[fic] The Things We Can't Control - Chapter 97 ~The Date~

Aug 19, 2013 22:31



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.  They immediately clash but is that all they'll ever be?  How much is fate and how much choice?  And how will their meeting change the world around them?

Author's Note: Thank you very much for your patience waiting for this update.  And yes, I wanted the smut to be more detailed but that would mean it won't be ready until Wednesday night and I didn't like that idea.  At least it's a much longer chapter!  Possibly the longest chapter yet.

BANNER BY DESHISORABA!! THE MOST AWESOME BANNER EVER AND I WILL FIGHT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES!

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 97 ~The Date~
Now that everything was in place for Plan Pamper Kazu, Jin put his mind to another task entirely.  One that he had to do alone.  One he couldn’t tell anyone about.  Actually, he was sort of hoping they thought he was off working on his genius plan to show Kazuya he could relax a little even if thing were dicey now and again.

It wasn’t exactly lying to let them believe it if he hadn’t been the one to say it, right?

The whole bus ride, Jin’s mind did a curiously strong and damn near convincing job of explain how much of an idiot he was and how much Kazuya would be pissed off when he found out.  Going somewhere so dangerous, all alone without telling anyone where he was heading…

He was heading straight for a ditch dead somewhere.

That’s what his head kept telling him, anyway.  But there was another part of him, some deeper instinct, that told him he wasn’t wrong in what he was doing.  That he would succeed and get back whole though likely with a huge debt.

Jin actually made it almost all the way from the bus stop to the front door before he was finally stopped.  Yasu may have made Kizuna kill-on-sight but there was nothing about him that labeled him a member of Kizuna.  Most of JDA didn’t recognize him any more than he recognized them.  But as he neared the house, Yasu’s personal guards definitely recognized him.

The man on the stoop took a menacing step forward and then guy shot him and buried him where nobody would ever find him…  That’s what Jin’s head kept imagining over and over in between the continued declarations of his idiocy.  But Jin swallowed down visions of his certain death and instead stepped forwards as well, hands in front of him to show he was unarmed (which, unfortunately, he was) while he quickly and in his best impression of confidently said, “You’re too smart to shoot me in front of this house at this time of day.”

Please be too smart to shoot him in front of that house at that time of day… because he really was an idiot for coming here and Kazuya should get the chance to yell at him at least.

Things were very tense for a moment as the man tried to decide what to do with him if he wasn’t going to shoot him.  Rather than let him make up his own mind - which was sure to not end well - Jin said, “I’m here to see Yasu-san.  It’s very important.”

“Is he expecting you?”

A nervous chuckle escaped before he could stop it.  “Um… not in the slightest.”

“He doesn’t let people in his house uninvited.  Go back where you came from.  Get shot by someone else.  Save me the trouble.”

“You better tell him it’s in his best interest.  That not seeing me could be very unhealthy with no particular doings on anyone’s part.  He put himself in a pretty bad spot.”  Well, it was a bit of an exaggeration, but the fact that Jin wasn’t dead yet was really helping his courage a lot.  All those things he was depending on, his reading of the situation… he was feeling more sure of it with each passing moment and the fear that followed him throughout the bus ride and to the present moment was slowly ebbing away.

It took a bit more convincing but the guy did eventually go inside to ask Yasu if he wanted to speak with Jin.  And when he was finally standing in front of the man, completely outnumbered five-to-one (it would have been six-to-one if the man from outside had stayed), he took an odd sort of comfort out of the fact that very soon he’d be dead.  If these men didn’t do it, Kazuya sure as hell was going.

“You’re the last person I ever expected to see here,” was Yasu’s response to his presence, the corners of his mouth twisted up in an amused smirk.  “Kame isn’t even foolish enough to come here alone.  Is this the part where you tell me everyone knows where you are and will come looking for you if you don’t return promptly?”

“As a matter of fact, uh… nobody knows I’m here.  I thought you’d prefer it that way.” Looking around at the four guards, Jin swallowed down his nervousness.  “Actually, I thought you’d prefer we do this completely alone, but I understand if you’re afraid of me, Yasu-san.  I’m a scary guy.”

That set Yasu to laughing, an honest, hearty laugh that sort of miffed Jin because it was clear Yasu wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest.

Ow, his poor pride.

Better hope that’s all that’s wounded before this was through.

“So, you came here alone, unarmed, telling no one, when I told your boss-”

Jin interrupted him, “My boyfriend.”

“Huh?”

“He’s… he’s my boyfriend.”  Though Jin supposed technically speaking… Kazuya was both, right?

Yasu smirk widened.  “Right.  But I can still assume he told you to stay away from JDA territory?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, he really did.  To be honest, I’m pretty sure I’ll survive this meeting but not so sure I’ll survive the homecoming.”  This time Jin laughed.  “Let me worry about that later.  Now, do you want to have this talk alone or in front of witnesses?  As you say, I’m unarmed.”

“You know, I think I kind of like you.  You’ve got guts.”  Yasu waved dismissively at his men who got the message and stayed behind as Yasu led Jin out of the living room and down a hallway.  “Here, will this do?”

Jin nodded.  The truth of it was, for his purposes, it didn’t matter if they were heard by Yasu’s men.  But Jin was pretty sure the man wouldn’t want it and so it was a matter of respect to give him that heads up.  From watching Kame interact with him before, Jin was hoping he’d see that and then it would make him easier to deal with.

