[Fan Fic] Fragments - Chapter 8
Title: Fragments
Author: blinkbling24
Pairing: Akame, Kokame
Genre: Angst, Romance, Smut
Rating: NC-17 (As there will be smut in subsequent chapters)
Disclaimer: I obviously don’t own them, because if I did, this fic would be in video instead of just words.
Warning: Fic is unbeta-ed, so please excuse the grammer/spelling mistakes, if any.
Summary: In life and love, you can’t have everything that you want, or can you?
A/N: This is my first multi-chaptered fic. I don’t know how long this will be yet. I’ll see how it goes as I write. This story is set in the near future, but will go back to the past and play around with the timeline quite a bit, and it might get a little messy. I’ll try to be as faithful to the timeline as possible, but my memory might not serve me well, and I might just change things a bit and add a few imaginary dates, using my creative license.
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Chapter 8
Sometime in May 2006, in between Real Face concerts in Tokyo
“KAME! Wait up!”
Kame stood still, turned around and waited for Jin to catch up, grinning at the ridiculous spectacle before him in the meantime.
Jin, in all his superstar camouflage glory, complete with skull cap and sunglasses, was struggling with his hands full of grocery bags. Giant vegetable produce in all shapes and sizes were sticking out and protruding awkwardly, giving Jin an even harder time than it normally would have been.
“Wipe that cheeky grin off your face! I signed up for dinner, not the errand boy job position!” Jin huffed and puffed when he finally caught up.
“Well, you have to sing for your dinner, so to speak. I’m doing the cooking, so this is the least you could do,” Despite his teasing tone, Kame was in fact excited by the prospect of cooking for Jin. He had recently discovered his passion for it, and would like to share it with his friend.
“This is really not how you treat a guest, Kazu-chan,” Jin whined and adjusted the bags in his right hand.
“Oh, stop whining! It’s barely 100 metres to my place. Besides, you should feel honoured. You’re the first person to sample my cooking.”
“I’m your guinea pig you mean.”
“Pig would be right,” Kame shouted over his shoulder as he walked ahead, leaving Jin to trudge grudgingly behind.
***
The sizzling of food hitting the hot oil in the frying pan, followed closely by a delectable garlicky scent that permeated the air motivated Jin to get up from the couch and walk a couple of steps to the kitchen area of Kame’s modest apartment. He paused at the sight of his friend in a slightly feminine apron (admittedly, anyone who wears an apron would appear somewhat feminine) and thought how cute Kame looked. Jin knew that if the millions of fangirls could see what he saw at that moment, their wombs would throb with a painful compulsion to bear Kame’s child.
He trundled over to where Kame was by the stove and poked his nose where it did not really belong.
“What are you cooking?"
“Fried rice.”
“FRIED RICE? That’s all? I was expecting a feast fit for royalty, judging from all the bags of groceries you made me carry! Even pasta would be better than fried rice,” Jin jested.
“Oh shut up. Let’s see you cook then.” Kame said calmly. Jin could never get the better of him.
Unable to think of a better comeback, Jin settled on pouting.
“Why don’t you make yourself useful by setting the table? I’m almost done.”
Jin obediently did as he was told, and soon Kame was serving him piping hot fried rice that looked and smelt absolutely scrumptious. Kame pulled up a chair next to Jin, “Tuck in. Tell me what you think.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Jin dipped his chopsticks into the huge mound that Kame had dished out for him and shoveled copious amounts into his mouth.
“How is it?” Kame asked apprehensively.
“Mmmf…mmmf…” Jin muffled with his mouth full, spewing more than a couple of rice grains onto table.
Kame laughed, “Comprehensibly please.”
Jin chewed earnestly and swallowed loudly before speaking, “It’s really good!”
“You’re not just humouring me are you?”
Jin shook his head and shoved more rice down his throat. It did not matter if there were much better fried rice to be found in Chinatown. To Jin, what Kame, his dearest friend, had cooked for him was the most delicious fried rice he had ever eaten, even if it was a little bland, and lacked that slightly burnt taste of the professional Chinese wok. Kame made it, and ingesting it warmed Jin’s heart even as it filled his tummy.
Soon, Jin emptied his bowl and asked for more. Kame obliged and served him a second helping. Jin took several more mouthfuls before belatedly noticing something. He stopped mid-shove and looked at Kame, who was observing him with amusement.
“Why aren’t you eating?”
“A cook never really eats his own food.”
“Kame……you need….”
“Oh, stop nagging. I’m not hungry now. The fried rice is all for you. I have an onigiri in the fridge. I’ll eat later.”
“You’re sure?” Jin cocked an eyebrow.
“I’m sure,” Kame nodded.
Kame watched as Jin scoffed down his food. He could not be sure if Jin was putting on an act, he could not be sure if his fried rice was really that yummy, but he could not help but beam happily at the sight of his dearest friend eating what he had cooked.
***
3rd week of October 2007, recording of Cartoon KAT-TUN with Horikita Maki
“You’re in a good mood,” Ueda keenly observed Kame whistling in the dressing room, getting powdered up for the cameras.
