Crescent (Walking Together with You)

It's the Sunday after Golden Week but Yuichi drags himself to the office anyway, enjoying the peace and quiet after a week spent filming with a rowdy group of twenty-somethings in Okinawa. The yearly trip is usually more like a vacation for Yuichi, but this time Ninomiya had insisted he put together short behind-the-scenes clips to use as promotional material. It will boost the sales Ninomiya had said, and there had been no arguing with him after that.

Now there’s still the actual material to go through, a job Yuichi already knows will be a headache. He takes the time to get a cup of the good coffee from the fancy coffee machine on the management floor, even though his own office is located in the basement, near most of the studios.

The company has expanded recently, the dingy old building they used for half of Yuichi's career thoroughly renovated, now full of sleek white surfaces and actual living plants. Yuichi doesn't mind the new direction as it means more stable work hours and better treatment for the newer talent. Still, he sometimes feels a little out of place with his dad jeans and uncombed hair.

Yuichi returns to his office with the coffee and a cupcake someone left unguarded in the fridge. He's not entirely surprised to find Ninomiya there, sitting on Yuichi's chair, behind his desk.

"I was thinking," Ninomiya starts, a sentence Yuichi isn't sure will bode well for him. "We should start a Youtube channel."

"Huh?" Yuichi says. Even the tamest softcore they do is too racy for Youtube, Yuichi's sure, though it would be interesting seeing how far they could take things without violating any community guidelines. He makes a mental note to send an email to the legal team to check if they could actually get away with uploading trailers of the more plotty stuff on the platform.

"I sent an email," Ninomiya says. It takes a few seconds for Yuichi to open the app and read the message he's missed.

"Janino Channel?" Yuichi asks, frowning slightly at the attached proposal. "We're naming it after you?"

"After the studio," Ninomiya corrects him. Yuichi doesn't buy it. "Think about it, you, me, a few of the talents."

"You want me to edit?" Yuichi clarifies. He’d better get paid for it.

"I want you on camera, too. For educational purposes," Ninomiya says. He must notice Yuichi's look of disbelief, as he hurries to continue, "Just think about all those camboys and girls who could do so much better with your editing tips. Maybe they'd even pay for an online class or two, eventually," Ninomiya says, sounding vaguely excited.

"So I'm there to give editing tips?" Yuichi asks, still not sold on the idea.

"Among other things. Look, the behind-the-scenes stuff was a real hit. We need more like that," Ninomiya says. "Just a regular channel, except we happen to work in a more unusual profession."

Yuichi can't believe he's actually considering the proposal. Perhaps because he's been itching to edit something more short-form, something more humorous, something actually marketable, something more varied than the usual stuff they make.

"Yes," he says, twenty minutes later after Ninomiya has gone through the full proposal with him. "I'll do it."

It's a weekday and there's a pile of editing he needs to get done before the staff meeting on Friday, but somehow Kazuya has managed to lure him out for just one drink, Yuichi. You can go back to work after. Yuichi blames it on the three rejections he's just received on the new dating app he downloaded during a desperate bout of loneliness last Saturday night.

"Didn't you just come back from a vacation?" Kazuya greets him. He has an annoying ability to see through Yuichi's usual poker face.

"I've told you, it's work," he says, taking a seat next to Kazuya. It's their usual hovel, the one run by Kazuya's favorite drag queen. Yuichi finds her slightly intimidating, but the beer's cheap so he doesn't complain.

"So no hot tour guide this year?" Kazuya asks with a smile. Yuichi sighs; he forgot he told Kazuya about that particular holiday romance.

"The algorithms are against me," Yuichi says, gazing mournfully into his beer. He'd tried to find company this year, too, but with very little success. Not that it was much different even in Tokyo despite the bigger dating pool.

It seems that everybody new Yuichi meets who isn't familiar with the industry assumes he spends his days fucking eager young men on and off camera. Not a great premise for anything more meaningful.

"You could be fucking eager young men off-camera if you wanted to," Kazuya tells him after Yuichi lets his thoughts slip out.

"That's not the point, Kamenashi," Yuichi says, and orders a glass of the most expensive whiskey the tiny hole-in-the wall bar has on offer. Kazuya invited him out, so he's paying.

"Then what is?" Kazuya asks, raising a curious brow.

"I'm nearly forty," Yuichi huffs out. His age has sneaked up on him. Not that he feels that different, maybe a little more tired, less inclined to give a fuck and more prone to hangovers, but it feels like society is expecting something more. He downs the whiskey in one go and orders another.

"Forty means you'll officially be a DILF," Kazuya says with a grin, clinking his glass against Yuichi’s. Yuichi groans.

"This is an entirely made up problem," Kazuya continues, and Yuichi remembers why he avoids coming to Kazuya with his relationship problems. He's entirely too pragmatic, despite his own disastrous track record with relationships.

"I got talked into doing a thing for Youtube," Yuichi says to change the topic. He's surprised the studio actually gave Ninomiya the budget to start the channel. Even if he is one of the top producers whose name alone guarantees great sales.

"Good," Kazuya says with a nod. "That should get you out of your rut."

"I am not in a rut," Yuichi says. It sounds fake even to his own ears.

"You're six months of celibacy and a beer belly away from one of those creepy editors who used to jack off while working," Kazuya says. Yuichi snorts loudly, unable to help the smile on his face.

"Rude," he says, but doesn't push Kazuya off when he gently leans on Yuichi a little after.

A second round of expensive whiskey later Yuichi is feeling grudgingly better. Kazuya still is shit at keeping his own relationships alive, but that doesn't stop him from being actually helpful when it comes to Yuichi's much less dramatic love life.

"Can I come watch you work?" Kazuya asks when Yuichi's phone pings for the fifth time in as many minutes. The small icon on the screen tells him he has fifteen unread emails.

"Who says I'm going back to work?" Yuichi tries, and receives a dry look from Kazuya. So maybe he has a few workaholic tendencies, but it is only six o'clock on a Tuesday.

"It'll be boring," Yuichi warns Kazuya, but he just shrugs, and then follows him back to the office, curling up on the worn couch behind Yuichi's desk.

"Can't believe you still have this," Kazuya mutters, poking at a suspicious stain on the armrest. Yuichi doesn't comment. It's a memento from the beginning of their careers. It gives Yuichi comfort to have a visual reminder of how far he's come since, and how things usually work out with time. That's hard to put into words, though, so he doesn't.

