[fic] The Things We Can't Control - Chapter 36 ~His New Life~
Title: The Things We Can't Control
Author:
prettyorianna
Pairing: Akame. Others to be added later.
Rating: NC-17.
Genre: crime drama au
Beta by: my cat Gemma. okay, seriously, nobody
Disclaimer: I don't own KAT-TUN, any of its members, any other JE people. I write this for fun and for other fans of these fine folks. But don't steal my plots, mmkay? I put a great deal of time into them except for when I'm randomly spastically spitting words onto a page. But I value those too...
Summary: Two criminals with vastly different styles meet by chance one day. Can they work together or will they end up destroying each other?
Author's Note: Nice long(er) chapter for you guys. Sorry it took so long. And one of the things that was supposed to happen didn't happen because it took so long to get past the first stuff that I forgot one of the three things I'd actually planned in advance to have happen. Well, if I didn't write it down and I forgot it, must not have been that important.
BANNER BY DESHISORABA!!
Warning: This gets graphic often occasionally, containing at the very least foul language, character death, nefarious crimes, rape, etc etc.
The Master Posts:
On my journal - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the akame_ Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the akame_fanfics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the je_kamenashi Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the kattun_fanfics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the jin_fics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
Chapter 36 ~His New Life~
It was starting to get colder and colder as autumn slowly bled into winter. Kame had been living with the twins since the middle of October and now it there was barely a week and a half left until Christmas. He couldn’t remember another time in his life where he cared or even noticed the approaching holiday and then the turning of the year after that.
This year was different, though. Well, neither Akira nor Aoi had brought up Christmas so for all he knew, they didn’t care. But he did. He even went present shopping when they were out, locking the gifts in his cabinet so they wouldn’t stumble upon them by accident. Oh, they weren’t anything fancy or particularly expensive but they were heart-felt and he just hoped the twins didn’t laugh at him about it.
Er… not that they would. They weren’t like that. He was just nervous about it since it was the first time he’d ever given presents for any reason. Just a few more days before time to hand them over…
Kame had never been happier than he was now.
Well, except the nightmares. They went away for a while until the incident with Daisuke and they just wouldn’t leave for a second time. Almost every night he woke in a cold sweat, shaking and sometimes crying (though no screaming, thank goodness; he always managed to catch himself right as he woke so the scream would just die in his throat). He didn’t want the twins to know, though. It wasn’t their burden and they were already doing so much for him. And not just the job and the paycheck and the place to sleep, either. Aoi taught him to cook. Akira taught him how to keep a financial ledger. Useful life skills that he would always carry with him always, no matter what happened in the future.
So, yeah, life was good but not perfect. He didn’t know why his nightmares wouldn’t go away for a second time. Had… was it something that happened with Daisuke during the night he couldn’t consciously remember? Something worse than the waking up in handcuffs? But how do you move on when you can’t remember what happened?
He needed to figure something out. He was often so tired that he went straight back to bed (or, well, couch) after getting off work and would sleep until dinner some days. Kame was sure it’s why the twins hadn’t moved him to the evening shift yet despite how well things were going and how much he’d learned about the job. They must think he’s some sort of frail invalid or something, needing so much sleep.
If he didn’t come up with a solution soon, he wouldn’t be able to hide the nightmares anymore. That was the reality of things.
Though if he was to be perfectly honest with himself, it wasn’t exactly because he didn’t want to burden them so much as he didn’t want to face what happened at his father’s house, what was done to him. He’d have to deal with things he’d tried so hard to forget.
And, nightmares aside, his life was working for the first time and he didn’t want to somehow screw it back up. Despite his initial discomfort, he really did enjoy his job. The morning regulars (or, well, as close to regulars as the morning shift had) were interesting people to talk to and everyone was respecting his decision to not take part in any encounters. Yassan the bartender (turned out his full name was actually Yasuda Shota but he still insisted on being called Yassan) was also very nice as was the kitchen staff. Though he was pretty sure there was something serious going on between Yassan and the guy that ran the kitchen, Shibutani Subaru. Something deeper than just hooking up like the club members do. Though… he might be wrong, because he knew for a fact that at least once Yassan had gone “on break” to go upstairs with one of the club members, a woman named Ogawa Makoto.
