fic: The Cob Prince (1/6)
When Kamenashi Kazuya was born, his mother was declared deceased. They had pulled a luminously white blanket over her beautifully pale but still warm frame and stated her time of death as they tenderly took her bawling son to their hands and handed him over to his crying father.
Of course, Kame himself was never able to recall that particular moment, no matter how he tried as the years crept by. When he held beautifully decorated frames holding his mother’s photographs in his hands and caressed her face with his fingertips he wished he would be able to remember what she had been like. But it didn’t particularly bother him that he didn’t remember. No, it was just a thought he liked to play with, and in the end, would it really have been all that good to remember the dead form of your late mother? Probably not.
A knock on the door. He sighed, turning the hairdryer off to hear better. “What?” he asked, his voice grumpy and exhausted. He had a very strong feeling about what he was about to hear…
And just like he had expected, he heard his father’s voice cheerily answering from the other side of the walnut tree door. “Please hurry up, Kame. We’re must get going already. The Akanishis are expecting us to be there by seven this evening. You don’t want to be late, do you?”
Oh yes. The Akanishis. Every June until September since he had been seven years old they had been visiting them - Mrs Akanishi and her idiot of a son, Akanishi Jin. And every June until September the two of them were expected to somehow miraculously befriend with each others like no other people walking on the same earth. They were expected to get along so that one day in the hopefully faraway future they could fusion their family companies they would be inheriting together and become the greatest leaders on their area. Jewellery, that was.
It wouldn’t have been so bad, Kame thought bitterly, if a very certain Akanishi Jin wouldn’t have been such an annoying person.
“Five minutes,” he grunts at his father and turns the hairdryer on again, blowing warm air to his locks and combing them as he reached out for his shirt. He couldn’t hear his father’s answer anymore but since he wasn’t really able to decline he wasn’t too bothered.
Even five minutes less with the Akanishis was enough to make him happy. Until he’d finally arrive there, of course.
Because every single June until September he was stuck with the Akanishi kid and possibly his just-as-stupid friend Yamapi for the best time of the year, the time of blooming summer-love and just relaxing and entertaining get-togethers with his actual friends. And, needless to say, he wasn’t too fond of it. No, he wasn’t too fond of it at all.
He turned the hairdryer off again and plucked the plug from the power outlet before setting it neatly down on its place, pulling his shirt and vest on before combing his hair properly.
Not too bad. This time the Akanishi kid wouldn’t be able to make any fun of him anymore, not this summer. He smiled to himself. No bushy eyebrows, no awkwardly short hair. No ugly duckling. This time he would actually look just as astonishing as the dark curled and well-build Akanishi with those laughing eyes of his. Yes.
A few more persistent knocks on the door. “Kame, are you ready now? Let’s get going! Mrs Akanishi said she’d prepare tea and pastries for us, you don’t want to miss them out, do you?”
Kame sighed, doubting that Mrs Akanishi even personally made anything he offered to them. To his eyes she didn’t look like a person who enjoys spending her time in the kitchen, she was always on the move and excited over things, spending time outside in her beautiful gardens. But he didn’t dare saying it aloud; not to his father anyway.
“I’m coming,” he snarled and walked out of the bathroom, crossing his arms and pouting at his father who just fluffed his hair. Kame could’ve cursed. Had he any idea how long it had taken to get it so flawless? His father had no idea how badly the Akanishi kid pissed him off with mocking statements about his looks.
“Let’s get going,” his father said and started leading the way to their limousine which was a way too fancy mobile to use when you were driving miles and miles to a place behind God’s back in Kame’s opinion.
Kame looked at his reflexion from the car window and tried to fix his hair with his fingers. He pursed his lips and drew in a long breath, trying to mentally prepare himself for yet another summer ahead of him.
It was just for three months. Three stupid months of his life. A quarter of a year wasted on that stupid private mansion in the middle of the woods with the most mentally un-intelligent people he could even imagine. Hopefully he would find at least some servants to actually keep him entertained.