“So tell me…?”

“Jin.”

“Jin, then.  Tell me what you want.”  Yasu pulled out two chairs from two desks, one covered in computer equipment and the other obviously a place to write.  The room seemed to be an office, a bit bigger than the one he shared with Kazuya at the church.  They both sat down.

“I want the tape and I know you’ll give it to me.”

Yasu’s smirk was gone.  “He told you about that?  Must be nice, being the boss’s boyfriend.”

“He told us all that because unlike you and those men out there, he trusts us and not just our ability to keep him alive.”  Now Yasu was frowning.  “Oh, don’t look like that.  You already knew he’d tell us.”  Jin had no idea where he was pulling this courage from.  When he’d watched Kazuya dealing with Yasu before, the way Kazuya spoke to him shocked and scared Jin.  He thought Kazuya was antagonizing the man and that he’d suffer for it.

But in his quiet moments, in between his preparations for Plan Pamper Kazu, Jin had done some thinking.  Well, no… maybe thinking wasn’t the right word.  It was a little more intuitive and less intellectual.  He realized he learned a lot more than he original thought from his first two visits here, especially regarding what Yasu had said to him after Kazuya stormed out in his fury.  And though before now, he would never have been able to voice these things because he didn’t know the words to use, they came almost easily to him now that he was actually face-to-face.

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I destroyed it.”  Yasu’s expression was guarded now.  Very, very guarded.

“No, you didn’t.  You would never destroy something so damning against an enemy.  And, yes, I know it’s damning.  Oh, I doubt he admitted outright to any wrongdoing so it won’t do you any good on its own.  In fact… it may never prove useful to you at all, but it could and that’s enough.  In the right circumstances it could tip the scales.  But you couldn’t even tell your men you recorded it because you can’t trust that knowledge to not reach Papa K’s ears.”

Yasu was not happy to hear what Jin was saying.  Hopefully, he’d at least keep listening.  “You didn’t seem this smart to me last time I saw you.”

“I’m not, not like Kame is,” Jin admitted.  “But I’ve survived on the streets since I was ten.  Something has kept me alive and right now, I’m trusting in that, not my head.”

Yasu seemed to accept that.  “If it’s as you say, why would you ever think I’d hand it over to you?”

That’s where Yasu’s parting words to him last time came in.  “Because Kame needs it.”

“That’s his problem, not mine.”

“Now that’s a lie and you know it.  You need him.  Not just you.  All of you.  All the gang leaders need him.”  That’s the part that kept going through Jin’s mind the past few days, starting with Kazuya’s collapse.

Yasu didn’t say anything.  He just raised his eyebrows in an almost mocking expression, like what Jin had said was just so much nonsense.

“Even Papa K needs him, though I imagine he has much different motives than the rest of you.”

Again, Yasu didn’t respond, but this time Jin waited for him.  Finally shaking his head, the man said, “Okay, I’ll play.  Why do you think we need him?”

“He does what you can’t.  Hell, he does what you can’t even admit you want to do.  It’s pretty obvious that even as you mock his mission, you deeply respect him for it and most of all because he succeeds.  He fixes your broken.  The people you fuck up as you go about your day, that you step on to get what you need.  The ones you let be to keep your men happy which is, incidentally enough, probably the reason you don’t trust them like Kame trusts Kizuna.  You know what your men are, what they do to those who can’t protect themselves.  They even hurt each other.  You let them because you’re the same and when they go too far, you can’t fix what you let them break.”

Jin has Yasu transfixed by then.  “But deep down, you wish you could.  If you tried, even if you would somehow survive losing the respect or more probably the fear that lets you control your men, you wouldn’t even begin to know how.  It makes you helpless.  But Kame will do it for you and you need that or you’ll soon find yourself unable to face the mirror.  And when that happens, you’ll break, too.  You’ll break and you’re not sure you’d survive it or if you’d even want to.”

“It’s alright to be a monster when there’s a hero to keep you in line, don’t you think?”  Jin didn’t believe that personally but he could tell he’d hit the issue spot-on.  “He won’t let you go past the final line.  And not only that.  Papa K is targeting Kizuna and even though he has the overwhelming advantage, he’s taking his time.  He’s drawing things out, creating a slow strangling trap for us.  You don’t know why but you do know it’s different for him this time.  Personal.  It’s consuming him and whether he succeeds or fails, you at least know he’ll leave JDA alone until it’s over.  When Kame falls, that assurance will be gone.  You can’t trust Papa K’s word but you sure as hell can see his obsession.”

By the time Jin finished speaking, Yasu was incredibly still.  His face was carefully blank for the most part but his eyes were almost scared.  It seemed he didn’t like that Jin had seen so far into him.  But finally he said, “I underestimated you.”  He stood and crossed to his writing desk.  He unlocked the drawer with a key from his pocket and pulled out the tape.  Shoving it roughly into Jin’s hands, he said, “Go.  And don’t come back.  If you come back, I will kill you.”

“And I’m sure you’d do a great job of it but how about we just avoid that entirely…”  He put the tape in his pocket.

And that was it.  Jin left, fully intending to not come back.  Ever.

+++

It was full dark by the time Jin got back from his plotting.  Kame would be lying if he said he hadn’t spent the entire afternoon and evening trying to figure out what the man was up to and how he’d managed to convince all the rest of Kizuna to help in his little scheme.

