Fic for goldfreckled

[formation_akame]

Title: The Real Face World
By: ryogrande
Pairing: Akame?
Rating: PG
Genre/Warnings: crack, snark, cameos, stupidity, and lots and lots of gay
Notes: I was intrigued by the concept of 'what if' AU, which led to "what if KAT-TUN were forced to live together?" I don't think that's exactly how it's supposed to work, and I fear that this is more gen than pairing-centric, but hopefully you like it anyway, goldfreckled. ♥

Summary: KAT-TUN have to live together in a mansion. For a month.


The Real Face World

Two JE senior executives walk into a bar. Off the clock but still tied and suited, the younger one's sister's ex-husband's son's dog-sitter is in town from Los Angeles and animatedly discussing American media that's being played on the radio and television. He's speaking English, which means that the two businessmen are only catching bits and pieces; they consider calling someone for a translation until the kid notices their confused looks and starts enunciating, like that makes it easier.

"Reality shows," he says carefully, nodding with big blue eyes.

"Realty?" the older man repeats, vaguely reminded of a KinKi Kids song.

"Reality," the kid enunciates. "Not realty like houses."

"Realty shows," the younger man says, still pronouncing it wrong. "You say there are seven people in one house?"

"Yes." The kid nods emphatically, as though it will help the older men understand him better. "The point of The Real World is for seven strangers to work together as a team and get along because they all rely on each other to succeed."

The executives nod as well, each thinking of the same JE group that could do with some tough love. Those Americans were ruthless.

The unnamed young man leaves the bar that night whistling happily and drunkenly, oblivious to the fact that within twenty-four hours, six Japanese pop idols will unite for one of the first times since their debut in the opinion of brandishing his head on a stick.

~

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Out of all of KAT-TUN, the N would be the least likely to use the language in the above statement, yet nobody turns their head at the declaration. However, that might be because the other five were too dumbfounded by the announcement to even acknowledge Nakamaru's presence in the room.

"I can't," Jin says haughtily, putting on a face of disappointment except for the spark in his eye that more than conveys his elation for being excluded from what might be a disastrous event. "I am in the middle of a solo concert."

"You will still be able to fulfill your prior obligations." The poor soul who has been given the task to inform KAT-TUN of their latest project speaks very matter-of-factly; Kame wonders what the wormy-looking man did to piss off Johnny. "This project will only last a month, to air as an extended finale for Cartoon KAT-TUN, and thus far everyone involved has been very flexible and accommodating. Management would appreciate your cooperation as well." He pauses and flashes a very bright, very fake smile.

"You will die in your sleep," Jin hisses in English.

"Hmm?" the messenger replies, smile still set.

"Looking forward to it," Jin says in Japanese. "I'll do my best."

"I'll do my best," the other five groan in unison, trying to look happy.

"Great." The man claps his hands together and makes for the door, doing the side-walk that people like to do when they think they'll get mauled if they turn their backs.

KAT-TUN are left alone in the meeting room, each managing to glare at the rest as though this was the fault of everyone except themselves.

"It could be worse," Junno says as positively as he can in a flat voice. "We could have to share a house with NEWS."

"That would make it better," Jin mutters. "I cannot believe I have to live with you assholes for a month, even if it is in a mansion."

"I bet we have to share rooms," Koki grumbles, then his face lights up. "I claim Nakamaru!"

"By some miraculous stroke of luck, we get our own rooms," Ueda drones, waving the list of technicalities the messenger bitch had left in his wake. "We just have to share common areas. And bathrooms."

"Bullshit," Jin whines. "At least there will be staff."

"Staff?" Kame repeats, glancing at the paper in Ueda's hand. "I think the camera guys will just come in the morning and leave at night."

"Not to mention the surveillance cameras posted in inconspicuous places," Koki reads from Ueda's other side.

"No, idiots." Jin makes a face that implies he is a thousand times smarter than anyone else in this room. "The cleaning staff. With six of us, they'll definitely need someone to pick up after us. And cook."

Kame blinks. He's pretty sure he's not the only one.

"Right," says Koki with a nod. "Of course."

"Of course," Kame, Ueda, Junno, and Nakamaru chorus.

For the first time in a long awhile, Kame feels an inkling of pity for Jin.

It's quickly replaced by a cold sweat at the realization that he has to live with the rest of KAT-TUN for a whole month.

Pity can wait.

~

"Man up, Kamenashi," Kame tells his unimpressed reflection in the mirror before leaving the sanctity of his apartment. "It's only a month. We don't even have to do a concert run!"

He can try and psych himself out all he wants, but the truth is that he'd rather undergo a full body wax than share a bathroom with anyone. Even when he gets married, he'll require his own bathroom. His future wife should understand.

"I tried to look on the bright side," he tells Koki later. "It didn't work."

Koki pokes him. "It can't possibly be as bad as you're imagining."

What Kame is imagining is his hair products being used and piles of dishes in the sink, food being left out and attracting bugs... he shivers visibly and Koki looks concerned. "You know Akanishi's mom cleans his apartment every week, right?"

"She does his laundry too," Koki adds. "What of it?"

Kame drops his face into his hands. "This is going to be a disaster."

"Hey, keep the faith!" Koki grins as Kame lifts his eyes in a glare. "He's got his solo concert going on anyway. He'll hardly be there."

Thank god for small miracles. That pity returns, which Kame much prefers over panic.

Koki's staring at him oddly, though. "Why are you so focused on Jin anyway? You should be worried about me. I'm used to walking around my house naked."

Kame just laughs. "That is the least of my concerns."

"Do you think they would cut out those scenes?" Koki asks seriously. "I could just not wear any clothes the whole time. Never mind that it's February. I'd do it in the name of privacy."

"They'd probably just censor it out," Kame figures sadly. "And give you an even weirder reputation."

Koki shrugs. "It was a nice thought."

Kame eyes Koki's short hair and thinks that it would probably be okay to share a bathroom with him. Just for a month.

Except that he takes so long to haul all of his luggage up to the mansion that all but one of the bedrooms have been claimed, and the adjoining bedroom isn't Koki's. Or Nakamaru's, or Junno's, or even Ueda's.

Jin's washing his hands at the sink, getting water everywhere and completely missing the towel rack on his way out. His eyes are also halfway closed, and he doesn't bother to close the door on his side before passing out on his bed fully clothed.

