Prompt 2: Brighter than Lightning - Team What If
Title: Brighter than Lightning
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Akame
Summary: And yet, when he looks back on the first time he met Kame, in a dingy rehearsal room, hung-over and exhausted, he thinks that maybe it isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Prompt: Tackey and Tsubasa-Venus,
Warnings: Mushiness, language
Notes: This is based on the idea, what-if Kame never auditioned for JE. Thanks to R and R for the look over. You’ve both helped this fic actually make sense. Any grammatical and spelling mistakes still intact are my own. Title from Tackey and Tsubasa’s Venus.
Kame enters his life in a whirlwind of sparkles and tango’s, chacha’s and 1, 2, 3’s and never really leaves again. He’s complex and organised, obsessive and dorky and he drives Jin mad. And yet, when he looks back on the first time he met Kame, in a dingy rehearsal room, hung-over and exhausted, he thinks that maybe it isn’t the worst thing in the world Rather, he thinks when Kame steals the covers and sprawls out on the bed, that meeting Kame is when things well and truly started to work.
~ ~ ~
I. I awaken with a kiss, with the rhythm of a cha-cha
“Have you heard?” Junno asks Jin the minute he walks through the door, dark sunglasses pulled up over his eyes and hair a wild riot of curls around his face. His head is pounding and he can feel the double shot of espresso he’d downed for breakfast churning in his stomach. Junno is sat on the edge of the sofa, shockingly blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and Jin struggles not to scowl at his inhumanly bright smile.
“Heard what?” he grunts, dumping his bag by his dressing table and practically melting into the hideous, yellow couch opposite Junno.
“We have a new choreographer,” Maru replies, bustling into the room, face turned down into his permanent frown.
Maru seems to think that the world will end if he doesn’t worry about everyone 24/7 and despite the fact that sometimes it drives Jin mad, (like when Maru rings him at 8 o’clock in the morning on their day off, to make sure that he’s got home safely from whatever nightclub he’d spent the previous night in), it’s almost reassuring that despite everything that’s happened in the last six months, one thing remains the same.
“He studied in some famous dance school in Spain or something.” Maru continues, pulling off his jumper and smoothing back his hair. “He’s supposed to be one of the best.”
“If he’s one of the best, why the hell is he working for the Jimusho then?” Jin asks, looking incredulous.
“Money,” Maru replies shrugging as if that’s the answer to all of life’s problems. It’s a strange thought for Jin who’s never truly had to worry about his finances and with the way JJKTY is going, it seems pretty unlikely that he’ll have to worry about what he spends his money on in the future either.
“Is the work of the devil,” Koki quips, sauntering into the room, hair a soft brown, the tips bleach blonde. He claims he’s experimenting, but Jin’s convinced it’s because his last dye job went wrong and he’s too embarrassed to admit it. Their manager follows, dark grey hair brushed back into a side parting, looking like he’s one step away from collapsing despite the fact that it’s only 8 am. Sometimes Jin wonders who Haruto-kun has pissed off to be lumped with, according to their Sempai Koichi, “the most difficult group since that bloody Tackey and Tsubasa duo”.
“It may be the root of all evil and all of that, but you’re late for rehearsal, and I’ve been in Johnny-san’s office more times than I can count this month over you lot. So, get moving and let me at least retain some dignity in front of my co-workers,” Haruto says, making shoo gestures with his hands.
“Hai, hai. We wouldn’t want you to get into trouble with the boss,” Koki says, grinning and ducking when Haruto leans forwards to hit him over the head.
Jin shakes his head at the subtle rise of Haruto’s eyebrow as he follows to the rehearsal room, curiosity making his mind buzz. A new choreographer, he thinks. Maybe things are finally getting interesting.
~ ~ ~
II Began to change dizzyingly, A seduction of light and shadow
Two hours later Jin has come to the conclusion that Kamenashi Kazuya is an attractive, Nike wearing Nazi, who’s only purpose in life is to make JJKTY suffer. Jin staggers to the sofa in the corner and flops down onto it, nodding at Koki’s grunt.
“I can’t feel my feet anymore,” Maru remarks looking vaguely traumatised.
“You can’t feel your feet? Fuck, I can’t move my arms anymore,” Koki mutters gesturing weakly. “You’d think he’d give up after the first ten times he tried to make me move my arms ‘as gracefully as the wind’.”
“The wind has certainly gone out of my sails,” Junno says sadly, not even moving to duck the cushion Koki throws weakly at his head.
“Now, this is truly pathetic,” Haruto remarks as he strolls casually into the room looking amused. “Only two hours and you’ve reduced them to this, Kame-chan.”
