Gift fic for marlenem
To: marlenem
From: chiseenpaw
SEASON'S GREETINGS!
Title: Reverie
Pairing/Group: Akanishi Jin/Kamenashi Kazuya
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: ~5400, AU, vampire!Kame. Please excuse the liberties taken with the publishing world in Japan and the lack of information about vampires.
Notes: marlenem, Happy Holidays~! It started out as yakuza!vampires as I wanted to fit in as many of your likes as possible, but ended up with this instead... It kept changing until the very end until time was up so it just had to stop there. It's not too amazing, so hopefully you won't be too disappointed. ><;;
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading it though and that it'll provide some entertainment for you during the holidays.
Summary: Where Kame is a vampire disguised as an editor at a publishing company and receives a manuscript from Jin.
It was funny how such a manuscript would make it into his hands. To be honest, it was quite good, but due to the nature of his circumstances, one would have expected him to scoff at the unrealistic parts.
Half of it was from various myths, while the other half was from the writer's imagination. It was fiction anyways, and he could tell it was something that would appeal to quite a wide age range of readers. He once again immersed himself into the story and started reading it with the critical eyes of an editor, thinking of the possible angles to pitch this manuscript to his colleagues during the next editorial meeting.
He picked up the phone and pressed for his secretary, Taguchi.
"Taguchi, can you get me a meeting with Akanishi-sensei sometime this week?" He picked up his red pen and started marking the more glaring grammatical errors, listening to his assistant flip through his time table. "It’s the one who sent in the manuscript about yakuza vampires."
~*~
It took a couple of missed calls and messages left on his secretary’s line before a meeting outside of his office hours was scheduled. Apparently Akanishi-sensei had a part-time job as a model for a men’s fashion magazine with irregular hours so a meeting at the coffee shop nearby the publishing office was arranged.
With twenty minutes before the stated meeting time, Kamenashi started shuffling the manuscripts that he would be going over at home tonight into his briefcase. In a manila folder, he slid in Akanishi-sensei’s edited manuscript and the necessary documents. Briefcase in hand and hefty manila envelope nestled in the crook of his arm; the editor closed the door to his office and walked through the silent, darkened office towards the elevators.
The air was considerably colder outside as Fall has turned into Winter. Kame juggled with the things in his arms when he remembered to shrug into his jacket before stepping out of the lobby.
Walking the few minutes from his office to the coffee shop, Kame pulled open the glass door of the warmly lit store. A few customers were lining up to buy their hot drinks to-go and Kame went to do the same, standing at the end of the short line and taking in a wide glance of the establishment. He noticed a customer sitting at one of the little round tables in the corner huddled in his beanie and muffler. The stranger was nursing a steaming mug while his other hand was fiddling with his iPhone. He concluded that if he didn’t have a meeting with Akanishi, he would have no qualms with luring this stranger to take him back to his home.
The moment the other set down his phone to bring the mug to his lips, Kame felt his phone buzz in his coat pocket, signalling the arrival of a message and a sinking feeling in his stomach.
From: akanishinishi_jinjin074@docomo.co.jp
Subject: none
My work ended early so I’m there already.
No rush though, I just got myself a drink.
-Akanishi Jin
Just his luck that such a highly potential prey be take away from him like that.
"Akanishi-sensei, right?" Kamenashi walked over, warming his chilled hands with his own steaming mug before approaching the other. "I’m Kamenashi Kazuya, one of the editors at JE Press."
The older man at the sound of his name and froze, staring at Kame for a few seconds before recovering.
"Akanishi Jin," the young writer did a half stand as the two shook hands. "I’m very sorry about having to schedule a meeting with you outside of your working hours."
~*~
They had started with the customary formalities that were common with the usual business-related meetings, but the deeper they discussed into the writer’s story; the more the customary barriers fell away. While Kame had at first been drawn only to the other’s lips, he ended up fascinated by this supernatural world that the older man weaved with his words and captured by those endless orbs brimming with childlike animation when the young writer got really into their topic of discussion.
By the time they parted ways, they had ended up sitting at the coffee shop until closing with the barista on shift had been staring holes into the back of Kame’s head. The details of the contract, should the manuscript be accepted by the head editor, had been hammered out and their next meeting scheduled.
The next few weeks were a flurry of activity both for the editor and budding writer. Revised and re-revised versions of the manuscript were sent back and forth while Kame prepared for his pitch about Jin’s novel to the other editors and PR department at the editorial meeting.
A glance at the digital numbers on the bottom right corner of his computer screen told him he should start heading towards the elevator. Grabbing his folder off the paper mountain piled precariously high on his desk, he shook the tension out of his arms and fell into step with Yamashita from the PR department who was also attending the editorial meeting.
"You have something you’re going to pitch for today?" Yamashita reached across to press the button for the elevator. "You look kinda nervous."
"Yeah? I really like this one, so I’m hoping it’ll get approved," Editorial meetings were always a bit nerve wracking, but this time especially so as Kame really wanted things to work out for this one. He had been successful three times in a row so far, so it would be a shame for it to fall flat for the one time when it really mattered to him.
"Don’t worry, you usually have good judgement in which types of books sell and what doesn’t. You know Kame, loosing so much sleep over these weekly meetings is bad for you," Yamashita chided, looking meaningfully at the dark bags.
"Ah, lift’s here," the soft ding announced the arrival of their lift and Kame was grateful for the momentary distraction from his friend’s nagging.
The meeting had gone without a hitch and Akanishi’s manuscript had been approved unanimously. Relieved that his new project was off to a smooth start, he considered going out that night. He had abandoned his regular nightly routine the past couple of weeks in favour of polishing out last minute details with Jin before the editorial pitch and it was starting to show in his appearance.
~*~
The bass was pulsing along with the swaying crowd as Kame weaved between the sweaty bodies to reach the other end of the room. He had garnered some interest amongst the dancing parties, but he preferred to stand at the sidelines against the wall choosing his prey before starting his hunt than be hunted.
A loud roar of "cheers" from one of the lounge corners to his right caught his attention. The one who appeared to be the host stood up wobbly in the center after downing the last of his shots, and started walking precariously towards the bar to order another round. Using the wall to keep balance, instead of taking the straight path, walked him right into Kame.
"Jin," Kame whispered to himself in recognition as the intoxicated man staggered closer to his hiding spot.