It wasn’t that Kame didn’t trust Jin.  It was just that he didn’t know and it was driving him crazy.  Every time he managed to casually slip away to devote his full attention to the perplexing mystery at hand, Kizuna was on him again in a moment with some important busy-work that he just absolutely positively had to handle at that exact second or the world as they knew it would explode and really ruin their day.  It was simultaneously endearing and annoying.

And they all denied knowing Jin’s plan or even that he had a plan.  In fact, they were pretty sure there was no plan and that Kame was perhaps getting a bit senile in his old age.

Old age?

“You know I’m only twenty-five, right?”

“Of course we know,” Massu had said, patting Kame on top of the head like you would a small child who just said something adorably foolish and with a voice to match the gesture.  All Kame could do was grumble.  And then later around dinner, Koki found him and dragged him to the kitchen and Kame was pretty sure the man was one step up from insisting he spoon-feed Kame just to make sure he was eating.

Yeah…

Koki was pissed at him.  Well, not pissed pissed.  Just… really, really irked and worried.

Had he really neglected himself that much? Koki seemed to think so… and it was true that he collapsed.  Just a teeny bit, mind you, but still… “I’m fine.  Seriously, Koki.  Look, I’m eating, right?”

And when Kame finally spotted Jin that night, the first thing he noticed was how tired Jin looked.  Whatever he’d been plotting, it was exhausting him.

Actually, to be honest, Kame was exhausted, too.  He didn’t know why; it wasn’t like he’d done anything major that day.  Knowing that didn’t change the fact, however.  Even though it was only about ten, Kame decided it was time for bed, both for him and Jin.  Before Jin even had the chance to say a word, Kame walked over to him and pulled him in close.  Just loud enough for Jin to hear but nobody else, he whispered, “I’m going to bed.  I’d like it if you came with me.  You look dead on your feet.”

Jin smiled at him and kissed him gently.  “I’ll come as soon as I get something to eat.  I promise.  It won’t take long.”

Whether it actually did or didn’t take long, Kame couldn’t say. He pretty much passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.

“Kazuya…”

The voice was familiar but he was warm and safe and his body fought to keep him asleep.

“Kazu-love…”

Kame turned in Jin’s arms, nuzzling closer, breathing in that wonderfully comforting scent.  Jin’s hand came up to brush through his hair and Jin once again whispered his name.  With a sigh, Kame opened his eyes.  “Mmmm, you’re such a spoilsport, Jin.  What’s the rush?”

Hmm.  Jin didn’t usually wake up before him.  Had something happened?  Kame bolted up suddenly, not giving Jin the chance to respond.  “Oh, god, what happened?”

“Calm down, nothing’s happened!”  Jin quickly told him.  “Just because I wake you up doesn’t mean you have to worry, Kazu-love.  It doesn’t mean something bad has happened.”

“Then what are you doing up before me?” Kame was pouting now.  He couldn’t remember what he was dreaming but it must have been nice if it left him wanting to sleep in.  He wondered whether Jin was in it or not.

Then again, he had Jin in his arms upon awakening so maybe that was even better.

“It’s your day off,” Jin told him.  “That makes it a pretty important day.”

“If it’s my day off then shouldn’t I get to sleep in?”  More pouting.  Not that he was actually upset; he was just being a brat to match Kizuna’s recent treatment of him.

“That’s what we’re doing …” Jin pulled Kame back down and claimed his mouth in a slow but insistent way that just made Kame melt.  His eyelids fluttered closed and he lost himself in Jin’s embrace.

Neither one of them were in much of a hurry, it seemed.  They were content with soft caresses and tender kisses and Kame thought to himself that he could really get used to this.  What a way to start the morning!

Though after a while, he started to wonder what time it was.  He wasn’t bored; it was just that he was a bit surprised someone hadn’t come looking for him to help with breakfast or something.  He usually kept pretty busy in the morning.

Jin had called it his day off.  At first he thought Jin was being cute, but now he was beginning to suspect there was more to it.  “What did you mean about it being my day off?”

Smiling in what Kame had come to identify as Jin’s extra-smug look, Jin said, “Until this time tomorrow, you have been officially released from your job as leader of Kizuna.”

“What?!”

“Koki’s taking charge at the church.  Takeshi’s dividing up the shift for protecting the strolls.  Everyone has vowed that for this one day, they will take care of themselves and you can’t do anything for them and they won’t ask you to, either.”

Stunned silence was the only response Kame was capable of in that moment.  Eventually, though, he managed to stammer out, “B-but…”

“No buts.”

“They… they don’t need me anymore?” Yes, it was all exhausting him out but he couldn’t imagine doing anything else with his life.

Jin smacked him playfully over the head and said, “Don’t be silly.  Of course they still need you.  They just don’t need you every second of every day.”

“I know that.  They’re all quite capable.  But everyone needs help now and again and there’s so many of them and that’s why it keeps me busy so much... This is just what I have to do.  I can’t fail them, Jin.”

“But you’re not failing them, Kazuya,” Jin said and now his expression was serious and his eyes were utterly honest as they met Kame’s.  “That’s what they want to show you.  They want you to see that setting aside some time just for you is not the same thing as failing them.  That’s why they all helped with this.  It wasn’t because it was me asking them; it’s all for you.”

“So show them how proud you are of them, how confident you are of their abilities.  Do this thing we’ve set up for you.  Take the day off and enjoy it.”  Another soft kiss and then words whispered against his lips, “Please, Kazuya.”  Jin’s lips moved to Kame’s neck.  “Please.”  A kiss and then down a little further.  “Please.”

