Seven Days /// Monday: What it is behind
Banner by naomi0211 ♥
Title: Seven Days /// Too short to last forever
Pairing: Akanishi Jin x Kazuya Kamenashi //Akame//
Genre: AU!!!, Romance, School Life, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story. I don't make profit with this.
Summary: Every Monday Jin starts going out with the first person asking him. However, he would always dump them by the end of the week, and the game replays from next Monday on. Until Kazuya enters the school and gets annoyed by that behaviour, but can't get Jin to change. There is just one way to make Jin pay attention to him.
A/N: English isn't my mother tongue, but I lived in the UK for quite a time, so I basically write and speak well. You're welcome to correct any mistakes, though. Of course.
A/N#2: This is NOT COMPLETELY MINE. The idea is based on a manga by Tachibana Benio by the same title. I thought the idea was quite interesting, but it's the only thing I took from that manga; character devolpments and plot are going to be completely different from the original.
Okay, so Kazuya asked Jin to date him. But is that really going to happen? Is Jin really accepting him? How does that strange relationship start off?
It all starts on a Monday....
Previous:
Yesterday: Talk me Down
Monday: What it is behind
Sometimes, he was a bit too spontaneous.
Actually, there wasn’t anything bad about being spontaneous, but this had been a bit, just a tiny bit too spontaneous, probably.
Kazuya pretended to watch the baseball field visible from their class room; knowing, everyone in class stared at him right then.
For once, it was completely silent and no one was talking about Akanishi’s new girlfriend for the week.
Because there wasn’t any girlfriend.
Everyone was accepted, Jin had said so himself, so with Kazuya asking him first that Monday, Jin had had no chance, no reason to reject him.
For that following week, Jin had a boyfriend.
Kazuya gulped. It had not been his intention to let people think in that way of him. He wasn’t in love, after all - he didn’t even like boys.
At least, he had never liked boys like that so far.
Everything, Kazuya had wanted, was to get a chance to get through to Jin. And with this, he was able to get closer to him for sure.
Even so, he knew everyone was watching him; everyone was talking about him, whenever he could hear someone whisper.
He had brought himself into quite some critical situation. But Kazuya told himself to not care about it. They could think whatever they wanted - he wouldn’t mind and just do what he had planned to do.
Next week, Jin would reject the first girl asking him on Monday. That was, what Kazuya aimed for and he would make sure to succeed.
The door opened loudly and those two people, who had been missing so far, came rushed in.
“Is that true?” Koki stopped at Kazuya’s table and bent down to him to see the brunette’s face. “Did you really ask Akanishi?”
Ueda was right behind him, staring at Kazuya with huge eyes.
“How come you guys know?”
Koki laughed. “How come? Honestly, Kame-kun, are you serious?”
Everyone was staring at them and Ueda said: “They talk about nothing than your confession this morning.”
“Confession?” Kazuya could feel his cheeks starting to burn and he quickly got up from his chair. “I didn’t confess anything.”
“You asked him to date you, Kame”, Ueda noticed.
“It’s obvious I am doing this to show him that what he does is stupid.” The youngest pouted. “I mean, he dates everyone, so he has to be aware of the fact that he can end up with just anyone.”
“You think you could change him?” Koki laughed slightly. “Come on, that’s foolish.”
“What is he then?”
“He is the one dating another girl every week”, Ueda answered.
Kazuya dashed past them with an angry: “He’s not going anywhere with that” and left the class room, everyone staring after him.
He rushed to the restroom and once he was in, he splashed cold water to his face, letting go of a frustrated sigh.
“Confession”, he mumbled to his reflection in the mirror. “What a stupid idea…”
He then heard water flash and turned his head, as one of the cabins opened and his eyes widened, seeing Jin coming out.
“What a stupid idea”, the older one repeated, without looking at Kazuya, as he washed his hands. “I thought exactly the same.”
“You said anyone was fine.”
“Any girl.”
“You never said boys were an exception.”
Jin looked at him now. “You know, there have been girls I dated, and when I thought of them lying in my bed Monday night, I wondered whether I should break up with them on Sunday. For most, I know I will break up on Sunday, as soon as they ask me.”