Kame just wipes the counter, hangs the towel neatly on the rack, and quietly closes Jin's door before resigning himself to a month of the same. With Jin as exhausted as he is, Kame can't bring himself to be irritated about it. He wonders if he should go make sure that Jin is comfortable, maybe force him into some sleeping clothes so that he would be well-rested for his concert tomorrow. His waist still bothers him, Kame knows, so it wouldn't be good for him to sleep in a twisted position.

He lays awake that night with the realization that this is why he didn't want to exist in close quarters with Jin; maybe he cares a little too much.

~

"What is that," Ueda says crisply.

Kame glances to the project he spent all night working on. "It's a chore wheel."

Four pairs of eyes blink at him; Jin's are closed.

"If we're going to be living together for a month, we need some structure," Kame tells them. "There are several common areas to keep clean, not to mention routine things like meals and taking out the garbage. I'm sure none of us wants to live in a pile of everyone else's filth."

"I'm okay with that, actually," Koki speaks up.

Ueda scoffs. "You would be."

Timidly, Nakamaru raises his hand. "Can we ban Koki from cooking? He uses way too much wasabi and I don't want to feel like I'm on fire after I eat his food."

"Hater," Koki says fondly.

"We're all going to cook and we're all going to clean," Kame says firmly. "It's only fair. Maybe Koki would agree to put the wasabi on the side or something."

"For the pussies who can't handle it," Koki chides. "I suppose I can do that."

Taguchi peers at the wheel. "Is it really necessary to clean the main bathroom every two days? How often will we be using it?"

"I don't see our shared bathrooms on there," Ueda points out. "Are you not regulating those too?"

Kame narrows his eyes at the insinuation. "I'm sure that two people can work something out."

"Yay," drones Jin without opening his eyes.

Taguchi clears his throat. "With all due respect, Kame-chan, I think you underestimate our levels of domestication. We're all adults here, and most of us live alone."

Everyone turns to look at Nakamaru. "Hey, I know how to clean!" he exclaims defensively. "Much better than someone whose mother still cleans his apartment."

Jin simply lifts his middle finger and snuggles with himself.

"So nobody should have a problem with this schedule, then," Kame says pointedly. "I purposely worked around all of your activities and even took off 'breakfast' for those of you who get to sleep in."

"How thoughtful of you," Jin says sarcastically.

Kame ignores him. "Now, the producers gave us a credit card to spend on food and household necessities, so we should probably all plan our meals and go grocery shopping so that we'll be ready for our-"

"Simmer down, overachiever," Ueda cuts him off. "How about we just take turns going to the store? Not everything has to be a group outing."

"Agreed," Jin jumps in. "You all are getting McDonald's on my nights until my live is over."

Kame frowns. "I have drama filming and I can still make something once a week."

"We're not all as awesome as you," Jin says dryly, then drags himself into a standing position. "I have to go now, I have a show tonight."

"Be safe," Kame says without thinking.

His eyes start to widen when he realizes it, but he puts on a game face before anyone can notice. As it is, Jin stops in his tracks and lifts his eyes to Kame, actually looking at him, and Kame sees in his eyes the confused teenager of ten years ago who looked to Kame for guidance. It floods Kame with so many memories that he almost falls over, physically, and he has to utilize every acting bone in his body to remain still and unaffected.

"I'll do my best," Jin finally says. "Be back later."

"See you later," the others chorus.

Kame watches him leave and wonders why it feels so natural to send him off, like they've been living together for years. He chalks it up to being coworkers for so long and is about to turn back to his presentation when he sees the remaining group members getting up as well. "Wait, where are you all going?"

"I have plans," Koki says. "There's no rules that say we can't go out whenever we want."

"I have to study," Nakamaru pipes up. "My finals are in the middle of this whole thing."

Taguchi drags his eyes away from the colorful wheel. "Assuming I'm the orange one, I need to go buy ingredients for tonight's culinary masterpiece!"

Ueda stares at Kame. "I just don't want to hang out with you. No offense."

"None taken," Kame mumbles quietly. "Today is my day off, so I guess I will just unpack and relax."

"You can come with me if you want, Kame-chan," Taguchi says with a grin, slinging an arm around Kame's shoulder. "I could use an apprentice."

Kame considers organizing his clothes and toiletries in comparison to spending the afternoon in public with Taguchi. He's about to politely decline when he catches sight of Jin's room down the hall, door open and suitcases carelessly strewn everywhere, and he has to hold back the burning desire to neaten and put away things.

"Yeah, okay," he relents. "Let's go."

Because staying here might just make him crazy.

~

"It's going surprisingly well," Kame tells the camera during his Week One Confessional. "To me, at least, it seems like a vacation from our regular lives. It's work, but we get to relax too."

Nobody answers him, and the digital timepiece shows that he's only been talking for thirteen seconds. Five minutes is a long time for a monologue, he thinks resentfully. He looks down at the generic questions that he's supposed to use as a guide, focusing on How do the house mates seem to be getting along?

"The other members are acting the same as usual," Kame answers out loud, followed by a chuckle. "That is to say, we're not spending anymore time together than necessary. We see each other enough, don't we?" He pauses to clear his throat. "We all have our own things going on right now, anyway. This is actually a bad time for some of us, but I guess there would never really be a good time. With the show ending and all."

He looks down at the next question. How do you feel about Cartoon KAT-TUN ending?

"It was fun while it lasted," Kame says honestly. "I hope we'll be given the chance to host another show, maybe one that goes in a different direction. Something like visiting different places and sharing their customs would be interesting."

Now the paper mocks him. Who do you think will change the most from your cohabitation?

"It has to be me, doesn't it?" Kame responds awkwardly. "Someone who is used to living alone having other people in his space. Everyone has been great about following the chore schedule, although not without complaint. I have to wonder how long it will last."

Kame almost laughs when he sees the last question. Who is the one house mate whom you would like to understand better?

He has to think about that one. "Just getting along with the other members is good enough, right? But if I have to choose, it would definitely be Akanishi. I don't get that guy at all." Anymore.

There's still a considerable amount of time left, so Kame launches into his summary of everything that happened that week. The meals were good, different, aside from Jin's night when he stayed true to his word and got McDonald's. It had worked out because that was Koki's scheduled night to do the dishes, of which there were not any. And all six of them had actually been home, which was a rarity; it didn't matter what they were eating when they were lounging around the living room bullshitting and blowing straw wrappers at each other.

Kame wonders when he started caring about the six of them spending time together. It's obvious that that was the main intention of management by shoving them all in each other's faces like this. He bets they expected some kind of brawl, screaming and fighting and breaking things. Too bad they've grown out of that behavior, for the most part.