He had shed his usual work attire of pristine suits and rimmed reading glasses in exchange for ripped, hip-hugging jeans and half-opened dress shirts. His eyes were lined thickly and the sunglasses he had taken off upon entering the dimly lit establishment were hanging off of a multitude of colourful necklaces. He didn’t look forward to trying to explain his attire and what he was doing at a club alone to the writer, so Kame pushed himself off the wall and turned to try to disappear back into the crowd. However, running away was no longer an option when he felt a firm hand close around his wrist. Kame turned around to meet the eyes of the older man, excuse ready on the tip of his tongue.
"Hi again, beautiful," With a sudden jerk of his arm, Jin had pulled the other close. "Let’s dance."
A momentarily stunned Kame was half shoved and half dragged, deeper into the sweaty throng of moving bodies. Apparently Jin’s intoxicated brain was not yet able to make the connection between his night-time self and day-time editor. Kame supposed he should feel relieved that the other seemed to be too out of it to recognize him and was about to wriggle out of the tight hold on his shoulders to make his escape when he felt Jin’s body flush against his back and froze momentarily. It had been a while since he had last felt the body heat of a human and all the rationality he possessed before were quickly being chased out by his primal instincts.
Kamenashi couldn’t deny that he was physically attracted to Akanishi. And had they not met prior to tonight, he would not have hesitated at the blatant invitation. He placed his hand firmly on the ones keeping him captive to push them off; however, when he felt warm hands on his hips and Akanishi grinding into him from behind in time with the thumping bass, his mind shut down and gave the reins over to his instincts completely.
*
He was smashed against the wall beside the door to the apartment complex with a mouth full of Akanishi. After twenty seconds of stumbling around with their mouths on each other, Kame realized that Jin was more concerned with sucking on his tongue than trying to fetch his keys. A drunken Jin wasn’t very helpful so he patted around the older man’s loose jeans for the house keys and managed to wrench the door open.
The two tumbled into the doorway with Kame breaking Jin’s fall. Their teeth clanged together and Kame tasted the tangy flavour of blood on his tongue from Jin's cut lip which spurred him on further. No one bothered with the lights and Kame just fisted his hands in Jin’s collar and dragged him up with him towards the door he assumed to be the bedroom.
They laughed, falling onto the bed when Jin tripped over a sweatshirt or another lying in the doorway to his bedroom, taking Kame with him. Jin managed to get one leg out of his jeans before Kame shoved his hand into his boxers.
"Oh, fuck," Jin fell back and knocked his head against the headboard, his fingers stilled on the second-last button of Kame’s dress shirt. The pain that should be coming from his head was not registered as all of his concentration was directed at that one point of contact made with Kame. The wintry hand circled around his manhood seemed to make his skin even hotter as Kame pumped him with hard, fast strokes. Jin reached into his bedside drawer before taking the whole drawer out in haste and dumping the entire contents onto the table top for easier access. He grabbed a handful of the lube and condoms and threw them in the general direction of his partner.
He felt the hand leave his cock to be replaced by something slick and wet. He lifted his head to be greeted by the site of the other man’s lips stretched tight around his manhood while his right hand disappeared, fingering himself. Jin wasn’t able to see what the other was doing, but he could feel it in the reverberations around his cock.
Jin’s hand inched up before digging it into the soft strands of hair and Kame moaned around the hard member in his mouth as he went up to three fingers in his prep. Jin could feel himself nearing his climax before the faintest hint of teeth on his sensitive head stopped him from cumming.
His cock fell out of his partner’s mouth with a wet sound, as those lips shiny with precum traveled up his abdomen, circled around his areola, until he tasted himself on his tongue.
"I want you," Jin breathed into his partner’s mouth. The dark liner around the other’s eyes was smeared and hair sticking up messily, but Jin found him even hotter.
They swallowed each other’s moans when Kame slid down and took in Jin’s entire manhood in one thrust. The sound of skin slapping against skin reached Jin’s ears as he looked down to see his cock disappearing between Kame’s buttocks at a maddening speed.
"Fuck, so good. Un, m-more," he lost the fight to keep his eyes open and instead focused on his shallow breathing between the constant flow of moans coming out from his mouth. In his haze he could feel wet kisses and nips being planted all over his chest which heightened his senses further.
"Un, Jin... Deeper," Kame burrowed his head into the crook between Jin’s neck and shoulder, his hips meeting Jin’s erratic thrusts. He could feel that Jin was near by the pulse beating rapidly underneath his lips as they searched for that spot where the neck and shoulder met.
Kame settled on his spot and let his cuspids break into the skin and the soft tendons. The mixture of pleasure and pain jolted Jin’s system as his hips thrusted once, twice before stilling and his mouth let out a low moan signalling his release. Kame didn’t stop the moving of his hips, clamping down on Jin’s manhood to prolong and ride out his orgasm.
~*~
Jin woke up to the jarring ring tone of "Boom Boom Pow" rising from the pile of clothes strewn around his room floor. The ringing stopped halfway through the first repeat of the chorus for two seconds before starting all over again. Jin flopped over the side of his bed and crawled on his arms to fetch his jeans by the belt loops. By the time he had successfully dug the phone from his jeans pockets, the ringing had stopped before restarting once more.
"Yeah?" Jin croaked out, his voice raspy from having just woken up and last night’s overuse.
"I’ve been calling you since last night! And you left the club without saying bye," Nishikido Ryo’s annoyed voice rang out from the other end of the receiver.
"Hm, yeah, I picked up someone. What time is it?" Jin rubbed his face groggily and looked around the room for the presence of his partner from last night’s activities.
"Bastard, we threw that party to celebrate your writer’s debut and you went off to get laid? I was busy trying to check if you managed to drown yourself in the toilet that I had to turn down this hot chick with huge tits."
"Haha, sorry, sorry. We can hang out again tonight." Jin laughed at the grumbling coming from the other line.
"It’s 10AM by the way and you have to get here in thirty minutes cus the photo shoot is in an hour," Ryo smirked as he listened to the sounds of Jin scrambling around in bed before the line went dead. The fucker hung up on him! Even when he went through all the trouble of giving him a wake-up call.
Jin hopped into the shower and immediately hissed as the water ran down his front. He looked down and noticed multiple small, shallow gashes littering his chest and collarbones. It looked like he had stupidly walked into a thorn bush half naked. His memories of what happened the night before were hazy, but this was the second time he had woken up like this.