Kazuya frowned and tilted his head, not knowing where Jin was going with that.
“For some, I really think I probably won’t break up. But after all, I do.” Jin took a paper to dry his hands. “As for you, I am pretty sure already that I will break up.”
“Because I am a boy.” It was not a question.
Jin smirked to himself. “I don’t really care for that. I never set a rule, and it’s just seven days, however.” He turned and opened the door, looking back at Kazuya once more. “I will break up, because I don’t like people who only want to change me.”
Kazuya didn’t answer to that and let Jin go.
He wasn’t like those girls. He didn’t want to date Jin to change him to the picture he had of him in his head.
There was none in the first place, but additional to that, Kazuya didn’t try to change Jin to his likings, but just wanted him to open his eyes to what dating someone really meant.
Kazuya was convinced that people should only date when they really were in love or at least both felt something for the other one.
Those girls couldn’t really be in love. They just adored the image of that cool and handsome boy they had in their head.
But Kazuya knew Jin wasn’t like that. He was different from that image. Hadn’t he just proofed that himself again? Being so cold towards Kazuya, because he had noticed the act Jin put on for those people. People, who didn’t look at him properly, who just saw his face and made up a personality; made him someone, they wanted him to be.
Kazuya washed his hands, dried them and then left the restroom again, knowing it’d get hard to survive this week in a place like this.
In school, where everyone lived superficial lies.
As classes were over that day, Kazuya left alone.
He knew right then, the most embarrassing part of the day would yet await him. Jin would wait for him, as he always did for the girl he was dating. He would wait either in front of Kazuya’s class room or down at the entrance.
That was, what a perfect boyfriend was like. He would bring his loved one home, spend as much time as possible.
Kazuya really couldn’t grasp why Jin gave himself all that every week again. It had to be so bothersome to act like the perfect boyfriend for another person every time again.
He threw a quick glance to the door, as the first people left and noticed Jin wasn’t there yet. Calmer, Kazuya put his things into his bag, got ready to leave, as well.
He walked out; saw everyone walking down the corridors to leave. Jin was not in sight.
Kazuya didn’t bother too much about it. After all, he knew how things were going; how Jin behaved toward the one he was dating for the week.
Walking down the stairs, he got to the entrance and gazed around; trying to not let anybody see that he was looking out for somebody. He changed his shoes and then went out. Not many people were still there; Kazuya had taken his time, because he had thought it would get less troublesome if he and Jin were some of the last people leaving.
But Jin wasn’t there.
Kazuya frowned. He wondered what it was about, since Jin would always escort his date for the week home.
It took Kazuya a moment, but then he spotted Jin, as he just rounded a corner at the end of the street.
Unbelievable, he thought and dashed off; Jin had left without him.
With huge steps, Kazuya managed to catch up pretty quickly. He saw Jin walking down the street, as he followed him and approached Jin with a not that light slap to his shoulder.
“Honestly”, Kazuya growled and took a deep breath, “you can’t behave like that.”
Jin rubbed his shoulder and gave Kazuya an indignant look. “What do you want?”
“Eh?” The younger one looked puzzled. “You can’t just ignore me, after agreeing on dating me, Jin.”
“I can’t remember, but when exactly did we change to that first name level?”
Kazuya pouted, because he didn’t get an answer to his questions at all. “Again, since we’re dating, I don’t think we should call each other by surname anymore. People dating don’t do that.”
Jin turned to walk on. “Could you stop saying that over and over again?”
“What?”
“People dating and We’re dating. It creeps me out.”
Kazuya blinked. “Why exactly did you agree on this then?”
“You were the first one to ask”, Jin answered. “But, come on”, he added then and threw Kazuya a short glance, “you’re not serious about it, so I can see this week as a vacation from my usual schedule.”
Kazuya didn’t answer first, just walked a few steps behind Jin. “You usually take the person you date home, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“I was looking out for you when I got ready to leave”, Kazuya said pretty calmly. “But you weren’t even there.”
