Title : Living (One-shot)Pairing : Akame (Jin-centric)Summary : Five years ago, Kame fell into a coma after an accident, and every day Jin goes to visit him with the hopes that one day he'll respond to his voice again.Warning : Not a very happy story...aka angst.Akanishi Jin adjusted the strap on his bag as he greeted the nurses and the doctors along the hallway in the hospital. He took a sharp left turn, and then walked all the way down to the last room in that hallway. With a smile on his face, he twisted the doorknob with his hands and entered the room. “Good morning,” he said energetically as he walked into the room. He saw one of the nurses, Naomi, standing by the bed.“Ah... good morning, Jin,” she said with a bright smile. “You’re late today. I was starting to think you weren’t going to come.”
“Work went later than usual yesterday, so I accidentally slept in this morning,” he explained as he slipped the bag off his shoulders and placed it on the couch by the door. “How is he?”
Naomi smiled sadly and said, “Same as usual.” She paused for a moment before saying, “You know, you really don’t have to do this. There are many qualified nurses here that’ll take good care of Kazuya, so you don’t have to come in so early every morning.”
“I know. It’s not like I don’t trust you, but I want to do it myself. And besides, you were the one that said it’d help his condition to be around familiar people.”
Naomi looked down and said, “He’s really lucky to have someone like you.”
“No, I was the one that was lucky...” Naomi looked at him with curious eyes, but said no more. “So when are you leaving?”
“Next week. There’ll be a new nurse responsible for Kazuya, but I’ll make sure to relay all of his information to her before she starts.”
“... we’re going to miss you... me and Kazu... Do you have to go?”
“I have no control with where they want to transfer me. Don’t worry, I’ll still come back to visit him. We’ve been together for five years... not going to leave him alone just yet...” Since Kazuya had been admitted to this hospital for treatment five years ago, Naomi had always been the nurse responsibly for taking care of Kazuya. Even when she was off, she would frequently come back to visit the younger man to see if everything was alright. “Well since you’re here, I’m going to leave him to you.” She said good-bye to Jin, and closed the door behind her as she left.
Jin walked towards the bedside and sat down on the edge of the bed. “‘morning Kazu...” He bent down and kissed the younger man lying unconscious on the bed. He ran a hand through Kazuya’s soft black hair and caressed his face gently. “Did you miss me?” There was no response, but it wasn’t like there ever was.
The older man stood up and walked up towards the window to pull open the curtains, letting the warm sunlight shine into the room. “It’s so pretty outside...” He turned around and walked back towards the bed. He grabbed Kazuya’s left arm and started to do a few joint rotations at his shoulder, elbow, wrist and fingers; massaging the muscles when he was done. “Last night, I went out to eat with Ueda, Nakamaru, Koki, and Taguchi. They all asked how you were.” He pushed the blankets aside, and grabbed Kamenashi’s left leg and proceeded to do the same exercises. “They all wanted to come see you, but they’re so busy with work...”
He got up and walked onto the other side of the bed and continued with the exercises. “Five years is a long time, ne Kazu? You should stop sleeping soon so we can all go out to play again...” He adjusted the younger man’s posture so that he would be lying on his side, moving his arms into the appropriate positions behind his back, supported by a pillow.
“You know... I had a dream last night,” Jin began as he lifted the blankets to cover the younger man’s body and sat down on the chair beside the bed. “You were in it... you were sleeping on the beach and I was running towards you, but no matter how fast I ran, the distance between us remained the same. And just when I was about to give up, you opened your eyes and smiled at me. But then, I woke up.” He laughed and continued. “I wonder if it’s some kind of sign...
“You really loved the beach, didn’t you? I remember sitting there on the sand with you for hours, and even after the sun had set, you still didn’t want to go... you were such a brat then. You should hurry up and wake up so we can go see the beach again...”
*
Kazuya walked along the shore, kicking the water lightly with his feet as he splashed around like a child. His jeans were rolled up, and his black t-shirt was half-tucked into the front pocket of his jeans. He loved the beach, and he loved the feel of the cool breeze against his bare skin. “If you keep splashing around like that, you’re going to catch a cold,” Jin said with a small grin on his face.
The younger man turned around and smiled brightly at Jin. He stretched out his arms in front of him, asking the older man to come closer. “You should come into the water too! It feels really good,” Kazuya said happily.
“Don’t want to,” Jin replied as he folded his arms in front of his chest.
Kazuya cocked his head to the side and said, “I’ll give you something nice if you do.”