Kame was spot on with his first assessment of the security guy Matsumoto Jun, though. Nice guy, but so terribly arrogant. At first the guy made a big fuss about “how can you refuse to sleep with me when I’m so amazing?” but once he figured out it was nothing personal, he toned down the dramatics.
Actually, Kame was pretty sure the whole thing was more joke and less actual hurt outrage. MatsuJun (that was what pretty much everyone called him) had pulled the “my poor pride” act right in front of Aoi and Yassan and neither of them called him out over it so it did seem likely. Kame just clung to the hope that the twins’ judgment was sound.
When Kame accidentally spilled rum and coke all over one of the regulars (managed to break the glass, too), Akira sent him back home with an exasperated look, saying that he should take a nap and that they’d talk later.
Oh, god, they wouldn’t fire him over that, would they? He was just so tired… He had apologized to the customer and everything, but…
Normally that kind of worry would keep him awake but Aoi insisted he take the bed for his nap (Kame really was getting better at understanding the nonverbal communication) and the bed was so soft and he was so exhausted… He pretty much passed right out.
And then there were those empty eyes and that empty voice and that small smile and the feel of the cold metal biting into his wrists and the sharpness of the blade as it sliced away a little piece of him at a time…
And then he bolted awake, barely managing to contain the scream once more. It took a few minutes for him to remember where he was and even knowing, he couldn’t get his body to stop shaking.
A glance at the clock told him he’d been asleep for not quite an hour and a half. Not long enough. But even when he finally managed to stop trembling, he knew he just wouldn’t be getting any more sleep. Maybe he should get something to eat…
But when Kame started to push the bedroom door open, he could hear Akira talking to Aoi. “I thought so, too. I mean, I know he doesn’t want to talk about his nightmares so I knew it would take him a while, but…” A pause. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. If we bring it up, he may shut down and he’s come so far. I don’t want… hey, what did I say about interrupting me? You really have gotten bold recently, you know…” though Akira’s tone wasn’t critical when he said it (though Kame had no clue how Aoi even could interrupt since he didn’t speak). “I just meant, it’s a minor miracle that he’s even able to trust us as much as he does. He’s so much stronger than he thinks he is. I know you see it, too.”
So they knew about his nightmares after all… Not much to be had for trying to keep them secret anymore then. The twins were so observant that he almost felt foolish for having believed he could hide them in the first place. Though Kame wasn’t sure about the “stronger than he thinks” part.
With a small laugh, Akira continued, “I know. He seems to think we’re just nice people and I guess we are and it’s flattering, but he doesn’t understand. Not really. We didn’t take him in because of some greatness in us. We took him in because of greatness, or at least the potential for it, in him! I know we’ve had this talk before, but I just don’t know how to make him realize that. He doesn’t seem to understand exactly how rare a person he is. We never would have taken him in if he was just like the rest of them, caring only about himself and taking his pain out on others.” Another pause. “You tried that already. We both did.” Yet another pause. “I hate when you’re right like that. You know I hate that.” But there was a small laugh with that last bit so Kame figured Akira wasn’t too serious. “Yeah, I’ll… I don’t want to ambush him right when he wakes up but I promise, I’ll talk to him even if I have to bring it up myself. He’s no good to anyone if he can’t get some sleep.”
One last pause and then, “Yeah, me too. Me, too…”
Kame tried to push the door open a bit more but it was enough to draw Aoi’s attention apparently since Aoi put a hand on Akira’s arm and pointed in Kame’s direction.