However, he hasn't spent this long in the industry to expect things to stay this way. This experiment would be awfully boring if there wasn't some kind of conflict. He could only sit back and wait for the inevitable bomb to be dropped; maybe they'll have to try and run a business together or compete against each other for certain privileges.

What's strange is that he's looking forward to it.

~

"I should have known," Ueda groans, flinging his arm over his eyes in despair when they're given the inevitable news. "It was too easy."

"It sounds fun!" Taguchi chirps, ever the optimist. "I can't wait to see what you guys come up with."

Jin just drops his head into his arms and curses his life. "There goes my Italy vacation."

Starting in the Second Week, the announcement reads, each member of KAT-TUN will plan a group activity according to his interests. They will be permitted one outside source from the company to make arrangements and/or participate. The time and place is up to the individual member; however, two events may not take place on the same day, and all six members must be readily available. Off-limits items include alcohol, women, and far-away places. Events must be kept secret until unveiled.

"Dammit," Koki grumbles. "I guess we're not going to the club."

"Thank god," Nakamaru says under his breath.

Kame scrolls through the contacts on his phone and wonders who to choose as his outside source. Or for that matter, what to actually do. The others were comparing schedules but Kame already knows; there's only a limited amount of time they're all free.

"We should go in member order," Nakamaru suggests.

"We always go in member order," Jin whines. "This is my last week of shows, have a heart."

"I'll go first," Kame volunteers flatly. "I'd want to wait until later this week, so Akanishi can do his on Sunday."

"Fine," Jin replies. "I'll do mine on Sunday, whatever it is."

Taguchi raises an eyebrow. "The producers are paying for this, right? Wherever we go, whatever we set up..."

Ueda looks at the fine print. "We have to meet with them to get it approved, but yes."

Something like a sinister chuckle sounds from Taguchi. "I know what I'm doing~"

A simultaneous groan greets his admission. Taguchi just grins and slurps the noodles Nakamaru had made.

Kame goes back to his phone. Obviously Jin would use Yamapi, not that the NEWS leader would be a great help to him when he doesn't even know what to do. Maybe they could learn something new, take a trip to the history museum or be taught some kind of tribal dance. The thought of Jin's face when presented with either of those options almost has him laughing out loud, coupled with the inevitable glazed-over looks of boredom from the others.

The rules said his interests, though. What else was he interested in? Fashion; he supposes they could go shopping or watch a runway show. Photography; they could have a fake photoshoot and take pictures of each other being stupid. But they could do those kinds of things at any time.

"What should I do?" Kame later asks out loud to his reflection.

"You should hurry up so I can pee," Jin calls from the other side of the door. "Can't you worry in your own room?"

"Sorry," Kame mumbles, quickly exiting the room and flopping onto his bed. He plays with his phone until he hears the door open on Jin's side, then raises his voice. "Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"Right now I'm going to sleep," Jin replies. "I'll think about it later."

Kame's heart aches a little as he jumps up and stands on the other side of their adjoining door. He wants to ask if there's anything he can do, but the cameras are always watching. Not to mention that it's a stupid question because he knows there's nothing he can do; Jin has to make it through the next week completely on his own, then maybe he'll be in a better mood.

Ueda's in the main room, scratching a pen onto a notepad in a way that's hypnotic as Kame shuffles into the kitchen for some water. He barely spares the older man a second thought until his quiet voice is penetrating the silence.

"You're really obvious, I hope you know."

Kame almost drops his glass, then spins around to brace himself on the other side of the counter. "What are you talking about?"

Lounging on the couch, Ueda doesn't even look up at him. "I'm worried about him too, but all we can do is support him."

"Are we really supporting him, though?" Kame contests, stepping further into the room. "I mean... we hardly talk to him."

"He pushes us away," Ueda says evenly. "That's what he does. How is this any different than any other time? Other than that you usually don't get to see him mope as much."

"That may be true," Kame replies, "but that doesn't mean we should, I don't know, push back?"

Ueda scoffs. "You say that like you haven't been the one ignoring him."

"I've been filming-" Kame starts.

"Not just since we've been living here," Ueda interrupts. "Don't treat me like I'm ignorant, Kazuya. Just because I don't care doesn't mean I'm blind."

Kame looks at the floor, choosing his words carefully. He would bet his bank account on this conversation being aired. "I don't know what happened. I used to know him. Now he's like a stranger."

"People change," Ueda says simply. "We've all changed, haven't we?"

Those words marinate in Kame's mind as his eyes lift to Jin's closed door. Ueda's question goes unanswered as Kame recalls countless nights sneaking into each other's houses, hiding from their brothers and racing down to the park in the middle of the night just to get away. Fighting to room together on junior trips, helping each other with dance moves, screwing around in rehearsal while Koichi just rolled his eyes. The way Jin used to look at him, like Kame had all the answers in the world despite being the younger one, when Kame was just as clueless as him. Everything they learned, they learned together, cheering when they succeeded and comforting each other when they failed. An unbeatable team, that was Jin and Kame.

Now Kame doesn't remember what that face looks like anymore. There's a new one in its place now, just as beautiful but completely foreign to him.

He sips his water thoughtfully as he stares at Jin's door like he could break through it if he tried hard enough.

All he can do now is try.

~

Kame surveys the field and adjusts his cap. "I can't believe you managed to set this up in less than a week."

Next to him, Matsumoto Jun smirks proudly. "Don't underestimate my connections, kid. You were smart to call me."

The other members look confused as they pile out of the van. Fortunately, Kame thinks, Jun loves to run things.

"Okay, listen up," Jun hollers, kicking open a bag of baseball gear. "We're playing against my friend Hasegawa's company. They're a bunch of stock market nerds. We should have no problem kicking their asses."

Taguchi cheers and grabs a glove. "This is going to be so fun! What positions are we playing, Coach MatsuJun?"

"Coach, I like that." Jun nods to himself. "Since there's only seven of us, I had to call in some favors."

Kame turns around to see Oguri Shun and Ikuta Toma trotting up to them with their own gloves and hats. Koki leans back to fist-pound with Toma while Shun fake-punches Kame in the arm in greeting. Introductions are unnecessary and Jun gets to work, assigning everyone to their positions while Kame gladly hands over the reigns and tries to focus on having a good time doing something he loves.

He jogs to the pitcher's mound and starts stretching, all set to practice throwing the ball until he sees who he'll be throwing it to. "Akanishi?"

"Try not to nail me in the junk," Jin yells from where he's crouched behind home plate. "You guys didn't bring any cups."