A vicious circle, that’s what these visits were. A vicious circle and a nightmare that had ceased to scare him but kept still persistently bugging him until he was worn out. And he couldn’t help but wonder if it would ever end.
He glanced at his silvery wristwatch. Nine o’clock.
Oh well, he had still six Bakanishi-less hours. That was something to enjoy.
He opened the car window and let the airstream fluff his soft and light hair. His hairdo was ruined already anyway, there was nothing to loose. He would comb it right before their arrival and just wish for the best. But he could enjoy at least this very small Akanishi-less moment of his summer to the fullest.
He closed his eyes and smiled.
It was a warm day after all.
***
“Jin, get down already!” his mother called out for him excitedly. Jin crossed his arms and pouted angrily as he looked out of the window. Damn he knew that car… Kamenashis had had it for five years now. And Kame himself would be sitting on the right side of the car on the backseat. He would get up, shoot him a displeased glance before being patted to his back by his father, urging him to go over and shake his hand. Which he would do, making sure to press hard enough to bruise his hand.
Jin pursed his lips and rubbed his hand, already feeling the bruises forming. Damn it.
“JIN!” his mother yelled louder with a commanding tone and Jin was sure that she wouldn’t stay nice for a long time anymore if he wouldn’t drag his ass downstairs at that exact second. So that’s what he did, headed downstairs from his room just like his mother had wanted him to and stood next to her before the front door.
“Go go, go and welcome them properly!” her mother chirped and pushed him forward from his back. Jin groaned and tried to get back but his mother pushed him harder. “Don’t be a teen, Jin. You’re twenty-two already.”
The car pulled over to the driveway and the driver stood up from it. Jin looked at his mother pleadingly but she just cocked her head to the car’s direction and pressed her lips tightly together. Jin took the hint, sighed and headed over as the driver helped the passengers out of the car.
“Good evening, Mr Kamenashi,” he greeted the old man politely with a handshake and slight bow. “How do you do today?”
“Splendid!” the man answered with a laughing voice.
“Mr Kamenashi!” his mother yelled warm-heartedly, calling him over with her arms spread. “Welcome to our little summer mansion again! It’s so good to see you!”
Jin rolled his eyes as fast as Kame’s father passed him, going over to greet his mother properly. He knew exactly how this went, for it was the same with each passing year. Now he would have to take care of Kame, help him get his belongings to the guest room and entertain them before a tea break. He drew in a deep breath. It was as annoying every single year.
Jin walked over to the other side of the car where the driver was helping the young man out of the car. He swept his hair better and wetted his lips, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. Agh, he did not want to deal with this… The hell of three months called ‘summer vacation’ was officially starting.
Jin’s mind blanked and his mouth was left hanging open as Kame finally stood out of the car, a suspicious look on his face as he glanced at Jin, adjusting his vest better. Jin felt his chin moving but couldn’t produce words.
What the hell had happened to Kame?! His eyes took in the sight of him. Damn, this summer he wouldn’t get to bully him over his outlook at least… He was… he was… oh god, he wasn’t thinking it, couldn’t be thinking it…
Kame’s face softened slightly as he received no snide remarks and he bowed politely to him, his hair swaying with a smooth motion. Jin gulped and tensely tried to bow himself, the bow ending up to be slightly wobbly.
“E-e-evening, Kame,” he greeted him. His mouth welt dry for some reason as he looked Kame straighten his back anymore. Kame chuckled, looking actually amused for once. Probably because of his stuttering. …Definitely because of his stuttering. Oh damn.
“Hi to you too, Jin,” Kame greeted him and threw his suitcase at him. Jin barely managed to catch it, gulping hard as the air left his lungs. Kame took his other suitcase in his hands. “Same room as always?”
