back to the younger man’s before exiting with quick strides, throwing a comment in English over his shoulder.
The good-looking man turned to face him, his face falling even further with each passing second, looking at him with hopeless expectancy. His voice was edging towards hysteria when he cried out, “Kame, stop fooling around! It’s me, Jin. I know you’re probably still mad at me, but don’t act like this. I was really worried!”
His voice began to raise, the hysteria becoming more prominent as he began to draw the attention of passerby’s. “Kame this isn’t funny! You know who I am, I know you do! Talk to me! Tell me that you know who I am!”
Kame squeezed his eyes shut trying to remember anything about the man in front of him, but he came up blank and could only stare back at the man with sympathy. “Look, I’m really sorry, but I think you have the wrong guy. I mean, I’m pretty good at remembering faces and... I’m sorry I’m not the guy you’re looking for.”
“Kame, you know who I am! Don’t be stupid! How could you say that?” Jin was pacing, his face a disturbing mix of defeat and panic.
Kame continued to squint at the guy, trying to put a memory to the face, but his mind still drew a hopeless blank. Then it all came crashing over him and suddenly he could view the situation with perfect clarity. He had a stalker! Of course; he’d probably slept with the guy the night before and told him some things that he’d wanted to hear and he’d gotten the wrong idea. He was probably the one who put him in here. Kame shivered at the thought, turning back to the handsome man with a wary glare.
“So I’m guessing we’ve...” Kame trailed off, glancing towards the distraught man for confirmation.
“Obviously!” Jin glared back defensively, “Like you could resist me anyways.”
The nerve of this Jin guy; stalking him into a hospital and then daring to speak to him with such outright cockiness. “Look, I think you got the wrong idea. I bet we had a good time, but I’m sure you’re not my type.”
Jin, seemingly forgetting the urgency of the situation, jumped for his phone, flipping it open and searching through his pictures. His face lit up with triumph when he came across the photo he was looking for, turning to Kame and shoving it in his annoyed face. “Hah! This was the second time we met and you sure seem to be enjoying yourself!”
The evidence was in the form of a picture of himself and the man in front of him, clearly after a certain activity and clearly enjoying themselves. Kame recognized himself; head thrown back in laughter while his hand was grasping Jin’s firmly. Jin was staring at him, a wide smile on his face as he outwardly admired the beautiful man lying next to him.
---
It had been a crazy night; celebrities and paparazzi had swarmed the place and Jin could swear the constant flash of the cameras would have him blinded by the end of the night. It wasn’t that he necessarily hated these nights, he just hated the general noise and aggressive behaviour that came along with it. Though despite all of it, he couldn’t help but long to be the man that everyone was fighting for. He wanted to be the one they fought to get pictures of, wanted to be the one that everyone adored.
Jin was snapped out of his reverie when he heard the familiar voice that had been haunting him for the last couple weeks. “I’ll have the usual, please.”
Of course Jin knew what he’d ordered the last time he’d come. In fact he often found himself daydreaming of the way the man had daintily picked up the glass, sipping the alcohol quietly, oblivious to the way Jin stared at his moistened lips. Instead, however, he leaned against the counter and raised an eyebrow expertly. “The usual? Have I served you before? I’m sorry, there are so many customers.”
Jin watched with silent amusement as Kame’s face fell and the smirk he’d been sporting began to slip away. “W-we met a couple weeks ago. You helped me...”
Jin flashed him a brilliant smile and walked to the beer tap, “Kame, I remember.”
“Good one,” Kame muttered, glaring at his hands that were neatly folded on the countertop. “Have you ever considered a comedic career?”
The older man placed the cup in front of the pouting businessman and gave him a light punch on the arm. “Lighten up, love. I don’t easily forget beauties.”
Kame blushed crimson at that, bowing his head even further in an attempt to hide it. “Shut up, Jin. I hate smooth talkers, you know.”