“When you ask like that,” Kame panted, Jin’s lips driving him to distraction, “How can I refuse?”

“Hmm…” Jin’s tongue swept along his collarbone, pulling a small moan from somewhere deep in him.  That’s when Jin stopped and pulled a bit away with an apology.  Kame whimpered at the loss but Jin just gently informed him that, much as he’d enjoy making love now, there’d be time for that later.

“There’s also time for it now,” Kame whined, though at the same time he couldn’t help but marvel again at the fact he even wanted it, a desire he never thought he’d experience.  But he just could not get enough of Jin.  He’d probably never find the words to voice it, but it was almost like every time he was with Jin, when it was good and right and welcome, the awfulness of his past was reduced by equal measure to the wonderfulness of the experience.  Maybe that was silly, but…

With a wistful sigh, Jin said, “Unfortunately, there’s not.  You looked so peaceful sleeping so I waited to wake you up and if we wait much longer, we’ll have an irritable Kisumai brat banging on the door.”

“Are you ever going to learn his name?” Kame laughed.

“I’ll learn his name when he gets rid of the damn camera.  We don’t need a fanboy.”

“Right…” and he laughed again before continuing with, “You know that’s pr-”

Bang, bang, bang.  “Hey, it’s already eleven!  Are you going to sleep all day?  You better not have given it to him yet!  You promised me!”  Another bang.  Taipi really was impatient, wasn’t he?  Though Kame couldn’t help but wonder what, exactly, Jin had promised him.  “Are you in there?”  Another bang.

Jin groaned.  “Speak of the annoying devil.”

“Just what did you tell him?” Kame gave Jin his best serious expression but he was pretty sure it wasn’t really all that good because he was trying not to laugh at Jin’s annoyance.  It wasn’t that he reveled in Jin’s pain so much as it was that Jin was being incredibly adorable.  Still, Jin probably wouldn’t appreciate it which was why he was trying to hide it.

“I promised him a photo opportunity.  How about…” and Jin trailed off as he thought about it for a moment.  “Ah, you should let him go with you to breakfast and you should stay there.  And so should he.  I’d tell you to make sure he has his camera but somehow I think it won’t be an issue.”

Kame shot Jin one last searching look, trying desperately to figure out just what the man was up to but it didn’t do him any good.  Inwardly sighing, he resigned himself to the ordeal of the day and just hoped he actually survived it.

Taipi was happy to see him and, yes, he had his camera.  Kame divined both of those facts from the bright flash that greeted him just as he opened the door.  Blinking, he said, “Jin says I have to go to breakfast with you.  Bring your camera.”

“Yes!” Taipi exclaimed triumphantly.  “I was so sure he was going to try to stiff me.  Taipi one, Jin zero!”  And then he grabbed Kame’s wrist and started dragging him off to the kitchen.  Kame didn’t much appreciate being manhandled like that but the excitement was contagious so by the time he thought to protest he’d already stopped caring.

Breakfast was like any other day, except that everyone (and he was being literal here) was staring at him.  Well, no, not staring exactly.  Staring was usually something cold but their expressions were all warm and happy.  They were smiling.  Some of them waved at him.

If he hadn’t already known Papa K was targeting Kizuna, he’d never have guessed it from the energy of the room.  Not one person looked worried.  Seeing them all like that, it stirred something he couldn’t quite put words to deep within him.  He knew and they knew the danger they all faced but they weren’t crouching in fear.  It was like being with each other was enough to comfort them, like they trusted in each other and truly believed that though alone they were not safe, together they were invulnerable.

And now that he thought on it, this wasn’t new.  They were always like this together.  It was just easier to overlook when the danger was less.

Koki’s voice broke through his reverie, “Oi, you better eat that, Kame!  Don’t make me spoon-feed you because I will!”

“I’m eating!” Kame protested.

“No, you’re not.  You’re looking around.  And though we are one mighty fine bunch, we won’t get cold and your breakfast will.  So eat it, mister.”

“Hai, hai…” but Kame barely held back the giggle as he picked up his fork.  This positive atmosphere was impossible to resist.  And Kame couldn’t deny the fact that though his father might scare the hell out of him, he wasn’t alone anymore.  It wasn’t only his own strength protecting him and protecting Kizuna.  It was the combined might of everyone and that had never been tested against Papa K.  Maybe… maybe together, they were actually more powerful?  Maybe, if they all took care of each other, it would be enough to keep them safe.

He’d never completely lose his fear but perhaps it was time to let a bit more of it go.

By the time Kame finished breakfast (he ate every bite on his plate just to stop Koki’s fussing), he was wondering where Jin had disappeared to.  Just how long did Jin want him to stay in the kitchen?

But eventually Tesshi came by to fetch both him and Taipi.  Almost everyone in the kitchen followed them as they walked to the sanctuary.  When they were almost there, Tesshi handed him a blindfold.

“Is this really necessary?” Kame protested, but it seemed everyone was abnormally stubborn this day.  It was all Jin’s fault.  His excess stubborn was spilling over into the unprotected Kizuna populace.  To be honest, it was all somewhere between completely endearing and making him want to throttle the lot of them and he wasn’t quite sure which way it was going to go.  But he put the blindfold on with a sigh and let them lead him the last of the journey.

