the deal 07.
Akame, (Ryoda)
R; Romance, Humor, Angst, Friendship
Jin is a singer and he desperately needs a dancer for his upcoming show. Kame is a dancer and he has some trouble with bad guys. The two meet and hate each other but they have no other choice so they make a deal.
I will help you... stay
Jin slowly turned the key to unlock the door and opened it a bit. “Kame… I’m coming in.” he said as he stepped inside the room; Kame was sitting on the floor with his back leaning on the side of the bed. His arms were wrapped around his legs and he was staring at the wall in front of him with a blank expression.
Jin stepped closer and crouched next to him. The boy’s face was white as a sheet and his hair was stuck to his forehead in sweaty locks. He was like a statue, his eyes were empty. He was very far from the cheery, careless boy who Jin used to know. The singer lifted his hand and touched Kame’s shoulder. “Are you okay…?”
The boy, as he felt the touch, slapped Jin’s hands away angrily. Then he locked his fingers in front of his bended knees and turned back to his previous position.
Jin sighed and lifted his hand again, more hesitantly this time. But when he was about to reach the boy, Kame jerked his shoulder away, not letting Jin closer. “Don’t touch me.” he hissed with a disgusted look on his face.
Jin gulped and tried to ignore the pain that stabbed his heart after noticing the boy’s reaction. He stood up and walked to the door. “I made breakfast. I’ll be waiting for you downstairs.”
“I’m not hungry.” a retort the reply instantly. Jin let out a small smile because he knew what the answer would be even before drawing the question.
“If you don’t come, I’m not gonna eat, either. And I know you don’t want me to starve to death, do you?” Jin said mockingly, hoping that he could lighten the atmosphere a bit. The boy’s expression, however, stayed the same and he didn’t seem to bother to answer.
The singer sighed once again, his smile faded and he walked out leaving the door open, still hoping that the boy would follow him.
Kame clenched his fingers together. “As if I care!” he mumbled angrily.
Jin has already been sitting at the table for thirty minutes now, biting his lips and staring at the incredibly huge amount of food he managed to cook for breakfast. “I’ve never thought in my whole life that I would be able to make a single toast by myself.” he muttered under his breath. “Miracles can happen when you are really in need.” he added refering to his landlady who was currently spending his vacation in Hokkaido with her supposedly lovely family in a supposedly heartwarming atmosphere.
Jin pushed his plate away, not being hungry at all and fixed his eyes on the stair, hoping to get a glimpse of Kame coming down to join him sooner or later. But the truth was just bitter, the boy didn’t seem to come. Seconds passed and turned into minutes, minutes turned into an hour and Jin was just sitting at the table wondering what one should do in a situation like this.
He almost jumped up when the doorbell rang. He was certain that Yamapi or Ryo would have arrived, even maybe both of them, but he was wrong.
“Ueda?” he asked in surprise. “Hmm... Come in.”
He let the boy in and closed the door. Ueda entered and turned to Jin with a serious expression on his face. “Can I talk to him?”
“Sure. I’m actually glad that you came. I hope he’s gonna talk to you... at least to you.” Jin muttered then frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Ueda shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just came to see how he’s doing.” he said as if he was repeating a well-practiced phrase.
Jin nodded slowly. “I see… then go upstairs. He’s in his room. The third one on the right.” Ueda nodded and headed for the stairs but he stopped when he heard his name. “Ueda. Please try to make him eat something.” Jin said, with worry evident in his voice.
Ueda looked at the table and when he saw that it was practically sinking under the weight of the several plates, he shook his head disapprovingly. “He didn’t eat anything, did he?”
“No.”
Ueda grabbed a few things from the table and walked upstairs. Jin sat back and leaned on the table with his forearms. “Damn it, Kame!” he murmured lowering his head.
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Ueda found Kame sitting in the same position as Jin left him. “Kame…”
The boy looked at him hearing the familiar voice and tried to jump up but lost balance. He tried calmly once again and finally managed to push himself up leaning on the bed.
“Tat-chan!” he called excitedly and quickly closed the door behind his friend with trembling hands. Then he grabbed the other man’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Tat-chan, you have to bring me out! Help me to get out of here. Please.” he begged with a miserable expression on his face.
Ueda frowned and looked at him confusedly. “Kame, I have to tell you something. Please listen to me.”
But Kame wasn’t willing to listen to anything and just continued shaking his friend’s shoulders, making him drop the food he brought up. “No, you just don’t understand. He locked me in this room for the whole night. I… I really need to get out of this house… Help me… Please, Tat-chan… Please.” the boy whispered as he was panting hard and his hands started to tremble more than before.