“Kame? Stop skulking and come in here. You know it’s very ru…” but Akira trailed off as Kame walked into the room. “You knew he was there the whole time? You really are getting bold…”
Embarrassed at having been caught eavesdropping, Kame apologized, saying, “I shouldn’t have been listening in. I just… I didn’t want to interrupt you guys and then when I heard you were talking about me…”
“I can understand that. But it’s rude so please, try not to do it again.”
“I promise.”
Silence for a couple of minutes but finally Kame asked, “So… you know about them? The nightmares, I mean…”
The twins both nodded.
“How…” and Kame had to cough, to clear his throat. His body didn’t seem to want to let him talk about it but there wasn’t any helping it anymore. “How long?
“The first night.”
Back in October? “But why didn’t you say anything?”
“You were dealing with so much when you first got here. You were terrified and confused and we didn’t want to make it worse. At first, I thought they’d go away on their own but when they didn’t… We thought it was best if we waited until you were ready to talk about it. Except it seems you refuse to deal with it at all and that just doesn’t work. You have to face this, Kame-chan!”
Shaking his head, Kame said, “No. No, everything is going so well now. I love working at the club and I’ve never been this happy in my whole life. If… if I… I don’t want to mess this up! I don’t want to lose what little happiness I’ve finally found.”
“But that’s just it, Kame. Not dealing with it is so much worse. We can see it’s affecting you more and more with each passing day. You’ll crash and you’ll crash hard.”
Could they be right? They usually were…
“I don’t know how. I don’t know what to do,” Kame finally admitted.
Akira led him over to the couch while Aoi went to the kitchen to make some tea (even after two months, Kame was still convinced the stuff was magical in some way). As they sat, Akira told him, “You can start by just talking about it. Facing that it happened and wasn’t just some terrible dream.”
“Well, I don’t…” Damn, this was difficult. “I don’t remember… much… It’s odd. You’d think something so… well, that I would remember every second in full detail, but… I don’t.”
“Kame…” Akira’s voice held quite a bit of doubt.
“No, I’m not lying! I really… even right after it happened, I could only remember bits of it. It all kind of bleeds together in my head. I was… happy. Well, as close to… maybe a bit relieved is better to describe…” And Kame shuddered as he thought back. “Though what I do remember is… bad enough.”
“I wasn’t implying you were lying - ah, thank you, Aoi! - more that the memories are there but as a self-defense mechanism, you’ve blocked them.” Aoi handed Kame a cup and sat down next to him while Akira continued, “The problem is, the memories are still there which means your nightmares can pull from things you don’t even consciously recall happening. But if you start talking about it, even if it’s just the bits you do remember, you can learn to deal with it and your subconscious will start to do the same. It never goes away entirely but it should at least stop the nightmares.”
Nobody spoke for a moment as Kame thought about what Akira said. It did make sense. “Are… you sure you… I mean, it’s not your problem; it’s mine. You… shouldn’t have to deal with it.”
Akira shook his head. “Nice try. You’re not leaving this conversation that easily. Now, please, talk to us.”
Ah, well. He hadn’t really believed that would work anyway. “I… where should I start? You want to hear all about how my father pimped me out for years? Well, he did. He said it was all I was good for and that it was my duty to make him as much money as I could and if he wasn’t convinced I did my best, he beat me. And that was bad enough but at least then, he was careful. He didn’t permanently mark me in any way and he didn’t let anyone else either.
“But then…” Kame took a deep drink of his tea, letting the heat flow through his suddenly cold body. “A day came where my father brought this box to my room and he handcuffed me to the bed. He never did that before, not even once. I didn’t understand. He cuffed me and then he put the box… the box…” and his heart was racing even just from mentioning it. He had to shake his head a bit to snap back to the story. “But there was this man who had paid my father… and he was… different. His… his eyes, his voice… they were wrong. They were all wrong…” and he couldn’t get enough air. The room was shrinking around him, he was sure of it. “There wasn’t… a person in those eyes. Just… empty…
“And I begged him to take off the cuffs. I told him I’d do whatever he wanted but please… the cuffs… cold metal and… and…” and then he lost the room entirely and all he could see was those eyes and all he could feel was the metal biting into his wrists as he struggled. And then pain and screaming and that burnt smell and…
He was only vaguely aware of a voice coming from beside him, smooth and soft and comforting. Even though the words flowed through him and he couldn’t hold them, it did help a little. A few more swallows from his cup and then finally he was able to calm down enough to become more consciously aware of the twins sitting there with him on the couch.
