fic: Perfume Fusion - 10. Hands of the Clocks (1/2)

[prologuesized]

Perfume Fusion

10. Hands of the Clocks

Jin was nervous.

He fidgeted, he cursed and wanted to run back to the plane. Or another plane, that could work too. Just somewhere. Anywhere but that stupid hall where his friends would be waiting for him.

Where Kame would be waiting.

And Jin wondered if he still looked the same, if he still smelled the same. Whether he had lost weight again and was only a walking skeleton and it would be his entire fault or if he would’ve actually gotten to healthy limits and would look more stunning than ever. But then again, that would just mean that he would be just fine without Jin. That he was just fine without Jin.

And they were all scary thoughts. Ryo and Pi’s reactions. Although those two would probably forgive him. They knew him, they might’ve even predicted it on some level. They knew he kept messing up. So it was fine.

But Pi and Kame were dating. And that was a problem.

Never, ever touch your friend’s dating partner. That’s the unspoken law, the most awful taboo. And he was coming back with every intention to go against it. For the greater good, of course, but he acknowledged that it was wrong.

There was a possibility that Pi wouldn’t forgive him. That things wouldn’t work out between him and Ryo.

But hell, those two fit together so well. It had always been just the matter of time. Kame couldn’t mess everything up, he couldn’t. Kame was supposed to step in so that Jin wouldn’t be the third wheel.

Kame had his perfect spot in their little circle of friendship. But for some reason they were all tangled up and lost now and it was hard to regain order anymore. And people were bound to get hurt. They had already gotten hurt.

People bumped into him on their way over him to the hall and he was pushed forwards as grumbling and angry complaints ringed in his ears. He couldn’t make any sense of them. Hell, he was way too used to English nowadays… He blinked for a few times, tried to regain his grasp of the reality and tightened his grip of his suitcase as he walked out of the doors and started eyeing out of his friends.

“JIN! OVER HERE!” Ryo yelled happily and waved at him. And Jin’s breathing got ragged as he looked at the people accompanying him.

Pi had his arms crossed and a dark look on his face as he looked at him. And Jin didn’t know why. Last time they had talked he hadn’t realised that there was a problem, what was this..?

But then he saw Kame. And Pi was left forgotten somewhere in the back of his mind.

Kame looked good. Really good. Better than ever, if Jin even dared to say it.

He was in a decent shape now. His skin had a healthy tint in it and he had flesh and muscles over his bones. He looked healthy and good. His hair had gotten thicker and it had a nice shine in it. It was cut shorter as well, just a bit down his chin, nicely layered. It really brought out the waves.

It was still the same, thick dark colour, though. It was familiar.

He looked older, as ridiculous as it was after six months apart. He had a look on his face that made him look matured instead of a lost child. He was still dressed up stylishly, even more so than before, Jin noticed. His clothing looked more expensive.

Well, they did make out more money now. And they were the three leading people in the popular perfume’s production, it was their responsibility to remain looking stylish and good outdoors.

It didn’t change the fact that Kame still looked amazing, though.

Jin nodded and walked over. And he couldn’t help the wide smile that spread on his face as he kept looking at Kame who was slowly starting to pout and fidget nervously, crossing his arms as he eyed Jin with a hardened look in his eyes. Pi bit his lip and Ryo grabbed his hat from his head and put in his own as soon as he got close enough, snapping him out of his trance.

“HEY! It’s a new hat!” he complained. “Give it back!”

Kame let out a small laugh. Somewhat relieved. Jin looked at him as he laughed, and he wasn’t sure if even Kame himself knew entirely what he was laughing at.

“You look good,” Kame said, biting back his laughter again and nodding as he pressed his lips together, arms crossed. “You look matured.”

“You too,” Jin answered, feeling somehow warm thanks to the compliment, unable to stop the awkward smile rising on his lips. “And healthy. You look really good.”

“Let’s go,” Pi stopped them and took Kame by his arm as he started pulling them towards the exits. “There’s no point in sitting in here for the rest of the day. Let’s just go home.”

Ryo bit his lip and followed, glancing at Jin and hissing something quietly and pointing at Pi and Kame, making hand gestures looking something like splitting them apart or he would rip his head off. Jin followed them, not bothering to react to Ryo.

The scent. The scent. Oh god, the scent. Jin was overwhelmed as he tried to sit with Kame to the backseat but was pushed to the other front seat by Pi.

Hell, this was going to get bad.

Kame stayed silent for the entire ride as the others cheerfully chatted and tried to catch up with each others. Jin knew, for he kept glancing at him from the mirror.

His face was unreadable.

***

Everything smelled like Kame. Everything. And it was overwhelming.

Jin’s nose was way too sensitive for his own good. And his mind was too easily influenced by the scents in the air. They didn’t work only unconsciously like for many other people, no, he was quite aware of them.