“And?” Jin didn’t seem impressed at all.
“I don’t want you to treat me any different from how you treat the others.”
Jin turned and for a moment, his eyes looked concerned, anxious, as if those words had gotten through to him, made him feel something. But then his expression got indifferent again. “You’re sneaky, aren’t you?”
Kazuya held back a grin. “Come on, I really don’t see why I am not treated like the other ones you dated. I asked you just as they did.”
“I don’t like you.”
“As if you liked that girl you dated last week. Or the one before that or any of the others before that.”
Jin sighed. “Who said I didn’t?”
Kazuya fastened his steps to walk ahead and turned to Jin, while walking backwards. “If you had liked any, just a single one of them, truthfully, then you wouldn’t do this, then you would not have broken up with that one after a week.”
“That’s why I don’t like you”, Jin answered and looked at Kazuya. “You see me in a totally wrong light.”
“So, you actually like when they criticise you and tell you how you are not like they thought you were? When they tell you your clothes are not fitting your perfect face and body, then you’re feeling happy?”
Jin didn’t show any reaction to that. “You know, when you talk like that, I have to assume you have a crush on me after all.”
Kazuya stopped suddenly, and Jin nearly walked into him, but stopped right before that could happen.
“I don’t; I can assure you, I really don’t”, Kazuya said with a serious expression. “But in a way, I am interested in you. Ever since I first heard of you, I have been.”
Jin sighed and just looked to his side, as if he was ignoring the younger one’s words.
“I want to get to know you better, I guess.” Kazuya still stood as close, held his gaze directed at Jin’s face. “It’s not about wanting to change you, Jin. It’s about wanting to understand you and becoming your friend.”
Jin looked at him for a moment, before he clicked his tongue and with bumping their shoulders together, he got past Kazuya then. “Thanks, I don’t need that.”
Kazuya smiled to himself, before he caught up again, walking beside the older boy this time. “Well, in any case, I don’t want you to treat me any different. It’s not fair to do that to someone who put all their courage up to ask you out, don’t you think?”
“Those comments really make you sound like a cheeky brat”, Jin just commented.
Kazuya laughed. “You know I am right. And you’re afraid I would get to understand and see more. That’s why you are that bitchy; but let me tell you one thing”, he said, without looking at Jin this time. “I won’t let you get away like that.”
“As if that was up to you”, Jin just commented, but made a surprised noise, as he suddenly was dragged forwards. “What are you doing?”
Kazuya had gripped the older one’s arm and tugged Jin with him. “We’re going to eat.”
“Eh?”
“I am hungry”, Kazuya said. “And there’s that really good Ramen shop down this street.”
Jin tried to pull back. “I don’t want Ramen.”
“It’s okay. They have Okonomiyaki, as well, I think.”
“That’s not what I meant”, the older one answered, but didn’t have any chance. Kazuya wasn’t listening and before Jin got mad enough to stop him, they had entered the place already.
Kazuya went ahead and sat down at a table, and looking annoyed, Jin followed him after a moment.
“I am not hungry, Kamenashi.”
“Kazuya”, the brunette said, looking at the menu. “You can call me Kazuya.”
“I don’t want to call you Kazuya.” Jin gripped the menu from Kazuya’s hand to look at it himself. “And this is definitely your treat.”
“Eh?” Kazuya looked at him with a pout, but then just nodded. “Okay. Even though you’re older…”
“I didn’t want to come here, so I don’t see why I should pay.”
“I don’t think you want to go to all those places you go with those girls, and still, you pay when you’re with them.”
Jin didn’t look up. “That’s different. I told you we’re---“
“---not dating, yeah”, Kazuya finished the sentence off for Jin. “So, what do you want to eat?”
Jin looked around the shop now and frowned. It looked old-fashioned and yet comfortable and had some kind of home-feeling to it. A nice scent filled the room, not only of food, but also of flowers and other sweet things. “I don’t know this place.”
“It’s new, just opened a week ago.”
“Ah, Kame-chan, hello!” A waiter came to their table. He had short brunette hair and a smile as wide that it almost was dazzling. “Is that a friend of yours?”