Ueda glared at him in fear then grabbed the boy’s hands. “Kame, please listen to me. I need you to listen to me. I have to tell you something, and it’s really important!” the man tried to reason.
Kame stood still but the look on his face hardened, and the next second he slapped his friend’s hands away and grabbed Ueda by his collar. “I REALLY NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE.” he hissed through his teeth angrily to the older man who paled and lifted his hands in defence. “If you’re my friend, help me.”
The man stared at the panting boy and nodded. He didn’t really understand what had gotten into Kame but he was too scared to think at the moment.
Jin looked up from his cup of tea when he heard footsteps. Kame, who was followed by the slightly stumbling Ueda, didn’t even look at the singer while he was heading for the front door.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Jin asked in an annoyed tone.
Kame stopped and turned around vehemently. “I have a headache and I ran out of painkillers.” he said, and his look was as cold as his voice.
Jin raised his eyebrow. “Huh? How is that possible? You were just discharged yesterday evening. How could you run out of painkillers so fast?” he asked and running his gaze over the boy’s trembling body suspiciously.
Kame rolled his eyes and turned back to the door. “I said I have a headache. Mind your own business, Akanishi.” he said firmly. “Anyway, Tat-chan is coming with me, so you don’t have to keep me in custody for the rest of the day, you know.”
With this, Kame slammed the door shut behind him and Ueda.
Jin’s eyes narrowed as he was staring at the door. “Headache, huh?” he murmured sarcastically and picked up his phone that was lying next to the countless plates that were left untouched.
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“What happened to you, Nakamaru?” Kame asked with wide eyes when he glimpsed the man.
“Oh, this?” Nakamaru pointed at the bruise in the corner of his mouth and laughed nervously. “It’s nothing, really.”
Kame closed his eyes. “It’s because of me, isn’t it? I’m sorry, Maru.” he looked at the man sadly.
“No, it’s not your…”
“YES, it’s MY fault, damn it!” Kame snapped at him and brushed through his hair with trembling fingers.
Nakamaru stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Stop this bullshit, Kame! You know how things work here. It’s not the first time that such things happen and definitely not the last.” the man looked over the younger boy’s shoulders. “Ah, you brought your friend? Wait, I don’t remember…”
“Ueda.” the man replied angriliy.
“Ah, yes, I remember now. Well, Ueda, don’t be mad. We are all trying to help Kame, right?” Nakamaru smirked.
Kame looked up at him then snapped his head away. He felt like an idiot here, he felt ashamed. But he couldn’t help it, no matter how hard he tried. No matter how much he hated this world he had sunk in so deep and with how much pity his friends looked at him. Because he saw in their eyes that they felt pity for him. But even this couldn’t stop him.
“Did you get what I asked for?”
Nakamaru turned his gaze to the boy and put a small package into his open palms. Kame unwrapped it and stared at the small white pills. Then he took one with his shaky fingers and dropped it into his mouth. He swallowed it, then crouched down and tried to calm his rapid heartbeating. Then he rubbed his forehead and let out a relieved sigh.
Nakamaru lowered himself next to him and patted him on the shoulder. “You know, Kame, you look like shit.”
Kame looked up and chuckled quietly. “Thanks for the compliment. Don’t hold yourself back.”
Nakamaru smirked. “I never did.”
“Kame, let’s go.” Ueda suggested standing still behind Kame. Kame nodded and stood up.
“Thanks, Maru.”
“It’s okay, but be careful with those pills. And don’t worry about the job. We’re fine without you for a couple of days.”
“Ok, then. Thanks again.” Kame said and turned away to leave.
Nakamaru pulled his phone out of his pocket and pushed the button on the last dialed number as he was watching the boy’s shrinking figure in the distance.
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Kame was lying on his bed for several hours now without thinking of anything at all. It seemed to him that he even slept an hour or so. But he wasn’t sure. He didn’t really know if he was awake, anyway. His hearing and his sight were sharp and clean but his mind was clouded and blurred. Sweatdrops rolled down on his forehead every now and then and he raised his hand to wipe them away slowly.
It was dark outside, but he didn’t know how many hours had passed. Or how many days. But he didn’t care.
Then he felt that headache started stabbing his forehead again and his breathing sped up. ‘Shit! Not again!’ He got up from the huge bed and went to find his jacket, fumbling his way along the cold wall. He put his hands into its pocket and stilled, then pulled the jacket up hectically to find the other pocket. ‘Empty… Did I drop it?’
He ran to the door and flung it open only to find Jin in front of him. The man smirked at him. “Are you looking for this?” he asked innocently and waved the paper-wrapped package in front of the boy’s eyes.