The hot water helped clear his head and he remembered the feel of the other’s cool body pressed into him and the heady feeling he got afterwards. He quickly lathered and washed the shampoo out of his hair, wincing at the sharp sting. The back of his shoulder was sore and seemed to have suffered the most damage. Unlike the first time, however; he had an inkling as to who the lithe stranger from last night might be. The other didn’t seem to recognize him from that night two years ago, so Jin would have to be careful with how he broached the subject.
Jin arrived fifty minutes later at the studio and listened to his manager scold him while the make-up staff fussed over him. Ryo was snickering in the corner, full out laughing when Jin let out a high pitched squeal every time the make-up girl tried to apply foundation over his collarbones to cover up the gashes. They ended up letting him wear a scarf.
~*~
Kame had left Jin’s place just before sunrise. He had cleaned up the shallow gashes on Jin’s chest along with the deeper one on his shoulder the best he could, making sure not to leave any traces before slipping silently out of the apartment. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he was certainly more unrestrained that night than he usually was.
He had a meeting with Jin in his office this afternoon to discuss what they were to do next since the manuscript had been approved. It would have been a week since he last saw Jin that night and he swore to himself that what had happened that night was only a one-time thing. He never had the same prey more than once, and the fact that Jin knew him was already dangerous enough without the repeats.
Seeing Jin in the afternoon seemed to revive his libido rather than quench it. Especially when he saw the now healing, angry red scratches that he had made the night before, accentuated by the drooping neckline and necklace the other man wore.
"Yeah uh, my dog just got his nails clipped," Jin had said awkwardly when he saw where Kame’s stare had been directed and hastily pulled his hoodie together more.
Their meeting had gone on until after hours and before Jin left, he had invited Kame out for a celebratory drink with his buddies at a club down in Roppongi. Kame had declined politely and showed Jin out of his office, but inside, he was struggling hard not to just drag Jin back into his room; which explains why he was once again in the same club, standing on the sidelines against the wall. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing here.
After five minutes of scouring the establishment and not spotting Jin, Kame concluded that the older man had probably already went home with someone. He was just turning to leave when their eyes met across the room as Jin was exiting the curtain covered staff room. Kame could see recognition flash in the other’s eyes and he knew this time that Jin was definitely not drunk yet. Akanishi started walking over to where he was standing and it was already too late for Kame to pretend not to have seen the other.
"Kamenashi-san, you came!" Jin leaned closer towards the younger man’s ears to be heard over the loud music. "And you changed out of your work clothes too!"
"Yeah, my friend cancelled on me so I came to see if you were still here," Kame lied, meeting the appraising eyes of the other. He knew he looked a bit different from the Kamenashi Jin saw earlier in the day so Kame could only hope it didn’t trigger any memories.
"Come on, let’s get you a drink. On me."
~*~
"Oh, shit. J-jin, harder," Kame gave out a long moan when the other complied with his request, grunting from the effort. The headboard made a rhythmic knocking against the wall from the force of Jin pounding into him; and so would have Kame’s head against the headboard if not for Jin cradling it with his head and cushioning the blows.
Jin leaned his head down on the pillow beside Kame’s head and began whispering dirty words into his ear. Kame could no longer make sense of the words except for the murmurs of "Kame, Kame", sending him further and further down towards that road to climax. Having Jin’s throbbing pulse so near him was making him heady with want. He had to remember that tonight, Jin was conscious of his actions somewhat, so he gritted his teeth and threw his arm over his lips as Jin drove him into oblivion. One merit to having a non-intoxicated Jin was that his skills in bed were better.
And once again, Kame had not listened to his rationale and had succumbed to his desires in accepting Akanishi’s invitation to go back to his place. It was then that he realized how it gets easier and easier to stray from the right path with each step he takes. His initial reasons for resisting became increasingly insignificant.
Jin woke up the next morning alone in bed. He wiggled around under the duvet and stretched out his arms and legs. He looked down at his chest, expecting to find new wounds to be met only with the healing gashes from before. He ran his hands along his neck, shoulders, and arms to feel only smooth skin. Jin was positive that he had brought Kame home with him last night, but there were no traces on his body that said so.
His ears picked up sounds of someone moving around in his apartment and he found Kame sitting at his breakfast table with a mug of coffee, reading the newspaper in Jin’s own shirt and slippers. Jin was pleased to see that Kame had stayed and the thought that he wouldn’t mind waking up to the scent and sight of Kame and coffee together more often flashed through his mind. Kame looked up with smile on his face when he heard Jin padding into the open kitchen.
"Would you mind putting some pants on at least?" Kame gave Jin’s unclad rear a pointed look.
"What, is it distracting for you?" Jin sauntered over with his mug of coffee in hand to where Kame was sitting. He leaned down until they were almost eye level with each other.
"Very," Kame tilted his head and slid his mouth over Jin’s in a languid, good-morning kiss. "Now go get ready or else we’ll be late."
Kame wondered how they could fall into this playful banter so easily. The exchange felt natural to him as if they’d known each other for years and not mere months. The most effortless interaction he has had with humans.
~*~
"Come in," A soft knock sounded and Kame looked up from the computer screen where he was busy replying an e-mail from one of his writers
"Morning," Jin’s wide-faced grin peeked through the crack of the door before the rest of his body followed.
"Oh good, you’re here! Have a seat," Kame took off his glasses and shuffled through the drawer on his desk for the folder from the art department. "Here are the new proofs for the cover of your novel that the creative team just sent me. Take a look and see which ones suit what you had in mind."
Kame watched Jin lay the sheets of paper out side by side on his desk. "I like these two the most."
Jin looked up from the book covers and Kame looked back at him expectantly for his approval.
"Are you coming over tonight?"
"Do you want me to?"
Jin nodded.
"Okay," Kame replied simply. He couldn’t describe the feeling inside of him that arose from Jin’s pleased smile afterwards.
"I like these two the best too."
~*~
"Why are you always taking those diet pills?"
"What diet pills?"
"You know how when we go out for meals, most of the time you'd just ask for a glass of water and sit and watch me eat while taking those pills. Those red and white ones?"
"Oh, these?" Kame reached into his coat pocket for his pill box, shaking it a bit.
It was those weekly, twice a day, pill boxes with color codes. Jin noticed that the first two columns were empty already, being that today was Tuesday.
"Yeah, those," he reached his hand out for the coded pill box. "You're thin enough as it is. I never see you eat anything much except for those pills."
"I do eat," and as if to prove his point, Kame took one of the gyozas off of Jin’s plate, popping it into his mouth, and Jin let him. "They're not diet pills or anything."
