The Ran-chan Effect (part III)
Title: The Ran-chan Effect
Chapters: 3/4
Author: yumemirunosekai
Pairing: Kamenashi/Ueda, Kamenashi/Jin (one-sided)
Rating: R (in general)
Warnings: fluff, romance, slight AU (actually heaps), non-explicit sex, super fast, and super cliche.
Synopsis: 'The Ran-chan Effect' is defined as a series of super cliched incidents that lead up to unexplained fluffiness which can only be caused by a certain dog that is perhaps the best matchmaker in the world.
A/N: FLUFFFLUFFFLUFFFLUFF~~~!!!! And please don't dis me for Jin's not so nice ending. I'm not really happy with him at the moment. cr: GOOGLE for the photos.
A/N2: And I'd like to thank my lovely beta dori_liv for painstakingly beta-ing my fics, and putting up with my annoying emails xx you're the best XD. Originally posted at kamedalove here
Words: 14k+
Part 2
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quick
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Kame comes to the studio more often than not, mostly it's to see Akanishi and to help with the oaf's dancing. Occasionally, he'd drop by Ueda's dressing room for the heck of it. Ueda thinks that Kame must really love Ran-chan, because he literally brings the dog everyday to the studio, much to the staff's annoyance. It didn't matter that Ran-chan's an exceptionally well-trained dog, it is just the fact that she's a dog do they go completely spare when she enters a room.
To Ueda amusement, Ran-chan did not seem to like Akanishi, despite being Kame's boyrfie- lover. Yeah, lover sounds much better.
The golden retriever blatantly refuses to set foot into Akanishi's dressing room, and would go to Ueda instead, which results in Kame having to swing by most of the time to collect her. This of course, led to more random conversations between Kame and Ueda, but other than superficial subjects like work, music, and occasionally, instruments (Kame seemed to love the piano, even though he can't play it), they never ventured into any personal topics.
Sometimes Ueda would catch Ran-chan watching him intently, an intelligent light in her brown eyes. Ueda wonders if it's his imagination, or is Ran-chan plotting something behind her master's and his back?
///
Ueda's doorbell rings, and he groans out a string of profanities that would make even Koki cringe, because it is 5 in the fucking morning. Whoever it is out there probably has a death wish or something.
Ueda's half closed eyes immediately fly open when he sees Kame standing outside, all shy smiles and flushed cheeks. "Hey." he says, and his voice is unusually high, much higher than usual. "Did I wake you?"
"Yes you did." Ueda says pointedly. He's not going to give leeway even if it is Kame, because sleep is precious to him. His first concert is in 3 days, and he needs all the sleep he can salvage. Then a thought strikes him. "How the hell do you know where I live?"
Kame laughs softly, and it hangs in the chilly air, before floating down ever so slowly, like delicate snowflakes. "I'm sorry," he says, and his eyes seem to smile up at Ueda through his unusually curly lashes. Suddenly Ueda feels a little too warm in his own skin, despite the cold chill of winter stealing in through the open door. "I sorta weeded it out of your manager."
"Koki? He actually gave you my address?" Ueda says, incredulously. This was Koki they were talking about. Overprotective, paranoid, Koki.
Kame looks confused. "Of course. Why wouldn't he? I am, part of JE for the time being, at least until Jin's concert is over. Anyway, I just wanted to ask if you would like come with me to this French place. It's really nice, but it's usually packed by 7am, so it's best to go there early."
Ueda raises his brows. "Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be asking your dear, darling 'Jin-kun'?" Hearing Akanishi's name this early in the morning does wonders to his already foul mood.
But as soon as the words leaves his lips, Ueda immediately regrets it, because Kame flinches, and his smile melts away, bringing his lips into a tight line. "If you don't want to go, just say so. You didn't have to do that." Kame says, and Ueda wants to punch himself.
Kame turns to leave, but Ueda hastily reaches out and grabs his arm. Kame whips his head around in surprise, mahogany eyes wide and his expression is a mix of annoyance, confusion, and not surprisingly, hurt. Ueda mentally slaps himself, because Kame shouldn't ever look like that. Kame should always be smiling and he'd be damned if he's the one who dares rip away that smile. He really is an asshole.
"I'm sorry." Ueda says. "I'm just tired. I didn't mean to say that." he sighs heavily, and slaps his face with his free hand. "God, I'm an idiot."
Kame laughs quietly, and Ueda's heart flutters. Kame's expression is still a little hurt, but he's smiling again. Ueda immediately feels like a complete jerk. "You did mean to say that," Kame chuckles. He presses a finger to Ueda's lips when the latter opens his mouth to protest, shutting him up immediately. "But I forgive you, because you are an idiot." Kame says affectionately, and slowly removes his cold finger from Ueda's warm lips. "So? Shall we?"