Kame has to hold back his grin because behind the mask, Jin's actually smiling. It makes sense that he would play catcher since it's the position that requires the least running; especially nearing the end of a month-long concert run, he doesn't need to be overexerting himself. Jin doesn't complain about it anymore but Kame notices, sees how the elder man holds his water bottle to his waist during MCs and avoids twisting his body at all costs.

It feels like their own secret language as Jin signs to him, telling him what kind of ball to pitch, and they actually strike out Jun who's hitting to the other players to warm them up. Koki's manning first base with Shun as shortstop and Taguchi on third, Ueda, Nakamaru, and Toma in the outfield. Jun will join them on second base when the game starts. As it is, the other team is watching them practice from the dugout, lined up neatly in their official uniforms while Kame and the others are just in old Queen of Pirates concert T-shirts.

Kame swallows. Hard. It's all for fun, anyway. Right?

"Time!" Jin calls, tossing his mask to the ground before shoving past Jun (on purpose) and trotting up to Kame. "You look nervous."

"I do?" Kame replies, glancing once more towards the opposing team.

Then he's smacked upside the head. "Since when do you let other people intimidate you?" Jin barks. "Don't make us look like a bunch of wieners, Kame."

Kame bites back his amusement. "Got it."

Jin pounds his glove against Kame's before returning to home plate, offering him a hopeful look that has Kame's heart flopping around in his chest. He feels seventeen years old again, pitching to a much younger Jin with much bigger hair and a lot more energy, even if the drive to win is still the same. Nothing like some healthy competition to awaken the kid in him, in both of them as Kame feels lighter than he has in years.

"All right, brat," Jun says as he takes his position, pausing to clap Kame on the shoulder. "Let's play our best!"

Kame's noticeably rusty but it doesn't matter; whatever Jin signals for him to pitch, he throws, and the others take care of the balls that get away from him. He doesn't expect to pitch a no-hitter, it wouldn't be as fun if he did; there aren't many opportunities for him to look behind him, but he can hear the laughter and encouraging screams from every single member of his team to work together and tag the runner out.

They earn a good number of runs, too. Taguchi gets some laughs when he points his bat towards the back fence, but the joke's on them as he hits it out of the park and a bite of anpan falls right out of Jin's mouth in shock. Kame's face looks about the same from next to him, where he's icing his arm between innings. Taguchi spins and pirouettes around the bases and everyone is in hysterics, even the other team that applauds him in good sportsmanship.

All in all it's a good game, finished after five innings due to the weekday and the salarymen who have to work in the morning. The final score is 6-5 in favor of Hasegawa Trading, but the stockbrokers celebrate by treating everyone to crepes, which Taguchi loudly declares is a fair trade and everyone groans.

"Nice to see you getting along again," Jun tells Kame as they prepare to leave, Toma and Shun saying their goodbyes to the other members.

"Yeah, that's the point of this whole thing, I guess" Kame says with a shrug. "We've never really had a problem teaming up against other people, though. All six of us are pretty competitive."

Jun cuts his eyes towards him. "I meant you and Akanishi."

"We don't... not get along." Kame sighs. "It's complicated."

"No, it's not," Jun says firmly. "Basically, you're both morons."

"Thanks," Kame replies sarcastically. "That's helpful."

"Trust me, you don't want my advice." Jun winks. "Just don't make assumptions about him, okay? He's working hard, just like you."

Guilt encompasses Kame and he takes a deep breath to push it away. "That's one thing I know for sure."

It's late when they head back and both Jin and Kame fall asleep in the van; at least Kame is sliding in and out of consciousness and Jin has to be completely gone or his head wouldn't be bobbing on Kame's shoulder in the backseat.

"Kame," Jin whispers, in complete contrast to Kame's thoughts. "I have to tell you something. It's really important."

"What," Kame rasps, his voice groggy.

Then Jin shoves him away, sending Kame's face right into the window. "You stink."

"Don't lay on me then," Kame retorts as he rubs his nose. "Ow."

Jin graciously lets him have the first shower when they get back to the mansion, and Kame knocks on his door only to find him asleep on his side, his arm dangling over the end of the bed and his phone open in front of him like he'd been in the middle of typing a message to someone. It's just like their first night here, only this time Kame doesn't shy away; cameras be damned, he ties his towel on top of his head and crosses the room, poking Jin in the shoulder until his eyelids fluttered.

"Wake up or I'm attacking the collarbones," he says firmly.

"You're a bastard," Jin mumbles, squirming around until he moves in a way that has him wincing in pain. "Ow."

"See, this is why you shouldn't sleep like this," Kame berates him, pushing him onto his back and dragging him up to the head of the bed. "Your live is almost done, only a few more days and you can let yourself go to shit again."

"Your faith in me is astounding." Jin groans as he sits up, lifting his sleepy eyes to Kame and snorting at the towel turban. "You're not going to undress me, are you?"

"You're not that lucky," Kame jokes, ignoring the way Jin's tone tugs at something deep inside him. "Good game today, by the way. I was surprised that your calls usually worked out well."

"Then I am lucky," Jin says with a short laugh. "I chose the signals at random. I didn't even remember which one went with which pitch until you'd thrown a few of each."

Kame just shakes his head. "Typical."

Jin's eyes fall shut and Kame watches his face relax, his lips parting slightly as his breath evens and his head falls to the side. At least he's on the pillow this time, Kame thinks, if not excessively warm in all of those clothes. He actually considers removing some of them, at least the sweater, but all he does is turn off the lights and soundlessly shut the door behind him as he retreats to his own room and his thoughts.

He hears Koki and Nakamaru talking in the main room, but the last thing he wants to do is go out there and face anymore lectures. He's had enough.

He's well aware of his feelings on the matter now, even if they're the exact opposite of what everyone thinks.

~

"What I learned this week," Kame rephrases from the question sheet. "I'm not sure if this counts because it's actually an old memory resurfaced, but KAT-TUN works the hardest when competing as a group. We all already want to be the best on our own, so when combined together our will to win is six times as fierce. Like a regular-sized fire that burns freely by itself, but rages when it joins forces with five others."

Including Jin, Kame notes with both amusement and astonishment. He might even carry the biggest flame of all, undetectable normally but burning out of control with just a gust of wind in the right direction. Jin had been so alive in their impromptu baseball game, ready to fight in spite of his exhaustion and doing his best to win. Motivated by the fire of the others.

"We're dangerous when on the same side," Kame continues with a laugh. "It doesn't matter whether we win or lose as long as we fight a good battle. And I feel that this week we fought a good battle."