“You’re all being ridiculous.  You know that, right?  One Jin is enough, thank you very much…”

From somewhere ahead of him, Jin’s voice, “You couldn’t handle two of me.”

“The hell I couldn’t!  I can handle anything you-” but then someone smacked him on the back of the head to shut him up.  “HEY!  HEY, WHO DID THAT?” but nobody answered.  Growling, Kame said, “Jin, this is all your fault.”

“Yup.  And you can stop right there.”

“I’ll stop wherever I damn well pl-” and another interrupting smack to the back of his head.  It didn’t hurt in the slightest but it still annoyed him.  “HEY!”

But apparently Jin could see that because he quickly said, “Guys, I think that’s enough.  You all need to settle down.”

Pot calling the kettle black, anyone?  “Can I take off the stupid blindfold?”  Kame decided he really, really didn’t like not being able to see.

“Yeah, you can take it off.”  Jin sounded pleased with himself.  That meant he was going to be insufferable… but also strong and thoughtful and other lovely traits that really only seemed to shine through in him when he felt like he was on stable ground.  That was something Kame had figured out about him over the past couple of weeks.

Kame was completely unprepared for the sight that greeting him once the blindfold was gone and he knew he’d never be able to paint the reaction a bit more favorably later because Taipi’s camera went off almost immediately, capturing his look of surprise and denying him any opportunity to sooth his ego in the retelling.  He wasn’t sure he cared, though.  What he was looking at made his chest go tight.  Not… not in a bad way.  In an overwhelmingly moved way.

There was a collage of photos glued to cardboard (it looked like someone had cut a cereal box open to get it).  He was in every one of them.  While his own expression varied from picture to picture, everyone else was smiling.  And there were messages on it, little notes here and there from the other people in the photos.  Some were expressing hope he’d finally found some happiness.  Some were thanks for everything he had done to bring them all together as a family.  The whole thing was propped against a small vase of flowers, some kind of daisies or something like that.

Almost everyone in Kizuna had in some way or another been broken and unloved.  The people in these photos weren’t.  What they were thanking him for more than anything else was the fact that he brought them together and taught them to help each other.  It was like that saying about feeding a man.  Oh, how did it go… ah!  If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day.  If you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.

Apparently, he’d taught them to fish and that’s really what they were thanking him for.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard the thanks before or that he hadn’t seen them helping each other.  It was just… with so many pictures together and with the words written wholeheartedly, the true miracle of Kizuna was undeniable.  And it wasn’t all him and he knew it (hell, he’d said it himself to Jin when Jin tried to thank him for saving Tatsuya) and even more than that, he knew that’s not what they were saying.

And that more than anything else is what made him believe in the message in this act.

Taipi had by this time taken several more pictures but when he noticed the writing, he started to whine about being kept out of the loop which in turn prompted Jin to start arguing with him about how since he took the pictures and helped select them, wasn’t that good enough and plus he wasn’t in any of them because he took them all and consider it payback for the Paparazzi Act which, by the way…

But Kame wasn’t listening anymore.  He was staring at this beautiful thing in front of him, this act of love initiated by Jin but made reality by so many others…

No words.  Just silent tears.

Koki had been watching him very closely during all of this and decided that it was time for all good little Kizuna members to get back to work because there were people who needed to be fed and reminded them all that they’d done their part and the rest was in Jin’s hands.  There was some grumbling but they did finally clear out.  Even Taipi left, though in all fairness he was more dragged out than anything else and managed to take a few more pictures on his way.

Jin was looking at him with such softness and love as he crossed the sanctuary.  With eyes wide open - holding nothing back - Kame whispered, “Jin, I…”  But he couldn’t finish.  He didn’t have the words.

“I know, Kazu-love.  I know.”  And Jin held him while he quietly cried.  He hadn’t meant to cry.  It was just… overwhelming.  Love like he’d never known.  The love of a family from Kizuna and the love of a true partner from Jin.  Little moments here and there came to mind unbidden, moments when he felt this love.  Precious memories, every last one of them.  He may have waited till later in life to get a real family and find a loving partner but he was absolutely sure it would be worth waiting a whole lifetime to have even one of these memories.  And as the photos clearly showed, he had many more than that.

It was so easy to forget that sometimes.

Eventually, Jin said, “Come on.  Let’s move this to the office.  The day is just beginning, love.”

The two of them carried the poster and the flowers to the office.  Jin had packed some clean clothes while Kame was at breakfast, apparently.  “Are we going somewhere?”

“A few places.  First up is the hotel.”

What?  Oh, that wasn’t good at all.  “A hotel?  But… but Jin, you know I don’t really… I can’t sleep… away…”

“Trust me.  Please.”  Jin was no longer smiling.

Damn.  He hurt Jin’s feelings.  That was the last thing he meant to do.  “I do trust you, Jin.  Whatever you have planned for today, I already know you put your whole heart into it and busted your ass getting it arranged.  But who can I show my fears to if not you?  Would you rather I just kept it to myself?  Or even more, lied about it?  You’re my boyfriend.  I won’t lie to you.  I don’t want to hide from you.”  Though he felt that twinge of guilt again because, well, he was lying.  Just a little.  Just about his father.  Not about anything else.

But either Jin didn’t notice or he was choosing to ignore it.  “Well, you can make it up to me later.”

“How?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll come up with something…” and that lecherous smile was back.  Jin really was the expert at that sort of smile, wasn’t he?

“Hey, I tried that already first thing this morning, remember?”