Jin feels a flash of amusement as Junno and Maru scramble to sit upwards, Koki shuffling so that he’s propped up by the arm of the sofa.
Kame’s smiling, eyes glinting with amusement as he watches them. “I think I’ve probably worked them too hard,” he replies honestly.
“Amen to that,” Koki mutters quietly, flushing slightly when Kame laughs outright, placing a carrier bag on the table in front of them.
“I’ll give you ten minutes to recover. There’s water and onigiri in there, so help yourselves. I’ll see you in five,” Kame says shrugging on his coat and pulling out a packet of cigarettes, nodding at Haruto before heading towards the fire exit in the corner.
Jin feels a sliver of anticipation as Koki edges the carrier bag open suspiciously, face lighting up in pleased surprise when he pulls out each bottle, labels with their names written in neat precise kanji on each. Jin finds himself smiling, accepting his water with a nod. He has a feeling that Kamenashi Kazuya has just gone up in their expectations. Maybe things will be interesting for a while more.
~ ~ ~
III If you're going to hesitate, I want to forget
And, Jin isn’t wrong. Slowly but surely JJKTY warm up to Kame, begin to joke with him. But it isn’t until Koki strolls in the day after his birthday and hands Kame a slice of birthday cake, embarrassment rolling off of him in waves as he thanks Kame for the birthday card, that Jin realises that Kame has become a sort of friend to them. And judging by the pleased smile that spreads across Kame’s face as he tucks into the cake during lunch, the feeling is mutual.
Not that things always go swimmingly; JJKTY have never exactly dealt well with criticism, and the fact that Kame's job is to tell them when they're messing up, when they're not quite getting the moves right leads to bouts of Koki storming out of practice, face mutinous with rage, of Jin declaring that he's done when Kame tells him that he's still not getting it right after he's been shown how to twist his hips just right during the tango for nearly 45 minutes straight.
But Koki slouches in after a fifteen minute break, two cups of coffee in hand as an apology and Jin takes to slipping Kame packets of pocky without a word, and Kame never really takes it to heart.
When Ueda mentions it thoughtfully over lunch one day, all of them messily sprawled out on the studio floor eating bad store bought bento's, Kame explains that it's his job, that he doesn't expect them to be instant best friends and that if he took it to heart, he'd never get anything done.
But Jin is still intrigued by Kame, still curious about what his life is like outside of work, what he does when he isn't teaching them the complex dances he'd spent three years in Spain learning, why he chose to go to Spain of all places to dance. Not that questioning Kame ever gets him anywhere; no matter how much of ninja he tries to be, throwing questions in at random, asking him whether he prefers clubbing or going out for dinner in a desperate bid to learn about what he does with his free time. Kame is obsessively private and it drives Jin, who's always found puzzles endlessly fascinating, mad.
Which is why when Jin spots Kame at his local conbini, eyeing the shelves of plasters critically, he feels a frission of excitement. There’s still a split second though, as Jin considers diving into the frozen food section, ducking out of the way until Kame’s left, fears that Kame won't want to see him flashing through his head. But at that moment Kame turns around and spots him, surprise flashing across his face before he smiles and nods.
“Jin,” he says nodding slightly. “I didn’t know you lived around here.”
Jin nods back, edging a look sideways to ensure that nobody’s recognised him.
“I live about ten minutes away. I guess you could say that this is my local store,” Jin replies, grimacing slightly.
“Ah, I see. It’s a pretty well stocked store though. I mean there’s lots of choice…”
Jin has to duck to hide his smile as Kame winces and look away awkwardly, a soft flush working its way up his face. He’s never really seen Kame like this before; in the dance studio he’s graceful and limber, completely in control as he leads them through dance steps and barks orders. It’s almost refreshing to see that Kame is normal outside of work.
And this normalcy is what leads Jin to ask his next question, swallowing nervously because if Kame says yes they’ll take that step from being just professional colleagues to possibly friends.
“Ne, Kamenashi-kun, have you had dinner? Because I know a pretty good ramen place in Roppongi and well, I’m pretty starving.” Jin asks, trying to look casual.
Kame looks surprised before his face creases thoughtfully. He studies the pack of plasters in his hands for a few seconds before he nods and smiles lopsidedly.
“I’m pretty hungry too,” he says, eyes bright on Jin’s face and Jin has a feeling that Kame is laughing at him.
Ten minutes later when they’re sat huddled in Jin’s favourite ramen bar, legs brushing and faces close, Jin feels his heart stutter. And this, he thinks giddily, is what being normal is; sitting down to a meal with a friend, talking about life, about the film Kame saw last week, whether this season’s dramas are worth watching or whether the American shows Jin devours greedily are better.