Ueda thinks that he might just get a stroke and die this moment because Kame is just too- too Kame. His voice, his skin, his actions made Ueda want to fly into a flailing mess. "Why- why are you asking me to go with you?" Ueda asks, and he really wants to kill himself, or maybe he should kill Kame, because the ass is clearly flirting with him.
Flirting.
If Akansihi finds out-
"Because I like you." Kame says, and he looks at Ueda like he's an idiot or something. Ueda nearly chokes on his own tongue. "Isn't that just logic? Why would I ask you out if I hated you?"
Ueda has to count to ten and take a deep breath before answering. and when he does, it's a feeble, "Oh, I see." Akanishi is so going to kill him.
Kame shakes his head and smiles serenely at Ueda. "Hurry up and get changed. It's freezing out here."
Ueda does just that.
///
Ueda thinks that he's really getting too close to Kame for comfort. They've only known each other for 2 months, and despite still being in a relationship with Akanishi, Kame is beginning to seek him out more and more. It was becoming a normal thing to walk into his dressing room and see Kame and Ran-chan curled up on his couch.
Kame always greets him with a smile and a 'good morning', before launching into conversation about his plan for the day. Their conversations have taken an abrupt turn, more personal topics folding into the comfortable dialogue. Just last week Kame told him about the time he got kicked out of his house because he refused a career in business, choosing to go into music instead. And yesterday Kame shows up at his door, and invites him out for a ridiculously early breakfast.
If things couldn't get any weirder, Ran-chan is really starting to get on his nerves, because the dog had begun to take things out of his duffle bag and hides them in weird places, namely in Kame's jacket pocket, Kame's bag, Kame's folder…
In return, Ueda is also frequently finding Kame's stuff in his dressing room. Just yesterday he'd found Kame's handphone in his bag, covered in dog slobber. Kame always apologises, but Ueda just tells him to keep Ran-chan on a freaking leash, or else one day he might just chain her to the table leg. But as expected, Kame just can't friggin' do it because apparently 'it makes her sad'. Ueda thinks that Kame is utterly hopeless sometimes.
If this isn't enough drama in his life, Kame and Akanishi had a very heated row, just days ago. Ueda had no idea what the hell happened, because he was in a meeting (a rather eventful one too) with Johnny, who again, seemed to love highlighting Ueda's faults. When he came back to his dressing room, there was Kame sitting with his legs drawn up and body stiff, like a tightly coiled spring. His eyes had been red and puffy, and Ueda was at a loss at what to do, because Kame refused to even look at him. Ueda couldn't do anything except to get an AD to help a very delirious Kame out of his room and to catch a taxi home.
Kame did not show up for days, and Akanishi's temper was hideous. Being a very short tempered man himself, Ueda had punched Akanishi in the face twice in a week, and twice he was restrained by an almost hysterical Koki.
Now, Ueda is just tired. He hasn't seen Kame for days, and frankly, he's just too wound up to care. Akanishi's bad mood is definitely spreading, and Ueda blames it completely on Kame for some reason. Why can't he and Akanishi make up already? How hard can it possibly be to do so?
But a sick, hidden side of him doesn't want them to get back together.
"Hey, loser," Ueda holds his breath. "That's my seat."
Akanishi storms into their shared dressing room, which is larger than their individual rooms with a scowl on his face. Ueda keeps his head down and stares at the parallelograms of sunshine on the floor at the base of the open window.
"Did you hear-"
Alright, that's it.
Ueda gets to his feet and round on Akanishi, face cold and hard. "Look, I don't know what the hell happened between you and Kamenashi," Jin winces at the mention of that name, but Ueda continues without stopping. "But for fuck's sake, grow a pair and make up already! Kiss and make up, whatever, I don't care, fuck him if you have to, just stop acting like a dick already!" Don't get back together. Don't.
Ueda says all this in one breath. He stalks out of the room, as stiff as a board, and doesn't hear Akanishi's muffled words behind him.
Don't get back together, Ueda pleads silently.
He really is sick.
///
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piano
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Ueda is curled up on the sofa in his apartment, a pair of black frames perched on his nose and a book between his thighs when the doorbell rings. He had washed his hair the minute he got home, and the meticulously styled black spikes now fall flat against his forehead. Ueda doesn't allow anyone to see him like this, because his bad boy image is something he isn't planning to lose anytime soon.