Kame eyed the other carefully, who had now cracked open his Wednesday AM slot and was sniffing the contents tentatively. "They're vitamin D pills. I don't have much time to go out into the sun during the day because of my job, so these help my vitamin D intake."
"What are you? An old woman? Carrying vitamins around with you," Jin tossed the box back to Kame and went back to his bowl of ramen. He hadn’t had any new marks on his body and he was quite sure that Kame hadn’t been going out to find other people to feed on either. He wasn’t quite sure how long vampires can last with no food and while Kame hasn't had any drastic weight changes, his skin grew paler with time, making the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced.
~*~
When I was little, I used to play in the neighbourhood park with the other kids until the sun set and our mothers yelled for us to come home for dinner. I remember wishing for the sun to remain high in the sky for just a little bit longer; that the sun wouldn’t set so soon and get overthrown by darkness.
In his dream, Jin was nine years old again. The sun was setting behind him as he dribbled his soccer ball on his way back home. He rounded the park block when the street lights started flickering on, illuminating the sidewalks in spot lights. At the last bend, Jin had miscalculated his steps and sent the ball flying towards the feet of the lone boy sitting on the swings. Jin jogged up towards the young boy until he was a few feet away. The kid looked at the soccer ball and then back up at Jin. Jin thought he that the bushy browed kid looked kind of lonely and awkward, sitting there on the swings by himself, digging his sneakers into the playground dirt.
"Pass the ball!" Jin yelled, waving his arms above his head.
They started kicking the ball to each other, back and forth. And as the conception of time is always warped in dreams, all too soon, the sun was rising again. The young boy, who had suddenly morphed into Kazuya, looked at the encroaching rays of sunshine and gave Jin a sad smile, pulling away from him and back into the darkness.
"Wait!" Jin awoke with a start, sitting up in his bed with his arm outstretched towards Kame’s retreating form that faded into the shadows of his dream. He fumbled for his phone and speed dialled Kame’s number. When Kame asked him through the phone what was wrong, Jin just told him to keep talking until the voice of Kame talking about the most mundane things, lulled him back to a dreamless sleep.
~*~
It had been over a month since Kame had last fed, and while the blood supplements were able to sustain him, they were not enough to bring that mimicked warmth and nice flush to his skin that fresh blood could. Kame knew that Jin was starting to notice the changes as his skin grew paler and warmth seeped away from him faster. For the past month, his sole partner had been Jin, meaning that even though there had been sex, Kame had not been able to feed. Neither had he been able to bring himself to go find some anonymous prey to satisfy his needs.
"Jin, what are we?" Kame says suddenly, cutting short Jin’s retelling of an episode with his friend, Ryo.
"We’re going out. Aren’t we?"
"I don’t know. I’ve never done this before. Are we?" Kame replies back honestly.
"I’d like to think we are. But I mean, I haven’t had much experience with relationships either," Jin starts of slowly, choosing his words carefully. "But I think I’d like to try. With you... If you want to, that is."
"I think...,"A slow smile spread across Kame’s face and he felt that tingling again. "I would like that too."
*
Their love making was slow and intense. Jin panted as his every thrust was measured and deep, rubbing against the slick walls until it nudged that one spot that made Kame keen. They were chest to chest with Jin’s sweat dripping down onto the boy beneath him. Jin knew that Kame was resisting by the way he shoved his fist over his mouth and turned his head to the side away from Jin.
"Kazuya...," Jin cradled Kame’s head to look into his eyes. "It’s okay. Don’t fight it."
Kame was too lost to comprehend what Jin meant, eyes closed tight and shaking his head from side to side in disagreement. Jin clashed their mouths together, purposely cutting his lip in the process. He coaxed Kame’s tongue out and once contact with his wound was made, Jin felt the other suck on his lips softly.
Kisses turned open mouthed and messy and Jin couldn’t keep with the slow, measured thrusts, ramming harder and faster, harder and faster into the body underneath him.
Kame let’s go of Jin’s swollen and numb lips with a murmur of, "I’m sorry, Jin," before latching onto the crook of Jin’s neck.
Jin let out a cry of pain and pleasure when he felt the sharp teeth breaking skin, swallowed by Kame’s tongue to soothe the bite. He slides one hand down between Kame’s legs, timing it with his thrusts, and pants, "Kazuya, Kazuya," desperately over and over into Kame’s ear. His hips jerk once, twice and Jin comes with a scream, going limp in Kame’s arms and blacking out.
*
Jin was roused from his dreams by a gentle hand running through his hair. He opened his eyes with a sleepy smile on his face.
"Morning," he yawned and stretched his arms up, but instantly regretted the actions when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.
Kame gave him an apologetic smile when he winced. "Afternoon. It’s lunch time now."
"Eh, what time is it?" A glance at the clock told him it was indeed already one in the afternoon. "Don’t you have to go to work?"
"I called in sick. Go wash your face, I’ll make you food."
*
Twenty minutes later found Jin and Kame sitting across from each other at Jin’s small dining table; Kame watching Jin quietly and Jin wolfing down the fried rice.
"When did you know?" Kame folded his hands on the table and looked across the table at Jin.
"Ever since we first met," Jin swallowed noisily before continuing. "You probably don’t remember, but we’ve met once at a club two years ago."
"And back then, we had... you know?" Kame says, making vague hand gestures.
"Yeah, and then you left and I couldn’t find you again. You were my inspiration for my story, you know?"
"And you’re fine with someone like me being your lover?"
"You just don’t know what my true identity is yet," Jin says jokingly, launching himself onto Kame, the two of them laughing into each other’s mouths.
~*~
When I was little, I used to stay indoors during the day immersed in my books. Occasionally, I would stare out the window at the kids playing rowdily in the park. Mother told me we were different from the kids playing in the park. That I was different. And that if they found out we were different, we would get hunted. I remember wishing for the sun to sink lower in the sky just a little bit sooner; that the sun would set soon and welcome the arrival of darkness.
The sun had set and all the neighbourhood children had gone home to their mothers. Seven year old Kame had ventured out into the deserted park and perched on the creaky swings by himself. The sun was rising so Kame hopped off the swings, preparing to slink back into the safety of the shadows when the sound of rhythmic steps reached him. And there, at the corner of the park block, stood Jin.
"Kame," he called with an outstretched hand, beckoning Kame to come forward. "Look up."
Kame looked up. He realized then that it wasn't all just darkness. The darkness was littered with those twinkling balls of plasma, called stars.