Kazuya smiled. “Hey, Taguchi. Yes, his name is Akanishi Jin. Jin, that’s Taguchi.”
Taguchi beamed at Kazuya and ruffled his hair quickly. “I am glad you made friends at school.”
“No way I wouldn’t!” The younger one grinned. “I want my Ramen”, he ordered then.
Nodding, Taguchi looked at Jin then. “And for you?”
“I’ll just take the same he gets.”
Noting that, Taguchi rushed off to the kitchen.
“How come you know that guy?”
“He’s helping out here.” Kazuya put his elbows to the table. “Told me, he quit school a few years ago and since then, he’s been living with the family owning this shop.”
“He didn’t look like a delinquent to me, though”, Jin noticed.
Smiling, Kazuya looked into the direction of the kitchen. “He surely isn’t; he just rather works than sitting in school and study.”
“I guess I can understand that.”
“Oh? Would you rather quit school, as well?”
Jin shrugged a shoulder. “At some days, I really wish it could just be over already.”
Knowing too well what Jin was talking about, Kazuya nodded slightly. “And still, you get back to school every Monday, giving yourself away like that.”
“Don’t make it sound like prostitution.”
Kazuya laughed. “Isn’t it a bit like that?”
“I didn’t even kiss one of those girls”, Jin cleared up. “I am just meeting them and being nice to them.”
“So, why are you doing it then? If it’s not about having sex with another girl every week.”
Jin stared at Kazuya for a moment; being speechless to that straight-forward behaviour. “Did you think it was about that?”
Kazuya grinned. “Ah, you look really shocked now.” It changed into a laugh. “You’re much more innocent than I thought you were.”
Jin couldn’t believe he was talking to a sixteen-year-old. “I guess I am less innocent than you are.”
The younger one didn’t answer to that. “What’s your reason then?”
“It’s none of your business. We’ll break up on Sunday and Monday I’ll start to date the next person.”
“If it goes bad, other guys will take me as an example and start asking you out.”
“I’ll date them then.”
Kazuya frowned. “Honestly, Jin, you can’t just date anyone.”
“I am sitting here with you, don’t I”, Jin countered. “I obviously can.”
As Taguchi came back with two bowls, Kazuya shut his mouth.
“Here’s some Special Happiness for you!” Taguchi put the bowls down and smiled. “Enjoy it.”
Kazuya gave him a genuine smile, before he took the chopsticks and started to eat his Ramen.
They looked pretty normal, Jin thought, as he slowly tasted them. But they were delicious, despite the ordinary look.
“Do you like them?”
Jin looked up from his bowl and nodded. “They’re good.”
It looked as if Kazuya was proud, as he continued eating. “The best ever.”
Jin had to smile over that. Kazuya was a kid to him and hearing him talk like he had before disturbed that image.
The door to the kitchen opened and an older woman came out, an apron tied around her waist. She looked over the room, saw the full tables and then spotted them. Jin saw her frown, and for a moment he had the feeling he had seen those eyes before; then she narrowed them.
“Kazuya Kamenashi!”
Jin looked at the younger one, as his head shot up and he pulled a face.
“Crap”, Kazuya mumbled.
“I knew it must be you, when I got an order for Special Ramen.”
Jin gave Kazuya an asking look, and the brunette answered it with a groggy smile.
The woman reached their table and gripped Kazuya’s ear. “You should rather help out than to sit here and eat!”
“But I brought a guest and…”
“That is not an excuse to skip work.” She turned to look at Jin and suddenly a lovely smile spread over her face. “It’s nice to meet a friend of Kazuya.”
Jin looked confused, but managed a polite nod. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Are you in Kazuya’s class? Is he behaving well? You must restrict him from…”
“Mom!” Kazuya put an end to her rambling and quickly glanced at Jin. “He’s not in my class”, he cleared up and then pushed her into the direction of the kitchen again, ignoring that other costumers were staring at them. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
She lifted a brow. “It’s okay; Taguchi’s doing okay alone today. It’s not that busy. But next time come and ask whether you can help first.”