He glances up at the time. It is five minutes to twelve. The only person who ever calls this late is Koki, and right now, Ueda doesn't want to deal with his prissy manager. "Go away, Koki." he says loudly, not looking up from his book.
It's silence for a few seconds before the knocking starts up again. Ueda looks up, a scowl already marring his features and an irritated yell forms at the back of his throat.
"I'm not Koki," says a muffled voice, which sounds thick and raspy, as though the person has been crying or screaming for hours. "It's me."
Ueda literally jumps from his seat, book flying out of his lap and almost tripping over his track pants as he scrambles for the door. He pulls it open, and his heart clenches and melts at the same time at the sight of Kame.
The man is wrapped snugly in a white coat, arms pulled tightly around himself. His face is peaky and Ueda can see dried tear tracks on his cheeks. Kame peers up through his lashes and offers Ueda a wavering smile. "Hey." he says quietly. His voice sounds weird - too high pitched. Ueda's expression must be funny to Kame, because the latter laughs weakly. "Don't look like that, please." he rasps, and swallows. "I just-"
Kame starts blinking rapidly, and he looks away from Ueda. "I'm sorry to just drop by like this but- well-" he fumbles for words, and all this time, he's holding back, just stopping himself from completely bursting, and Ueda can't take it anymore, not when Kame is like this.
Instinctively, he grabs Kame's hand roughly and crashes the pliant and horribly thin body to him (Ueda shudders at the feel of sharp bone underneath the ayers of clothes). He isn't gentle. He doesn't slowly draw Kame into his arms, and Kame seems to appreciate it for some reason, and pulls himself closer to Ueda.
Kame is just the right height to be able to tuck his head under Ueda's chin. Kame's hair smells of something sweet, and cold - it's sharp as well as tangy and Ueda doesn't mind it at all. He slowly pulls Kame away from him, and tries to look at the latter, perhaps ask him what's wrong, but Kame keeps his head down. Ueda sighs, and ushers Kame's cold body in.
He steers Kame, who is teetering on two feet to his couch, where he was previously curled in, so it should still be warm. He removes Kame's heavy coat which is powdery with snow, before sitting him down. Kame immediately folds into himself, looking so terribly thin and young that Ueda can't bear it. He picks up the book he dropped and sets it on the table and slowly removes his glasses. He can tell that something is seriously wrong, because Kame just isn't looking at him, and really, Kame is just too confidant, too sure of himself to avoid eye contact in any situation regardless.
"Hey." Ueda approaches Kame and kneels in front of him. He's suddenly gentle, and takes Kame's hand. It's cold. "What's wrong? Why are you here?" he asks, and he moves to brush Kame's bangs from his eyes. "C'mon, look at me, please?"
Kame doesn't look up, but he does grip Ueda's hand tighter, as though it were a lifeline. Finally, Ueda tilts Kame's chin up with his free hand, and encounters slight resistance form Kame, who seems determined to not look directly at Ueda. "What- ”
Ueda's sentence falters and he finally shuts up, eyes wide and mouth agape. He finally manages to lift Kame's chin, and winces at how horrifically cold his skin feels, when he finally sees it.
Five long, slender bruises, purple-red and swollen, blossoms near his lips and streaks across the right side of his face, angry and throbbing.
Ueda almost goes blind with boiling white fury.
Fuck, just what the hell happened?
"Who did this?" Ueda demands, his voice is quiet and dangerous. Kame blinks. Ueda had to take several deep breaths, because he's not going to last the night without punching something, anything. "Kame, what the hell happened?"
Kame shrugs, and looks back down, to his hand in Ueda's larger one. Rubbing his still cold fingers against Ueda's hot skin, possibly because of how unexplainably angry the latter feels right now. "I- We- I didn't want to." Kame says, and his voice dies off in a whisper. "I didn't want to be together anymore."
The white before Ueda's vision is rapidly dissolving into a fiery red, and he pictures himself smashing a certain sonofabitch's face into a wall.
"I'll kill him."
Kame blinks, and looks up at Ueda's impassive expression. "What?"
"I'm serious, Kame." Ueda says. "I'm going to murder him."
This time, a ghost of a smile touches Kame's lips. "Nah, I don't think-"
"He hit you." Ueda says, interrupting Kame. "He left his fingerprints on you." Ueda tries to twist his hand out of Kame's but the latter immediately tightens his grip.
"Ueda, just leave it." Kame says, and pulls at Ueda's hand lightly. "Just… Stay here."