The older man looked off to the side and smiled before saying, “Fine.” He pulled off his t-shirt and rolled up his jeans; kicking off his sandals beside Kazuya’s before heading into the water. He wrapped his arms tightly around the younger man and picked him up off the ground. Kazuya squealed in surprise, and grabbed onto the older man’s shoulders for support; Jin spun him around a few times before setting him back down on the ground. Once the younger man felt his feet touch the wet sand, he planted a sloppy kiss on Jin’s lips.
“Love you,” Kazuya said with a brilliant grin.
“Me too,” Jin said, and Kazuya pulled away from his embrace and started to walk away. He held out his hand behind him and Jin grabbed it happily. Their fingers intertwined with one another’s, and Kazuya’s hand felt so warm in his grip. The only thought that ran through Jin’s head as he tightened his grip on Kazuya’s hands was that he never wanted to let go of this hand... ever.
*
“Did he come again?”
Naomi looked up from her clipboard and looked at the owner of the voice, Suzu, another nurse that had taken care of Kazuya during a few of her shifts. “Name one day he doesn’t come,” she said with a sad smile.
Suzu sighed and said, “I don’t know how he does it.”
“Just because you’re fickle and shallow, doesn’t mean everyone is,” Naomi teased.
Suzu laughed and said, “True, true.” She paused as she stared down at her hands. “But five years is a really long time. Chances of full recovery are growing smaller and smaller with every passing day... Is it okay living with a false hope?”
“I wouldn’t call it a false hope. We’re not here to judge whether or not it’s worth waiting for someone who may never wake up, but as long as he’s still breathing, there’s a chance for recovery.”
“... I feel bad for Akanishi-kun....”
“I don’t know who to feel bad for,” Naomi whispered sadly. “Watching a person that may never wake up, or hearing a person you just can’t respond to.”
*
Jin took off his shoes as he closed the door to his apartment; slipping on his slippers and placing his bag on the ground. He sat down heavily on the white leather couch and sighed deeply. The apartment suddenly felt so silent and empty, and as the days passed, he was growing more and more tired of waiting. Shaking his head from such thoughts, he pushed himself up off the couch and headed towards the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and chugged it all down with one big gulp. After taking a quick glance at the clock on the wall, he sighed and proceeded to prepare something for supper. After rummaging around in the fridge, he decided to make a simple fried rice dish for himself.
When he was done, he sat himself down at the dinning table; his eyes staring sadly at the seat across from his. “Itadakimasu...,” he whispered softly and he scooped small portions of rice into his mouth with his chopsticks. He grimaced from its peculiar taste, but he swallowed it nonetheless. In the end, Kazuya’s fried rice was still the best, and he regretted the fact that he didn’t realize this sooner.
*
“Mmm... I’m so hungry Kazu... what are we eating tonight,” Jin asked with a whiny voice as he flopped onto the couch.
“We’re eating my specialty... fried rice,” Kazuya said with an excited grin. He scooped out the rice onto two plates in even portions. He smiled proudly at his creation, and took the two plates and placed them onto their dining table.
“Aw... didn’t we already have that this week already,” Jin whined as he sat down on one of the chairs.
“No complaining! It’s quick and easy to make, and it’s yummy so no whining... unless you want to cook,” Kazuya said as he slapped Jin playfully on the head.
“Fine...,” Jin said with a slight pout.
Kazuya watched Jin probe uninterestingly at his rice and the younger man heaved a deep sigh. “If you really don’t want to eat it, then I’ll make you some pasta...”
“Really?!” Jin immediately straightened his posture as he stared at the younger man with an excited grin.
“Yes, yes... baby...” Kazuya got up from his chair and proceeded back towards the kitchen.
“You know I love you, right Kazu?” Kazuya turned around and smiled.
“Love you too.”
*
Jin walked into Kazuya’s room the next morning and smiled happily as he closed the door behind him. “I’m back Kazuya~!” He moved closer towards the younger man’s bed and crouched down beside him; brushing pieces of hair away from his face. “Missed you.” He bent down and kissed the younger man lightly on the forehead. He grabbed the younger man’s arm and proceeded to do his daily exercises. “Yesterday, I tried to make your specialty fried rice... but I failed miserably,” Jin said with a slight laugh. “You should wake up soon and make me some.”
When Jin grabbed Kazuya’s hand, he felt a small twitch, and his head immediately shot upwards. “Ka-zu...,” Jin breathed out softly as he stared intently at Kazuya’s face. He rubbed Kazuya’s hand to see if he could evoke any further reaction from the younger man, but he received none. Just when he was about to give up, he saw Kazuya’s eyes slowly flutter open. Jin’s eyes widened in shock, and he immediately shot up onto his feet and rushed out of the room; his eyes darting around looking for someone to call for help.