From: chiseenpaw
SEASON'S GREETINGS!
Title: Reverie
Pairing/Group: Akanishi Jin/Kamenashi Kazuya
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: ~5400, AU, vampire!Kame. Please excuse the liberties taken with the publishing world in Japan and the lack of information about vampires.
Notes: marlenem, Happy Holidays~! It started out as yakuza!vampires as I wanted to fit in as many of your likes as possible, but ended up with this instead... It kept changing until the very end until time was up so it just had to stop there. It's not too amazing, so hopefully you won't be too disappointed. ><;;
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy reading it though and that it'll provide some entertainment for you during the holidays.
Summary: Where Kame is a vampire disguised as an editor at a publishing company and receives a manuscript from Jin.
It was funny how such a manuscript would make it into his hands. To be honest, it was quite good, but due to the nature of his circumstances, one would have expected him to scoff at the unrealistic parts.
Half of it was from various myths, while the other half was from the writer's imagination. It was fiction anyways, and he could tell it was something that would appeal to quite a wide age range of readers. He once again immersed himself into the story and started reading it with the critical eyes of an editor, thinking of the possible angles to pitch this manuscript to his colleagues during the next editorial meeting.
He picked up the phone and pressed for his secretary, Taguchi.
"Taguchi, can you get me a meeting with Akanishi-sensei sometime this week?" He picked up his red pen and started marking the more glaring grammatical errors, listening to his assistant flip through his time table. "It’s the one who sent in the manuscript about yakuza vampires."
~*~
It took a couple of missed calls and messages left on his secretary’s line before a meeting outside of his office hours was scheduled. Apparently Akanishi-sensei had a part-time job as a model for a men’s fashion magazine with irregular hours so a meeting at the coffee shop nearby the publishing office was arranged.
With twenty minutes before the stated meeting time, Kamenashi started shuffling the manuscripts that he would be going over at home tonight into his briefcase. In a manila folder, he slid in Akanishi-sensei’s edited manuscript and the necessary documents. Briefcase in hand and hefty manila envelope nestled in the crook of his arm; the editor closed the door to his office and walked through the silent, darkened office towards the elevators.
The air was considerably colder outside as Fall has turned into Winter. Kame juggled with the things in his arms when he remembered to shrug into his jacket before stepping out of the lobby.
Walking the few minutes from his office to the coffee shop, Kame pulled open the glass door of the warmly lit store. A few customers were lining up to buy their hot drinks to-go and Kame went to do the same, standing at the end of the short line and taking in a wide glance of the establishment. He noticed a customer sitting at one of the little round tables in the corner huddled in his beanie and muffler. The stranger was nursing a steaming mug while his other hand was fiddling with his iPhone. He concluded that if he didn’t have a meeting with Akanishi, he would have no qualms with luring this stranger to take him back to his home.
The moment the other set down his phone to bring the mug to his lips, Kame felt his phone buzz in his coat pocket, signalling the arrival of a message and a sinking feeling in his stomach.
From: akanishinishi_jinjin074@docomo.co.jp
Subject: none
My work ended early so I’m there already.
No rush though, I just got myself a drink.
-Akanishi Jin
Just his luck that such a highly potential prey be take away from him like that.
"Akanishi-sensei, right?" Kamenashi walked over, warming his chilled hands with his own steaming mug before approaching the other. "I’m Kamenashi Kazuya, one of the editors at JE Press."
The older man at the sound of his name and froze, staring at Kame for a few seconds before recovering.
"Akanishi Jin," the young writer did a half stand as the two shook hands. "I’m very sorry about having to schedule a meeting with you outside of your working hours."
~*~
They had started with the customary formalities that were common with the usual business-related meetings, but the deeper they discussed into the writer’s story; the more the customary barriers fell away. While Kame had at first been drawn only to the other’s lips, he ended up fascinated by this supernatural world that the older man weaved with his words and captured by those endless orbs brimming with childlike animation when the young writer got really into their topic of discussion.
By the time they parted ways, they had ended up sitting at the coffee shop until closing with the barista on shift had been staring holes into the back of Kame’s head. The details of the contract, should the manuscript be accepted by the head editor, had been hammered out and their next meeting scheduled.
The next few weeks were a flurry of activity both for the editor and budding writer. Revised and re-revised versions of the manuscript were sent back and forth while Kame prepared for his pitch about Jin’s novel to the other editors and PR department at the editorial meeting.
A glance at the digital numbers on the bottom right corner of his computer screen told him he should start heading towards the elevator. Grabbing his folder off the paper mountain piled precariously high on his desk, he shook the tension out of his arms and fell into step with Yamashita from the PR department who was also attending the editorial meeting.
"You have something you’re going to pitch for today?" Yamashita reached across to press the button for the elevator. "You look kinda nervous."
"Yeah? I really like this one, so I’m hoping it’ll get approved," Editorial meetings were always a bit nerve wracking, but this time especially so as Kame really wanted things to work out for this one. He had been successful three times in a row so far, so it would be a shame for it to fall flat for the one time when it really mattered to him.
"Don’t worry, you usually have good judgement in which types of books sell and what doesn’t. You know Kame, loosing so much sleep over these weekly meetings is bad for you," Yamashita chided, looking meaningfully at the dark bags.
"Ah, lift’s here," the soft ding announced the arrival of their lift and Kame was grateful for the momentary distraction from his friend’s nagging.
The meeting had gone without a hitch and Akanishi’s manuscript had been approved unanimously. Relieved that his new project was off to a smooth start, he considered going out that night. He had abandoned his regular nightly routine the past couple of weeks in favour of polishing out last minute details with Jin before the editorial pitch and it was starting to show in his appearance.
~*~
The bass was pulsing along with the swaying crowd as Kame weaved between the sweaty bodies to reach the other end of the room. He had garnered some interest amongst the dancing parties, but he preferred to stand at the sidelines against the wall choosing his prey before starting his hunt than be hunted.
A loud roar of "cheers" from one of the lounge corners to his right caught his attention. The one who appeared to be the host stood up wobbly in the center after downing the last of his shots, and started walking precariously towards the bar to order another round. Using the wall to keep balance, instead of taking the straight path, walked him right into Kame.
"Jin," Kame whispered to himself in recognition as the intoxicated man staggered closer to his hiding spot.