And when Kame tells him he’ll see him at work tomorrow, that maybe next time he could take Jin to this amazing Indian place in Shibuya, Jin realises that maybe his crush is a little bit more than just a crush.
~ ~ ~
IV In the sky controlling mirages, Shooting sparks of love
Dinner becomes a regular thing, something they do to unwind, a secret that Jin guards close to his heart. He thinks he’s doing well too, until Maru hands him two invites for his birthday party, asks him to pass the other to Kame, amusement curving his mouth upwards. Jin has a feeling that he’s flushing but Maru just waves at him and hurries over to where Koki’s waiting to drive him home.
And the thumbs up that Koki throws them when Kame wanders back into the room, hair damp from his shower makes Jin want to disappear, and judging by the way Kame’s eyebrow rises, he knows exactly what Koki is insinuating.
“They think we’re sleeping together,” Jin says, shaking his head slightly. Not that the idea of sleeping with Kame isn’t a good one. Kame is unfairly attractive and Jin would have to be blind not to notice the way he dances, but still. He isn’t about to ruin a potentially fantastic friendship for one night of sex, no matter how good it is.
“Oh,” Kame says, blinking. There’s a split second when Jin is wondering whether Kame will stop talking to him, because Kame is a bit of ‘we have to remain professional’ freak. But instead Kame is smiling, a long, slow smile that makes Jin’s heart pound and his mouth dry up.
“So,” Kame says slowly, “Why don’t we prove them right?”
~ ~ ~
V I want to gaze at you with my fingertips
“You know, when Haruto finds out about this he’s going to kill us,” Kame remarks thoughtfully, burrowing further under the covers and shifting to prop his head on a pillow so he can watch Jin.
Jin scowls before yanking the covers back slightly, yelping when Kame responds by poking him in the side, fingers cold as they skate up his sides.
“This is your fault,” Jin mutters glaring up at Kame. His head pounds and his back is killing him, but the way Kame’s watching him, eyes soft, skin flushed makes his irritation lessen slightly.
Kame rolls his eyes, but he’s laughing slightly and the look on his face is softly appreciative.
And later on, when they’re both crowded onto Jin’s sofa, bowls of gyoza and sticky rice on their laps, Jin thinks that this, right here, is love.
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Poll Team Future: Light More Than Lightning
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Akame
Summary: And yet, when he looks back on the first time he met Kame, in a dingy rehearsal room, hung-over and exhausted, he thinks that maybe it isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Prompt: Tackey and Tsubasa-Venus,
Warnings: Mushiness, language
Notes: This is based on the idea, what-if Kame never auditioned for JE. Thanks to R and R for the look over. You’ve both helped this fic actually make sense. Any grammatical and spelling mistakes still intact are my own. Title from Tackey and Tsubasa’s Venus.
Kame enters his life in a whirlwind of sparkles and tango’s, chacha’s and 1, 2, 3’s and never really leaves again. He’s complex and organised, obsessive and dorky and he drives Jin mad. And yet, when he looks back on the first time he met Kame, in a dingy rehearsal room, hung-over and exhausted, he thinks that maybe it isn’t the worst thing in the world Rather, he thinks when Kame steals the covers and sprawls out on the bed, that meeting Kame is when things well and truly started to work.
~ ~ ~
I. I awaken with a kiss, with the rhythm of a cha-cha
“Have you heard?” Junno asks Jin the minute he walks through the door, dark sunglasses pulled up over his eyes and hair a wild riot of curls around his face. His head is pounding and he can feel the double shot of espresso he’d downed for breakfast churning in his stomach. Junno is sat on the edge of the sofa, shockingly blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and Jin struggles not to scowl at his inhumanly bright smile.
“Heard what?” he grunts, dumping his bag by his dressing table and practically melting into the hideous, yellow couch opposite Junno.
“We have a new choreographer,” Maru replies, bustling into the room, face turned down into his permanent frown.
Maru seems to think that the world will end if he doesn’t worry about everyone 24/7 and despite the fact that sometimes it drives Jin mad, (like when Maru rings him at 8 o’clock in the morning on their day off, to make sure that he’s got home safely from whatever nightclub he’d spent the previous night in), it’s almost reassuring that despite everything that’s happened in the last six months, one thing remains the same.
“He studied in some famous dance school in Spain or something.” Maru continues, pulling off his jumper and smoothing back his hair. “He’s supposed to be one of the best.”
“If he’s one of the best, why the hell is he working for the Jimusho then?” Jin asks, looking incredulous.