When he saw Minori, the elderly doctor responsible for Kazuya, he immediately grabbed his hand. “Minori-sensei! Kazu... Kazu’s waking up,” he shouted excitedly as he tried to drag him back to Kazuya’s room.
Minori’s eyes widened in surprise as he immediately rushed towards the younger man’s bed, and proceeded to examine him as Jin watched with hopeful eyes. Not long afterwards, Naomi rushed into the room, and looked at Jin with questioning eyes before assisting Minori. After several minutes, the doctor readjusted Kazuya’s position, and covered the younger man with the blanket. He walked over towards Jin and scratched his head lightly as he tried to think of the right words to say.
“How is he... Minori-sensei,” Jin asked hopefully.
“... he’s still in a very deep coma,” Minori said softly.
The smile fell from Jin’s face as he stared at the doctor. “But he opened his eyes! I saw it myself! And I could feel his hand moving,” he blurted out hastily as he waited for a reaction from the doctor.
“It’s not unheard of for comatose patients to move or open their eyes while still remaining in their unconscious state,” Minori explained. “Even though it isn’t as common for patients that have remained in this state for long periods of time.”
“I don’t really understand what you’re saying...”
“Don’t worry Jin-san... this is a good sign. It’ll take time, but gradually, Kazuya-san’s movements should become more frequent, and eventually he’ll come out of his unconscious state.”
“... how long... would it take for him to fully recover?”
“I can’t answer that. It all depends on his will to survive... but chances of a full recovery are fairly small given the time that has passed since he first fell into a coma.... but we’ll do our best, so you’ll have to keep fighting too.”
Minori patted Jin’s arm lightly before leaving the room, and Naomi walked up to him and said, “Don’t give up. He’s working so hard already, and he’ll need all the support he can get.” Jin nodded slightly and she disappeared out of the room not long afterwards.
Jin walked towards Kazuya’s bed and sat down on the chair beside it. “Did you hear that, Kazu? Stay strong, and we’ll get through this together. I’m not going to give up on you, so don’t you go giving up on yourself.” Jin grabbed onto Kazuya’s hand and held it tightly in his own. He bent forwards and pressed the hand against his cheek. “Please wake up soon...”
*
“You’re late Jin,” Kazuya said with a slight pout as he laid on the couch; the blanket that was used to cover him with slipped and half fell onto the ground.
“Ah... sorry... Promise I won’t do it again,” Jin said with an apologetic look on his face as he approached the younger man.
“You always say that,” Kazuya pouted. “You say you hate when people make you wait, but you make me wait for you all the time.”
Jin sat down on the edge of the couch beside Kazuya, and placed his arm around the younger man’s shoulder. “Sorry, really... I promise I won’t do it again!”
“Fine, I’ll believe you... for now...”
“For now? What do you mean, ‘for now’,” Jin teased as he climbed on top of the younger man and stared down at him with amused eyes.
“Exactly what I just said,” Kazuya said with a half-smile. He placed his arms loosely around Jin’s neck, and continued. “Are you going to do something to make me forgive you faster?”
Jin smiled and bent down to kiss him lightly on the lips. He knew exactly what to do to get the younger man to forgive him; it was never a difficult task because when it came to Jin, the younger man could never stay mad.
*
“Well don’t you look happy today,” Nakamaru said as he slapped Jin playfully on the shoulder.
Jin grinned widely at the older man. “I am happy! There’s a chance for Kazu to recover,” Jin said happily. “He hadn’t moved at all in the past few years, but today when I went to see him, his hand moved! And his eyes opened! Minori-sensei said that even though it might take a long time, Kazu will eventually wake up.”
The others could see how happy Jin was, and they felt immensely happy as well. “That’s great news,” Ueda said with a smile.
Koki walked up towards Jin and placed his arm loosely around his shoulder. “Since we have next week off, lets all go visit Kame-chan. We haven’t seen him in a long time anyways,” Koki suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.
“Kazu will like that,” Jin said. “He needs it...”
*
Jin lead the others towards Kazuya’s room, and as he passed by the nurse’s station, he saw Suzu reprimanding a nurse, but paid no heed to it as he continued towards Kazuya’s room. He pushed open the door and said, “Guess who came to see you, Kazuya~!” When he saw Kazuya’s parents sitting by his bedside, he immediately straightened his posture and bowed respectively.
“Ah... you all came to visit Kazuya,” Kazuya’s mother said with a bright smile on her face. The others immediately bowed slightly in greeting. “Well since you’re here, me and Dad will leave you alone with Kazuya.”
“Ah, you don’t have to,” Nakamaru said quickly.
“No, it’d just be awkward for us old people to be around,” Kazuya’s father said with a light chuckle. “We can always come back later.”