He had shed his usual work attire of pristine suits and rimmed reading glasses in exchange for ripped, hip-hugging jeans and half-opened dress shirts. His eyes were lined thickly and the sunglasses he had taken off upon entering the dimly lit establishment were hanging off of a multitude of colourful necklaces. He didn’t look forward to trying to explain his attire and what he was doing at a club alone to the writer, so Kame pushed himself off the wall and turned to try to disappear back into the crowd. However, running away was no longer an option when he felt a firm hand close around his wrist. Kame turned around to meet the eyes of the older man, excuse ready on the tip of his tongue.
"Hi again, beautiful," With a sudden jerk of his arm, Jin had pulled the other close. "Let’s dance."
A momentarily stunned Kame was half shoved and half dragged, deeper into the sweaty throng of moving bodies. Apparently Jin’s intoxicated brain was not yet able to make the connection between his night-time self and day-time editor. Kame supposed he should feel relieved that the other seemed to be too out of it to recognize him and was about to wriggle out of the tight hold on his shoulders to make his escape when he felt Jin’s body flush against his back and froze momentarily. It had been a while since he had last felt the body heat of a human and all the rationality he possessed before were quickly being chased out by his primal instincts.
Kamenashi couldn’t deny that he was physically attracted to Akanishi. And had they not met prior to tonight, he would not have hesitated at the blatant invitation. He placed his hand firmly on the ones keeping him captive to push them off; however, when he felt warm hands on his hips and Akanishi grinding into him from behind in time with the thumping bass, his mind shut down and gave the reins over to his instincts completely.
*
He was smashed against the wall beside the door to the apartment complex with a mouth full of Akanishi. After twenty seconds of stumbling around with their mouths on each other, Kame realized that Jin was more concerned with sucking on his tongue than trying to fetch his keys. A drunken Jin wasn’t very helpful so he patted around the older man’s loose jeans for the house keys and managed to wrench the door open.
The two tumbled into the doorway with Kame breaking Jin’s fall. Their teeth clanged together and Kame tasted the tangy flavour of blood on his tongue from Jin's cut lip which spurred him on further. No one bothered with the lights and Kame just fisted his hands in Jin’s collar and dragged him up with him towards the door he assumed to be the bedroom.
They laughed, falling onto the bed when Jin tripped over a sweatshirt or another lying in the doorway to his bedroom, taking Kame with him. Jin managed to get one leg out of his jeans before Kame shoved his hand into his boxers.
"Oh, fuck," Jin fell back and knocked his head against the headboard, his fingers stilled on the second-last button of Kame’s dress shirt. The pain that should be coming from his head was not registered as all of his concentration was directed at that one point of contact made with Kame. The wintry hand circled around his manhood seemed to make his skin even hotter as Kame pumped him with hard, fast strokes. Jin reached into his bedside drawer before taking the whole drawer out in haste and dumping the entire contents onto the table top for easier access. He grabbed a handful of the lube and condoms and threw them in the general direction of his partner.
He felt the hand leave his cock to be replaced by something slick and wet. He lifted his head to be greeted by the site of the other man’s lips stretched tight around his manhood while his right hand disappeared, fingering himself. Jin wasn’t able to see what the other was doing, but he could feel it in the reverberations around his cock.
Jin’s hand inched up before digging it into the soft strands of hair and Kame moaned around the hard member in his mouth as he went up to three fingers in his prep. Jin could feel himself nearing his climax before the faintest hint of teeth on his sensitive head stopped him from cumming.
His cock fell out of his partner’s mouth with a wet sound, as those lips shiny with precum traveled up his abdomen, circled around his areola, until he tasted himself on his tongue.
"I want you," Jin breathed into his partner’s mouth. The dark liner around the other’s eyes was smeared and hair sticking up messily, but Jin found him even hotter.
They swallowed each other’s moans when Kame slid down and took in Jin’s entire manhood in one thrust. The sound of skin slapping against skin reached Jin’s ears as he looked down to see his cock disappearing between Kame’s buttocks at a maddening speed.
"Fuck, so good. Un, m-more," he lost the fight to keep his eyes open and instead focused on his shallow breathing between the constant flow of moans coming out from his mouth. In his haze he could feel wet kisses and nips being planted all over his chest which heightened his senses further.
"Un, Jin... Deeper," Kame burrowed his head into the crook between Jin’s neck and shoulder, his hips meeting Jin’s erratic thrusts. He could feel that Jin was near by the pulse beating rapidly underneath his lips as they searched for that spot where the neck and shoulder met.
Kame settled on his spot and let his cuspids break into the skin and the soft tendons. The mixture of pleasure and pain jolted Jin’s system as his hips thrusted once, twice before stilling and his mouth let out a low moan signalling his release. Kame didn’t stop the moving of his hips, clamping down on Jin’s manhood to prolong and ride out his orgasm.
~*~
Jin woke up to the jarring ring tone of "Boom Boom Pow" rising from the pile of clothes strewn around his room floor. The ringing stopped halfway through the first repeat of the chorus for two seconds before starting all over again. Jin flopped over the side of his bed and crawled on his arms to fetch his jeans by the belt loops. By the time he had successfully dug the phone from his jeans pockets, the ringing had stopped before restarting once more.
"Yeah?" Jin croaked out, his voice raspy from having just woken up and last night’s overuse.
"I’ve been calling you since last night! And you left the club without saying bye," Nishikido Ryo’s annoyed voice rang out from the other end of the receiver.
"Hm, yeah, I picked up someone. What time is it?" Jin rubbed his face groggily and looked around the room for the presence of his partner from last night’s activities.
"Bastard, we threw that party to celebrate your writer’s debut and you went off to get laid? I was busy trying to check if you managed to drown yourself in the toilet that I had to turn down this hot chick with huge tits."
"Haha, sorry, sorry. We can hang out again tonight." Jin laughed at the grumbling coming from the other line.
"It’s 10AM by the way and you have to get here in thirty minutes cus the photo shoot is in an hour," Ryo smirked as he listened to the sounds of Jin scrambling around in bed before the line went dead. The fucker hung up on him! Even when he went through all the trouble of giving him a wake-up call.
Jin hopped into the shower and immediately hissed as the water ran down his front. He looked down and noticed multiple small, shallow gashes littering his chest and collarbones. It looked like he had stupidly walked into a thorn bush half naked. His memories of what happened the night before were hazy, but this was the second time he had woken up like this.