Jin grinned, leaning across the counter until his mouth was hovering above the younger man’s ear and whispered, “It’s not smooth talking when it’s the truth.”
He threw his head back in laughter when Kame shoved him away, his blush far past the point of disguisable. Kame brought his beer to his lips for something to do and glared hard at Jin, his blush making him look all the more lovely in Jin’s eyes.
Jin smiled back at him apologetically and put his hands up in mock surrender, “I’m done, I’m done. You’re just too cute not to bug; I can’t be held responsible for my actions.”
Kame’s smile returned to his face as he began to relax and take in the commotion. “Who’s causing this much of an uproar? The outside of this place is swarmed with paparazzi; I only got in because I had a reservation.”
“Matsumoto Jun,” Jin replied with an eye roll and Kame hummed in acknowledgement.
“Well I thought I’d come by and thank you for the other week. They signed the deal without a second thought,” Kame’s wide smile was infectious and Jin found himself returning it unconsciously.
“Congratulations,” he smiled kindly, leaning against the counter and staring shamelessly at the younger man. “I knew you’d get it though.”
This caught Kame’s attention and he looked up doubtfully, “You didn’t even know me, how could you be so sure?”
“You have this air to you,” Jin struggled to explain, “It’s kind of like this intellectual air mixed with unashamed confidence. I don’t even know what you do, but I can tell already that they’d be a fool not to sign with you.”
“My father is the head of the Kamenashi Company,” Kame whispered, already bracing himself for the initial shock and excitement, followed by the flurry of questions.
However, he looked up only to find Jin nodding his head appreciatively. “Ah, so you’re like the heir to the family business.”
Kame hid his smile poorly and grumbled, “Something like that.”
It turned out that yes Kame had made a reservation, but it was only for the sake of going to the bar. He stayed chatting with Jin until the bar closed, making conversation when they were alone and observing Jin quietly when customers approached with their orders. He couldn’t help the giddy feeling that welled in him when Jin would wink at him or miss a customer’s order because he had been too busy sending appreciative looks at the younger man. It was foolish, he knew, to fall so fast. He knew it, but he couldn’t bring himself to pay and walk away. Jin’s charming smile and cute remarks kept him rooted to his spot.
Jin had stayed behind with the rest of the staff after his farewells to a slightly tipsy Kame, so he was taken by surprise when he exited to find Kame casually leaning against the wall beside the staff door. He kicked himself off the wall, strutting up to a stunned Jin and asked with a wink, “Your place or mine?”
It was so cheesy that Jin felt himself unable to resist.
---
Kame opened his mouth immediately, about to protest that that could have been the night before for all he knew, but he shut his mouth as he got a better look at himself. He couldn’t recall ever having his hair cut that way and as he squinted harder, his facial features began to look a tad older. It was surreal, like seeing a glimpse of a future self and he looked with renewed uncertainty at the triumphant man in front of him.
“There are more pictures than that,” Jin’s smile was no longer smug, but kind and encouraging and Kame felt compelled to continue flicking through.
He couldn’t hide his distress as he looked at each picture with an equal amount of fascination and uneasiness. With each passing picture, it became more apparent that this was far more than a one nightstand. It almost felt to Kame as he looked through the pictures that he was almost like a bystander looking in on his own life. Kame found himself sifting through the events upon his awakening and it suddenly dawned on him that this situation was a lot more complicated than he’d first anticipated.
His suspicions were proven further when the doctor re-entered, a stack of paper clenched in his hand. His face was gravely serious as he stared straight into Jin’s eyes and spoke to him in the language that was by now driving Kame to madness. He continued to watch as Jin’s face visibly lost all hope and sank back into the chair, tears easily flowing from his eyes.
Jin breathed in shakily and turned to face him, eyes cast downward as he relayed the message. “He’s going to need to take some tests. It’s not confirmed, but he thinks you’re suffering from more than disorientation. He thinks you’re suffering from extensive memory loss.”