“He… hurt me. Pain and then… he would tend to me. Treat my wounds. Back and forth like that for three days and… well, you’ve seen what he did… the marks it left…”
“So you ran away after that?” from Akira.
“No. My father… after that monster left, he came to see me. Said I ‘did good’ and that I wouldn’t be having all those different me coming to my room anymore. I’m so stupid; I thought when he saw my condition, the cuts and the burns and the blood, it moved him. He finally realized he loved me some small bit at last. So, so stupid…”
Shaking his head, Kame continued, “I stayed. About a month, I think. Healing, getting my strength back. But I was wrong. He… he sold me to that man so he could come whenever he wanted me. He… he was coming back… I couldn’t… not again.
“So I sta…” but Kame caught himself just in time. He didn’t want to bring up the partial blinding of his father; he may as well just outright say he was Papa K’s son since it would pretty much amount to the same thing. “I ran. I took his wallet and my Snoopy and I ran. I found my way to Pearl Street and I hoped my father couldn’t find me there. I just… But I guess the distance didn’t help and I still had the nightmares.
“But they were almost gone. I could go weeks without even thinking about it. I mean, I was miserable, but not from nightmares, at least.”
“But when you woke up cuffed to another bed that day you came here, they came back, didn’t they?” Akira asked him.
Wishing he could just sort of fold in on himself to get out of the spotlight, Kame nodded. “I just can’t… I mean, I can’t even wear a metal watch anymore. It’s just… it’s too much like… I mean, it feels just like it and then I can’t breathe.”
Akira and Aoi were exchanging meaningful glances, or at least they looked meaningful to Kame. Aoi nodded and then Akira did as well. Kame looked back and forth between the two of them for a moment but Akira finally spoke. “I think - right, right, sorry Aoi - we think it isn’t the pain in itself that twists you up in knots. Not that the pain wasn’t horrific in and of itself, because I’m sure it was. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have blocked so much of it out. No, I think what really haunts you is that you were helpless to stop it. You were restrained; you couldn’t even try to fight him off. Everything bad that happened, all that pain and fear and shame, you’ve focused into that feeling of helplessness. The nightmares were fading before because you had a reasonable assumption that, terrible though the streets might be, you were unlikely to go through that again.
“But when you woke up in handcuffs again, every bit of fear you poured into that feeling of helplessness that sent you nightmares before snapped right back to prove you wrong.” When Kame went to respond, Akira put a hand up to stop him. “I know you’ve felt helpless other times, living on the streets. Selling yourself, even if it’s to nice people like us,” and Akira gave a small laugh - not a cruel one but rather in an appreciated attempt to lighten the mood - continuing with, “There’s a certain degree of helplessness inherent in that life. Plenty of people around to take advantage of you, too. But it’s not total helplessness, not like what you went through and that makes all the difference.”
“So… now what? I told you all of that and now the nightmares will magically be gone?” Somehow he doubted it, even with Akira’s soothing voice and Aoi’s magic tea.
“No, not quite like that. But talking about it is the first step. Accepting it did happen. The second step is finding out what, really, you’re afraid of. Do you agree with my thoughts on that?”
Kame nodded. “Un.”
“The rest is up to you. When you’re afraid, you recognize the fear exists and you compare it to the actual situation you find yourself in. Often, you’ll see that the fear far outstrips reality and just by realizing that, you conquer it.”
“So when does the fear go away?” Kame asked.
“Sometime it never does. Everyone feels scared at times, Kame. It’s a part of life. Denying it gives it power; recognizing it, accepting it… strips away that power. You make your fear helpless and not the other way around.”