“Yeah, sure”, Kazuya mumbled, before he turned again and sat back to his chair.
Jin tilted his head, his look knowing. “You really are a sneaky brat.”
“What? You got a meal for free, didn’t you?”
Jin laughed slightly. “Why didn’t you just tell me it was your parents’ shop?”
“I wanted to see what you thought of it, what you honestly thought”, Kazuya explained.
“I would not have lied about it, if I had known.”
“That’s what everyone says.” He took their empty bowls and stood. “Come on, we’ll go to my room.”
Jin blinked, not moving for a moment. “I guess I don’t want to go to your room.”
Laughing, the younger one pulled him up and tugged him to the kitchen. He put the bowls to the wash up and then said in a loud voice: “We’re upstairs”, as he opened another door that led to steps.
Jin followed him reluctantly, let Kazuya go ahead. He noticed walls painted in a soft yellow, as they passed a corridor with framed pictures. Some showed the family, others were paintings from landscapes.
Jin stopped in front of one of the family portraits.
“You all look the same.”
Kazuya looked back over his shoulder. “Ah, yeah.”
“Do they live here, as well?” Jin looked around. “It seems to be a rather small place for as many people as that.”
“No, they aren’t living with us. Two of them study and one is working in Tokyo, so they all live there.”
Jin nodded and turned back, following Kazuya again. The younger one opened a rather plain looking door and entered the room, held it for Jin to get in, as well.
For a moment, Jin could only stare.
The room was completely dark, but even so, it had a warm feeling to it. The curtains were closed and the bed wasn’t made, but it still gave of a neat impression. Everything was at place, all seemed clean and tidy.
When Kazuya closed the door, Jin noticed the poster of a baseball player and frowned at it.
“You’re a baseball fan?”
Kazuya sat down on his bed and grinned. “Fan… well, rather a junky.”
“I never got what it is that’s so great about that sport.”
“It’s just a lot of fun. Teamwork, but you’re also fighting for yourself.”
Jin shrugged a shoulder and turned back to Kazuya. “I prefer soccer, though.”
“I am bad at that”, the brunette just commented and then turned to his night stand, pressed a button on a remote. “Look at this!”
Jin moved his head to look up, as he noticed a light above himself. He saw a huge earth rotating above him and blinked, his mouth gaping.
“That’s cool.”
Kazuya grinned happily. “Isn’t it?”
Jin looked back and sat down at the floor, observing Kazuya for a moment. His profile was rather pretty. His skin looked smooth and his eyes gentle.
Jin knew exactly why the girls liked Kazuya that much; he was a pretty boy. It was a waste he was rejecting them every time.
After all, additional to his pretty face, he was also quite an interesting person.
Jin frowned over that thought, wondered how he suddenly felt sympathy for that boy. He didn’t even know Kazuya, so there was no point in sympathising with him.
“You really are strange, huh?”
Kazuya turned his head back to him and smiled slightly. “That’s what most people say when they get to know me.”
Opening his mouth, Jin wanted to say something. He hadn’t meant it negative at all; he wasn’t judging Kazuya right away.
Jin wasn’t like all those people.
But he couldn’t say that. He rather kept quiet, ignored the thick layer of sadness in Kazuya’s voice.
“I…”, Jin mumbled and got up. “Can I use the bathroom?”
Kazuya was back to the self he had been before, smiling again. “Sure. It’s to the left when you leave my room.”
Jin nodded and went out, locking the door of the bathroom behind himself. He was sure Kazuya was playing again, was being cheeky again.
He wasn’t serious when he looked that sad, when he said those thing which got right through to Jin.
Kazuya was calculating and he knew how to get there, where he wanted to be; so he would use Jin’s weaknesses. And it was surely one of Jin’s weaknesses that he was reduced to an image, that people never accepted him the way he truly was.
Just how could Kazuya have found out about it that quickly? How came, the younger one had looked right through to that?
Jin really didn’t get it and he felt uncomfortable like that. He didn’t want Kazuya to find out any more.
And he surely didn’t want to like anyone like Kazuya.