The hot water helped clear his head and he remembered the feel of the other’s cool body pressed into him and the heady feeling he got afterwards. He quickly lathered and washed the shampoo out of his hair, wincing at the sharp sting. The back of his shoulder was sore and seemed to have suffered the most damage. Unlike the first time, however; he had an inkling as to who the lithe stranger from last night might be. The other didn’t seem to recognize him from that night two years ago, so Jin would have to be careful with how he broached the subject.
Jin arrived fifty minutes later at the studio and listened to his manager scold him while the make-up staff fussed over him. Ryo was snickering in the corner, full out laughing when Jin let out a high pitched squeal every time the make-up girl tried to apply foundation over his collarbones to cover up the gashes. They ended up letting him wear a scarf.
~*~
Kame had left Jin’s place just before sunrise. He had cleaned up the shallow gashes on Jin’s chest along with the deeper one on his shoulder the best he could, making sure not to leave any traces before slipping silently out of the apartment. He wasn’t sure what had happened, but he was certainly more unrestrained that night than he usually was.
He had a meeting with Jin in his office this afternoon to discuss what they were to do next since the manuscript had been approved. It would have been a week since he last saw Jin that night and he swore to himself that what had happened that night was only a one-time thing. He never had the same prey more than once, and the fact that Jin knew him was already dangerous enough without the repeats.
Seeing Jin in the afternoon seemed to revive his libido rather than quench it. Especially when he saw the now healing, angry red scratches that he had made the night before, accentuated by the drooping neckline and necklace the other man wore.
"Yeah uh, my dog just got his nails clipped," Jin had said awkwardly when he saw where Kame’s stare had been directed and hastily pulled his hoodie together more.
Their meeting had gone on until after hours and before Jin left, he had invited Kame out for a celebratory drink with his buddies at a club down in Roppongi. Kame had declined politely and showed Jin out of his office, but inside, he was struggling hard not to just drag Jin back into his room; which explains why he was once again in the same club, standing on the sidelines against the wall. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing here.
After five minutes of scouring the establishment and not spotting Jin, Kame concluded that the older man had probably already went home with someone. He was just turning to leave when their eyes met across the room as Jin was exiting the curtain covered staff room. Kame could see recognition flash in the other’s eyes and he knew this time that Jin was definitely not drunk yet. Akanishi started walking over to where he was standing and it was already too late for Kame to pretend not to have seen the other.
"Kamenashi-san, you came!" Jin leaned closer towards the younger man’s ears to be heard over the loud music. "And you changed out of your work clothes too!"
"Yeah, my friend cancelled on me so I came to see if you were still here," Kame lied, meeting the appraising eyes of the other. He knew he looked a bit different from the Kamenashi Jin saw earlier in the day so Kame could only hope it didn’t trigger any memories.
"Come on, let’s get you a drink. On me."
~*~
"Oh, shit. J-jin, harder," Kame gave out a long moan when the other complied with his request, grunting from the effort. The headboard made a rhythmic knocking against the wall from the force of Jin pounding into him; and so would have Kame’s head against the headboard if not for Jin cradling it with his head and cushioning the blows.
Jin leaned his head down on the pillow beside Kame’s head and began whispering dirty words into his ear. Kame could no longer make sense of the words except for the murmurs of "Kame, Kame", sending him further and further down towards that road to climax. Having Jin’s throbbing pulse so near him was making him heady with want. He had to remember that tonight, Jin was conscious of his actions somewhat, so he gritted his teeth and threw his arm over his lips as Jin drove him into oblivion. One merit to having a non-intoxicated Jin was that his skills in bed were better.
And once again, Kame had not listened to his rationale and had succumbed to his desires in accepting Akanishi’s invitation to go back to his place. It was then that he realized how it gets easier and easier to stray from the right path with each step he takes. His initial reasons for resisting became increasingly insignificant.
Jin woke up the next morning alone in bed. He wiggled around under the duvet and stretched out his arms and legs. He looked down at his chest, expecting to find new wounds to be met only with the healing gashes from before. He ran his hands along his neck, shoulders, and arms to feel only smooth skin. Jin was positive that he had brought Kame home with him last night, but there were no traces on his body that said so.
His ears picked up sounds of someone moving around in his apartment and he found Kame sitting at his breakfast table with a mug of coffee, reading the newspaper in Jin’s own shirt and slippers. Jin was pleased to see that Kame had stayed and the thought that he wouldn’t mind waking up to the scent and sight of Kame and coffee together more often flashed through his mind. Kame looked up with smile on his face when he heard Jin padding into the open kitchen.
"Would you mind putting some pants on at least?" Kame gave Jin’s unclad rear a pointed look.
"What, is it distracting for you?" Jin sauntered over with his mug of coffee in hand to where Kame was sitting. He leaned down until they were almost eye level with each other.
"Very," Kame tilted his head and slid his mouth over Jin’s in a languid, good-morning kiss. "Now go get ready or else we’ll be late."
Kame wondered how they could fall into this playful banter so easily. The exchange felt natural to him as if they’d known each other for years and not mere months. The most effortless interaction he has had with humans.
~*~
"Come in," A soft knock sounded and Kame looked up from the computer screen where he was busy replying an e-mail from one of his writers
"Morning," Jin’s wide-faced grin peeked through the crack of the door before the rest of his body followed.
"Oh good, you’re here! Have a seat," Kame took off his glasses and shuffled through the drawer on his desk for the folder from the art department. "Here are the new proofs for the cover of your novel that the creative team just sent me. Take a look and see which ones suit what you had in mind."
Kame watched Jin lay the sheets of paper out side by side on his desk. "I like these two the most."
Jin looked up from the book covers and Kame looked back at him expectantly for his approval.
"Are you coming over tonight?"
"Do you want me to?"
Jin nodded.
"Okay," Kame replied simply. He couldn’t describe the feeling inside of him that arose from Jin’s pleased smile afterwards.
"I like these two the best too."
~*~
"Why are you always taking those diet pills?"
"What diet pills?"
"You know how when we go out for meals, most of the time you'd just ask for a glass of water and sit and watch me eat while taking those pills. Those red and white ones?"
"Oh, these?" Kame reached into his coat pocket for his pill box, shaking it a bit.
It was those weekly, twice a day, pill boxes with color codes. Jin noticed that the first two columns were empty already, being that today was Tuesday.
"Yeah, those," he reached his hand out for the coded pill box. "You're thin enough as it is. I never see you eat anything much except for those pills."
"I do eat," and as if to prove his point, Kame took one of the gyozas off of Jin’s plate, popping it into his mouth, and Jin let him. "They're not diet pills or anything."