“Same room as always,” Jin agreed. Kame headed over him and Jin followed. He couldn’t bring himself to walk next to Kame or before him, just couldn’t. He didn’t want to invade his space, he didn’t want to anger Kame.
Wait, what the hell was this? What the hell.
He almost tripped in the stairs and Kame glanced back at him as he heard the threatening thump. Jin’s chest felt heavy as he laughed.
“I’m okay, I’m okay!” he assured. “Just go ahead!”
And Kame frowned slightly before turning back ahead and walked on with his suitcase. And for the first time Jin actually noticed that he had quite a light and graceful step with no stumbling. He gulped again as he started to acknowledge his own awkwardness.
Never before had it bothered him as much.
Kame opened the door to his room, the same as always right next to Jin’s thanks to their parents’ hopeful wishes of them acting like best friends or something and sneaking to each others’ rooms at nights to tell ghost stories or other childish things. But those times were far behind, not that they would’ve ever happened.
Hell, Jin had told Pi ghost stories about Kame loud enough so that the younger boy could certainly clearly hear them to the other side of the thin wall. And those had not been told in a very polite manner, not at all. Now he was ashamed of his behaviour.
Kame set his suitcase on the floor leaning to his bed and turned to Jin with his arms crossed as Jin followed his example. And stole another glance of Kame. Hell, he was an idiot for doing it, this was ridiculous. He hated Kame. Yes, he was supposed to hate Kame.
Kame had nice arms. Thin, slightly muscled and long. Graceful. He gulped and looked up at Kame’s eyes. His nose. That nose was slightly crooked. As a child it had looked so awkward, so ridiculous. It had been an easy spot to mock. Now it seemed so different.
It made Kame even more beautiful if it was even possible. It was a perfecting flaw on his face. And it looked really good. Jin got an urge to poke it, no, trace his finger down it, take in what it felt like. Burn it in his memory.
Kame moved his weight from one foot to another. “You’re staring, Jin. Can’t find anything to make fun of me? Come on, try harder. Surely there’s something.”
“No,” Jin answered and shook his head. “Nothing at all.”
…And slapped himself mentally. He wasn’t supposed to admit it, damn it! Kame chuckled and his lips tucked upwards amusedly.
“I’m going downstairs. And I’m locking the stairs so that you can’t go, steal and hide my stuff. Who knows how immature you still are,” Kame said, grabbed the key that had been neatly set on the desk and motioned for Jin to back away which he did. Kame locked the door behind him and flipped the key in his pocket. Then he turned to look at Jin again, glancing over his shoulder with narrowed eyes.
“…You’re breathing down my neck,” he pointed out. Jin snapped out of his trance and stumbled a few steps back rapidly, the apology dying in his throat. Kame turned back forwards again as he continued his way down the stairs, a contemplative look on his face. And Jin cursed mentally.
This could not be happening. Not to him.
…Not with Kame. He knew this feeling. He didn’t know it this strongly, but he sure as hell recognized it. Anyone over the age eleven would recognize it, possibly even younger children. Jin wasn’t stupid, however he managed to look like it he wasn’t. Not really.
He followed Kame downstairs and they joined their parents for tea.
And it didn’t go that badly at all. Not at all, it wasn’t the hell he had been preparing himself for.
Maybe how they acted towards each others was influenced by each others’ actions. Because for once when Jin actually put his will into it and acted nicely and politely, he received quite a bit of non-mocking laughter warmer treating.
‘I am in love,’ Jin foolishly decided. ‘I am in love and it’s totally fine like this.’
He could just wish for Kame to feel the same. If their behaviour towards each others affected their relationship so greatly, maybe he would. Maybe this summer they would get along.
His mother’s garden had never before seemed so beautiful.
***
They were pleasant two months. Kame hadn’t expected to enjoy himself as much as he did, not even nearly, but he was glad that he did. He was glad that things were working out.