Ueda is reluctant to do so. He's wholly prepared to get into his car right now and drive to Akanishi's apartment, smash the door down and throttle the bastard. However, Kame's hand holds him here, and slowly, very slowly, the blinding anger fades away into a dull throb, that aches deep inside. Ueda sighs heavily. "Fine." he says, and tries to tug his hand out of Kame's death grip.
Kame doesn't let him, and his expression twists into that of a completely lost man, thin, vulnerable, and helpless. There it is again; that twinge of guilt, even though the marks on Kame's face were not of his doing. Ueda twirls his hand so that now he's gripping's Kame's wrist, and pulls the cold body toward him.
There's silence again. A strangely comfortable one.
"You're warm." Kame says pointedly. His voice is muffled, as his face is pressed into Ueda's chest. His arms and tangled on his lap, between Ueda and himself, and he makes no sign to move them anytime soon.
"That's because you're fucking freezing, you idiot." Ueda responds tartly. He can smell Kame more distinctly now that he's warmer, like fresh apples and cherry almonds. Kame's long sleeved top just makes everything look skinnier than it already is.
"There is no call for bad language." Kame huffs, raising his head to glare at Ueda through his curling lashes, and Ueda's heart skips a beat. "You swear all the time, it's getting seriously annoying."
"I can't help it," says Ueda. He's grinning like a complete retard because some colour has returned to Kame's cheeks, now a light pink, which is a damn good sign. "There's no way I can not NOT swear, what with Aka-" Ueda stops and mentally face palms himself. Shit.
Kame stiffens in his arms, and pulls away, scrunching into himself on the other side of the couch, away from Ueda. The five finger marks stand out starkly against his skin, and the momentarily suppressed fury in Ueda boils over again.
He seriously needs some anger management classes.
"Kame," Ueda begins, and Kame's eyes dart up to look at him. They are too bright, too fucking bright dammit. "You have to do something. You can't just sit back and take this."
Kame winces, but Ueda doesn't care, not when Kame looks prepared to let Aka-fucking-nishi slide just like that. "He hit you, for Christ's sake!"
Ueda regrets raising his voice, because Kame just presses himself further into the corner of the couch and refuses to look at Ueda again. "It's not his fault." Kame says, his voice quiet. he angrily drags the back of his hand across his eyes, scrubbing the tears with his sleeve.
Ueda almost explodes again at this, but he knows that he has to remain calm.
Calm. Yes, he's calm.
"Kame, I'm just going to repeat myself here," Ueda says, in a low, strained voice. "It is his fault. He hit you. That's domestic abuse right there."
"Ueda, it's really not all his fault. I was kinda expecting his reaction when- Well, whatever it is, it wasn't entirely his fault. Just leave it-"
"The hell I'm going to 'just leave it'!" Ueda explodes. "He can't do this to you. To hell with the bastard. That sodding- Fuck it, if it were me, I'd never hit you. I'd never do anything to hurt you because-"
When Ueda realises what he was about to blurt out, it was already too late, because Kame is staring at him with a curious and downright shocked expression. He blinks rapidly, but there are no tears.
Ueda swallows, and he can feel his face burning. What had he wanted to say just then? What would have happened if he had said it. He can't look at Kame, because this situation is something he really can't cope with. Ueda runs a hand through his bangs, which fall back messily into his eyes. "Nevermind," he sighs, and turns away. "Forget it."
Ueda walks to the armoire near the kitchen and pulls it open, yanking out a tightly rolled up futon and blankets. "You can stay here for the night. It's snowing so hard there's probably going to be a storm, so-"
Ueda feels something rest softly between his shoulder blades. He inhales sharply and tentatively peers over his shoulder, to see Kame's silky locks of molten copper bunched against his back. "What are you doing?" Ueda says sharply. he doesn't know what the hell's going on, but this; this isn't right. Kame is hurting, and he probably can't think straight. Maybe he should crush up some Benadryl into a glass of juice to knock came out for the night. Yeah, then perhaps these inappropriate thoughts would disappear and they could pretend like nothing happened.
"Don't you want to know why I…" Kame swallows. "Why I didn't want to be with Ji- Akanishi anymore?"
Ueda is silent. He never even considered that. Then again, it really isn't any of his business. "No." he snipes. "It's got nothing to do with me, and naturally, it's impolite to ask."
At this Ueda feels Kame tense up, and suddenly his body is spun around, futon sliding out of his grip and he is forced to face a fuming Kame, whose eyes are bright with unshed tears. "'Nothing to do with you?'." Kame hisses, face twisted in fury. "'Nothing to do with you??' Of course this fucking has something to do with you!"
Ueda is taken aback, because this is the first time he's ever heard Kame swear.
