[Fan Fic: One Shot] ROUND 2 - PART 1
Title: Round 2
Author: blinkbling24
Pairing: Akame
Genre: Romance, Smut
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: I obviously don’t own them, because if I did, this fic would be in video instead of just words.
Warning: Fic is narrative in nature and is unbeta-ed, so please excuse the grammer/spelling mistakes, if any.
Summary: Kame and Jin’s relationship develops into something more real.
A/N: It’s my first time writing something centred on akame, so please be gentle with me J This is a rather long one shot, so I’ve broken it into 2 parts. Hope you enjoy it!
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Round 2 - Part 1
A soft, crisp breeze associated with the beginnings of spring weaved its way through the open bedroom window, disturbing the light curtains just a little before fluttering onto Kamenashi Kazuya’s delicate facial features. Kame wrinkled his nose and emitted a soft sigh before turning his body, subconsciously reaching out to the other body warmth that should have been beside him. His arm fell flat onto the cool sheets and he opened a single eye a smidgen to acknowledge that he was alone on the double bed. Indifferent to the fact, he splayed himself until he occupied the entire bed and gave a big stretch. He buried his face in the pillow next to his and inhaled the familiar comforting scent before sitting up, all blurry eyed and hair in a mess.
The glowing digital face of the bedside clock read 7.14am, consistent with the morning sun flooding the bedroom. Time to get up. Where was his lover, he wondered? He yawned and dragged himself out of bed into the adjoining bathroom. As he brushed his teeth, he remembered a barely-there peck on his cheek and a soft voice that said, “You sleep a while longer. I have to go in earlier today….I’ll see you.”
Kame examined his white frothy grin in the mirror, marveling at the fact that even after all these years, he was still able to smile so goofily at the thought of him. Even after all that they had been through, with their 6-month separation being the ultimate test. He did not think much of the dark, lonely times anymore. His lover came back to him, and he was glad they had managed to pick up where they had left off.
Well, not really where they had left off, he had to admit. As he rinsed his mouth and began cleansing his face, he pondered the dynamics of their relationship. Kame believed that he had changed a little from before. He felt that he was gradually stepping out of his lover’s shadow. He was his own man now. He learnt how to be that during their time apart. He felt himself wanting to take control more and more, be it his career choices or affairs of the heart.
He tossed on a casual attire of tattered jeans and baseball t-shirt. There was no need to dress up today. After all, upon reaching the film set, it would be straight to make-up and wardrobe. He paused momentarily, absentmindedly picking at a slightly visible zit on his left jawline, remembering his lover’s pout a few days ago. They had not been intimate in a while. With their conflicting schedules, it was almost impossible to, and even when they finally spent some time together, Kame had been too tired to do more than just talk.
A single onigiri was waiting for Kame on the kitchen counter. He grabbed it habitually, relishing the inner warmth biting into it brought him. Even though their relationship was not the same, Kame still loved him, very much. Time did not permit him to reflect any further. He put on his favourite pair of boots, grabbed his keys and left the apartment, ready for the long day ahead.
***
It was barely day break when Akanishi Jin arrived on set. Already, the make-up trailer was abuzz with activity. “Morning,” he drawled a greeting to his usual stylist as he settled into the chair. Soon, deft fingers were running through his hair, pulling, tweaking, experimenting. It was a process Jin knew too well, having been in this business for so long. Today, however, was going to be a little different from the norm. He wanted to be radical, to have a change. Everything around him seemed to be changing, so why not extend it to his aesthetic appearance, even if it was only for one day?
He sat quietly in the chair as the stylist worked her magic with hair extensions. He had woken up when the sky was still dark to the steady breathing of his lover by his side. In the darkness, he could make out the slim silhouette. Jin had run his hand up and down his lover’s arm, slowly, gently, so as not to wake him, amazed at the physical change. His lover’s arm was more defined, his biceps bigger, more muscular. It was no longer the arm of a boy, but of a man.
Jin sighed, partly due to the tugging of his scalp, partly from the direction his thoughts were taking him. The physical intimacy was lacking in their relationship. It was something Jin could not ignore, even though he understood that there were rational explanations as to why it was so. With both busy with appearances and drama shoots, they hardly saw each other, let alone to be intimate. But it was not only that. There was a paradigm shift, something that has gotten increasingly obvious. Perhaps his 6-month absence was the catalyst. He knew that he had changed. Experiencing something other then what he had known all his life had an effect on him, whether he wanted it to or not. He was mellower, more sombre. He had lost his gung-ho nature, preferring now to stay in the background, to be obscure, to observe.