Koki bounded up and ruffled Ueda’s hair, before stating plainly, “He’s pleased because he gets to flirt with Horikita Maki today. He’s been grinning like that since he got up this morning.”
“BAKA! I just styled my hair!” Ueda exclaimed before proceeding to examine himself in the mirror to maneuver his hair back into place.
Kame spun around in the make-up chair and shot Koki an innocent look, “What? She’s a friend. And besides, I haven’t seen her in AGES.”
Unconvinced, Koki frowned. He sat next to Kame and quietly applied his 3-in-1 foundation. Ueda nudged Kame and nodded towards the silent Koki. Kame sighed.
“Koki?”
“Yeah?”
“Jealous?”
“No.”
“Why shouldn’t he be jealous? She’s cute. And everyone appreciates cute.” Maru’s insensitivity was honed to perfection. Ueda swatted him on the head.
“OW! WHAT DID I DO?”
“Just shut up and get started on your make-up.”
It was Koki’s turn to sigh. He muttered something under his breath as his smeared hair gel onto his hands. Kame got up and took Koki’s hand in his. He transferred the hair gel onto his own hands and began to help Koki style whatever strands of hair he had.
“What did you say, Koki?”
“Nothing.” Koki slapped a cap on his hair, back to front.
“Koki…tell me…” Kame caught Koki’s eye and held his gaze.
“Erm…I simply said that no one is as cute as you.”
Ignoring the playful gags of both Ueda and Maru, Kame raised an eyebrow and teased, “Oh? So you think I’m cute?” He kissed Koki on the forehead.
“Umm hmmm…” Koki breathed in his lover’s scent.
“Am I cute when I do this?” Kame moved his hands from Koki’s head to the back of his neck.
“No, not really, but…” Koki kissed the tempting lips before him, making Kame purr and melt into him. Koki unlatched himself and smiled, “you’re cute when you do that….”
“OH GET A ROOM ALREADY!” Maru interrupted and mock covered his eyes. Ueda shook his head with a cheeky glint in his eye.
“As if you guys haven’t seen any of this before.” Without waiting for a response, Kame took Koki’s hand and pulled him out onto set.
The minute Kame and Koki stepped out, Jin and Junno appeared from the back door, having arrived together after excusing themselves from the set of Yukan Club.
“What did we miss?” Taguchi sat enthusiastically on the make-up chair and flicked his silken golden locks. Jin rolled his eyes and sat himself down as well. Jin could never understand how Taguchi was able to muster up so much energy even after a whole night and morning of filming. All Jin hoped was for the thick foundation to cover up his dark eye bags.
“Oh nothing, Kame and Koki were just fooling around. Something about Koki being jealous of Horikita Maki. ” Maru said matter-of-factly before walking out.
And just like that, Jin’s eye bags grew heavier as his head throbbed ever so slightly.
***
Today’s recording was arguably the strangest one to date. Kame was still being too cordial towards Jin after the fainting incident a month ago, and yet seemed to be in a flirty, silly mood. Jin did not know if it was Horikita Maki’s presence that was causing Kame’s flighty behaviour, but he felt a tad sheepishly awkward about it.
While Kame chatted animatedly to their studio guest, Jin kept shooting glances at Koki, who seemed to be interjecting into the conversation at odd junctures, with the pretense of capturing the girl’s attention, but in actual fact, trying to get Kame’s away from her. And Jin, observing the entire farce, felt more than a little uncomfortable. He was feeling peculiarly jealous, but he was not sure if he was jealous of Kame paying too much attention to Horikita-san, or that his jealousy stemmed from Koki being jealous, in the way he could not be jealous when it comes to Kame. That feeling, coupled with the ever present prickle whenever Koki and Kame showed any form of affection at work, or in private even, made Jin a little disoriented and out of character.
Kame on the other hand, was almost oblivious to the fuss. He was honestly happy to see Horikita Maki again. He had liked her the moment they stepped on the Nobuta set together 2 years ago, and saw her as a younger sister. However, in the industry they were in, it was near impossible to foster friendly relationships with fellow peers, for fear of the paparazzi and the media misconstruing every meet up for something else. Horikita-san was a young girl, and should not be subject to the dirty side of the industry, one that he was all too familiar. It was only through occasions like this that he could interact without fear of scrutiny, and on this rare occasion, he was genuine in his interest in their studio guest.
The only thing that nagged him was the annoying way that Koki was trying to distract him from speaking to his friend. There really was no reason for Koki to be jealous, not because of Horikita Maki anyway. Besides, she was obviously enamoured with Maru, of all people. But, Kame knew Koki needed reassurance, and so he humoured him. The thing that Kame could not really fathom was Jin’s behaviour. It seemed as though a light, careless attitude had floated onto Jin as well. Jin’s mood was a little infectious, and when Jin teased him for answering too much on Horikita-san’s behalf, it felt so much like old times that Kame could not bring himself to be angry.