Kame froze. “How? I… I must have dropped it on my way.” he mumbled and tried to snatch it away from Jin, but his moves were too slow for the man, who obviously wasn’t surprised by the boy’s reaction so he jerked his hand away easily.
“No, you didn’t.” the singer stated matter-of-factly. “I found it in your pocket, while you were sleeping soundly.”
Kame’s eyes went wide and his breathing became much faster. “How dare you? Give that back!” he hissed to the man.
Jin shook his head. “No.”
Kame closed his eyes for a moment in order to calm himself. “It’s just painkiller, Akanishi. Give it back to me.”
Jin raised his eyebrows. “A bit too strong, though. I can give you painkiller, if you want.”
The boy didn’t answer. He didn’t need any other pills. He wanted those. He tried to snatch the package from the man once more, but he failed again.
“GIVE IT TO ME, AKANISHI!!!” he shouted furiously and started jumping up to reach the small package that the singer held up over his head.
Jin chuckled. “It’s so good that I’m taller than you.” he said mockingly.
Kame stopped jumping and glared at the man. He felt anger boiling up in him in an instant and he couldn’t think clearly anymore. He raised his hands and hit the other man on the chest strongly, but he couldn’t control his moves so both of them ended up stumbling out of the door. They fell against the hard wall in front of the room, and Kame, who didn’t have the strength to hold himself up, fell onto the floor with a groan.
Jin looked at him holding his breath but then decided to put his worries away for the moment. He straightened up and disappeared into the boy’s room. Kame lifted his head. “What… what… are you doing?” he breathed.
Then he heard the sound of splash of water from the bathroom and jumped up. He ran inside but he could only watch in horror as Jin washed the pills down the sink.
“No… no…” he whispered with wide eyes. “No… It can’t be… “ then he looked at Jin and pursed his lips tightly. “How dare you? Huh? You don’t understand a single thing, Akanishi!” he hissed angrily and stepped forward to hit the man on his face, but Jin grabbed his hand and held it firmly.
Kame jerked his hand away and looked at the sink with teary eyes. “No… it can’t be…” he mumbled then he stepped closer to the sink and started kicking and hitting it with his feet and his hands, hoping that he could break it open somehow. “DAMN IT! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!” he yelled while he continued hitting the hard object, leaving red marks on his bare hands. “YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!! I NEED THEM!!!
“NO, YOU DON’T!!!” Jin shouted and stepped behind the boy to seize his hands.
He held them firmly while Kame was desperately trying to get free from the strong grip.
“LET ME GO!”
“NO!!!”
Jin tightened his arms around the boy and pulled him to his chest, not letting go of his hands. Kame was still fluttering but he didn’t have too much energy left to continue fighting.
“LET ME GO!!! I HATE YOU!! I HATE YOU!!!”
Jin grabbed the boy’s both hands with one of his, and wrapped his other arm across Kame’s chest. He hugged the younger man tightly and buried his face into the brown, sweaty locks.
“You can hate me, it’s okay.” he whispered gently.
Kame stopped moving at hearing his words and all the strength he still had, left his body at that moment. He leaned against Jin’s chest with his back and started to slide down. The man guided him gently down to the floor, still hugging him from behind.
“Why… why, Jin?” the boy breathed, panting heavily. “Why? I just… It just hurts…” he whispered.
Jin’s right hand released the boy’s trembling ones, still holding him with the other arm and stroked through Kame’s hair gently. “I know. But you will be okay. I promise you’re gonna be okay.” he said into the boy’s ears.
“How? I don’t know what to do…” Kame mumbled in a hoarse voice.
“Shhh… It’s okay.” Jin said and continued stroking the boy’s hair comfortingly. “It’s okay. I will help you.”
Kame slowly raised his shaky hands and grabbed the man’s arm on his chest and pressed it closer to his body. Jin placed his other arm around him and kissed the top of his head gently.
They were sitting like this for a long time, until Kame’s breathing slowed down and he fell asleep in Jin’s arms.
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Jin closed the door carefully, not planning to wake up the sleeping Kame, but his plan was ruined in the moment when the doorbell rang loudly.
“Shit!” he cursed and ran downstairs to open the door before it could wake the boy.
“Pi.” he stated when he glimpsed the man. “Ryo.” he added with surprise in his voice. “You said you were going on a trip.”
“I lied.” Ryo shrugged his shoulders and stepped in.
“Huh?”
“Never mind about that.” Ryo said and pointed at the direction of the bedrooms. “How is he?”
Jin lowered his head. “Not well. He is sleeping now, but he has nightmares. He is sweating a lot… he has a fever, I guess… And he doesn’t want to eat… and… I don’t know what to do..” the singer finished and brushed through his hair wearily.