Because as much as he would’ve wanted to go on battling against his favourite villain Bakanishi Jin, it was best for everyone’s mental status for them to get along. His summer wasn’t as much of a hellhole he had expected it to be, it was summer. It was warm, beautiful, playful and funny with little room for such things as glancing behind his back to avoid mud balls or anything just as ridiculous.
He was happy. He loathed himself briefly for admitting it even to himself, but he enjoyed himself and Jin’s company. Even Yamapi wasn’t as bad. He didn’t come around that ofsix either, Jin didn’t ask him to. Maybe Kame was enough for him at least for quite some time.
Jin had progressed mentally. He was still a stupid, ridiculous and thoughtless child, but there was clear progress in him, mostly to be seen in the way he treated the people around him and behaved around Kame. It was like he had grown six years in one year and for someone like Jin it was quite an accomplishment. Kame never would’ve believed him to be capable of such a thing. He almost acted like his age. Almost.
But he didn’t, because Jin and acting maturely still didn’t quite fit in the same sentence unless there was that pretty little word ‘no’ somewhere tucked in it. But it was fine like that, it was somewhat refreshing.
“I like you,” Jin spurted out one day when it was just the two of them in Jin’s room. Kame turned to look at him, dumbfounded by the sudden outburst.
“No, not just like, I love you,” Jin corrected himself and grasped a hold of Kame’s wrist with his sweaty palm, breathing heavy thanks to nervousness. Kame tried to pull his hand away, unable to say anything, to think anything.
Love? Ridiculous.
“Let me kiss you,” Jin insisted, trying to still act all prideful and confident even though Kame saw straight through his horrible façade. Jin was ridiculously horrible in hiding the inner workings of his mind. Kame swallowed hard, frowned and yanked his hand again, this time getting it out of Jin’s slippery hold.
“Jin, are you gay?” Kame shot at him coldly, his defence building up. This must’ve all been a new sick joke of Pi’s and Jin’s, it was just like the two of them. This time they had crossed the line. This was not funny, not the slightest bit.
Jin nodded. “Yes. Wait, wait, no I’m not. Of course I’m not gay, I like women!” he corrected himself with his pitch rising dangerously as he grew panicky. Kame stared at him. Jin had obviously never even stopped to think about the matter yet seemed to now be in an awful this-or-that situation with it.
“Maybe you like both?” Kame tried to help him out, pitying the other one’s growing uneasiness. “It isn’t that unnatural in modern society.”
Jin looked up at him, swallowing hard. “You?”
Kame snorted, eyes widening. “You aren’t seriously asking me about that? Tell me you aren’t,” he laughed, watching as Jin rubbed his hands together, moving to sit better so that he was facing Kame with an anxiously waiting look in his eyes. Kame felt his mouth dropping. “…You are. You are seriously asking me about that. I can’t believe you, Jin.”
“So are you gay or not!” Jin exclaimed, making Kame hiss and slap his hand over his mouth quickly in order to quiet the noises down. Jin pushed his hand away and drew in a deep breath, narrowing his eyes. “Since I got the courage to ask you should have the courage to answer it!”
And it was a completely unfair request from his part. Kame had never tried to get their conversation turning to these tracks, yet Jin had changed the direction and was keeping it firmly on track. He pursed his lips impatiently and opened his mouth, probably to demand the answer for his question with an even louder voice and Kame had to cover his mouth again.
“It isn’t really any of your business,” Kame answered him. “But I really don’t care. I’m not narrow-minded like some people.”
And even though the ‘some’ seemed to be dangerously much directed at Jin’s part, he ignored it completely as a wide smile spread on his lips.
“Of course it’s my business then, especially then it’s my business! This is great! I’m glad we got this sorted out!” he stated happily again and leaned in, wrapping his hands gently around Kame’s neck and pulling him into a kiss.
…Wait, what. What had just happened? Kame’s eyes widened. Jin had to be kidding… he couldn’t just… couldn’t..? But he was Jin, hell, he actually could. Kame swallowed hard as his hands wrapped around Jin’s wrists.