With the other team, with each other, with himself; Kame's analogy stings in his own heart as his inner demons burst forth from their cage and have his nerves tingling with a newfound goal. To go back to the way things used to be, by completely starting over. To make it even better than before.

This one will take the most effort, but Kame's willing to fight with everything he has.

It's worth it to see Jin look at him like that again.

~

"Yay, KAT-TUN!"

Yamapi flies through the front door and bounces with enough energy for all six of them, particularly Jin who is half asleep on the couch and still hungover from the after-party last night.

"Too noisy," Jin mumbles, and Yamapi just grins.

"If it's Yamapi, it will definitely be fun!" Taguchi squeals, running up to bounce with their guest.

Kame feels tired just looking at them. Ueda's calmly reading a book, Koki's texting on his phone, and Nakamaru looks like he's mulling over study material in his head while staring unseeingly at the turned-off television set.

Predictably, Yamapi pauses to consider them all in turn. "Such low tension, KAT-TUN!"

"What are we going to do, Yamapi?" Taguchi asks excitedly. "Go to the sea?"

"It's the middle of winter," Ueda pipes up.

"We could still go," Taguchi mumbles.

"I thought a lot about what to do with you all," Yamapi declares, his voice demanding attention. "We could do something exerting but it's such a busy time for most of us that it seems better to relax, doesn't it?"

"This is why you're my best friend," Jin says, leaning up in interest. "What did you have in mind?"

"You don't even know?!" Koki chastises. "It's your event!"

"Too noisy!" Jin yells again.

Kame watches intently as Yamapi uncovers a bag of DVDs from behind his back. "Scary movies!" Yamapi announces.

He's met with five pairs of skeptical eyes; Jin's, once again, are closed.

"We're not NEWS," Koki informs him, blinking rapidly.

"Obviously," Yamapi replies. "I can't watch scary movies with them. Kei has nightmares and Tegoshi gets ideas."

Nakamaru looks like he's in the former category.

Ueda eyes the titles and sighs. "Beats leaving the house."

"Agreed," Jin calls out. "Pin's super scary sleepover party - commence!"

Two hours later, all of KAT-TUN (including the unofficial dash) are huddled under a fort of cushions and blankets, shrieking like girls and screaming at the TV for the unsuspecting victim to look behind her or run in the opposite direction. There are containers of take-out scattered all over and Koki's keeping a count of gratuitous cleavage shots, Yamapi helpfully pointing them out while Taguchi laughs at every poor attempt of horror and Nakamaru hides his face in Ueda's shoulder.

Jin's completely passed out on the floor between Yamapi and Kame, the flashing lights from the TV periodically illuminating his face in a way that's creepier than anything that's happening in the movie. His torso rises and falls with each breath, his hair draping over his eyes and Kame starts to reach for it on instinct, then pulls back and realizes that he hasn't been watching the screen for several minutes.

Then Jin's stomach growls and Kame notices Jin's untouched box of curry rice, thinks about waking him up to eat until Yamapi elbows him in the head and Jin swats at him in retaliation with a miserable groan.

"Hey, you," Kame hisses, nudging Jin with his shoulder until he gets a grunt. "Aren't you hungry?"

"More sleepy," Jin responds, barely audible. "Head hurts."

Kame is pretty sure that this goes against everything he's ever known, but it feels like second nature to pop open the box and unwrap the chopsticks, taking a small amount of food between them and waving it in front of Jin's nose. "You need to eat."

Jin pries his eyes open with what looks like a lot of effort, looking up at Kame with an indescribable expression. Instead of saying anything, he just opens his mouth, enough for Kame to shove the bite in and return to the box for more.

Thankfully the others are too engrossed in the movie to pay any attention to them, except Nakamaru of course, making Kame feel less ashamed about feeding Jin until the latter stops welcoming it. His eyes fall shut halfway through but he chews properly, his pink tongue darting out to clean his lips and shining in the reflecting light. It's mesmerizing the way Kame is drawn to him right now, the natural beauty of Jin's face as he goes back to sleep; he wonders what would happen if he pushed the hair out of Jin's eyes, maybe lingered or dragged his fingertips over Jin's hairline.

He wonders what would happen if he did it while Jin was awake.

It's Yamapi who catches him first, casting knowing eyes over Jin's head as their longtime friend slowly smiles in support, approval, maybe even gratitude. Kame has always felt that Yamapi could see right through him when he probably doesn't even see him at all, but nevertheless Kame looks back with a sheepish expression and Yamapi reaches his hand up to muss Jin's hair even more, rousing the other just enough to groan.

Kame doesn't even see the movie anymore, or the other members, or even Yamapi. Just Jin, his flawless face barely visible as he lays on his own arm, his exhales blowing around the locks of hair over his closed eyes. His sleeping form awakens something inside Kame that's lain dormant for a long time, something too familiar to be brand new, too natural to bring with it any shame.

Passing out on the floor is uncomfortable, as expected, along with the morning sun that shines into their eyes from the front window on which they'd neglected to draw the curtains closed, but Kame wakes up with his nose in Jin's hair and a smile on his face.

It's about now that he realizes his feelings may have approached dangerous territory.

~

They were apprehensive about Taguchi's activity, purely based on his odd behavior as well as the maniacal grin he wore in the days leading up to it, but Kame at least relaxes the minute he sees the tallest's good friend step into the mansion.

Because everyone knows that Ohkura Tadayoshi doesn't willingly agree to do anything that requires effort.

As it is, he's lounging on Taguchi as the latter gleefully announces that they will be spending the day being pampered at a day spa, doing everything from pedicures to facials with an hour massage at the end. Kame thinks this might be the first time in almost ten years that every other member of KAT-TUN has looked at Taguchi with pleased expressions, even if Kame thinks that it's a bit of a cop-out. Aside from the fact that the spa they're going to is part of a chain that Ohkura's aunt owns, isn't this still something that they could do every day?

He supposes the point is that they're doing it together, even if they spend most of the day being separated in different parts of the spa. At one point Kame ends up in the same room as Ueda, but neither one seems keen on talking. Cameras follow him everywhere; they'll probably end up voicing over this footage or even glossing over it completely.

"I feel like a rubber band," Jin comments on their way back, to the place that Kame's started thinking of as 'home'. He still misses his apartment, with his own things and his own space and his cute puppy whom his oldest brother is watching for the month, but he has gotten used to the big mansion and their communal rooms, even the other people whom he now sees at work and in his private time. At least they don't have to go anywhere for meetings; they can just lounge around the main room and go over business there.