"So what's the editing emergency?" Kazuya asks as Yuichi reads through the now twenty-two message long thread. The last three are written fully in red, bolded characters. It's about the newest top project of the studio, a joint venture with the Kansai branch. Yuichi had been too busy with the Okinawa trip to even look at the material, so they'd found someone else.

"Some freelancer dropped the ball, I guess," Yuichi says, and pulls up the video, playing it on the bigger screen for Kazuya to see, too. He has a good eye, and Yuichi won't mind a suggestion or two.

"I worked with Meguro when he was starting out," Kazuya says as the first scene unfolds. "Who's the other one?" Kazuya had started at the studio at the same time as Yuichi, but had quit acting years ago, finding other means to get paid.

Yuichi needs to check the email again, having only a vague recollection of seeing the other guy before. He looks barely old enough to be out of school, which is perfect for the chosen premise, but makes Yuichi feel old and washed-out.

"Michieda. One of Ohkura's crew," Yuichi says, speeding up the video when the pair on the screen start taking off their clothes.

"They look good on camera," Kazuya says, and then falls quiet, letting Yuichi concentrate.

The issue with the material is pretty evident to Yuichi only twenty minutes in. He sighs, pauses the footage, and turns to Kazuya.

"Their working title was Baby brother blackmails sister's new husband to have sex with him," Yuichi says. Kazuya snorts, his eyes drifting to the screen where the two actors are frozen in a passionate kiss.

"The baby brother looks like he hasn't broken a rule in his life," Kazuya says. Yuichi nods. "They kiss like it's their honeymoon, too.” Yuichi agrees.

"It's not a problem with the editing," he says. "The whole setting is wrong for them."

Yuichi's shoulders stiffen at the thought of telling Takizawa and Ohkura their chosen direction was a mistake. He likes his job, and he'd rather not get fired.

"You could just reshoot the setup, you know. There's nothing wrong with the sex itself," Kazuya says, patting Yuichi's knee. "Call it Beginner's Love, or Secret Touch or something. Play up the romance." Yuichi can already see it, Kazuya's suggestion working more than well enough.

"You should be a producer," he says and pulls up his editing program. Technically he should get approval for the change of storyline but it's really the only direction to take with the footage full of lingering touches, deep kisses and the blush on Michieda's face every time Meguro slips and calls him by his actual name.

"Thanks," Kazuya says. Yuichi doesn't miss how he sounds secretly pleased. "I need a drink," he continues, and disappears out of the door. Yuichi isn't sure he's supposed to let Kazuya wander around the offices unsupervised, much less raid management's expensive vodka stash, but honestly, he doesn't care. He has a job to do.

It's hours past midnight when Yuichi finally finishes, his wrist aching from the death-grip on his very non-ergonomic gag gift of a mouse. Once they shoot and add in the new setup, maybe a few additional lines of dialogue here and there, they should be good to go.

Kazuya is nowhere to be seen, so he sends an email to Ninomiya and Ohkura about the change in direction, and heads home. Times like these it would be inconvenient to have someone waiting for him. Maybe Yuichi is just better suited for the single life, after all.

Ninomiya calls the first meeting for Janino Channel five weeks later. It's just Yuichi, Ninomiya, and Kikuchi Fuuma, one of the talents who Yuichi mainly knows by reputation. Sure, he's edited a few of his videos, but they've only met in passing off-screen. He seems a little flustered to have been picked out to join, which surprises Yuichi at first. As far as he knows, Kikuchi is pretty shameless in his videos, never shying away from the weirder concepts.

"We're going to need a star," Ninomiya says thirty minutes into the meeting. Yuichi knew there'd be a catch, that the agency wouldn’t just throw away money on a venture like this without some guarantees. He wonders why Kikuchi doesn't protest. Yuichi is pretty sure his solo videos have been selling above average in the recent months.

"It's gonna be Yamada," Ninomiya says. Kikuchi gapes, and even Yuichi is a little surprised. Yamada, though still firmly bound to the studio, has managed to break through into mainstream media thanks to a small indie film that unexpectedly blew up. Yuichi had been quietly expecting him to run with his luck and leave his gay porn past behind him.

"Has he agreed to it?" Kikuchi asks. Yuichi is momentarily distracted when he strips off his jacket, revealing toned arms underneath. Most porn stars were skinny back in Yuichi's day. Things have changed now. There's even a free gym for them to use at the office.

"Not exactly," Ninomiya says. "He will, once we bring the idea to him" he continues, full of confidence Yuichi sees no basis for. But then, it's Ninomiya. He could be crafty in his sleep, Yuichi thinks.

His and Kikuchi's doubts are proven wrong a few days later when the three of them corner Yamada during a fake interview for a magazine. Sure, Ninomiya somehow manages to make it seem that it's the studio that's agreed to this, like Yamada basically has no other choice, but Yamada agrees to join without putting up much of a fight. Yuichi does briefly wonder if Ninomiya has some blackmail material on him - it wouldn’t seem out of character despite his recently mellowed style.

The first time filming for their new channel starts out badly. It's awkward between them, to say the least, and they struggle to keep up the conversation on the chosen topic. Yuichi, despite his nearly two decades on and off camera, forgets he's supposed to speak, or react for that matter. Kikuchi tells nervous jokes that come off too rude or too lame, and then apologizes for them and falls silent. Yamada sits stiffly, like he'd rather be anywhere else. Even Ninomiya, usually on top of any situation, seems to falter.

"It's a disaster," he tells Ueda. Yuichi has known Ueda since even before they both joined the industry, and counts himself lucky to be still working with him. They're waiting for the set to be cleaned up, an unholy amount of glitter piled on on the floor of the studio. Yuichi has been asked to direct even though it's not really his forte - covering for a sick colleague.

"What was the theme, anyway?" he asks Ueda, momentarily distracted by the huge rainbow being dragged out of the room. "Unicorns?"

"My Little Pony," Ueda says and winces. Yuichi decides against asking him to elaborate, and concentrates on going through the notes for the next shoot. It's pretty basic, just the usual high school student seducing a reluctant businessman type of shoot.

"You'll figure it out," Ueda says after a moment of silence.