Jin just laughed and grabbed a flower out of the vase that was now on the desk.  Carefully, he tore the extra length of the stalk off and tucked the flower behind Kame’s ear.  “There.  I knew that if I put that flower near you, you’d make it even more beautiful.”

“You smooth-talker, you…” and this time they both laughed.  “So, which hotel are we going to?  The one on…”

But Jin interrupted him.  “It’s not in Kizuna territory.  Koki’s gonna drop us off.  It’s too far to walk.”

Kame started to protest but stopped himself.  He took a deep, calming breath and reminded himself that Jin had worked hard for this so he really needed to stop being such a pain in the ass and just put himself in Jin’s hands.  He liked being in Jin’s hands, after all…

Great, now he was blushing.  It was all Jin’s fault.

“Come on, Kazu-love.”

When Kame tried to grab the bag Jin had packed, Jin snatched it up quickly and informed him that he wasn’t allowed to carry it because it was his day off, remember?  Kame chuckled and nodded.  And once Jin had the bag over one shoulder, Kame offered his arm to his lover and they walked to the car together, like they were on a date.

Which they kinda were, weren’t they?

You know, this actually could be a lot of fun.  Kame couldn’t remember the last time he set aside all the responsibilities and just enjoyed himself.  He wouldn’t allow himself that.  But since they weren’t giving him any other options, he’d make the most of it.

The drive there was even further than he expected because, to his surprise, they were crossing the river.

He always got nervous crossing the river.  Crossing the river was taking him ever closer to the house where his father kept him prisoner.  He found himself unconsciously grabbing Jin’s hand.  Jin seemed to understand, even if he didn’t know the whole story.  He gave Kame’s hand a reassuring squeeze and whispered, “I love you.”

The hotel was actually pretty nice.  When Jin had said hotel, Kame’s mind had defaulted to the sorts of places he’d been.  The places he went with Ryuichi to get ready for hounding.  The motel with Komatsu.  The out-of-town place where he and Jin had laid low.  He didn’t realize Jin meant an honest-to-goodness hotel.

Did… would the room have a bathtub?  The twins’ apartment had a tub but that’s where all of Kizuna went to shower.  And even if there weren’t so many of them needing to use it, there was always something he needed to take care of so he pretty much took the shortest possible shower he could.  But a bath… oh, if he could take a nice, hot bath…

Koki left with a wave, saying, “I’ll be back for you eventually.  If you run away to elope, be sure to call to let me know.  Gas is getting expensive and it’ll save me the pointless drive.”  Then he was gone.

Elope?  Kame couldn’t help himself.  He giggled and said to Jin, “I’m not really the marrying type.  I’m the type you go to when you get tired of being married.  Well, not anymore.  I meant, I was…” and now he was fumbling over his words again.  “I’m not selling myself anymore.  It was… sorry it was a bad joke…”  He really wish he’d thought about what he was going to say first.  It wasn’t really a good joke.  It just sort of slipped out.

Then again, there was a time in his life where he wouldn’t have found the thing funny at all.  The fact that he could make that joke without thinking… maybe wasn’t such a bad thing even if it was perhaps in bad taste.

“Kazuya, I’m not asking you to be someone you’re not.  I love you.  Be you.”

The man behind the desk gave Jin the room key and then they were off to the second floor.  The room wasn’t huge but it was probably the nicest hotel room he’d ever seen.  Another vase of flowers was on the small table, identical to the one at the church.  And, yes, there was a tub.  A rather large one.

When Jin saw him staring at it, he smiled and it was that lecherous one he was so good at.  “I thought you’d like that.  You know, it’s big enough for both of us.  I could wash your back for you.”

Oh, god, yes…   All Kame could do was nod enthusiastically.  His eyes never left the tub.  Something in the thought of taking a bath with Jin just sounded so… well, to put it bluntly, so damn hot.  Comforting and arousing and wonderful in so many ways that Kame wasn’t sure he could even count them all.

“Hot.”

“What?”

“Well, no… I meant, I like the water to be… well, no, it’s also… but…”  God, what was wrong with him today?  He was fumbling all over himself like an idiot.

“Not even married yet and you have honeymoon jitters?” Jin teased.

Of course, the only thing Kame could say to that was, “Yet?”

“I meant… see… there’s…  what I meant to say was…”  This time, it was Jin that was tongue-tied and blushing.

But, strangely, it helped.  “Eh, what makes you so sure I’d marry you anyway?”

“Oh, please.  And risk going without all this?” and Jin gestured to himself.  “No way.  I’m too good a catch to throw back.  I’m the sexiest you’re going to find short of if you had an identical twin.”

“Oh, is the mighty Jin admitting someone is sexier than he is?” Kame laughed.

“Of course not.  I’m admitting there’s someone equally sexy.  I can’t very well date someone who isn’t at least as awesome as I am.  I want the best.  No settling for less.”  But then his expression was very serious.  “I think that means I’ll have to be with you forever.  I know I won’t ever find someone better than you, Kazu-love.  That person simply doesn’t exist.”

“Oh, Jin…”

The bath was amazing.  Despite their initial teasing, it was less sexy and more relaxing.  After they got done with the actual washing part, Kame leaned back against Jin chest and Jin circled his arms around him and they stayed like that until the water went cold, talking about everything and nothing.  Hopes and dreams - something that you’d think the street would have stripped from both of them but miraculously hadn’t - and fears and regrets and other deeply personal things.

