[fic] Low Key
Well, I have safely arrived back at school despite a truly horrific time getting there, and soon I will catch up on comments and the f-list and everything - the past couple days have been pretty crazy. XD In the meantime, here is another Christmas card ficlet! This one went to angelacaduca - technically it's a little follow up to Professional Jealousy, but there's only the briefest reference to it so this one should be readable regardless. :D And yeah, I liked this one, too - Jin is dumb and Kame is emotionally stunted, as someone else put it. It was fun. :D
edit: Now with a Russian translation by jana_nox!
Kame had already left for work by the time Jin woke up. It wasn't the first time that had happened, but it was still pretty unusual - filming Tokyo Shinobi meant that most of the time Jin was as busy as Kame. Nevertheless, Jin knew his way around Kame's apartment well enough by now that it was no big deal to shower and make himself some coffee before getting ready go.
When he went to put his shoes on, however, there was something small and hard lodged in one of the toes. Frowning, Jin turned the offending shoe upside down and shook it.
A key fell out.
Jin picked it up and examined it curiously. It looked like a house key, or something similar. In any case, whatever it was, it definitely wasn't his; Kame must have lost it. Although how it got inside his shoe was a mystery.
Jin pulled the shoe on and stood up, shrugging to himself. Maybe Kame had dropped it when he was getting ready to leave. It didn't really matter, as long as Jin remembered to give it back. He pocketed the key and left without sparing it another thought.
Jin didn't see Kame again until the next day, however, and between the passage of time and the - other demands on his attention, the fugitive key completely slipped his mind. It wasn't until several days later, when he was searching the pockets of his jeans for forgotten cash, that his fingers brushed against the serrated metal edge and he remembered.
Oh, shit. Jin hoped it wasn't anything important or Kame was going to kill him. Kame had already been acting a little weird the past few days - he was jumpier than usual, and he seemed to be in a perpetual state of expectation, although Jin couldn’t have said whether it was for something good or bad. Jin had thought it was probably stress or overwork or just Kame being Kame, but maybe he'd really needed the key for something. Maybe it was the key to a valuable safe and Kame had thought someone had stolen it. Maybe it was the key to his family's house and he was going to get in trouble for losing it. (Maybe it was the key to the basement where he kept his prisoners - Jin's imagination was getting away from him again.)
Jin cringed. Maybe if he returned it quickly, Kame would be merciful. He hoped so - he'd really gotten used to getting laid regularly.
When he went over to Kame's that evening, it only confirmed his suspicions. Kame was on edge all through dinner, and when Jin casually mentioned something about having his car keys copied as they got up to clear the table, Kame gave a barely perceptible flinch.
Jin braced himself. The sooner he got it over with, the better.
"Um. Actually," Jin began, slipping a hand into his pocket and closing his fingers around the key. "Speaking of keys." He looked at Kame and tried to project as much contrition as possible.
Kame's eyes darted to the pocket. He blanched, then assumed what Jin recognized as his 'I-couldn't-possibly-care-less' expression. "Yeah?"
"I found this the other day and I forgot to give it back and I'm really sorry and I hope it wasn't too important," Jin said in a rush, words running together, as he thrust the key toward Kame.
Kame stared at him and made no move to take it. "What?"
"I found this when I left the other morning," Jin repeated more slowly. "It was in my shoe. But then I didn't see you for another day, and what with one thing and another I just - kind of - forgot about it." He looked up at Kame guiltily from under his bangs. "I'm really sorry."
Kame still didn't take the key. "Let me get this straight," he said slowly. "You thought that was something I'd lost?"
"Yeah, I - wait, you mean it's not?" Jin frowned and held the key up for inspection. "Weird. I wonder whose it is, then. I wonder how it got in my shoe."
"Jin," said Kame in a peculiar tone of voice, "did it ever occur to you that maybe someone put it there for you to find?"
"Why would someone put a key in my shoe?" Jin said blankly. Then he looked at Kame, who wasn't meeting his eyes, and got it. "Oh. Oh."
Kame hastily began stacking up the plates, still refusing to look at Jin. "If you think it'll be too much trouble to keep track of or anything, it's no big deal," he said. "I just thought it might be useful."
Jin looked at Kame closely. Was he - yeah, he was blushing again. A grin spread across Jin's face. "Kame-chan," he sing-songed, "are you asking me to move in?"
"What? No!" Kame exclaimed, head snapping up so he could glare at Jin. "Like I could put up with you twenty-four hours a day. It's just a key." He busied himself with the plates again. "To use if you - if you forget something, or if you need to get ahold of me. Or something."
"Mm-hmm." Jin just had to take a few steps to be able to slide his arms around Kame's waist from behind. "Thank you," he murmured against the side of Kame's neck. "I'll take good care of it."
"Idiot," Kame muttered, nevertheless leaning back against him. "You didn't even know what it was."
Jin didn't answer. He had better things to be doing with his mouth.