"How do you know?" Yuichi asks, and nods at Watanabe who walks by them and disappears behind the modesty curtain to change into costume.

"You wouldn't have agreed to it otherwise," Ueda says, clapping a comforting hand on Yuichi's shoulder. Yuichi hums thoughtfully, rubbing his hands on his knees before getting up and focusing on the task at hand.

He calls Watanabe over for a brief walkthrough of the scene. He looks surprisingly good, the suit seemingly tailored for his body and the watch passing for a real one. Maybe the change in management and the more up-to-date marketing practices has actually boosted sales enough to hire a real stylist for the shoots.

The other actor saunters in ten minutes late, stopping on his tracks when he spots Yuichi and Ueda.

"Next time you're late to my set I'm benching you, Tanaka," Ueda warns. He already has the cameras set up, one secured on a tripod and another in his hand.

"Sorry," Juri says, the casually arrogant slant of his shoulders melting into an awkward little bow.

"You're not supposed to be in this scene," Yuichi notes, watching Juri hopping on one leg to try and pull two pieces of the school uniform on at the same time.

"Nagase got pink eye," Juri says, glancing between Ueda and Yuichi. "No one else was free."

Yuichi nods, waits for Ueda to set up the camera, and watches Juri high-five Watanabe. Juri usually works on the more kinky side of the spectrum, which means Yuichi rarely needs to edit his videos. He prefers to work on the plottier projects himself.

"Whenever you're ready," Yuichi says, taking a step back to make sure he isn't in the shot. He's glad it's these two rather than some newbies who need constant reminders on the angles or vocal reactions.

They only need two takes for the set up scene (Please look a little less eager about getting on your knees for him, Watanabe) and for the rest, Yuichi mainly needs to keep an eye on the time and remind them of the positions they should switch to. Ueda handles the rest, experienced enough to know what to film before Yuichi even asks him to.

Juri and Watanabe move well together, and really sell it on the sexual tension, too. It's a little weird for Yuichi, watching the kid brother of a friend fuck for cameras. Yuichi tries to not think too much about the sweet-faced teenager he still remembers. Juri's an adult now, and free to choose his own profession. Not to mention it would be extremely hypocritical of Yuichi to judge him for this one.

"On his face, please," Yuichi asks politely, an hour and a half later. Watanabe frowns but doesn't protest, Juri kneeling next to his head for the climax of the shoot. A few more minutes of the both of them panting, eyes half-closed, and Yuichi calls it a wrap.

Even Ueda looks pleased with the shoot. It should be an easy edit, too, which means time for an extra-long lunch break for future Yuichi.

"Good job, Watanabe, Juri," he says with a friendly nod, and moves over to Ueda to check the footage while the two disappear into the showers, Juri in only his fake school tie, Watanabe wearing one sock and a torn button-up.

"Will you film backstage shots?" Ueda asks, returning to their earlier topic.

Yuichi ponders it for a moment. "Maybe a tour of an empty studio. Wardrobe? We might manage that."

"The dungeon?" Ueda asks with a grin. Yuichi shakes his head. "We're going for family-friendly here," he says with a straight face. Ueda snorts out a laugh. It's a good day, all in all, and Yuichi goes home with a little more hope for his side hustle. Maybe it can actually be something to look forward to, once they get a little more used to each other.

Two months later their channel has somehow racked up fifty thousand subscribers, and accidentally managed a viral video. It was a day in the life of Yamada, a video that Yuichi had edited with the power of three beers and sexual frustration. His excessive captions, especially the ones he'd used for any censored parts, had been a hit, if he believes Ninomiya. Personally, Yuichi thinks it has a lot more to do with Yamada's face.

There's still an air of awkwardness between them but Yuichi has learned to lean into it with the captions, cuts, and closeups rather than try and pretend they're best of friends. Yuichi finds he almost enjoys the shoots now, aside from the moments when Kikuchi manages to push all of his buttons. He's sure he’ll ease up with time.

The accomplishment is also why Yuichi allows himself to be dragged to an after-work celebration. It's the four of them and a mix of their colleagues, those close enough to one of them to be invited. Well, mainly it's friends of Kikuchi, the rest of them, even Yamada, far up the introvert scale.

Yuichi ends up sharing a table with Kikuchi and Juri and a bunch of their friends. Yuichi thinks he can name most of them, but he's happy just sitting back and letting them guide the conversation. Yuichi would have expected them to be a rowdy bunch, but the atmosphere stays relatively mellow even after the fourth round of beers.

He's comfortably buzzed by ten pm, leaning against the wall and chatting about vintage console games with Shori, one of the actors whose videos he regularly edits. That's why he misses the slight commotion, his attention drawn to the newcomer only when Juri nearly chokes on his beer.

"Kamenashi," Yuichi greets, sighing when Kazuya squeezes his way next to Yuichi and steals a sip from his beer.

"Yo," Kazuya says, nodding at the small party. Everyone in Yuichi's table has suddenly gone quiet. Yuichi has no clue how Kazuya manages the celebrity aura, but it seems to work on the younger crowd. Sure, his popularity and scandalous past together mean he's managed to become a household name, however infamous, but Yuichi still wonders why those in the same profession seem so starstruck.

"Don't look like that. I was invited, you know," Kazuya says, nudging Yuichi in the side. Yuichi sighs but nods, resigned to his fate. He doesn't consider himself friends with any of his coworkers, which also means he hasn't shared much of his personal life. He's sure that's about to change, any minute now.

It's not that Kazuya seeks to embarrass Yuichi, but it seems to happen regardless. Yuichi makes space for Kazuya anyway, letting his guard drop when he seems more interested in catching up with Meguro and Miyadate than teasing Yuichi.

"Kamenashi-kun," Kikuchi asks just as the server comes around with a fresh round of beers, distracting Yuichi from the danger of the two of them interacting. "How did you two meet?"

"Work," Yuichi hurries to say, giving Kazuya a warning look. He pays Yuichi no attention, as usual. "A boring story: we filmed together, got used to each other and became friendly. Ancient history," Yuichi hurries to add.

"What Yuichi here means is he took my virginity on camera and still feels guilty over it," Kazuya says with a little smile. Yuichi groans and pulls back the pint he just handed Kazuya.