Of course the house had smelled like Kame before he had left as well, strongly so. Maybe it was because of the deprivation he had had of the scent that drew him in since it had already strongly started to fade from that old shirt of his, or maybe it was because Kame had stayed in the house for half a year now but really… he was all over it.

Jin sometimes had to stop to pick up small objects from tables to sniff at them. Because hell, the scent. And the bookcase was the worst. He had learned to breathe through his mouth when he passed it in order to keep himself collected. It was too much.

They still had only three bedrooms. But unfortunately for him, when he arrived he had to accept the fact that Kame was moving in the same room with Pi.

Hell it was annoying. Because Kame’s scent was all over the room. He had difficulty in spending time in there, the scent being too strong. And he felt like he was on a round-the-clock high on him.

He hadn’t expected it. It was ridiculous. Of course he had always liked Kame’s scent and had a thing for it but… well, this was too strong. He felt like maniac sniffing around his room at night when others were sleeping. But he couldn’t help it. It had been Kame’s room. It would take quite some time for the scent to fade.

Maybe it would’ve been easier to endure if he would’ve been able to do something about the temptation. If he could’ve closed Kame in his arms and snuggled, buried his nose in the man’s soft skin and hair, breathed in his scent and felt his body against his. It could’ve helped, obtaining him.

But it was out of the question. Pi made sure of it, always keeping an eye on at least one of them. It was impossible to catch Kame with just the two of them. And Kame didn’t seem too fond of trying to do it.

He barely talked to Jin. Very tensely. Mostly he probably still tried to pretend he wasn’t in there. He was trying to adjust to the idea, but he still kept himself withdrawn. And Jin felt bad.

He had heard from Ryo what had happened.

…As much as he had been able to listen. Because Pi and Kame had been together behind closed doors in their bedroom. And he could hear noises from there and it was agony not knowing what was going on in there. Not that he was sure he wanted to know anyway. It could’ve been too much.

But Kame had changed. And the change was scary. He wasn’t what he had been when Jin had met him for the first time on top of that building, blocked, hopeless, withdrawn and all alone - he had grown to be something. He had grown to cherish close relations with people, he had found a direction for his life. He was successful.

He took scents and perfumes seriously. He took friendships seriously. He had kept the three of them together when Jin had been gone, he had been the pillar. And it was so absurd, it hadn’t been like him at all. But now it was and it was so visible that it almost hurt his eyes.

Kame fit in their circle perfectly. He had grown to be an important part of it.

Ryo and he were standing on the roof, drinking beer and relaxing in the early May evening, enjoying the soft breeze. Jin took a long sip from his drink and leaned to the fence with a heavy sigh.

“He’s happy now, Ryo,” he said anxiously. “With Pi. He’s happy. And Pi’s so happy as well.”

“It’s a lie,” Ryo disagreed. “Kame’s clinging on Pi to escape what he feels for you because he feels like it has no chance. Like you’d just go and betray him again. He doesn’t dare taking many risks, he’s learned his lessons. A bit too well too.”

He took a drink from his bottle and Jin pursed his lips, still hesitant.

“Oh, you don’t probably know but these arrived today!” Ryo continued more enthusiastically. “Wait a bit,” he continued before giving his bottle to Jin and rushing downstairs. Jin just looked at the stars again. After a while Ryo rushed back with a cardboard box and pulled one of the many bottles from there, ripping the paper that had protected it off. Jin glanced at him hesitantly before taking it in his hand and examining the bottle.

“Your new fragrance?” he asked. “I can’t believe you’ve actually made it without me… You sure it doesn’t suck?” he teased. “That’d be bad for business. I don’t want to enter a company that’s going down.”

“It’s Kame’s work,” Ryo pointed out. “And look right there. The title.”

Jin’s eyes widened as he looked at the beautiful inscription on the bottle.

Jin

He removed the cap and poured some of it on his wrist before smelling it.

Lilies. Lilies, pepper, honey and white tea.

“Smells like love for me,” Ryo teased and nudged him in the shoulder, almost making him drop the bottle which he pulled protectively against his chest with a grunt, smelling it again.

Sweet, gentle, elegant. Spicy, hot and enthralling. Almost like a soft caress, a quiet whisper of gentle but passionate words against soft and sweet skin on one’s neck.

His neck tingled and lips numbed.

“It’s good,” was all he could say. “Really, really good.”

“You still believe he doesn’t love you?” Ryo asked. “This game has to stop, Jin. You have to go there and tell him. You have to convince him. Because he’s just lying to himself and it’s making him lie to Pi. We have to get them out of it before it causes too much damage.”

“He loves me,” Jin said in shock. “He really, really loves me.”

“And you needed a perfume to believe that…” Ryo muttered as he took the bottle from Jin and wrapped the papers back around it before laying it in the box. “You’re unbelievable.”

But Jin smiled, smelling the fragrance in his wrist. And he remembered the kiss Kame had given to him.

His heart had never beaten so painfully and his cheeks had never cramped so bad.

( PART II )