Jin told him about his dream of becoming a musician.  He said that he hadn’t touched a guitar since Angela sicced her drug-dealing boss on him so he wasn’t sure he could play it anymore but that when he performed, even if it was just for himself, it always brought a real sense of peace to him.  Kame told Jin about the Snoopy doll and how his mother died giving birth to him but that, somehow, he could feel her and her love in that gift she chose for him.  He told Jin about keeping it hidden from his father when the man got rid of all of the other toys and that he had it still, locked safely in the cabinet in the office.

Jin promised that, if he ever got his hands on another guitar, he’d relearn it and write a song just for Kame.  He told Kame it was a gift he’d never given before, not even to Angela back when he thought he loved her.  He explained that, even after what happened between them, Jin still believed that the feelings he remembered having for her were love but that, upon meeting Kame and finding the real thing, he could see the difference.  He said it was a difference you couldn’t explain to someone who didn’t already know and that’s how you know it’s true.  If one love felt the same as the one before it and the one before that, it probably wasn’t really love after all.  He wouldn’t have believed it if someone told him back then but now he just knew.

They could have stayed like that forever if the water hadn’t gone cold.  But it was alright, Jin told him.  There was still more planned for Kame’s day off.

After they were both dry and dressed, it was nearing lunch time.  They didn’t usually have lunch at the church or at least not officially.  Everyone knew they were free to grab whatever they wanted to eat if they got hungry.  But it was already so expensive trying to feed everyone twice a day, since it wasn’t just Kizuna but also the homeless and the street kids, so they didn’t run the soup kitchen for lunch.  But Jin decided (and was quick to inform Kame) that since it was such a special day, it just wouldn’t be complete without at least ordering something!

“Special day?  Just because it’s my forced day off?” Kame asked Jin.

Jin just smiled and shook his head.

Was… was it possible Jin also realized…

Kame’s thoughts were interrupted by Jin’s, “It’s exactly one week from the first time we made love, you know.”  So Jin did notice that, too.

Even with everything else going on, Kame had that thought at the back of his mind.  He hadn’t said anything because, well, was it even normal to celebrate that sort of anniversary?  Maybe normal people like Jin - well, relatively normal anyway - didn’t see having sex as a significant enough event to be worth the trouble of remembering every little detail.  But even if it wasn’t normal, Kame did remember.  He was glad to remember.

And somehow he was glad Jin’s thoughts went back to it, too.  Kame said, “You picked today because of that.  You could have put this together for tomorrow or possibly even yesterday if you could get it done in time.  But it wasn’t a coincidence.  You chose today, didn’t you?”

“I hate the surprise in your voice…” and now Jin’s expression was a strange mix of happiness and sorrow.  “I hate that your life was something that completely denied you so much that every happy moment now brings that surprise back to you.”

“Jin?”

“There aren’t enough minutes in the rest of my life to give you all the good things you should have just because you deserve to have them.  But if I can’t give you the amount you deserve I at least hope I can give you enough to keep a smile on your face for the rest of our lives.  Kame, your smile can work miracles.  It can change the world.  I know it.  One spark at a time, the light that shines through it will make the world glow.”

Jin’s words brought tears to his eyes though they did not fall.  “Sometimes… you say the exactly right thing…”

“Sometimes?”  Jin smiled.  “You’re seriously understating my awesomeness.”

“I think it’ll be okay.  You state your awesomeness enough for everyone.”

They didn’t order a whole lot.  Jin tried to subtly steer them away from spending a lot of money on room service.  Kame didn’t mind; actually, he was starting to worry about how much everything was costing.  He knew Jin went on a couple jobs so he had some money, but he also knew Jin gave him two hundred dollars for the Kizuna fund the other day.  Still, Kame didn’t ask.  It would have been rude and besides, Jin asked for his trust so he’d give it.

The day carried on as it had begun.  The food they ordered lasted several hours.  Somewhere along the way, Jin started teasing Kame about hogging the only dessert they ordered (a slice of chocolate cake because chocolate was just Kame’s weakness) which led to Kame threatening Jin with bodily harm if he made even one more pregnancy joke.

Jin, apparently having never met a line he didn’t cross, made a joke anyway.  Maybe he didn’t believe Kame would really do anything about it.  If so, he was wrong.  Kame flung himself at Jin, tackling his lover right there on the floor of the hotel room.

Jin shrieked as Kame began tickling him.

“Take it back!” Kame shouted playfully.  “Say ‘Kame, you don’t look pregnant!’ and I might let you live.”

“Never!” Jin shouted back, suddenly rolling the two of them so he was on top.  Somehow in the process he was able to grab Kame’s wrists which he quickly pinned above Kame’s head.  The playfulness had left Jin’s eyes, replaced with liquid desire.

Kame was pretty sure his own eyes were the same.  He was straddling Jin before he flipped them so he had Jin between his legs still and even as he was just tickling Jin he had definitely been aware of that fact.  So had certain parts of his body.

Very aware.

Jin was breathing hard as he said, “God, Kazu-love, you just don’t know what you do to me…”  His hands traveled down Kame’s arms and then up his neck to cup his cheeks as Jin leaned down for a gentle but insistent kiss.  And, almost of their own will, Kame’s legs and arms slid up Jin’s body to circle around him, pulling him closer.