It was a lot to take in, but… somehow it sounded right. And it wasn’t like this was the first time since moving in that Akira had talked to him about taking control of his own life instead of letting fate just jerk him around at its whim. So far, his advice had been very helpful.
Finally, Kame said, “I’ll try.”
“We know you will, Kame. It’s in who you are.”
+++
The nightmares didn’t magically go away. Kame still couldn’t shake the remembered feeling of the handcuffs. But it seemed that he was handling them better and then they started happening less.
Christmas came and went well. He hadn’t meant to make such a fuss over giving the twins their gifts but at least they found his enthusiasm entertaining. And they had something for him, too - chocolate! What other gift could be better than that? None that he could think of, anyway.
Work was still going well. Kame hadn’t spilled anything on a customer since that first time and as the nightmares slowly died down and he got a decent amount of real sleep, he found himself not only with more energy for his job but also better at reading the club members.
Proving that perhaps there is a silver lining in even the worst parts of our life, the same skills he used to seduce the men that came to his room, to make them stay longer (well, other than the really slutty behavior for the men that responded better to that than words), were helpful at The Club. It had taken him a while to figure it out, but the job was as much about his social skills as it was about his ability to move a drink from Point A to the right Point B. Members came to unwind or drink away problems almost as often as they came for the, um, other activities. Kame was a great listener and a great speaker as well, it seemed. At least, he was pretty sure that’s what Akira meant when he told Kame that more than one customer had mentioned how “bright and engaging” he was.
It was just after the new year when, for the first time in as long as he had been working there, Tackey came in without Tsubasa. Those two members never went anywhere without each other. Yassan told him once that the first time Tackey or Tsubasa showed up was the same day and that it was almost like one of those love stories you read about that you just know can’t be true. They fought, swore they were never coming back, and then came back again on the same day. That time they left together and had been inseparable ever since.
Stopping by the bar, Kame bought one of Tackey’s favorite drinks (or, well, at least one he knew he liked a lot) and walked over to his table, setting it down in front of him. “Come on, here’s a drink, on me. Let’s talk for a bit, ne?”
“Thanks,” Tackey said gratefully. “I think I could use one. So, what would you like to talk about?”
“Important things… unimportant things… I’m not going anywhere so it’s probably best to leave that decision up to you while you wait for Tsubasa to get here.” He knew Tsubasa wasn’t coming, or rather he knew that Tsubasa told Tackey that otherwise Tackey wouldn’t have come alone.
“I don’t think he’s coming today.” The man sounded so downcast.
“Ah…” Kame said slowly but then he suddenly smiled. “So that means I can flirt all I want then!”
“Now, now, Kame-chan… are you telling me you’re suddenly putting yourself on the menu?” Tackey gave him an amused look. “Or is it just for me?”
“Oh, I’m not on the menu. It’s just good fun and I always wanted to learn how to be witty. But even if I was on the menu, it wouldn’t matter. You won’t touch me.”
Tackey gave a small laugh and said, “You’re probably right.” He took a few appreciative sips of the drink Kame bought him. “So, flirting with me will make you witty then?”
“Well…” Kame started slowly, “You’re witty. I’m sure I read somewhere about how contagious wittiness is.”
Now Tackey was laughing and it was a genuine one this time. “I think you tease me. You’re clearly already wittier than I am.” He paused. “Is it really that contagious?”
“Well, ten minutes here with you and I’ve surpassed you? That’s not just contagious; we’re lucky we’re not dealing with an epidemic here! Quick, is wittiness fatal or just awesome?”
“Hm…” Tackey considered for a moment. “We’re both still alive, so I’m going to go down on the side of awesome.”
A very dejected-looking Tsubasa had just come through the door and though Kame noticed, Tackey didn’t. Kame waited until Tsubasa was in hearing range and then teased Tackey with,“Shame that Tsubasa seems immune to it. I guess that just goes to show how much he needs you to look out for him.”