***
The familiar waft caused Jin’s stomach to do a flip-flop, not just because he was hungry. In the irony that is called life, particularly Jin’s life, he was co-judge with Koki for the silly little cooking competition that producers conjured up, possibly for the specific pleasure of torturing him. And, as icing on the proverbial cake, Kame was cooking fried rice.
They were in the midst of recording and Jin knew that he could not just skulk away in a corner. He had to participate, say clever things, or in his case, stupid things. It was fortunate that the rest of the members where in a heightened mood that Jin could bounce off. He did not know how he would manage otherwise. It did not help that Koki was behaving all domesticated with Kame, helping him out so naturally in the kitchen. All Jin could do was linger in the background, not really knowing what to do with himself.
Although he liked to cook, Kame’s repertoire of dishes was not all that comprehensive. He had his staple, safe recipes, and the moment he opened the fridge, and given the time constraint, fried rice was the only thing he felt he could deliver confidently. But, fried rice was special, he hardly made it, and even if he did, he would only cook it for himself. He could never bring himself to cook it for Koki. Therefore, even after he made up his mind, he hesitated, thinking how he could modify things so that it would not be exactly the same. His indecisiveness frustrated his designated kitchen assistant Ueda, who had no qualms displaying his puzzlement in front of the recording camera.
As he cooked against the clock, Kame could not help but throw glances at Jin. He wondered if Jin had even the slight inkling of the significance of this dish. In a weird way, Kame was feeling a little excited about cooking fried rice again, for Jin to taste his cooking again, but his excitement was marred by the guilt he felt when he saw Koki earnestly helping him, doing things for him without him asking.
Kame’s contradicting feelings were magnified during the tasting. He watched as Jin and Koki tasted what he cooked, how they ate with so much gusto. They both said that it was delicious, and Kame was glad, but then, was he happy that Koki, his boyfriend, liked it, or was he happy because Jin was eating what he had cooked?
For Jin, Horikita Maki’s squid and tofu combination was tasty in a fluffy, girly way, but Kame’s fried rice was beyond delicious. It infused Jin with warmth and tenderness, a dish Jin would not mind eating for the rest of his life. He heard Koki giving constructive criticism beside him and he was a little surprised, both by the fact that Koki seemed to not have tried the dish before, and also how Koki could find fault in it when Jin thought it was perfect.
Still in a state of confusion, Kame did not realise that he had picked up Jin’s used chopsticks to sample Horikita-san’s cooking. It was only when Koki jokingly pointed out the “indirect kiss” that he snapped out of his daze to feel the beginnings of a blush. He rolled his eyes at his boyfriend but could not control a small flutter in the pits of his stomach. Ever the professional, he could not make too big a fuss of his mistake, so he shrugged nonchalantly and stuffed a squid ring into his mouth. He made a big show of how delicious Horikita-san’s dish was, mostly for the benefit of the cameras, but also to assuage his confounding feelings.
Jin did not even notice Kame reaching for his pair of chopsticks until he heard Koki’s joking tone. He held his breath to see how Kame would react. He did not know what he was expecting, but he was disappointed nonetheless by Kame’s lack of a human reaction. Suddenly, he felt resentful and tried to think of something witty to say, and failed miserably. He wondered to himself why his heart still kept its hopes up when his mind clearly told him that it was better to just give up.
***
“I’m sorry we couldn’t let you win, Kame-chan.”
“What are you talking about?”
Koki and Kame were getting ready to turn in for the night after the long day of recording. All Kame wanted to do was put this day behind him. He was both physically tired and emotionally exhausted. He walked out of the bathroom after brushing his teeth and joined Koki on the bed.
“The cooking contest.”
Kame snuggled up next to Koki, allowing Koki to wrap his arms around him. Kame closed his eyes.
“Koki, honey, I’ve been in the industry as long as you have. I know how it works. We always let the guest win.”
“I know. But I could see you tried so hard, and it was really delicious. Especially the hot pepper. It was different, a nice touch.”
Kame kissed Koki on the cheek.
“Thank you.”
Koki returned the kiss gently and relaxed into the pillows.
“Even Jin thought you should win.”
Kame’s eyes shot open.
“Jin?”
“Yeah, he told me so when we went off to pretend to discuss the winner.”
Kame kept silent as he stroked Koki’s arm.
“Kame?”
“Yes, Koki?”
“I’m glad you and Jin are friends, really. It’s good to know that there’s someone else other than I watching out for you.” Koki yawned.
“Shhh…it’s late. Let’s sleep.”
Kame lay still as he listened to Koki’s steady breathing. He tried to shut out his thoughts but it was only when the first sun rays streamed through the window that he finally succumbed to slumber.
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NOTE: Wow! I went in circles with this one. I knew I wanted to include that episode of CTKT in this fic, but I kinda went round and round. Didn't turn out as well as I had thought it would, but I wrote too much already to abandon the chapter. So I just ran with it. Hope it's ok *crosses fingers*