The air seems to electrify at the comment. Yuichi can never figure out why everyone in the business seems to be so thirsty for gossip. Especially old gossip like this. Some of these kids weren't even in school when that happened.

"He didn't mean to, obviously." Kazuya starts with a grin, "So my first scene, you know the casting couch type, I was assigned Yuichi."

"I'm sure no one is interested in this," Yuichi says, but no one is listening.

"It was supposed to be just a simple blowjob, you see. I was supposed to only do softcore," Kazuya continues. Yuichi notices the table next to them has gone quiet as well.

"Things got heated up," Kazuya says, running affectionate fingers down Yuichi's arm. "And I guess Yuichi couldn't resist my charms," he says with a flirty wink at Yuichi. "So we ended up going all the way."

"The director told me to," Yuichi corrects Kazuya calmly. He does feel slightly guilty over that, especially since technically Kazuya hadn't even been twenty yet. And Yuichi hadn’t realized Kazuya was as inexperienced as he turned out to be.

"You were pretty eager to go along with it, if I remember correctly," Kazuya says. Yuichi's face feels hot. He'd been young, and Kazuya had been exceptionally pretty back then. Still is, for his age.

Yuichi excuses himself to the bathroom when the attention turns from him back to Kazuya and his only slightly exaggerated stories. Yuichi is not entirely happy that his carefully built image of being old and uninteresting has been blown.

"I didn't know you used to act," Kikuchi says, startling Yuichi. He takes the urinal next to him. Yuichi shrugs, not really knowing what to say to that. It's not a secret, as such.

"I didn't really. I wasn't a star like Kazuya, or you," Yuichi says, frowning at Kikuchi when he surreptitiously steals a glance at Yuichi's dick. Not that he has anything to be ashamed of in that apartment, if he does say so himself.

"So you worked with Kamenashi a lot, before?" Kikuchi asks, following Yuichi to the sink.

"It was a small agency," Yuichi says, watching Kikuchi through the mirror as he washes his hands. It had been only six of them for the most part, and barely any staff. They'd learned to do things on their own. It had paid off, at least for himself, Kamenashi and Ueda.

"Do you miss it?" Kikuchi asks. Yuichi stops and thinks for a while, wiping his hands dry on his pants.

"I'm happier where I am now," he says. Sometimes it feels like those years had been one big disaster from the beginning to the end, even if he still sometimes misses the friendship they'd shared.

"So can I watch your stuff?" Kikuchi asks, a grin on his face. "You know, for tips and stuff." Yuichi refrains from commenting that he doesn't think Kikuchi needs any tips.

"I'm sure it's still out there somewhere," Yuichi says, exiting the bathroom and finding a seat at the table with Ninomiya and Yamada and some of the older crowd. It's full, leaving no space for Kikuchi to join. Yuichi is sure it will be only a matter of time before Kikuchi figures out all he needs to do is ask Juri for the tapes. But he won't be the one suggesting that.

Yuichi's premonition is proven right exactly three weeks later when he finds Kikuchi waiting outside the door to his office, two coffees in hand. They’ve filmed together regularly for months now, but this is the first time Kikuchi approaches him outside of that.

"What is it?" Yuichi asks, noticing Juri lingering a little further up the hallway, trying to look surreptitious.

"Just, there's a bet going," Kikuchi says, holding out one of the coffees. Yuichi accepts it before he can think better of it. "And we just need to check some of the raw footage."

Yuichi sighs. There goes his peaceful afternoon. He holds open the door anyway, gesturing at Juri to join them as well. They're both freshly showered, and Yuichi wonders if they've just shot a scene together. There's a hickey just above Kikuchi's left collarbone.

"What's the bet?" he asks against his better judgement, taking his usual seat behind his desk.

"Who has the best stamina," Juri says. "The edited material can lie," Kikuchi adds.

"Can't you just jerk off with a stopwatch like normal people," Yuichi says before he can think better of it. Kikuchi's eyes flash with interest. Yuichi's pretty sure there's no footage of that particular incident from the past, so he's safe, if he keeps his mouth shut.

He pulls up the files anyway, taking a seat on his sofa while the two go through it, marking down times and arguing over what counts as the start, and whether a second orgasm during the same shoot is accepted as proof.

"So, who won?" Yuichi asks some time later. Kikuchi looks gloomy, muttering to himself and handing over a ten thousand yen note to a widely grinning Juri.

"Meguro," Kikuchi says, his mood picking up when he lifts his gaze and meets Yuichi's eyes. "I came second, though."

Yuichi snorts, making room for Juri on the couch next to him.

"So what brought this competition on now?" Yuichi asks, sensing something in the way Juri keeps grinning at Kikuchi.

"You," Juri says. Yuichi should've known better than to ask. "You know, that pirate-themed one where you top three guys? This one didn't believe you lasted all through it."

Yuichi turns his eyes to Kikuchi.

"I thought you'd be a pushover," Kikuchi admits, not quite meeting Yuichi's eyes.

"What he means is he took one look at your bad posture and sweater vests and thought you'd bend over at the first glimpse of his magnificent cock," Juri says with a gleeful smile. The chance to tease his friend seems to draw him out of the shell he usually hides behind around Yuichi. He used to feel like a baby brother. Yuichi still regrets losing touch with him, back then.

"Shut up, Tanaka," Kikuchi says. He looks to be blushing, slightly, still very much not looking at Yuichi. Yuichi doesn't know whether to be irritated or amused.

"I see," Yuichi says, "My partner would be the one bending over, though."

Kikuchi chokes on his coffee. Yuichi is glad to know he hasn't completely lost his touch.

Four months later Yuichi finds himself having formed an unexpected friendship with the trio he now works with almost weekly. He welcomes the easy camaraderie during their Youtube filming days, but it does bring its own issues when it comes to his usual work routine.

"Kikuchi, I told you underwear is mandatory here," he grits through his teeth when, for the third time that week, Kikuchi plants his naked butt on Yuichi's desk. Sure, he's wearing a robe but it's two sizes too small, untied, and rides up whenever he so much as moves his arm.

Yuichi should have known better than to trust the innocent smile on Kikuchi's face when he had asked Yuichi to help him film a surprise for a special friend. But he had been tired and distracted by some missing footage, so he'd said yes without consideration.

That promise now leads him and Kikuchi into one of the empty sets, Yuichi with a handheld camera.

