[fic] The Things We Can't Control - Chapter 37 ~Two Friends~
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: Well, the chapter is short but here you go!
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 37 ~Two Friends~
The first thing out of Jin’s mouth as he entered the church office was not ‘hello’ or ‘how are you’ but rather a quickly desperate rambling apology for slapping Tatsuya back at the rough trade house. “Forgive me! I didn’t know what else to do and we had no more time and…”
But Tatsuya didn’t respond to his apology. He was staring off into space, still sitting on the sleeping mat. Without even looking in Jin’s direction, he asked, “Is this another dream? Will I wake up still in that room?”
Jin wasn’t sure what to say other than, “You can’t be dreaming. You’re awake.”
That did earn him Tatsuya’s gaze. “Still baka…” with a soft smile.
“I’m not!” Jin shot back in a huff. “How am I being an idiot?”
“When’s the last time you dreamt you were asleep?” and when Jin didn’t immediately answer, he continued with, “So this place is real, then. And… last night, Koki… he was real too?”
“Yep, we’re all real.” And Jin handed Tatsuya’s bowl to him. “Sorry it’s cold now. And, you know, sorry for the other thing…”
“It’s fine and… wait, what other thing?”
Scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh, “You don’t… remember… Ah, um… no, nevermind. We’re, um, good…”
“Jin…”
“Maybe for h-hitting you.” Jin said it fast and barely louder than a whisper.
Tatsuya stopped midmotion. “So that was real, too.”
“Tat-chan?”
Shaking his head, Tatsuya said, “It’s nothing.”
“Talk to me, Tat-chan. Please.”
Biting his lower lip, Tatsuya said, “I hoped when you said this wasn’t a dream, that it’s real… I wondered if that meant the rest of it wasn’t… But I guess it was. Should have realized; I wouldn’t hurt so much right if it wasn’t.” And Jin watched as his friend turned all his attention suddenly to eating the food.
“D’you wanna talk about it?” Jin asked. It was better to get it out, right? Not hold it all in? He was sure he heard that somewhere. Well, for himself, he didn’t talk about things so much but that was mostly since the only person he had to talk to was Tatsuya and he always kinda felt his friend had too many troubles of his own to be worrying about another set of troubles.
“Not to you…”
That hurt.
But Tatsuya must have picked up on that feeling because he suddenly said, “No, I meant… I wasn’t saying… Well, it’s just, you’ve never had… You wouldn’t understand, that’s all. It’s not that I don’t…”
“You think I’ve never had the shit beat out of me before? Why do you think I left home when I was ten?” Jin asked.
“You told me your mom threw you out.”
“Yeah, same thing. Whatever. Point is, her boyfriends used to beat me so I know…”
Tatsuya shook his head again and interrupted with, “I wasn’t talking about the bruises anyway. Jin, You’re one of the best people I’ve ever met but you just… you don’t know what it’s like when the only way to keep yourself fed is to sell yourself. When you don’t even get the luxury of turning down anyone because you’ll get the crap beat out of you if you do and you need the money anyway or you don’t eat. And it’s dangerous because some people will just take what they want and it’s not like you can get them arrested for raping you because the cops think you’re trash… and that’s assuming they’re not the ones just taking what they want in the first place!”
Great, now he made Tatsuya cry. He really was going for a record, making everyone around him cry this week. Or at least it seemed like that. Some good guy he was…
But, listening to Tatsuya, Jin was reminded of Kame, that night in the out-of-town motel. “You don’t know what it’s like to be one of them,” Kame had told him. Also that his “stubborn principles didn’t make him better” than the rest of them.
“Maybe you’re right.” Jin hated that it hurt his feelings so much even though he could see it was true. “But I do my best, Tat-chan. You’re my best friend! So what if I don’t understand? Explain it to me. I can listen. I can be supportive. I…”
“Jin, please. I can’t fight right now. Please.”
That made Jin freeze. Tatsuya always matched him blow-for-blow (figuratively speaking) when they argued. Well, Jin usually ended up louder and louder and Tatsuya got sharper and more waspish, but it was pretty much even.
“It’s only because I care so much. And if something happens to you, I’ll be all alone.” Jin sighed.
Now Tatsuya looked confused. “What about the man who slept in here?”
Huh? “Kame? What about him?”
“Well, he said your name in his sleep… at least, I think he was asleep…”
“He did what now?”
“Or moaned. Whatever.” But now Tatsuya just looked confused. “I thought maybe you two were together. Though I was a bit surprised because I didn’t think you liked guys. You turned me down the day we met, remember?”
“That was because I couldn’t afford you,” Jin teased, but then the rest of it sank in. “Oh, we are not together. All we do is argue.” That kiss, though, the first one and not the really messed up one when Kame attacked him in response… that had been rather nice. Though Jin had to admit, “But I never would have been able to rescue you without his help. Hell, I’d probably be sitting in jail right now if it wasn’t for him.”
“Again? What would that be… three drunk and disorderlies?”
Geez, Tatsuya was never going to let him live that down, was he? Under his breath, Jin said, “Four…” but then a little louder added, “No, I mean prison. Bank robbery.”
“Oh, god, you really are an idiot, Jin…”
“Hey, it was for you! Papa K said I had to get $40,000 by Friday or he’d kill you! What else could I do? I didn’t know where to find you or even if you were still alive!”
“So how did this Kame keep you out of prison?” Tatsuya asked, eyebrow quirked in amusement (something Jin found really reassuring, a sign that his friend still could be amused despite everything that happened to him).
It was embarrassing, really, but this was Tatsuya he was talking to. “He took my gun, tried to intimidate me into leaving, mocked me, and we ended up brawling right there in the bank. I maybe sort of kind of probably shouted something about my gun…”
“Oh, for the love of… Jin!”
Scratching the back of his head with a bit of an embarrassed chuckle, Jin continued, “Yeah, security wasn’t too happy about that but the two of us escaped together. Just… don’t tell him I said anything. I don’t want him thinking I’m all grateful or something. Even if I am.”
But Tatsuya just shook his head in that way he did every time Jin was being an idiot. It was something Jin was very used to seeing and it was one more thing that told him maybe his friend would be alright after all.
After that the two of them ate in silence, but that was okay. They didn’t need to talk. After being friends for three and a half years, a comfortable quiet was fine.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The story continues:
Chapter 38 ~Life Continues On~
A/N: Looks like even though Tatsuya will definitely have some issues to work out, he's more or less fine.
And, oooh, Kame saying Jin's name in his sleep? How strange... *mysterious background music*