Kame eyed the other carefully, who had now cracked open his Wednesday AM slot and was sniffing the contents tentatively. "They're vitamin D pills. I don't have much time to go out into the sun during the day because of my job, so these help my vitamin D intake."
"What are you? An old woman? Carrying vitamins around with you," Jin tossed the box back to Kame and went back to his bowl of ramen. He hadn’t had any new marks on his body and he was quite sure that Kame hadn’t been going out to find other people to feed on either. He wasn’t quite sure how long vampires can last with no food and while Kame hasn't had any drastic weight changes, his skin grew paler with time, making the dark circles under his eyes more pronounced.
~*~
When I was little, I used to play in the neighbourhood park with the other kids until the sun set and our mothers yelled for us to come home for dinner. I remember wishing for the sun to remain high in the sky for just a little bit longer; that the sun wouldn’t set so soon and get overthrown by darkness.
In his dream, Jin was nine years old again. The sun was setting behind him as he dribbled his soccer ball on his way back home. He rounded the park block when the street lights started flickering on, illuminating the sidewalks in spot lights. At the last bend, Jin had miscalculated his steps and sent the ball flying towards the feet of the lone boy sitting on the swings. Jin jogged up towards the young boy until he was a few feet away. The kid looked at the soccer ball and then back up at Jin. Jin thought he that the bushy browed kid looked kind of lonely and awkward, sitting there on the swings by himself, digging his sneakers into the playground dirt.
"Pass the ball!" Jin yelled, waving his arms above his head.
They started kicking the ball to each other, back and forth. And as the conception of time is always warped in dreams, all too soon, the sun was rising again. The young boy, who had suddenly morphed into Kazuya, looked at the encroaching rays of sunshine and gave Jin a sad smile, pulling away from him and back into the darkness.
"Wait!" Jin awoke with a start, sitting up in his bed with his arm outstretched towards Kame’s retreating form that faded into the shadows of his dream. He fumbled for his phone and speed dialled Kame’s number. When Kame asked him through the phone what was wrong, Jin just told him to keep talking until the voice of Kame talking about the most mundane things, lulled him back to a dreamless sleep.
~*~
It had been over a month since Kame had last fed, and while the blood supplements were able to sustain him, they were not enough to bring that mimicked warmth and nice flush to his skin that fresh blood could. Kame knew that Jin was starting to notice the changes as his skin grew paler and warmth seeped away from him faster. For the past month, his sole partner had been Jin, meaning that even though there had been sex, Kame had not been able to feed. Neither had he been able to bring himself to go find some anonymous prey to satisfy his needs.
"Jin, what are we?" Kame says suddenly, cutting short Jin’s retelling of an episode with his friend, Ryo.
"We’re going out. Aren’t we?"
"I don’t know. I’ve never done this before. Are we?" Kame replies back honestly.
"I’d like to think we are. But I mean, I haven’t had much experience with relationships either," Jin starts of slowly, choosing his words carefully. "But I think I’d like to try. With you... If you want to, that is."
"I think...,"A slow smile spread across Kame’s face and he felt that tingling again. "I would like that too."
*
Their love making was slow and intense. Jin panted as his every thrust was measured and deep, rubbing against the slick walls until it nudged that one spot that made Kame keen. They were chest to chest with Jin’s sweat dripping down onto the boy beneath him. Jin knew that Kame was resisting by the way he shoved his fist over his mouth and turned his head to the side away from Jin.
"Kazuya...," Jin cradled Kame’s head to look into his eyes. "It’s okay. Don’t fight it."
Kame was too lost to comprehend what Jin meant, eyes closed tight and shaking his head from side to side in disagreement. Jin clashed their mouths together, purposely cutting his lip in the process. He coaxed Kame’s tongue out and once contact with his wound was made, Jin felt the other suck on his lips softly.
Kisses turned open mouthed and messy and Jin couldn’t keep with the slow, measured thrusts, ramming harder and faster, harder and faster into the body underneath him.
Kame let’s go of Jin’s swollen and numb lips with a murmur of, "I’m sorry, Jin," before latching onto the crook of Jin’s neck.
Jin let out a cry of pain and pleasure when he felt the sharp teeth breaking skin, swallowed by Kame’s tongue to soothe the bite. He slides one hand down between Kame’s legs, timing it with his thrusts, and pants, "Kazuya, Kazuya," desperately over and over into Kame’s ear. His hips jerk once, twice and Jin comes with a scream, going limp in Kame’s arms and blacking out.
*
Jin was roused from his dreams by a gentle hand running through his hair. He opened his eyes with a sleepy smile on his face.
"Morning," he yawned and stretched his arms up, but instantly regretted the actions when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.
Kame gave him an apologetic smile when he winced. "Afternoon. It’s lunch time now."
"Eh, what time is it?" A glance at the clock told him it was indeed already one in the afternoon. "Don’t you have to go to work?"
"I called in sick. Go wash your face, I’ll make you food."
*
Twenty minutes later found Jin and Kame sitting across from each other at Jin’s small dining table; Kame watching Jin quietly and Jin wolfing down the fried rice.
"When did you know?" Kame folded his hands on the table and looked across the table at Jin.
"Ever since we first met," Jin swallowed noisily before continuing. "You probably don’t remember, but we’ve met once at a club two years ago."
"And back then, we had... you know?" Kame says, making vague hand gestures.
"Yeah, and then you left and I couldn’t find you again. You were my inspiration for my story, you know?"
"And you’re fine with someone like me being your lover?"
"You just don’t know what my true identity is yet," Jin says jokingly, launching himself onto Kame, the two of them laughing into each other’s mouths.
~*~
When I was little, I used to stay indoors during the day immersed in my books. Occasionally, I would stare out the window at the kids playing rowdily in the park. Mother told me we were different from the kids playing in the park. That I was different. And that if they found out we were different, we would get hunted. I remember wishing for the sun to sink lower in the sky just a little bit sooner; that the sun would set soon and welcome the arrival of darkness.
The sun had set and all the neighbourhood children had gone home to their mothers. Seven year old Kame had ventured out into the deserted park and perched on the creaky swings by himself. The sun was rising so Kame hopped off the swings, preparing to slink back into the safety of the shadows when the sound of rhythmic steps reached him. And there, at the corner of the park block, stood Jin.
"Kame," he called with an outstretched hand, beckoning Kame to come forward. "Look up."
Kame looked up. He realized then that it wasn't all just darkness. The darkness was littered with those twinkling balls of plasma, called stars.