"I left him because I- Well-" Kame fumbles with his words, and his face is a brilliant shade of crimson. He glances at Ueda's utterly confused expression, and something seems to snap. "Oh, fuck this." Kame spits, and Ueda feels a pair of hands grapple his collar, and yanks him down roughly and sharply until his clammy lips are pressed against Kame's colder ones.
Kame tastes like candy, and it's sweet sweet sweet sweet. He releases his hold on Ueda's lips for a fraction of a second, one in which there is a loud gasp as Ueda draws in a much needed lungful of oxygen, but that's all he manages before Kame surges forwards like a crashing tidal wave, latching his lips onto Ueda's again. This time, they both end up on the floor, Kame practically devouring Ueda's lips.
Finally it's Ueda who has to prise Kame off him, because he is starting to see black roses bloom before his vision. They are both panting hard, Kame crouching between Ueda's spread legs, his cheeks flushed and lips swollen and inviting. Ueda has to swallow hard to hold down the blush that threatens to spread across his face. He's sure his hair must look like a rat's nest, but he hardly cares, not when Kame is sitting in such a provocative fashion.
"You-" Kame pants, a wry smile springing to his lips. "-have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."
Ueda blinks and gulps audibly. "Excuse me?" is the most intelligent comment he can muster in his kiss fuddled mind.
Kame scowls, and his cheeks expand in irritation. Growling lowly, Kame pushes forwards roughly, and Ueda falls back, his head colliding with the hardwood floor. He hisses in pain, but that is all soon forgotten because Kame is now straddling him, palms flat on his chest and molten copper locks framing his face like a silky curtain as he lean over Ueda's face.
Ueda goes crossed eyed as Kame leans in, eyes dark and secretive as he plants another kiss to Ueda's already red lips. It's lingering and slow, the fire in Ueda's belly burns and burns, until he thinks that Kame had better get off him quick, or he might do something he'll regret later on.
Just as Ueda begins to respond, Kame lifts his head, breath fanning against Ueda's lips. His eyes are heavy lidded as he looks at Ueda. "Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" Kame asks, a tint of sardonic sarcasm lilting his tone. "C'mon, Ueda. Even you aren't that stupid."
It takes Ueda awhile to process the situation before him. "Don't you…" Kame gulps. "Feel the same?"
His lip is trembling, but his eyes are determined and powerful as they bore into Ueda's being. Suddenly very annoyed, Ueda sits up abruptly, and Kame slides off his waist and his butt hits the floor with a dull thud, legs draping over Ueda's thighs.
Ueda leans forward and rests his palms on the ground either side of Kame, before turning the tables and repaying Kame for his rough kisses in kind.
"Does that answer you question?" says Ueda, mirroring Kame's clipped tone.
Kame flushes, and Ueda thinks that's he's just too cute. Kame looks down, not meeting Ueda's eyes, but he then notices something else, and his face flames.
"Oh."
Ueda sighs, and smiles sheepishly. "You really should uh… get off me."
Kame doesn't though, and he reaches forwards, but Ueda stops him. "Stop it."
Kame looks up at Ueda through his lashes again (can he please stop doing that), and if anything, this just makes the latter harder. "No sex?" asks Kame.
"Yet." Ueda says, and removes Kame's thighs from his legs, hurriedly getting to his feet, helping Kame up along with him.
"So… What do you want-"
"I'll play for you." Ueda says suddenly, and Kame quirks an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry?"
Ueda smiles, and takes Kame's hand, and leads him into an adjacent room. The door appears normal, and Kame looks at Ueda with a look that suggests curiosity.
When Ueda opens it with a soft click of the mother of pearl handle, Kame notes that the room, which is, if anything, larger than the living room. Even so, the entire room is empty, except of a handsome looking grand piano situated in the middle of it. There are no lights, but ueda doesn't need them. The south wall, which is constructed entirely of glass permits the multitude of city lights to wash in, illuminating the room just enough for him to see the rows of black and white keys.
Ueda sits himself at the bench, and ams follows suit, admiring the ivory keys. "I didn't know you played." he says, truly impressed.
Ueda scoffs lightly and rests his slender fingers on the keys. "You know nothing yet."
And he begins to play.
It's quiet except for the sound of the gentle tune that Ueda's amazing fingers drum out without the help of any score. Ueda can see Kame's eyes completely fixed on his hands, and thinks that Kame really looks like a kid in this moment.
Actually that's all he can think about, because he then feels a hand crawl across his thigh and down to his crotch. The sound of a wrong chord being struck is drowned out when Kame heaves himself onto Ueda's lap and starts kissing him. Again.
Well, fuck.
///
Part 4