But Jin pulled back, drawing a whimper from Kame.  He didn’t say anything but instead separated himself from Kame to stand up.  Confused, Kame asked, “What’s wrong, Jin?”

His smile was warm as he said, “Nothing’s wrong.”  Then Jin scooped Kame up in his arms and put him on the bed.  “Wait here exactly as you are only a lot more naked.  I’ll be right back.”

Secretly, Kame was a bit disappointed it wasn’t Jin undressing him but Jin was up to something and if the day so far was any indication, it was something Kame was going to like.  And, hey, at least he got to watch Jin stripping on his way to the bag he’d packed that morning.  Not wishing to miss a second of Jin’s path to nakedness, Kame quickly pulled his own clothes off and threw them out of the way.

Jin’s body blocked him from seeing what, exactly, he was doing with the bag but he had something clutched in his hand when he returned to the bed.  When Kame tried to ask about it, Jin shut him up by licking a line up the inside of his thigh.  Only he didn’t stop there.  Jin slowly traveled up his chest, exploring with his lips and tongue as he crawled back between Kame’s legs.

He took Kame’s right hand with his own and slipped a ring on the pinky finger.  It wasn’t a very fancy ring, just a simple silver band but Jin was quick to show him the identical one on his own hand, the left one.  “So we’ll always remember our bond.  I know that you give a lot of yourself to a lot of people but there are parts of you that you’ve chosen to give just to me.  And I’ve given you parts of myself that nobody else touches.  That’s what these rings mean…”  Jin pressed a few light kisses to Kame’s neck and whispered, “I love you, Kazuya.”

“I love you too, Jin.”

Soft kisses and caresses slowly turned more passionate but still they took their time.  It was hours until dinner and Kame couldn’t think of a better way to spend that time.

And when they were finally done, they lay there holding each other.  Kame couldn’t stop looking at his new ring.  He really liked the way their two hands looked clasped together, ring touching ring.  Jin softly told him, “I was going to wait until after dinner but it seemed like the right moment.”

Kame nodded in response, trying to hold back a yawn.  For some reason, he was always so tired after making love with Jin.  He didn’t understand what he was doing that was so exhausting when he’d never had that problem before with his customers.  But he didn’t want to bring that up with Jin so he just shrugged his mental shoulders and stretched in Jin’s arms.

“The reservation isn’t for another hour but since we’re walking, we should leave early,” Jin informed him.

“You know,” Kame started slowly.  He was pretty sure he could predict Jin’s reaction to his words as he continued with, “I really should call the ch-”

“No, you shouldn’t.”

“But what if…”

“Kizuna knows how to reach us here.  The fact they haven’t called means they’re fine.”

“Hmm…” Kame sighed, not really satisfied with that but not wanting to argue with Jin.  Again he had to fight not to yawn.

Jin seemed to realize both his true feelings and the fact that he was sleepy, because he said, “What about a compromise?  You go take a wake-up shower and while you do, I’ll call them and make sure.”

“Thank you, Jin!” and Kame planted a hasty enthusiastic kiss before pretty much bolting to the bathroom.  “Call them now!  This won’t take long!”

Jin just chuckled.

The shower really did help wake him up.  And Jin told him Koki answered when he called the church.  He said Koki threatened to gut him with a spoon if Kame came back to the church less than deliriously happy.  “Why are all of your friends so violent?  Everyone’s threatening me!” Jin pouted.

Kame suspected it was really a ploy to get a kiss so he gave him one and laughingly said, “Oh, my poor JinJin…  You suffer so mightily.”

They walked to the restaurant arm-in-arm like a proper couple.  It earned them strange looks.  Kame hadn’t ever really thought about it before because his father sold him to men ever since he was a child and on the streets south of the river preference was left to the desires of the customer so nobody was surprised because it was expected.  These people were surprised.

But Kame was not about to let the scoffs make him ashamed to be seen with Jin.  They were partners, lovers, boyfriends… whatever you wanted to call it, he’d shout it from the highest building in the city.  He wasn’t going to back down.

Dinner was amazing.  Jin kept stealing things off of his plate when he wasn’t looking, so he started doing the same thing and by the end of the meal they were both laughing.  Kame didn’t order dessert, though.  He didn’t want any more of Jin’s pregnancy jokes.  Just because a man really enjoyed a piece of chocolate cake didn’t automatically mean he was pregnant, no matter what Jin said.

Yes, sometimes his boyfriend was an idiot.

Jin spent what was probably the last of his money getting them a cab back to the hotel since they were both too full to walk.  Kame was nervous that he wouldn’t be able to sleep but Jin told him not to worry about that and then insisted on giving him a back rub (Jin said it was another excuse to get him naked, of course) and, well, it just felt so good.  His eyes closed and he hummed in pleasure at the feel of Jin’s hands.

It wasn’t long before he drifted off to peaceful sleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The story continues:
Chapter 98 ~Part One - Thick as Thieves~

A/N: So, was it worth the wait?  I'll try to not make you guys wait this long again.  I'm just happy I'm getting it posted even with the substandard smut.

And, no, Kame's not pregnant.  No MPREG in this story.  Just Bakanishi teasing his Kazu-love.

fic: ongoing, genre: crime, genre: dark, genre: romance, genre: smut, fic: things we can't control, genre: drama, warning: violent, pairing: junda, warning: rape / non-con, warning: character death, pairing: komaru, fic: multi-chapter, warning: graphic, pairing: akame, genre: au, genre: angst, rating: nc-17

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