He went back, calmer and collected again and opened the door to Kazuya’s room. The younger one was still sitting on his bed, and it took Jin a few moments to realise what exactly Kazuya held in his hand.
“What are you doing?” Jin rushed over and gripped his mobile from Kazuya’s hand. “That’s privacy!”
Kazuya gave him a short glance. “I just put my number into your address book. So you can contact me.”
“I don’t want to contact you!” Jin took his bag and put the mobile phone into it, checking if anything else had been touched. “I am going home.”
Kazuya got up and gave Jin a pitiful look, but didn’t say anything, as he followed him out of the room.
They took the stairs down again and Jin bowed politely to Kazuya’s parents in the kitchen. “Thanks; I’ll be leaving.”
“Come again!” Kazuya’s mother quickly waved over and his father just threw a look at them.
“Will you pick me up tomorrow morning?” Kazuya asked, as he accompanied Jin out of the shop.
“No.”
“Jin…”
“Don’t be that familiar with me!” Jin turned to him, as soon as they were out the door. “I don’t know you and I don’t want to know you and I never asked for you to care about me, so leave me alone.”
“We have a deal, don’t we?” Kazuya seemed rather calm.
“I can’t remember signing anything. I neither signed to entertain you in your free time, nor did I sign to accompany you anywhere.” Jin’s voice was sharp.
Kazuya looked at him for a moment, his eyes indifferent, but so obviously searching in Jin’s expression. “Fine.”
“What fine?”
“Fine; we’re over.”
Jin looked at him for a moment. “We’ve never been anything to be over now.”
“You agreed on dating me, didn’t you?” The younger boy clicked his tongue, looked into another direction; anywhere but at Jin’s face. “You said it was fine, even though I am a boy. But apparently it isn’t. So we’re ending this.”
“It’s not because you’re a boy or anything. I told you I don’t care for it. It’s not serious, anyway”, Jin murmured, more to himself than to Kazuya.
“Why are you taking it so serious then?”
He looked up, saw Kazuya looking at him and he wondered if Kazuya was serious this time. If it was what he really thought or if he tried to trap Jin.
“Why are you doing this?”
Now, Kazuya lowered his head and smiled to himself. “I told you, it’s because I am interested in you.”
“I don’t want you to be.”
“Weren’t all the girls you’ve been dating up until now interested in you?” Kazuya took a deep breath. “What is the difference between them and me?”
Jin hesitated for a moment, as he wanted to answer. He knew what it was he had wanted to say, the reason to why Kazuya was different.
“They weren’t honest about it.”
Kazuya didn’t answer to that. He knew the older one had just realised it and had to process that for himself. So he just took a step back and smiled gently.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jin”, he said, still smiling, before he turned and went in again.
He made his way back to his room and sighed, as he fell to his bed, watching the picture on his ceiling moving. His eyes got tired; he felt sleepy.
Kazuya kept his eyes open, though, thought about what had just happened.
Jin was a poor boy; Kazuya really felt pity for him. He acted so strong and cool and everyone thought Jin was loved by the whole world.
And yet his address book in his mobile phone had been completely empty. No entry; not a single one.
Kazuya had felt it clench his heart tightly.
He sighed and turned to his side, curled up to close his eyes and sleep. But his mobile phone made a short sound and Kazuya picked it up, opening the message he had just gotten.
I’ll pick you up. But I surely won’t wait, so you better be ready in time.
Kazuya smiled to himself, put the mobile back, not caring to answer.
Probably - maybe there was just the slightest chance for him - but probably he would be able to change the world Jin was trapped in.
Kazuya wanted to be that one.
He didn’t know why, though.
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Thanks so much for reading, everyone ♥
Is it just me or is anyone else remembered of Shuji? XD In the first part of this, Kame reminds me a lot of him... *löl*
This is most likely going to be the last time I am posting before March v.v I probably come up with something short and unexpected for Valentine's, though. If I find time to type out what it is I am having in mind ^^;
We'll see....
Love you all <3
What am I doing here when I have an important English grammar exam tomorrow????