The change was not necessarily bad, just different. Their connection was on a more profound level and Jin wondered if they would ever be young, innocent and carefree again. Probably not. Maybe this was what growing up meant. He just never thought that the loss of youth could be so palpable.
His hair was done. Jin examined himself in the mirror. It was certainly a look he had never had before. What would his lover say? Would he like it? As Jin turned his head left and right to get a better view, he asked himself if he would turn back time if he could, but Jin had no answer, except for the fact that he still loved him, very much.
***
Kame stood at the exterior of the building which housed the film set. He knew that inside this grey, concrete architecture, a whole new world was waiting for him. His job allowed him to be teleported, to experience different things, and yet, at the end of the day, he still got to keep his own identity. Not a lot of people had the sort of fortune he had, and this was the reason he worked tirelessly. Sure, there were the trying days where he would feel like giving up, but generally, he enjoyed what he did.
And then, there was Jin. His lover, his rock, his constant. Someone who has been there from the beginning. Jin befriended him, a gangly baseball-obsessed kid who did not give much care to the entertainment world. In the early days, Jin would inevitably drag Kame into the limelight along with him (Jin had been the more popular one then), and soon, Kame began to find purpose - in life, in the job, in his relationship with Jin. He could not pinpoint when exactly it happened, it was a feeling that developed so gradually, until every conversation they had, every deliberate or accidental touch, made his heart beat so hard that he was breathless. He had fallen in love.
The moment he stepped into the make-up trailer, he was greeted with a chorus of “Good Morning”s. He was the last of KAT-TUN to arrive. He smiled and nodded his greeting to 4 of his bandmates before scanning the room for the very important 5th member. The sound of curtain rails opening made him turn, and the sight he beheld stirred a feeling in him so powerful that he staggered backwards slightly. Jin had never looked as ethereal as he did, stepping out of the changing area, and Kame fell in love all over again.
As their eyes met, Jin gave him a soft, private smile, a smile that only Kame knew. It was as though they were the only ones in the room, when, as suddenly as the slow-motion started, real time kicked back in with a random girly shriek. A flock of girls surrounded Jin, and Kame recalled, yes, today’s PV shoot had other people besides KAT-TUN. It was refreshing, but at that moment, a little annoying.
Kame shrugged. It was not as if he could act on his emotions at work anyway. Even though their relationship was an open secret with the other members and close crew, they still had to maintain a level of professionalism, and practice a high degree of self-control. It was what was required of them, and they complied. Besides, Kame had his own flock of girls to contend with. He grinned at the extras that surrounded him, although in his mind, he knew it was going to be a particularly tough day.
***
Jin watched in amusement as Kame diplomatically handled the girls, calmly thanking them for their attention, but please, let him get his hair and make-up done. Jin’s admirers had scattered as they were called to the set, and he could take his time to saunter around in the cool manner that only he could pull off. He surveyed the set with Ueda and Maru, as they were the only 3 that were ready.
However, Ueda and Maru’s lively banter did not get through to Jin this time. He pretended to participate, and reacted where appropriate, but his mind was somewhere else. His mind was buried deep in Kame’s eyes, in the look that Kame gave him when their eyes met in the trailer. In them, Jin saw the passion and desire that never failed to touch his heart, but there was something else he had never seen before. It was strength, determination, and maturity. For most of his life, he was the protector, the older one that shielded and guided Kame in this entertainment world. At first, he was a friend, then an older brother, but somewhere, somehow, Kame entered a place in his heart where no one else could and stayed there. It was then, that Jin knew he had fallen in love.
Looking at Kame emerge from the trailer onto set, full of ambition and drive, Jin realised that Kame did not need protection any more. Kame, once unsteady and shy, had developed a solid, quiet confidence, and Jin acknowledged that Kame could possibly outlast him, and it made him proud. In fact, Jin felt that his role in their relationship was shifting, and slowly and surely, they were becoming equals, and Jin found that sexy, very sexy.
But then, even as Kame walked around the set, smiling and shaking everyone’s hands, Jin noticed that Kame would look in his direction ever so often, just like old times, in hope of receiving a nod of encouragement, a look of approval. How was it that Kame could be the same, yet different, to be innocent, yet mature, all at the same time? Jin did not know, but he felt that he was falling in love all over again, with this person whom he already knew inside out, but looked forward to knowing all over again.
***
Kame smiled as he read the short text message on his DoCoMo phone.