“I think he’d do fine without me,” Tackey murmured, but then nearly jumped out of his chair in surprise when Tsubasa’s hand landed on his shoulder.
“You know that’s not true…” This was from Tsubasa. Kame casually slipped away. Everything would be fine now. They’d work it out or they wouldn’t, but there was nothing more he could do for it. It was just, when Tackey showed up alone, Kame knew the man would sit there and stew for a while. No matter how bad the fight was or what it was about, Tsubasa would come after him. It would go badly if Tackey spent the last half hour fuming or miserably depressed. Kame just couldn’t let things go that way. The two of them were nice guys and had always been friendly towards him.
And this wasn’t the first time he’d done something like that for members, either. He did seem to have a knack for knowing when they needed someone to talk to or at least someone to cheer them up. He just hoped the twins didn’t mind him taking so long with them. They said to be friendly and polite, right? That’s what he was doing.
It was the second week of January when he finally was moved to the evening shift. His nightmares were more or less under control and Akira finally judged him ready. It was almost a sad thing; he’d gotten to know some of the morning regulars (like Tackey and Tsubasa) and would hardly see them again, if at all. Besides, it was the first time in his life where he’d earned respect from the people around him.
But switching shifts, that was a sign of respect too. That was Akira and Aoi saying they trust in his abilities enough to give him a greater challenge.
It was strange, though… having two guys who, excepting that they still wanted to have sex with him, were almost like older brothers to him and actually had faith in him. It seemed like they saw something in him but whenever he asked about it, they were invariably saddened by the fact he didn’t already know and had to ask.
Yes, they still wanted to sleep with him but they were very respectful of his initial refusal and hadn’t said a word about it in months. Kame only knew they still wanted him because he’d catch them watching him, expression unguardedly full of desire. He was pretty sure even that was unintentional or at least they never intended for him to notice it.
Well, as long as they continued to keep their hands to themselves, he’d let them look all they wanted.
+++
Kame’s first night on the new shift probably could have gone better. At least he finally knew why the “Arashi Security Consultant” logo looked familiar. The evening shift had two guards working it from the same company and he recognized both of them. Oh, not by name.
No, he recognized them because they had them for $20 in the alley and not just once, either. He could tell they recognized him, too. He could see it in their eyes.
Truthfully, it made him very uncomfortable, even though the evening shift employees had all been told he wasn’t interested in more than just waiting tables and socializing. Kame spent most of the evening making sure he was as far away as possible for the two security guards, Ohno Satoshi and Sakurai Sho.
Fortunately, the evening shift was a lot busier than the morning shift so he had a ready distraction. Kame never would have imagined how many men and women were interested in the BDSM lifestyle. Not only that, but by and large they actually seemed to be a pretty tight-knit community. They all pretty much knew each other.
Also, for a club that had an such an air of sexuality, the members were remarkably sexually faithful. It wasn’t like some wild orgy (which, if he hadn’t met the twins, he probably would have believed; in fact, from what some of the members were saying, that’s pretty much the universal view of the rest of the world). More than half of the members were monogamous couples who came just to surround themselves with likeminded people who wouldn’t judge them for their particular tastes.
And though he had to politely decline a few offers from the members who cast a wider net, it really was just like working the morning shift. The only differences were the fact that it was so much busier and that he was trying to avoid the two security guards.
And after a few days, everyone pretty much figured out he just wasn’t interested in a hookup and they stopped asking.
Though Akira did finally notice his active avoidance of the two security guards. Three days into the new shift, Akira pulled him aside with, “What’s going on between you and Satoshi and Sho?”
“W-what do you mean?” Kame asked, trying to play it off as nothing.
Akira was not fooled, which made Kame wonder why he ever even tried to hide things from him in the first place. Three months living with them and not one successful attempt. “You’re avoiding them, which says to me there’s something going on. They won’t say what, other than to ask where I met you. Normally, I’d leave the three of you to sort things out yourself. The problem is, they’re here to protect the building and all of the people within, including you. You have to be able to trust them which means you need to work it out. So what’s going on?”