“It’ normal, Jin. I’m sorry but we can’t take him to hospital now. And withdrawal syndromes are not very nice, but he will be okay.” Yamapi patted the singer’s shoulders.
Jin sighed and threw himself on the nearest chair. “Anyway, thank you guys… for everything.”
Yamapi giggled. “Everything for my baka friend.” then his expression hardened. “I don’t think it will end like this, Jin. Too easy.”
Jin looked up. “What do you mean? I paid all of his debts. He has no busness with those bastards anymore.”
“You know, it’s not that easy. Those Nakamaru guy is nice. He cares about Kame, that’s why he helped us but… he gave the pills to Kame anyway and he told us about it later… You get what I mean? It doesn’t matter how much he cares, those guys never change. And they won’t let Kame go that easily.”
Jin sighed. “I get it, but… he helped us after all.”
Yamapi leaned closer to his friend and watched him intently. “Jin, why do you care for Kame so much? You don’t even know him. You met him… let’s see… like not even two weeks ago.”
Jin shook his head. “That doesn’t matter. He is in trouble. I wanna help.”
“You never change, my friend.” Yamapi smiled. “But, you know, you can’t save everyone. Like how it had happened a couple of years ago. It was not your fault. And Kame…”
“It was or wasn’t, I don’t care. But I won’t let it happen to Kame.” the singer snapped at him.
“I see…”
“Jin, then what about your concert?” Ryo asked.
Jin looked at him indifferently. “I’m going to postpon it.”
“Huh???”
“I have only one dancer. Kame won’t be able to go onstage on Friday, so it’s okay.”
The two men was staring him in complete shock when a loud cry and the sound of breaking glass was heard from upstairs. Jin jumped up immediately and rushed to the direction of the bedrooms. When he arrived at Kame’s room he flung the door open then stopped in his tracks. He felt his heart beating furiously in his chest.
“Kame…”
The boy was standing in the middle of the room, around him the pieces of the broken mirror glass were lying everywhere. He held one of them in his hands, pointing at Jin with it, blood dripping down from his palms as he was clenching the sharp glass too tightly. His face was paler than ever and his eyes were red and cloudy.
“Don’t come closer.” he said with trembling lips. His voice was filled with hatred and fear.
Jin raised his hand. “Kame…”
“Jin, don’t go close to him.” Yamapi said behind his back.
The singer hesitated for a moment then stepped closer to Kame. The boy waved the piece of glass in front of him. “DON’T COME CLOSER, I SAID! I’M WORKING FOR YOU, SO WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” he yelled at Jin desperately.
The man didn’t understand a single word.
“Jin, I think he’s hallucinating.” Ryo whispered to the singer.
Jin took one more step closer. “Kame. Kame, look at me. It’s me, Jin. Kame, do you hear me? It’s me, Jin.”
“Jin?” the boy repeated slowly and confusedly.
“Yeah.”
“Jin?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” Jin assured the younger boy and took one more step forward. He saw that Kame’s eyes slowly started to become clearer as he recognized the man in front of him.
“It’s me. Kame, give that to me. Give that to me, ok?” Jin touched the boy’s hands carefully, and the other dropped the glass to the floor. But he just kept staring at the singer and his eyes filled up with tears.
“Jin?” he whispered in a shaky voice and let the tears stream down freely on his face.
“Yeah, Kame, it’s me.” Jin sighed and cupped the boy’s face, brushing the tears away softly then pulled him closer by his nape and wrapped his arms around the slim waist. Then he tightened his embrace and his heart clenched feeling how skinny the boy was in his arms. Kame raised his hand and grabbed Jin’s shirt on his back to pull him closer. His body was shaking all over as he started sobbing uncontrollably.
“It’s okay. It’s okay.” Jin whispered into his ears and stroked his hair gently.
He waited for a couple of minutes and when Kame calmed down a bit, he pulled away and led the boy to the bed. Ryo quickly cleaned the cuts on his palms and wrapped them in bandages.
Then he and Yamapi decided to go and let Kame sleep some more. When the door closed behind them, Jin pushed the boy gently onto the bed and covered him with the blanket. He got up to leave, when Kame opened his eyes and grabbed the man’s hand. “Stay.” he whispered.
Jin looked into the pleading eyes and his lips curved into a tiny smile. Then he walked to the other side of the bed and lay down next to the boy. Kame turned around and wrapped his arms around the singer’s waist and clenched his shirt on his back. Jin hugged him and pulled him closer. Kame buried his face into the singer’s chest and held onto him so strongly as if his life would have depended on the man. Maybe that was the case.
“Don’t hurt yourself anymore.” Jin whispered as he stroked over the boy’s bandaged hand.
Kame nodded into his chest then both of them drifted off, hugging each other tightly.
08.>>