Meeting Pi, Shirota and gang for drinks after the shoot. You wanna join us?
Judging by the time of the message, Jin must have sent it during lunch break. It was a purely rhetorical question. Kame knew that Jin knew all too well that he should not join him. There was no point giving the paparazzi a field day. Besides, the memory of the numerous haul ups to Johnny-san’s office in the early years was still imprinted in his mind. But Jin liked to ask anyway. It was Jin’s way of letting him know his whereabouts.
The door of the trailer creaked open and Kame knew it was Koki, who was the second one to complete his solo shoot and end the day for the PV. “KA….me!” Koki greeted him in his usual teasing tone as he slung an arm over Kame’s shoulder. “Watcha up to? You’re still coming with me to check out that kick-ass new joint right?”
Kame grinned and faced his cool bandmate, whom he had come to be very fond of. Koki, through the numerous projects they have been involved in together, had seen him past the rough days when Jin was away. On occasion, Kame would ham it up with Koki in front of the cameras, for the most part, for the fans as instructed by the company, but there was a little part in him that had craved attention during that trying period.
Through their interaction, Kame had his suspicions that Koki liked him a little more than as a friend. Fleetingly, at times when he felt the most hurt, he did think that maybe…with Koki…maybe. However, Jin’s hold on him was too strong, and perhaps Koki sensed it too, that Jin occupied too much of Kame’s heart. Koki never made a bold move and Kame was grateful to him for that. They were still good friends nonetheless.
Nodding to Koki, Kame flipped open his phone and typed a reply. With a quick swipe of make-up remover, a hasty neatening of his hair, and a swift change back into his comfortable street clothes, he and Koki were ready to leave just as Maru walked into the trailer.
***
Jin scanned the trailer expectantly, the light in his eyes slowly fading as he realized that the person he was looking for was not in his line of sight. Taguchi, who had finished his shoot before him, looked up from his PSP just long enough to inform him that Kame had left with Koki some half an hour ago. Subconsciously, Jin’s hands curled into fists even as he gritted his teeth and nodded grimly. He was feeling something that he felt from time to time, although less and less so in recent years. Jin thought that he had suppressed his impulsive, rash nature, but Kame was the one person that could surface the impulsiveness in him.
Maru, sensing and having witnessed the destructiveness that usually followed when Jin had that look, walked up to his friend and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. Maru did not need to say anything for Jin to reel it in. Jin gave Maru a small smile to indicate that he was alright, and proceeded to search for his jeans which pocket held his phone.
3 messages, from Pi and Shirota to confirm the time and place, and Kame.
Promised Koki to check out some kick-ass joint. See you at home, and Jin, I know you have that look on your face. Trust me, Jin…and have fun with the boys. PS: Keep your hair. I like it.
Jin could not help but smile. Only Kame could bring about such extreme emotions in him. Yes, he would see his lover at home. At the end of the day, it was him that Kame wrapped his arms around, not Koki. It was not that Jin hated Koki, in fact, he was grateful to him. Grateful that he had looked out for Kame during the time he was away. Even now, Kame’s friendship with Koki provided a thick curtain that blocked most of the unpleasantness that could have resulted from them getting back together. He just did not quite like Kame showing affection to Koki at work instead of him, even though it was instructions from the powers that be. The suspicion that Koki liked Kame added a little more fuel to the fire. But, he also knew that he had to keep his jealousy in check. He did indeed trust Kame, and besides, he owed Kame too much.
There were many reasons that had pushed him to make the decision to go to LA, even though there was one big reason that he should not have. He was still young then, where pressures from family, the industry, the bosses and his own selfishness, spoke louder to him than his heart. He remembered that fateful day 2 years ago when he told the love of his life that he was leaving. It was the hardest thing he had done, and he had brought the image of Kame’s face - one that was trying to be strong even though tears brimmed from the eyes - all the way to LA with him. Each time Jin closed his eyes at night, he would see that face, and it would break his heart. And it was only after 6 months that he felt brave enough to come back and fight for what he believed was real. Thankfully, Kame did not go anywhere.
With those thoughts, he almost wanted to cancel on the guys and rush home, but then he remembered…ah yes, Koki……well then, he would go for drinks. Jin performed his after PV shoot regime of cleansing and washing, put on his casual street wear, covered his elaborate extensions with a beanie and bade goodbye to Maru, Taguchi and Ueda.
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Note: Hope you liked it so far. I have disabled the comments for Part 1. Please continue to Part 2 where comments will be enabled. Thanks!