They all bowed to one another as Kazuya’s parents left the room, leaving Jin and the others alone in the room. “Kazuya’s parents look like they’re in good spirits,” Taguchi remarked absentmindedly.
Jin slapped Taguchi on the head. “Who said you can call my Kazu that,” he said in a teasing tone. “They’re just really happy because Kazu’s finally showing signs of recovery, right Kazu?” He walked over towards the bed and kissed the younger man on the forehead. The others made a disgusted noise, and Jin turned around to glare at them. When their eyes met Jin’s, they all immediately turned their heads with a slight smirk on their faces. They’ve gotten used to the couple’s touchy-touchy behaviour in front of them, although Kazuya was always more considerate than Jin, they still loved teasing them whenever they showed their affection towards one another publicly.
“Wait until we’re not around before you start blurting out your mushy-mushy lines, okay,” Koki teased.
“Oh shove it,” Jin said as he settled onto the chair beside the bed while the others gathered behind him. “These clowns are here to see you Kazu-ouch.” Jin rubbed his head where Koki just slapped him.
“You’re looking better Kame,” Nakamaru said as he rubbed the younger man’s head with his hand.
“Stop sleeping already,” Koki complained. “Akanishi’s getting too hard to handle without you around.”
“Am not,” Jin whined. “Don’t listen to them Kazu!”
“Stay strong, Kame,” Ueda said softly. “We’ll be right here when you wake up.”
“Keep fighting,” Taguchi said. “We all miss you.”
“See Kazu? We’re all here supporting you, so don’t you dare give up,” Jin whispered as he grabbed Kazuya’s hand. He squeezed it tightly in his own, and he could barely keep from screaming out loud when he felt Kazuya squeezing his hand lightly in return. Even though he knew it was an unconscious act, he felt his chest swell with happiness and hope; Kazuya’s full recovery suddenly didn’t feel so far away.
*
“Ugh... I’m so tired,” Jin whined as he flopped down on the chair beside Kazuya. “Ka-zu~!”
“... what is it Jin,” Kazuya asked with a slight smile.
“My shoulders hurt,” Jin said with a pout; staring at the younger man with pleading eyes.
“And what do you want me to do about it?” Kazuya turned his head away from the older man, but the smile on his face only grew wider. Jin pointed to his shoulders indicating he wanted a massage, but Kazuya slapped him playfully on the head. “Don’t be a baka.”
“But my shoulders are sore...”
Kazuya laughed from the whiny tone the older man used. It was hard to believe that he was a couple years his senior. “Oh fine.” He turned to the side and gave Jin’s shoulders a gentle massage. “There... better?”
“All better,” Jin said and wrapped his arms around the younger man. “You’re the best!” He tried to kiss him, but Kazuya pulled away.
“Not here Jin,” he said firmly as he tried to free himself from the older man’s grip.
“There’s no one else here,” Jin retorted. He tried a little more forcefully, and the younger man laughed and pushed away.
“Oh for the love of-GET A ROOM!” Jin immediately stopped and the two of them looked towards the doorway and saw Koki standing there with a mock look of disgust on his face; Nakamaru, Ueda, and Taguchi stood behind him with an amused look on their faces.
“You’re just jealous,” Jin said as he wrapped his arms more tightly around Kazuya, and the younger man blushed.
“Let go,” Kazuya said firmly as he tried to push his arms away. When the older man wouldn’t budge, Kazuya elbowed him in the side and stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom.” He disappeared out of the room with an embarrassed look on his face.
“So mean... Look what you made my Kazu do,” Jin whined as he crossed his arms in front of his chest with a slight puff.
“Oh if you weren’t so damn touchy-touchy, Kame wouldn’t be so mean,” Koki retorted and sat down on the couch at the back of the room followed by the others.
“You have to admit, baldy does have a point,” Nakamaru said as he avoided Koki’s incoming fist.
“I’m already holding back enough as is,” Jin said with pout.
“Well you should try harder,” Ueda said.
“But it’s not my fault! Kazu is clingy too, but I don’t see you lecturing him,” Jin complained.
“But Kame doesn’t overdo it like you do,” Taguchi said and had to duck to avoid the magazine that headed his way.
“Just wait til you get him started, and then he’s the one that can’t keep his hands off me,” Jin said loudly, and the others made a disgusted sound. “You just have to touch-.”
“Just stop... that’s too much information, WAY too much information,” Nakamaru said, and the others couldn’t help but agree. Jin really didn’t know how to be discreet about his and Kazuya’s relationship, and once he gets started, he just doesn’t know when to stop. There were some things that were better left hidden behind closed doors, a fact that Kazuya seemed to understand a lot better than Jin.Labels: Akame-ness, angsty, fanfiction
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