“Money,” Maru replies shrugging as if that’s the answer to all of life’s problems. It’s a strange thought for Jin who’s never truly had to worry about his finances and with the way JJKTY is going, it seems pretty unlikely that he’ll have to worry about what he spends his money on in the future either.
“Is the work of the devil,” Koki quips, sauntering into the room, hair a soft brown, the tips bleach blonde. He claims he’s experimenting, but Jin’s convinced it’s because his last dye job went wrong and he’s too embarrassed to admit it. Their manager follows, dark grey hair brushed back into a side parting, looking like he’s one step away from collapsing despite the fact that it’s only 8 am. Sometimes Jin wonders who Haruto-kun has pissed off to be lumped with, according to their Sempai Koichi, “the most difficult group since that bloody Tackey and Tsubasa duo”.
“It may be the root of all evil and all of that, but you’re late for rehearsal, and I’ve been in Johnny-san’s office more times than I can count this month over you lot. So, get moving and let me at least retain some dignity in front of my co-workers,” Haruto says, making shoo gestures with his hands.
“Hai, hai. We wouldn’t want you to get into trouble with the boss,” Koki says, grinning and ducking when Haruto leans forwards to hit him over the head.
Jin shakes his head at the subtle rise of Haruto’s eyebrow as he follows to the rehearsal room, curiosity making his mind buzz. A new choreographer, he thinks. Maybe things are finally getting interesting.
~ ~ ~
II Began to change dizzyingly, A seduction of light and shadow
Two hours later Jin has come to the conclusion that Kamenashi Kazuya is an attractive, Nike wearing Nazi, who’s only purpose in life is to make JJKTY suffer. Jin staggers to the sofa in the corner and flops down onto it, nodding at Koki’s grunt.
“I can’t feel my feet anymore,” Maru remarks looking vaguely traumatised.
“You can’t feel your feet? Fuck, I can’t move my arms anymore,” Koki mutters gesturing weakly. “You’d think he’d give up after the first ten times he tried to make me move my arms ‘as gracefully as the wind’.”
“The wind has certainly gone out of my sails,” Junno says sadly, not even moving to duck the cushion Koki throws weakly at his head.
“Now, this is truly pathetic,” Haruto remarks as he strolls casually into the room looking amused. “Only two hours and you’ve reduced them to this, Kame-chan.”
Jin feels a flash of amusement as Junno and Maru scramble to sit upwards, Koki shuffling so that he’s propped up by the arm of the sofa.
Kame’s smiling, eyes glinting with amusement as he watches them. “I think I’ve probably worked them too hard,” he replies honestly.
“Amen to that,” Koki mutters quietly, flushing slightly when Kame laughs outright, placing a carrier bag on the table in front of them.
“I’ll give you ten minutes to recover. There’s water and onigiri in there, so help yourselves. I’ll see you in five,” Kame says shrugging on his coat and pulling out a packet of cigarettes, nodding at Haruto before heading towards the fire exit in the corner.
Jin feels a sliver of anticipation as Koki edges the carrier bag open suspiciously, face lighting up in pleased surprise when he pulls out each bottle, labels with their names written in neat precise kanji on each. Jin finds himself smiling, accepting his water with a nod. He has a feeling that Kamenashi Kazuya has just gone up in their expectations. Maybe things will be interesting for a while more.
~ ~ ~
III If you're going to hesitate, I want to forget
And, Jin isn’t wrong. Slowly but surely JJKTY warm up to Kame, begin to joke with him. But it isn’t until Koki strolls in the day after his birthday and hands Kame a slice of birthday cake, embarrassment rolling off of him in waves as he thanks Kame for the birthday card, that Jin realises that Kame has become a sort of friend to them. And judging by the pleased smile that spreads across Kame’s face as he tucks into the cake during lunch, the feeling is mutual.
Not that things always go swimmingly; JJKTY have never exactly dealt well with criticism, and the fact that Kame's job is to tell them when they're messing up, when they're not quite getting the moves right leads to bouts of Koki storming out of practice, face mutinous with rage, of Jin declaring that he's done when Kame tells him that he's still not getting it right after he's been shown how to twist his hips just right during the tango for nearly 45 minutes straight.
But Koki slouches in after a fifteen minute break, two cups of coffee in hand as an apology and Jin takes to slipping Kame packets of pocky without a word, and Kame never really takes it to heart.
When Ueda mentions it thoughtfully over lunch one day, all of them messily sprawled out on the studio floor eating bad store bought bento's, Kame explains that it's his job, that he doesn't expect them to be instant best friends and that if he took it to heart, he'd never get anything done.