“They were… well, back when I was on the streets, they were customers. I’m sure they recognize me,” Kame admitted
“Ah.” Akira looked thoughtful. “And you see this as a problem.”
“Well, yeah…” Kame said hesitantly. “I… am trying to have a new life. I don’t want everyone to know… And… I’m pretty sure they still want…”
“They’re discreet or I wouldn’t have hired them. And even if it’s true they still want to have sex with you, why is it a problem?”
“Wait, are you saying it’s not?”
“Have they said anything? Have they even tried to touch you?”
“Well… no…” he admitted. The level of scrutiny was making him uncomfortable, really. “No, they…”
With a sigh, Akira said, “We won’t fire them just because you don’t want them around, Kame.”
“I didn’t ask you to!” Kame scratched the back of his head nervously. “I just… I figured…”
But Akira interrupted him, “How are they different than me and Aoi?”
Not a question Kame was expecting. “Well, they… I mean, you two are…” But he couldn’t answer. Actually, now that he was thinking about it, there were a lot of similarities. The two guards and the twins both paid him for sex before, more than once. Both the twins and both of the guards knew he used to live on the streets as a prostitute. They all still wanted him but Kame had to admit, they kept it to themselves.
What, really, was the difference?
Maybe there really wasn’t one.
All Kame could finally say was, “I understand. I’ll sit down with them. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He didn’t want to do it but Akira was right. Though Akira hadn’t actually said it, his tone was more than enough to show Kame how ridiculous he was being. That is, he was letting his fear get the better of him in a situation that was otherwise easily handled.
So after his shift ended, Kame sat down to talk with Sho and Satoshi. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as he expected and it turned out, they’d felt just as awkward and uncomfortable as he had. They didn’t want anyone to know that they spent some of their free nights picking up underage prostitutes in dark alleys. But they reached an understanding; Kame had no interest in embarrassing them and they had no interest in embarrassing him and they all agreed things were different now and that was that.
All better. Right?
And it turned out, once he got to know them, they were both okay guys.
Akira and Aoi were right once again. You face the things you fear and they lose a lot of their power.
+++
Kame’s birthday came soon enough. February 23rd and now he was sixteen. Looking back over the past year, he couldn’t help but notice how far he’d come in that year. On the day he turned 15, there was no way he’d ever have guessed where he’d be at 16.
He hadn’t mentioned the birthday to Akira and Aoi but that was just because it didn’t occur to him there was any reason to. He wasn’t used to celebrating his birthday so naturally he didn’t think someone else would have a reason to celebrate it.
But apparently he said something in passing early into February without realizing it and the twins jumped on the excuse to give him a party at work. Somehow they’d kept the whole thing hidden from him. Not just the twins. The staff was in on it and even quite a few of the members. The entire lot of them managed to completely surprise him. Cake and friends… nice people who were kind enough to not tease him for the tears of happiness he couldn’t prevent.
Kame couldn’t shake the insistent fear that something would come along and completely destroy his happy life, but at least he’d reached a point where he wasn’t afraid to hope, to seek out good things without an overreaching feeling he didn’t deserve them.
That night, after the party wound down and he got a moment to himself, Kame made himself a promise.
He was sixteen now and he would make his seventeeth year into one that he deserved and not one based on his father’s twisted idea of his worth.
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The story continues:
Chapter 37 ~Two Friends~
A/N: Well, there you go. Kame's sixteen now, still living with the twins, gaining self esteem, learning how to deal with his past and how to allow himself hope for a good future.
And, in case you're wondering, I have no clue what Kame got the twins for Christmas. I swear, I tried really really really hard to come up with something suitable and I just couldn't. So I glossed over it in the hopes you guys wouldn't notice... Ooops, sorry.
Anyways, I will try to not take so long with the next update.