Since Jin's live ended, he's been a lot more awake and courteous, picking up after himself and actually looking alive. His clothes and necessities are still flung all over his room, but Kame tries not to look in there. If Jin doesn't drip water all over the bathroom floor, he's happy.

Going into March and also week three, it still amazes Kame how well they're cohabiting, all six of them as well as just himself and Jin. Koki and Nakamaru are still best friends, Ueda hasn't strangled Taguchi yet, and Jin and Kame are actually interacting without being forced. Already they're fending better than they have on any concert tour.

He may even find himself a little sad that it will be over soon. They've made it halfway, only a week and a half left before they leave the mansion and go back to their regular lives. At least, their regular homes. He'll still have to see them at work, although it won't be nearly as often once their show ends.

Something tells him that he should cherish the time they have left together, even if it means eating Nakamaru's failed attempt at grilling steaks or being pulled from animal to animal at the petting zoo by two grown men. Nobody is surprised that the hardcore gangster Koki and his homeboy of choice Fujigaya Taisuke decide to flail over soft baby goats and sheep, but Kame can think of a lot worse things they could be doing given Koki's thirst for a thrill.

Eventually he just settles down on the curb and watches the others, particularly Jin who looks like a little kid on Christmas morning. Kame can't help but smile when the older man pouts about being too big to go on a pony ride, making the attendant laugh and give him a hard time. A young mother offers to let Jin walk next to her daughter so that he can at least hold the bridle, and Jin nearly bounces with excitement as he rushes to make friends with the little girl.

Every female in a fifty-foot radius has stars in her eyes, and Kame's pretty sure that he would too if he had ovaries. As it is, he watches Jin's paternity shine and hopes that he gets to have his dream soon, to be a father and have children of his own to spoil and learn from. Kame can think of a number of women who would gladly provide this service for him, even if the thought twists something deep inside him. At least Jin would be happy.

But it would be better if Jin could be happy with him.

Kame's so lost in his revelation that he doesn't notice the baby goat come up and head-butt him in the knee, knocking him off balance and sending him backwards into the cold, cold grass. Of course everyone sees this and Kame puts on his best amused face, trying to look like he was decidedly not thinking about his internal confession for the cameras that are undoubtedly on him.

Over by the stable, Jin isn't paying him a bit of attention, circling the small track with the girl who's looking at him like he's the most important person in the world, her expression mirrored by her mother standing behind the fence. Kame doesn't doubt that she will give Jin her number before they leave, even though he's pretty sure that she's not the kind of woman he likes.

He doesn't know Jin's type anymore. Only how he answers the question in their group interview, which is as vague and non-shallow as the rest of them. He hasn't seen Jin with any girls lately, but that doesn't mean he hasn't had any. Kame wouldn't bring his girls to work either, if he had some to parade around.

"You look like you have the worry of the world on your shoulders, senpai," Fujigaya says as he leans down to pull Kame back onto the curb, then plops right next to him. "How can you still be stressed around all of these cute animals?"

Kame scoffs, rocking to the side to nudge the junior with his shoulder. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

Fujigaya nudges back. "Don't give me a reason to worry~"

Laughing, Kame keeps moving from side to side until they're slamming each other over and over, even as Koki growls from across the courtyard. "Oi, Kamenashi! My junior, not yours!"

Fujigaya feigns a gasp. "So possessive."

He flits off and Kame's eyes roam back to the stable, where Jin's pony ride is over and he's thanking the girl's mother with a bow. But before Kame can narrow his eyes in jealousy, something fat and furry is plopped in his lap.

He looks down to see a pure white rabbit sniffing at him and moving around. "It's a rabbit."

"You looked sad," Taguchi's unmistakable voice sounded from above. "And nobody can be sad with a bunny in their lap. It's a true fact."

"I'm not sad!" Kame almost yells, rolling his eyes. "What is it with you guys?"

Taguchi leans down and moves the rabbit's feet with his words. "Happy bunnies don't like sad turtles~"

"So stupid," Kame mutters, but his hand is traitorously lifting to pet the soft fur on its head.

"Only a little over a week left!" Taguchi says jovially. "Then we can go back to the way we were before, yeah?"

Kame watches him walk away, the rabbit settling peacefully in his lap, and decides with certainty that that is the last thing he wants.

~

"This week," Kame declares, choosing his words carefully, "was comfortable."

His actions even back up his words, he realizes as he slouches in the hard chair and stares off into the distance instead of sitting straight up with his attention on the camera like he usually does. On the surface, nothing has really changed - he still has drama filming and single promotions, which isn't his biggest workload but it still doesn't leave him with a lot of free time - but his demeanor about it is drastically different than when they'd first moved in, the exact opposite even.

He could say for sure that most of that has to do with Jin. Aside from any strange pangs in his heart at the mere thought of him, Kame has noticed a change in Jin as well. At least a change in the way Kame had previously seen him. Whereas Kame had thought that he was stuck-up and distant, he was just being quiet and actually a little shy. Kame can see it in his face when he talks, the fear in his eyes of saying the wrong thing and being misunderstood. It's hard to believe that the once excitable Akanishi Jin who laughed with everyone else when he said something stupid would have grown up to be so cautious.

"Something I learned this week," Kame goes on, stalling with a relaxing sigh. "Being fair doesn't necessarily mean being equal. It's okay for one person to do something they're good at more often as long as the others make up for it in some other way."

He thinks back to his chore wheel and chuckles out loud, remembering how the others had kept moving around their pegs before Koki finally kicked it and sent it flying. Kame had only been a little heartbroken, his careful organization thwarted, but then the others had agreed to let him off of dinner duty due to his busy schedule and he saw the perks to compromising.

His group are no strangers to teamwork either, pairing up to do monotonous things like cleaning and doing the dishes to make them more enjoyable. Kame would argue that it usually ended up counterproductive because they would inevitably goof off and end up with an even bigger mess, but that didn't stop him from getting into dish-soap-bubble wars with Taguchi or running Koki down with the vacuum cleaner.

He might even miss them when he goes back to living alone. Just a little.

The most notable event of the week, one which was planned by no one and would never be discussed in any confessional (yet would probably be aired in its entirety because of the two involved), was when Kame got up in the middle of the night and heard banging and swearing coming from the laundry room. He debated ignoring it completely and going back to sleep, because it was unmistakably Jin, but curiosity got the best of him and he'd be a liar if he tried to act like he didn't care.

Besides, the sight of Jin frowning at a once-large T-shirt that had shrunk to the size of Tanaka Juri was just short of hysterical. The nasty glare Jin gave him just added to it, and Kame laughed until his side hurt as he stepped further into the room to survey the damage. "Do you need some help?"