Yuichi has seen so many naked bodies in his eighteen years in the industry that there should be nothing sexy about it. But here he is now, mouth dry as he zooms onto Kikuchi's fingers as they run down his chest and over his abs before slowly cupping his dick.

Kikuchi has a nice cock, one of the best ones in the company if Yuichi is honest. There were bigger ones, sure, but Kikuchi's curves nicely, and flushes a pretty dusky pink when aroused. He’s just thick enough to look good on camera but not hurt whoever he’s fucking.

Yuichi licks his lips, then clears his throat, realizing Kikuchi asked him something.

"Sorry?" he says. He hopes his natural poker face saves his dignity and Kikuchi doesn't realize he's just been fantasizing about his cock. Not that the brat wouldn't enjoy the idea. He keeps flirting with Yuichi when they're filming for Janino, and it's only gotten worse the more Yuichi tells him to stop.

"I said, how does it look?" Kikuchi asks, a little out of breath.

"Good," Yuichi says, his voice too husky. He clears his throat again, zooming out and letting the camera pan over Kikuchi's body to his face.

"Show me how you're imagining your lover is here, touching you," Yuichi says. He focuses the shot on Kikuchi's face, his shoulder in the picture just enough to show the muscles working.

Kikuchi's lips are parted, his breath coming out in soft puffs. His eyes are half-lidded, his cheeks flushing as his arousal builds up. He starts jerking himself off faster, sweat beading in his hairline. Yuichi is feeling a little hot under the collar, too, tightening his grip on the camera so it doesn't slip.

"Good, very uh- good," he says. He wants to keep the zoom on Kikuchi's face, wants to keep watching every expression of pleasure that twists his features, furrows his brow, makes his lashes flutter.

"I'm close," Kikuchi gasps. A shiver runs down Yuichi's spine. He zooms out again, steps back to get a full view of Kikuchi's body: his peaked nipples, his leaking cock, his toes curled into the bedsheets.

"Wait," Yuichi says. "Hold this.” He holds out the camera, helping Kikuchi frame his lower body into the shot. Yuichi pulls out his phone and sets it to record, kneeling onto the bed to get a close-up of Kikuch's face. For a moment, he nearly forgets why he's here and reaches out to touch Kikuchi's mouth. His lips are wet and shiny and so inviting.

"Okay," he says when Kikuchi looks at him. The bed moves slightly with every jerk of Kikuchi's body. His panting gets more high-pitched, the expression on his face almost pained. Yuichi thinks the footage from the camera will be too shaky to use but it doesn't matter. Any lover worth Kikuchi's time should be much more interested in watching his face than anything else.

"I'm– I'm gonna," Kikuchi moans. His eyes open and he looks at Yuichi, pupils blown, and then he breathes out, his whole lower body lifting off the bed, the movements of his hand jerky, and then still. Yuichi can't stop looking at him.

"Good," he rasps out, and keeps filming, staring at Kikuchi's mouth as he gasps for air. The urge to bend down and kiss Kikuchi takes him by surprise, and he nearly drops the phone. He turns off the recording, steps off the bed, and collects himself.

Just got caught in the moment, he thinks, that's all. He knows how to stay professional. It's just that it's been a while and Kikuchi is sort of his type. If he was ten years older.

"Okay," Yuichi says, his eyes traveling down Kikuchi's body, past the rivulets of white on his chest and stomach to his slowly softening cock. He leans over to take the camera, catching a whiff of a mix of sweat and come and Kikuchi's signature cologne before quickly stepping back and busying himself with putting away the camera.

When he turns back Kikuchi is looking at him, propped up on the bed, lazily cleaning himself with baby wipes.

"Do you think it’ll work?" he asks. Yuichi nods, not really trusting his voice. He can still feel the urge to join Kikuchi on the bed, to see how fast he could make him hard again. He ignores it. Kikuchi might not mind, but Yuichi has sworn off any workplace affairs. They're always messy and never worth it in the end.

"I'll get it done by next week," Yuichi says, turning to walk away. Whoever Kikuchi means to send this to is a lucky guy.

"I trust you. Thank you, Nakamaru-kun," Kikuchi says. Yuichi walks out faster than strictly necessary. He sends the finished product to Kikuchi a week later, and keeps the footage on his phone, just in case.

The week when the Kansai branch excursion happens is a chaotic one. Yuichi isn't even sure how Ohkura's managed it, though he figures it has something to do with the record-breaking sales of the special with Meguro and Michieda.

Yuichi arrives at the office in the morning as usual, dropping his suitcase in his room before heading to the first floor coffee machine. It's usually quiet in the mornings, most scenes shot after midday.

He stops in his tracks when he opens the break room door only to be greeted with a wall of excited chatter that dies down as seven pairs of eyes turn to him.

"Uh," Yuichi says, nodding his head in the general direction of the group of boys. Men, he reminds himself. These days, they're strict about the age limit.

"Good morning!" one of them yells, and the greeting is repeated in various levels of volume. Yuichi glances around for Ohkura, the producer and manager of the Kansai branch, but he's nowhere to be seen.

"Morning," he says, heading straight to the coffee machine, trying to give an air of being busy and too important to talk to. It doesn't work, and one of them approaches him while he's waiting for his cup to fill.

"You're the editor in charge, right? I look forward to working with you," he says with a smile. He's short and has a cute aura, but then, Yuichi is pretty sure they all fit that description. Except Michieda, the one who's tall with a cute aura.

"Likewise," he says, determined to not step out of the privacy of his room unless absolutely necessary for the rest of the week.

"They're scary," Kikuchi says as he steps into Yuichi's office, uninvited, two days later.

"They're definitely loud," Yuichi agrees.

"Loud and scary," Kikuchi says, trying to take a casual seat on Yuichi's lap. Yuichi pushes him off. The flirting now happens off-camera, too, though Kikuchi is a little more covert about it, at least when there are others around.

"Sounds a lot like a guy I know," Yuichi says, smiling when Kikuchi sticks his tongue out at him. He's gotten used to Kikuchi spending his breaks in his office by now, so he turns to his computer and pulls up the footage he's supposed to be editing.

It's quiet, Kikuchi busy frowning at his phone and muttering something about amateurs. The comfortable silence is broken an hour later when Ninomiya steps in, not bothering to knock.