But Jin is still intrigued by Kame, still curious about what his life is like outside of work, what he does when he isn't teaching them the complex dances he'd spent three years in Spain learning, why he chose to go to Spain of all places to dance. Not that questioning Kame ever gets him anywhere; no matter how much of ninja he tries to be, throwing questions in at random, asking him whether he prefers clubbing or going out for dinner in a desperate bid to learn about what he does with his free time. Kame is obsessively private and it drives Jin, who's always found puzzles endlessly fascinating, mad.
Which is why when Jin spots Kame at his local conbini, eyeing the shelves of plasters critically, he feels a frission of excitement. There’s still a split second though, as Jin considers diving into the frozen food section, ducking out of the way until Kame’s left, fears that Kame won't want to see him flashing through his head. But at that moment Kame turns around and spots him, surprise flashing across his face before he smiles and nods.
“Jin,” he says nodding slightly. “I didn’t know you lived around here.”
Jin nods back, edging a look sideways to ensure that nobody’s recognised him.
“I live about ten minutes away. I guess you could say that this is my local store,” Jin replies, grimacing slightly.
“Ah, I see. It’s a pretty well stocked store though. I mean there’s lots of choice…”
Jin has to duck to hide his smile as Kame winces and look away awkwardly, a soft flush working its way up his face. He’s never really seen Kame like this before; in the dance studio he’s graceful and limber, completely in control as he leads them through dance steps and barks orders. It’s almost refreshing to see that Kame is normal outside of work.
And this normalcy is what leads Jin to ask his next question, swallowing nervously because if Kame says yes they’ll take that step from being just professional colleagues to possibly friends.
“Ne, Kamenashi-kun, have you had dinner? Because I know a pretty good ramen place in Roppongi and well, I’m pretty starving.” Jin asks, trying to look casual.
Kame looks surprised before his face creases thoughtfully. He studies the pack of plasters in his hands for a few seconds before he nods and smiles lopsidedly.
“I’m pretty hungry too,” he says, eyes bright on Jin’s face and Jin has a feeling that Kame is laughing at him.
Ten minutes later when they’re sat huddled in Jin’s favourite ramen bar, legs brushing and faces close, Jin feels his heart stutter. And this, he thinks giddily, is what being normal is; sitting down to a meal with a friend, talking about life, about the film Kame saw last week, whether this season’s dramas are worth watching or whether the American shows Jin devours greedily are better.
And when Kame tells him he’ll see him at work tomorrow, that maybe next time he could take Jin to this amazing Indian place in Shibuya, Jin realises that maybe his crush is a little bit more than just a crush.
~ ~ ~
IV In the sky controlling mirages, Shooting sparks of love
Dinner becomes a regular thing, something they do to unwind, a secret that Jin guards close to his heart. He thinks he’s doing well too, until Maru hands him two invites for his birthday party, asks him to pass the other to Kame, amusement curving his mouth upwards. Jin has a feeling that he’s flushing but Maru just waves at him and hurries over to where Koki’s waiting to drive him home.
And the thumbs up that Koki throws them when Kame wanders back into the room, hair damp from his shower makes Jin want to disappear, and judging by the way Kame’s eyebrow rises, he knows exactly what Koki is insinuating.
“They think we’re sleeping together,” Jin says, shaking his head slightly. Not that the idea of sleeping with Kame isn’t a good one. Kame is unfairly attractive and Jin would have to be blind not to notice the way he dances, but still. He isn’t about to ruin a potentially fantastic friendship for one night of sex, no matter how good it is.
“Oh,” Kame says, blinking. There’s a split second when Jin is wondering whether Kame will stop talking to him, because Kame is a bit of ‘we have to remain professional’ freak. But instead Kame is smiling, a long, slow smile that makes Jin’s heart pound and his mouth dry up.
“So,” Kame says slowly, “Why don’t we prove them right?”
~ ~ ~
V I want to gaze at you with my fingertips
“You know, when Haruto finds out about this he’s going to kill us,” Kame remarks thoughtfully, burrowing further under the covers and shifting to prop his head on a pillow so he can watch Jin.
Jin scowls before yanking the covers back slightly, yelping when Kame responds by poking him in the side, fingers cold as they skate up his sides.
“This is your fault,” Jin mutters glaring up at Kame. His head pounds and his back is killing him, but the way Kame’s watching him, eyes soft, skin flushed makes his irritation lessen slightly.
Kame rolls his eyes, but he’s laughing slightly and the look on his face is softly appreciative.
And later on, when they’re both crowded onto Jin’s sofa, bowls of gyoza and sticky rice on their laps, Jin thinks that this, right here, is love.
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Poll Team Future: Light More Than Lightning