"No," Jin replied stubbornly, looking torn between sulking and punching Kame in the face. "I need a new wardrobe."

Kame surveyed the settings on the appliances and tried not to look too amused as he instructed Jin on the proper temperatures for washing clothes. The last person to use the washer had been doing his sheets, so it was still set on hot, but luckily Jin had only done one load (of mixed colors and whites, to Kame's dismay) to see how they turned out before he did anymore.

"I thought I had enough clothes to last a month," Jin said sadly as he sat on the washer and bounced with the spin cycle. "I do, but I ran out of underwear."

Kame peered into the basket of shrunken garments and raised his eyebrow. "Let me guess, you put them all in that load."

Jin's hair covered his eyes as he hung his head in shame, and Kame didn't have the heart to laugh at him anymore. Instead he poked at him until he scooted over, enough for Kame to hoist himself up next to him. They bounced in silence, balancing themselves with their arms like they were surfing, and at one point Kame would have fallen off the side if not for Jin's reflexes hooking their elbows together.

"Thanks," Kame mumbled, and Jin just grunted and didn't let go until the washer was done.

Kame set the dryer for him as well, gave him strict orders not to touch any of the dials except the times, and went back to bed. He slept dreamlessly and woke to an actual breakfast, the other members in complete awe of Jin's uncharacteristic generosity even if he hadn't actually been to sleep yet. Jin can cook well when he wants to and he'd gone all out, a buffet of traditional breakfast foods - both Japanese and American - to send Kame (and indirectly the others) off to work with a full stomach and therefore in a good mood. (Kame was a lot like Kyouhei in that retrospect, he thought.)

Then Kame had noticed that Jin's loose sweatpants did absolutely nothing to cover the fact that he was most definitely going commando. It was very, very distracting.

"Compromise is the key to maintaining healthy relationships," Kame says now, smirking at the memory. "If everyone is comfortable with themselves and each other, then it's easier to be free and let it all hang out."

~

"You're different," Nishikido Ryo announces, honing in on Kame with his guitar case hanging on his back. "What's different about you?"

Kame stares at him, still unsure as to why he's actually there. "I cut my hair?"

"Because I notice shit like that," Ryo says sarcastically, eyeing Kame from head to toe. It's very creepy. "No, there's something different about your... persona."

Next to them, Ueda rolls his eyes and punches Ryo in the shoulder. "I didn't invite you so that you could perv on my bandmates."

Ryo makes a face. "As if."

"Wait," Taguchi beats everyone to the inevitable question: "Nishikido is your special guest?"

Ueda faces off against them all with a careless shrug. "What of it? He's a good guitar player."

"And you don't completely suck on the piano," Ryo shoots back.

They half smile at each other. Kame glances towards Jin out of the corner of his eye and feels normal.

"I thought we could sit around and enjoy some live music," Ueda tells them all. "We're always working so hard to memorize lyrics and harmony that we overlook the most important part - the actual song."

"I can play the guitar too, you know," Jin speaks up with a pout.

"Yeah, but Nishikido can play just about anything he's heard before," Ueda goes on. Kame notices his eyes lighting up like he's actually bragging about it. "He's like an acoustic jukebox."

"I accept all forms of currency," Ryo adds. "Just don't try to stick it anywhere."

Jin snorts while Koki looks confused. "So we're just going to sit around and listen to Nishikido play?"

"No, idiot," Ueda answers fondly. "We're going to sing. For fun."

"And what makes you think we'll all know the songs?" Kame asks skeptically. "We all have different tastes in music."

In response, Ryo pulls out his guitar and strums the beginning chords to an old Mr. Children song, and all seven of them are humming along automatically while Ryo and Ueda look smug. "I rest my case," Ryo says, then launches into the song properly.

Kame has to admit that it's a little relaxing, if not therapeutic to sing from his heart without any worry to his pitch or volume. Next to him, Jin doesn't sound any different than when he's on stage, and Kame doubts that he could turn off the diva if his life depended on it. Ryo plays a few more classics before shifting over to the staples of their agency, songs they've sung and heard the juniors sing enough to haunt their dreams even as adults. Then he treats them all to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Under the Bridge', and it's a nice break for the others to rest their voices while enjoying Ryo's soothing rendition.

It's like acoustic karaoke from then on, someone yelling out a song and Ryo playing it if he knows it. It's a lot more fun than Kame had thought it would be, particularly when Koki and Jin try to one-up each other on girl group songs and Ueda completely butchers a Gackt song. However, the mood shifts drastically when Jin sings Kizuna by himself, and Kame lets him.

He leaves their gathering with another song that will haunt him in his sleep, one that has nothing to do with badly sequined costumes and backflips.

Nakamaru's activity isn't much better for Kame's sanity, even if it caters much more to his interests. Nakamaru's best friend and NewS' resident smile maker shows up with a bunch of cookbooks and a blinding grin, and Nakamaru actually looks devious as he explains that they're going to have a cooking contest.

In pairs. With Massu as the judge.

"Unfair," Taguchi calls out, wielding a spatula accusingly at Massu. "He will definitely pick your team because he's your friend!"

"I would never pick anything less than the tastiest," Massu says seriously. "And aren't you on his team?"

Nakamaru raises an eyebrow at Taguchi, and Taguchi looks sheepish. "Oh, right."

The two of them tie on aprons and flip through cookbooks, opting to work with the ingredients they have rather than waste precious time going to the store. Ueda and Koki look like they'd rather be doing anything else than taking off for somewhere that is not the actual market because Jin and Kame don't see them there, Kame trailing behind Jin like a lost puppy as the more cultural of the pair gathers the makings for homemade pasta with red sauce. Kame wonders what he's going to do as they head back, then instantly regrets feeling left out when Jin puts him to work rolling dough and chopping vegetables.

They all have to share the kitchen but somehow they manage, the results of six people working around each other for years shining through as they split the stovetop and alternate oven use. Kame happily takes on the job of stirring the sauce and falls a little bit in love with the smell, his mouth watering even when Jin tries to nudge him away to test it.

"Nowhere close to my grandmother's," Jin says dejectedly. "But it will have to do."

"I'm sure it's fine," Kame drawls, making eyes at the spoon until Jin gives him an amused look and lets him have a taste. He tries to keep his eyes from rolling back into his head, but he's pretty sure he fails.

"At least you like it," Jin notes with a laugh, the smile lingering as they put together a plate for Massu, topping it off with garnish in the shape of a smiley face.