"You still have access to the live feed from the studios, right?" Ninomiya asks, taking a seat by Kikuchi on Yuichi's couch. Yuichi nods, raising his eyebrows in question.

"Yamada is shooting a scene with one of Ohkura's crew right now," Ninomiya says.

Kikuchi perks up at the thought. "Can we watch?" he asks. Yuichi gives him a look. "What, I'm curious," Kikuchi says with a chagrined shrug. Yuichi looks at Ninomiya, who shrugs as well, but follows Kikuchi so that they're both standing behind Yuichi with a clear view of the screen.

Yuichi sighs, though if he's honest he is a little bit curious too. Yamada is notoriously hard to please, which is why he usually works exclusively with those who can match his stamina and aren't afraid of his cool aura. It seems like a daunting task for some new kid from Osaka.

Yuichi pulls up the feed, quickly turning down the volume when the sound of Yamada's loud moans fill the room.

They all stare at the screen, seeing Yamada bent in half, the Osakan boy - Ohashi, maybe - pounding into him in a quick, brutal rhythm.

"Well," Ninomiya says, and Yuichi slowly nods. They watch for a moment longer, Yamada's moans growing more hoarse, his back arching off the bed.

"I thought they did softcore," Kikuchi says. Yuichi catches him adjusting himself in his pants. He's pretty sure even Ninomiya looks a little flustered. Yuichi decides to try his luck on the dating app, after work.

"Apparently not," Ninomiya says, and gets up. "I have work to do, places to be," he says, leaving Yuichi and Kikuchi alone. Yuichi turns off the feed, the room silent without the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

"Shori has a session with two of them next. Should I warn him?" Kikuchi asks, aiming a grin at Yuichi.

"You should, but you won't," Yuichi says, already familiar with the dynamic between Kikuchi and his coworkers.

"Are you calling me a bad friend?" Kikuchi asks, giving Yuichi a wounded look. Yuichi refuses to take the bait. Kikuchi is just fishing for compliments, and he has a knack for causing chaos.

"You have a shoot in five minutes," Yuichi reminds him, pulling up the editing program on his computer. "And I have work to do, too."

Kikuchi leans in, presses a kiss to Yuichi's cheek and then runs off before Yuichi can smack him.

"Yes, daddy!" he calls from the doorway.

"Not my kink!" Yuichi yells after him. The boy is incurable.

It's late December and they've taken a break from filming new footage for their channel. It's been over a week since Yuichi's seen Kikuchi at the office, and he finds himself a little bored without the constant interruptions. They exchanged contact information months ago, but Yuichi has never texted Kikuchi before. Kikuchi hasn't taken the initiative, and Yuichi feels too awkward to.

He ends up texting him anyway later that night after he casually asks Juri about him, and learns that he's on a mandatory sick leave.

"It's a rash on his ass," Juri says with a grin, and Yuichi almost feels a little sorry for Kikuchi for all the teasing he’ll have to endure in the future. Their friendship seems to know few boundaries.

Kikuchi insists he's fine, his messages strangely subdued and polite compared to his usual manner in person. They are friends, of sorts, and Kikuchi doesn't live that far from the office, so Yuichi offers to bring him food and company.

Juri is busy with work, though, so he ends up behind Kikuchi's door alone, a bag of takeout and beer in his hand. How things escalate from there to Kikuchi, pantless, on his lap, is something Yuichi doesn't care to explain even to himself. Something in the frustrated way he had squirmed on the couch, insisting he was fine had loosened something inside Yuichi. So he'd offered to help, blinking at Kikuchi's explanation of it's hard to reach myself and I keep scratching when I shouldn't.

"This is so unsexy," Kikuchi groans as Yuichi nudges his thighs apart and coats his fingers with the medicinal cream Kikuchi has handed him.

"I've seen worse," Yuichi says, and starts to carefully pat the cream onto his irritated skin, starting from his ballsack and slowly moving up to the pucker of his ass. The skin is red, and irritated, and Kikuchi hisses at every second touch.

"You're being a baby," Yuichi says, but tries to make his touches gentler as he applies a second layer. He doesn't know why he needs to keep telling himself this is a professional situation and getting turned on by it would be weird.

"Thanks," Kikuchi says quietly once Yuichi screws the cap back on the tube and wipes his fingers clean on the bathrobe rucked up to Kikuchi’s waist. Kikuchi makes a move to get up, but Yuichi stops him. "Stay still or it'll rub right off."

Kikuchi huffs but obeys. Yuichi smiles when he notices how red the tops of his ears are, his face hidden inside his arms. Kikuchi talks a big game, but Yuichi can't help but find him cute at times. When he isn't being too annoying, that is.

"How did this happen, anyway?" Yuichi asks.

"We were shooting a scene where aliens kidnap and experiment on me. They dyed the lube pink and apparently I was allergic or something," Kikuchi says. Nakamaru bites back a smile.

"Shame," he says.

"What is?" Kikuchi asks. He's squirming again. Yuichi places a hand on his thigh to remind him to keep still.

"It sounds like an interesting concept," Nakamaru says and shrugs, slapping Kikuchi's hand away when he tries to idly scratch his balls.

"We finished the scene. You should get the footage tomorrow," Kikuchi says.

"You let yourself get fucked even though your ass was like this?" Yuichi asks with a frown. Officially the company frowns upon anything that could seriously harm the actors. Unofficially, the line between what is considered serious enough is blurry.

"It wasn't a big deal. It was just a dildo," Kikuchi mumbles, flinching when Yuichi pinches his ass.

"Don't play with your health. You won't be twenty-five forever,” Yuichi says. He's unsure why he's feeling so protective over Kikuchi suddenly. Maybe it's on account of him being close friends with Juri.

"I'm twenty-seven," Kikuchi says, lifting his head to grin at Yuichi, his earlier embarrassment clearly forgotten. "Are you starting to get senile, old man?"

Yuichi aims a hard smack at Kikuchi's buttock. "Behave."

He doesn't think about the faint pink mark his hand leaves on the smooth skin, or the way Kikuchi's breath catches.

"I think you're good to sit up now," Yuichi says after a moment, his throat dry. Kikuchi gets up, and looks at Yuichi like he has something to say. His lips are pink, like he's been biting them.