Jin opened his mouth slightly and rocked their lips gently together, eyes slightly lidded as he caressed Kame’s lip with the wet tip of his tongue. Kame felt his face growing flustered as his grip tightened. Jin’s lips turned into a smile, his teeth gently keeping Kame’s lower lip between them in their hold. Kame didn’t dare moving, the closeness making him react way too strongly. Jin’s stupid ministrations making him react way too strongly. He gulped again and Jin pressed his fingers gently on his neck, caressing his Adam’s apple with his fingertips as he smooched his lips again, slowly and tenderly, tilting his head just a bit.
“It feels good when you swallow. In here,” he half-whispered and caressed Kame’s throat with his thumb, tracing the small bumps and soft and tender skin, making Kame shiver as he touched such a sensitive area. He gasped to the kiss and Jin took it as a sign of approval, capturing his lips fully, not caring about the muffled cry as he pushed him down and climbed over him, rocking their bodies gently together and tracing his lips over Kame’s, his hot breath making his face tingle.
Kame was left wordless. He panted slightly, his nails slowly sinking in the older man’s wrists as he looked up at him. And he knew that Jin was serious, as ridiculous as it was. Jin’s left hand’s fingers still traced their way down his neck as the other one swept a few strands from his face and its side as he kissed him slowly to the crook of his nose. Kame squinted, feeling slightly uneasy.
It was all happening just a bit too fast. He had not seen it coming, not the slightest bit.
And now it was becoming the most blooming July of his life, it seemed. He gulped as he realised that he melted under Jin’s touch, his loving caresses. And as Jin moved down to kiss his way down his neck, he gave into it, spreading his legs enough for Jin to get comfortably between them. Jin complied happily, biting Kame’s neck’s soft flesh sharply as a thank you and pulled his own shirt off, throwing it impatiently somewhere to the floor.
Kame rolled his eyes. Typical Jin. Straight ahead with no looking-backs. Jin removed his shirt as well and tickled his lower belly affectionately, earning a half-suppressed sound somewhere between a giggle and a chuckle from Kame’s part.
“Why the sudden change of mind, Jin?” he asked with a smile playing on his lips, for he couldn’t resist it anymore. He couldn’t resist pulling Jin back up and closer, running his nails gently down his back and making him quiver and whimper in excitement, lean closer into him and capture their lips for a brief and passionate kiss yet again.
“You look really good,” Jin answered him, clawing Kame’s inner thigh impatiently all the way to his groin, making Kame sigh and murmur contently, arching his neck backwards as he buried his fingers in Jin’s hair, pulling their faces close enough to touch. It felt good, Jin’s breath on his face, the sudden, small brushes of their flesh together and the tingling sensation of having something so close to him. The heat building on his face, the urge to just go and capture Jin’s lips again, those sinfully soft and kissable lips of his. Jin didn’t resist his urge as well as he did and kissed him wetly for a few times, his tongue almost shyly brushing over Kame’s slowly swelling lips. Kame smiled, tilting his face to capture his lips better, pulling him closer from his shoulders as they pressed even closer to each others.
“And?” he gasped and swallowed hard again, arching forward to press their foreheads together, lips touching Jin’s ever-so-slightly, keeping the contact without going further, just enjoying the tease and the impatient whimper emerging from Jin’s throat as he started pulling Kame’s jeans to his ankles.
And it felt right for some ridiculously stupid and ridiculous reason as it always did with Jin. But maybe all of those years they had been preparing for this. Testing each others, testing how much they could take. Taking their time to fall for each others in a much more subtle way than they could’ve even imagined.
Jin pulled his ear gently with his teeth, making Kame chuckle and wrap his legs around Jin’s hips, giving their hips a small and heated rock as he slipped his fingers down Jin’s jeans and boxers to scratch his hipbones, curious of his reaction and ending up making him press harder against him and jolting slightly. He laughed, wishing no one would walk in. No one should walk in, the maids never did and their parents were probably outside, leaving them all alone, glad that they seemed to be getting along.