Also on the table is a bowl of beef and potato comfort stew (nikujaga), which looks good but pales in comparison to the tray of steaming hot gyoza next to it, each one plump and hand-rolled.

Koki and Ueda grin victoriously as Massu's eyes light up and he chooses theirs to eat first. Kame notices that Nakamaru looks skeptical, and for good reason because Massu pauses in his dream-like chewing and narrows his eyes at the smug pair. "Cheaters!" Massu declares.

Koki's face falls guiltily and Ueda rolls his eyes. "I told you he would know," Ueda hisses.

Nakamaru just laughs as Massu proceeds to tell them all where exactly Ueda and Koki bought the gyoza, what cook at the little restaurant made it, and how many hours it's been cooked. Kame feels a little intimidated.

One pair now eliminated, Massu turns professional eyes to the remaining dishes and opts for Taguchi and Nakamaru's first. He smiles lazily, looking relaxed as he slurps up enough to suffice before approaching the last contestant.

Jin's clutching onto Kame's arm, but Kame can't find it in him to be bothered. They both watch like hawks as Massu expertly spins a fork full of the pasta, shoving it into his mouth and somehow managing to grin with his mouth closed (and full) as he savors the bite.

A rolling pin bangs down on the counter in verdict. "The Akanishi-Kamenashi team wins!"

Kame feels like he's flooded with happiness while Jin just shrieks in joy, and the next thing he knows he's being spun around the kitchen and becoming very, very dizzy from the motion as well as the rapid beating of his heart. Jin finally puts him down and he knows his face is red, hopes that the viewers will chalk it up to excitement or maybe the heat of the kitchen instead of what it most definitely is, what spreads all throughout him as Jin hugs him like he used to when they were young.

Homemade pasta and red sauce tastes a lot better when he's in love.

~

Four weeks later and Jin's still uncomfortable, shifting nervously in the empty room with the remote controlled camera. It's visible on his face along with the way he swallows hard before speaking.

"I would have rather been in Italy," he mumbles, the small smile following his words showing his humor. "Staying in a hotel and eating out every day. Being surrounded by beautiful, exotic women."

He scoffs, playing with his hair and turning sheepish eyes towards the camera. "I don't think I learned anything about those guys that I didn't already know. Kame is a neat freak, Koki's hyper, Taguchi is KY, Ueda's bitchy, and Nakamaru's nose blocks the TV." He takes a breath, then nods. "I think that if any of them were to change, they wouldn't be the same. KAT-TUN wouldn't be the same. So I put up with it, for the sake of the group."

Clearing his throat, he looks down at the list of questions in his lap. "'Is there anything you want to say to the other members with whom you've just coexisted with for an entire month?'" he reads in a dull voice. "Actually, there is. You guys did a lot to help me out while I was doing my live, thank you for that. It would be good if you could be like that all the time."

Kame rolls his eyes while Jin snickers at himself on the TV. "Spoiled brat," he mumbles.

"If I ever wasn't, you would worry," Jin says knowingly.

He's right. Shaking his head, Kame leans back and cracks open his beer, his eyes glazing over at his own face on the TV. Jin makes fun of the youngest's epilogue while Kame halfheartedly pays attention, already well aware of the predictable bullshit he had spewed about being a team and growing together. It's ironic because if anything, he feels like he's regressed from their time together, particularly to his teenage years when he loved freely and wasn't restricted by adult complications.

It's how he justifies inviting Jin over to watch the airing of Cartoon KAT-TUN's last episode, anyway. Jin mentioned that it should have been all of them and Kame doesn't disagree, except that his reason for inviting Jin over has nothing to do with their show and everything to do with his ulterior motives.

Which brings him to now, where he's sitting on his couch as far away as he can get from where Jin is sprawled out like it's his own, beer wedged between his legs and messy ponytail sticking out of the back of an old ball cap. It's obvious that Jin put no thought into his clothes, at least no more than the fact that he had to wear some, but that's just more comforting. If Jin had showed up well-dressed and looking sharp, Kame would have probably called the men in the white coats to take him away.

There's definitely some truth to Jin's words about accepting each other as they are. Part of the reason he likes Jin is because Jin can be lazy and rude, without apology, completely uneducated about simple household chores like doing laundry or making a bed. It makes him more real, less like a polished, perfect idol and more like someone whom Kame could tolerate for longer than a few forced-smiled minutes under bright lights.

"I should go," Jin says, yawning so widely that it couldn't be fake. Kame doesn't think it's possible for Jin to fake something as natural as being sleepy anyway. "We have a long day tomorrow."

"Just stay over," Kame replies, his mouth forming the words before his brain processes them. His eyes bulge wide when he realizes it, fingers tightening on his empty beer as he debates taking it back.

Jin seems to be thinking about it. "Ah, we are going to the same place anyway, aren't we?"

The TV should have holes in it with as hard as Kame is staring at it, or rather through it as it only serves as a point of focus while his mind wanders to what would happen if Jin stayed. Sadly he would probably pass out on the couch in the exact position he's sitting in, but maybe by that time Kame would have scrounged up the nerve to at least speak part of his mind, which was unfortunately the hard part where he confesses to seeing Jin differently after being forced to live in close quarters with him as an adult.

The frightening part is that it doesn't feel different at all, not compared to when they were kids and inseparable. That's how Kame knows it's real.

Jin's head rolls to face him while his body sinks further into the cushions. "Would you have ever asked me to spend the night any other time in the past five years?"

"I wouldn't have asked you to come over in the first place," Kame answers honestly.

Jin makes a deflated, thoughtful noise. "I wonder what changed."

Kame swallows. Hard. "I think I understand you a little better now."

"At least someone does." Jin flashes him a sleepy smile as his head rolls to the other side, looking longingly at the door. "Thanks for the offer, but I still think I'm going to go."

A million protests fly through Kame's mind as Jin stumbles into a standing position, but the only one he voices is "Are you okay to drive?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." Jin stretches, Kame's eyes shamelessly dropping to where his shirt rides up and bares his stomach. "I will let you buy me dinner tomorrow, though."

It takes Kame a second to hear him properly, his gaze darting back up. "Huh?"

"Dinner, your treat." Jin looks smug. "After work."

"Only if you make it," Kame shoots back, just as haughtily.

"Deal."

Kame's heart races as he watches Jin lace up his boots and shrug on his coat. He considers jumping up, saying something - something amazing - but the words never come; this isn't a drama that's scripted for him where all he has to do is show the emotion of someone else's words.

"Be safe," is all that comes out, and this time it's as natural as if he's been saying it for years.

It's a start.