"I'm going to wash my hands. You can get started on the food," Yuichi says. The mood is back to normal once he returns.

"We could do this some other time. Without the rash part, I mean," Kikuchi says two hours later when Yuichi gets up to leave. Yuichi agrees, and somehow finds himself actually looking forward to it.

It's the fifteenth anniversary of Yuichi, Kamenashi and Ueda's company going bust, and so they celebrate in their usual manner of takeout pizza and cheap beer. To Kazuya it seems like a reminder of where he was then, and how far he's made it since. To Yuichi, it's the chance to spend time with the people who know him best. It's a bit of a mystery why Ueda still agrees to come every time, but Yuichi quietly suspects he also gets nostalgic, however much he acts like he doesn't care.

"To Takizawa, for giving us another chance and keeping us from becoming the most miserable hosts in all of Tokyo," Kazuya says, raising his can with a crooked smile. Ueda nods, and raises his can as well, and Yuichi joins them, with a muttered "To Takizawa".

"I wasn't going to become a host," Yuichi adds after he's taken a sip of the beer. Sure, he'd been broke and suddenly out of work with a CV deterring any prestigious jobs, but unlike the other two, he had had a college degree. He would've figured it out, eventually.

"You interviewed for at least three clubs," Kazuya says casually. They're all sat around Kazuya's kotatsu in his new apartment. It's the first time Yuichi has been invited over. The place is surprisingly cozy, though also suspiciously big for such a good location. There's a rumour about it, but Yuichi has decided not to pry.

"I didn't," Yuichi says with a shake of his head.

"You did," Ueda says. Yuichi stares at him, and then at Kazuya.

"I think I would remember," he says, a little annoyed that the two of them are ganging up on him. It seems it's his role to be constantly bullied. First by Kamenashi and Ueda, and now more recently Kikuchi, Ninomiya and even Yamada.

"It was before you figured out the editing stuff. One of the managers of the clubs kept asking after you for months," Kazuya says, and bats his lashes at Yuichi. "It seems he was really impressed by your performance."

To Yuichi's horror, the memory of that particular situation is coming back to him.

"I thought it was a date, not an interview!" he complains. His face heats up just thinking about it. He had thought it a little strange when he'd gotten asked out via an email, but then, who would expect a job interview to be at a Roppongi club. Both the traitors he calls friends are laughing at him, now.

They run out of beer sooner than expected, and the usual bickering over who is forced to make a trip to the downstairs conbini breaks out.

"Whoever has had sex most recently is it," Kazuya finally says. Yuichi can agree to that. He's positive it won't be him.

"Two and a half months," he says. His motivation to go through the dating apps has been even worse lately. None of the profiles there seem interesting enough to bother.

"Are you saying you haven't hooked up with Kikuchi yet?" Kazuya asks with a disbelieving expression.

"I have not, nor am I going to," Yuichi says. His throat is strangely dry again, so he gulps down what's left of his beer. Sure, he's considered it in passing, but it would probably be more trouble than it would be worth. "Nothing good ever comes out of workplace relationships," he adds.

"It doesn't need to be one. He does porn for a living. I'm sure he's old enough to know sex doesn't equal love," Kazuya says with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, three months and two days for me," Kazuya says, looking a little gloomy. Yuichi pats him on the back. They both turn to look at Ueda.

"Look," Ueda says, sitting up from where he's been lounging on the floor. "It has been just a week, but I think Kame should do it. I heard he keeps sending Juri suggestive selfies.”

"Our Juri?" Yuichi asks. "When did you even give him your number?"

"They're not suggestive!" Kazuya claims. Yuichi really had thought Ueda was just trying to distract them both from the fact that he clearly didn't want to share the details of his confession, but the way Kazuya looks flustered makes Yuichi reconsider.

"They're just normal selfies. There's nothing weird about it. You're both gross!" Kazuya huffs out, and stands up. "Whatever, I'll get the beer."

Yuichi raises his brows at Ueda, who just shrugs back.

"I mean, all his selfies come off as suggestive," Ueda says. Yuichi nods. Still, it's a strangely strong reaction to just a little teasing.

"So who's your secret sex partner?" Yuichi asks Ueda, and receives a pillow in the face.

Once Kazuya returns they all agree to switch the conversation back to a safer topic.

Winter passes quickly, Yuichi swamped with work for weeks after it seems every single person in the agency gets the flu at the same time. That means shoots get pushed forward which in turn messes up Yuichi's schedule, and he can only dream of the leisurely days of the previous year. It also means they have barely any time for filming for Youtube.

They end up doing solo stuff, Yamada and Kikuchi filming backstage material the viewers always ask for, while Yuichi and Ninomiya finally get around to the more educational episodes they've been talking about from the start.

Yuichi has only seen Kikuchi in passing for the past month, his office miraculously peaceful most days. It's just like before he started working with Kikuchi, yet he can't help feeling like something's missing.

Spring arrives with fresh talent, a new assistant editor, and a meeting invitation from Ninomiya. The four of them gather in Yuichi's office, Ninomiya and Yamada on the couch, Yuichi on his chair, and Kikuchi in his usual spot on Yuichi's desk.

"We should get back to filming content with the four of us. It seems the viewers have missed it," Ninomiya says, handing out printouts of viewer comments, numbers and graphs. Yuichi glances over the papers, not really interested in what the view-to-like ratios are, but reading through the samples of most-liked comments anyway.

Is it just me or does it look like Nakamaru wants to shut Kikuchi up every time he says something stupid?

Yeah, with his dick. Lol.

Yuichi clears his throat, and sets the papers down. He catches Kikuchi looking at him for a second. He has the same page open as Yuichi does. Yuichi rolls his eyes, and manages to draw a slow smile from Kikuchi.

They decide to film themselves talking over video ideas for the rest of the year. There's a whiteboard Yuichi never uses in the corner of his room that comes in handy.

Thirty minutes later, Yuichi is considering quitting the channel right there and then. Kikuchi is full of pent up energy, and it seems his outlet is being as annoying as he can manage. He keeps disagreeing with Yuichi's ideas, calls him out on his bad handwriting and messy hair, and even comes up with a cutesy nickname.

"We should do a role reversal," Kikuchi says, his eyes glinting when he looks at Yuichi.