A bit too well as well, Kame though amusedly. A bit too well for him to even fully believe it to be true.
“Oh, come on! Tell me,” he laughed, wrapping his hand around Jin’s neck gently and pressing damp kisses on it, shivering as Jin scratched his back, gasping and whimpering at his touch and getting distracted from his kisses. He sighed deep as Jin caressed the small of his back and curled up slightly, his face moving downwards and teeth scratching Jin’s collar slightly, earning a violent scream and jolt from him, most likely bruising Kame’s thighs and back. Kame slammed his hand quickly to Jin’s mouth to quiet him down and hissed at him furiously.
“What do you think you’re doing, getting everyone in here while we’re half-dressed and obviously going for it on your bed?!” he hissed with his narrowed eyes. “Keep it down, you jerk!”
“But the collar -” Jin objected and shivered violently as Kame traced his finger down it again, moaning loudly and collapsing over Kame, pressing him tight against the mattress. Kame slipped his hands down again to open the button of Jin’s jeans and pulled zipper down to ease his condition if even for a little, smirking contently. Oh, he was already finding Jin’s buttons.
“Seriously, Jin. You used to hate me,” he questioned the other one amusedly, sweating from the heat their bodies transmitted to each others as the situation progressed. “Why the sudden… enlightenment or whatever it was? It can’t be just because I’m better-looking now.”
“What else is there?” Jin mumbled as he kissed Kame’s neck again, pressing their hips together so that it hurt. “What else could there possibly be, I wonder…”
Kame kneed him in the groin. Hard.
“Stop joking around, Jin, I was being serious,” he spat out. Jin grunted as he positioned himself better over Kame, caressing the younger one’s sides gently.
“…Uh,” Jin stumbled with his words. “I really, really like your hair? What, stop looking at me like that… I can’t think of anything. What else do you need?”
Kame kneed him in the groin harder, making him let out a pained bellow as his eyes watered. After Kame kicked him off he curled up, whining in pain as Kame quickly pulled his jeans properly back on and fished his shirt from the floor, pulling it over his head furiously. Jin forced himself back up to a sitting position, still in pain and groaning.
“Oh, come on Kame, you’ve got to be kidding me…” he grumbled, reaching his hand out. “Come on, come back.”
Kame snorted contemptuously and shook his head, adjusting his skull necklace better as he glared at Jin with fury and hurt in his eyes. Jin froze at place, his mouth hanging open, proper words refusing to come out.
“Kame, come on. Kame, don’t be like that,” he tried again but was only rewarded with Kame throwing his shirt snappily at him and fixing his messed up hair quickly with his fingers.
“Go and find other people as your fuck-buddies, Jin,” he stated icily and clicked his heels, storming out of the room. Jin was left staring at the open door completely dumbfounded.
…What the hell had just happened? What the hell had just happened?!
He realised he was still only half-dressed and the room smelled of sex. He bit his lip in frustration, unable to figure out what he was supposed to do. What the fuck had he just done wrong? Hell, what was Kame, a girl? No, even girls were happy when they received compliments of their outlook. Kame was just being Kame again. The stupid, difficult and unpredictable Kame.
He cursed, threw his shirt on and pulled his zipper up as he stumbled to open the window.
Kame locked himself in the bathroom, starting to run a very, very cold bath for himself as he kept walking in a circle, sinking his teeth in his knuckles in order to remain even as calm as he did.
It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like he had fallen for Jin or anything, it was nothing like it. Jin was Jin, the stupid, arrogant and childish jerk he always was. What else could he honestly have expected? For Jin to actually like him on a deeper level? Naïve. So ridiculously naïve that he actually did laugh at himself briefly.
And suddenly he wished he wouldn’t have become so pretty after all.
( PART 2 )