"Yuicchan does the f-" Kikuchi stops himself, taking a moment to rephrase his thoughts in a way that won't be censored. "Acting. I could show you how it's done," he says, leaning closer to pat Yuichi's head.

"That's it," Yuichi says, and pushes Kikuchi off the table. Only he seems to be anticipating the move, yanking Yuichi down from his chair as well. It ends up in a short scuffle on the floor, until Yuichi remembers he's thirty-nine years old and a professional.

He gets up, clears his throat, and sits back in his chair. Kikuchi's clothes are mussed up, but he seems otherwise unfazed, finding his place on the desk. Kikuchi's toes brush against Yuichi's knee, and he has to hold back a shiver.

It feels like he's in trouble.

He says yes when Kikuchi asks him hang out over the next weekend, anyway.

They end up meeting at Yuichi's place that Saturday. It's a little strange having someone new over, his home usually his sanctuary where he rarely brings any casual hookups. Kikuchi tries to hide his curiosity but ends up asking for a tour of the small one-bedroom apartment.

"It's nice," Kikuchi says once they're comfortably settled on Yuichi's couch, Kikuchi's legs spread out, his toes nearly touching Yuichi's thigh. "Far, though. I might have to stay the night."

"Just choose the movie," Yuichi says, tossing the remote to Kikuchi. He knows what Kikuchi is suggesting. He means to turn him down, in a moment. The thought slips his mind when Kikuchi calls his taste in movies boring, and they spend the better part of an hour bickering about it.

They're not even halfway through the movie when Kikuchi moves closer, scooting up right next to Yuichi, his hand pressing against Yuichi's knee.

"I'm bored, Nakamaru-kun," he says, sliding his hand upward, squeezing Yuichi's thigh. His oversize shirt is so loose Yuichi can see inside it, catching the sight of a peaked pink nipple.

"You chose the movie," he reminds Kikuchi, moving back onto the sofa in an attempt to put space between them.

"I didn't come here for the movie," Kikuchi counters with a bratty smile. "I came here to suck your dick," he continues, biting his lip slowly. Yuichi recognizes the move from the many videos he's edited where Kikuchi does the exact same thing before leaning in for a kiss.

"This isn't a scene, Kikuchi," Yuichi warns, pushing Kikuchi off of him. "Stop trying to perform."

Kikuchi deflates, a slightly wounded look on his face as he sits back with a nod. Yuichi wonders how many real relationships the boy has had in his life. His guess is not that many, aside from the on-again-off-again one with Nakajima, one of the other actors. Yuichi hasn't seen Nakajima around in a while, thinks maybe he's doing straight porn for the moment. So maybe they're broken up. It's hard to find love in a business like this, especially when you're both the star of the show.

Yuichi spends a moment considering his options. Kikuchi's crush doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon, and Yuichi would be lying if he said he didn't have a growing soft spot for him. He's hot, too, and sometimes even manages to make Yuichi laugh with his weird humor.

He thinks about Kazuya encouraging him to just go for it, and his inactive profile on Grindr.

Yuichi makes his decision and then leans over, pressing his fingers to Kikuchi's jaw and turning his head towards him. "Just be yourself," he says, and then kisses Kikuchi before he can speak. Kikuchi makes a little noise of surprise, freezing for a second before kissing back a little clumsily.

Kikuchi recovers enough to kiss him back for real by the time Yuichi presses him down onto the couch. His tongue finds its way into Yuichi's mouth and his hands slip under the layers of Yuichi's clothes. His touch feels nice, his blunt fingernails scraping against Yuichi's skin, making goosebumps rise all over Yuichi's body.

Yuichi props Kikuchi's knee up to get closer to him and presses slow, open mouthed kisses to his jaw, drawing out a breathy moan from Kikuchi. He adjusts his weight so his knee presses against Kikuchi's crotch. The look on Kikuchi's face is worth all the bullying he's taken from him, his mouth open and cheeks slightly flushed. He's still looking at Yuichi like he can't quite believe his luck. Yuichi wonders if he did too good of a job pretending he wasn’t into him, shutting down most of his attempts at flirting with him.

"Do you need to shower?" Yuichi asks, pressing two fingers to Kikuchi's bottom lip. Kikuchi shakes his head and closes his mouth around Yuichi's fingers, sucking on them slightly. Arousal pools in Yuichi's belly as he presses down on Kikuchi's tongue and feels him rocking his hips to rub himself against Yuichi.

It's been a while since he's had sex with anybody, and he's glad of the wait now, anticipation thrumming in his body. It feels like a reward, a gift he's eager to unwrap.

Kikuchi moans, his hand wrapping around Yuichi's wrist to slide Yuichi's fingers even deeper into his throat. No gag reflex, Yuichi remembers. Maybe he's the lucky one. Yuichi pulls his hand out to kiss Kikuchi again, open-mouthed and messy. Kikuchi doesn't seem to need any more encouragement, tugging the vest and sweater Yuichi is wearing off of him.

"Too many layers. It's spring," Kikuchi complains, fiddling with the buttons of Yuichi's shirt. He gets it open but lets out a frustrated cry when it won't tug off. "Fuck it, keep it on, I don't care," he grunts, pulling Yuichi back on top of him to kiss him again.

Yuichi breaks the kiss enough to pull Kikuchi's shirt off of his body. It comes off easily, Yuichi taking the opportunity to pin Kikuchi's arms above his head. Kikuchi's chest rises with his breathing as Yuichi looks at him, from his mouth to his pecs to the small nipples standing erect. He presses a kiss to one, twirls his tongue around it, testing the waters to see how sensitive Kikuchi is.

Kikuchi rewards him with a soft moan, then a louder one when Yuichi scrapes his teeth across his other nipple, soothing it with a wet kiss after. He kisses as far down as he can reach without freeing his grip on Kikuchi's wrists, glancing up at him when he calls Yuichi's name.

"I want to touch you too," he says with a small pout. It's cute. He's cute. But Yuichi has other plans.

"I want you to last when I fuck you," he says, matter-of-fact. He can tell Kikuchi is already hard just from this, just from rocking against Yuichi's thigh, just from his mouth and nipples being played with.

"I can last. I do porn!" Kikuchi protests, tugging his wrists free and pressing his hands to Yuichi's shoulders to try and flip their positions. Yuichi doesn't let him, though, pinching his side to make him stop with a jolt.

"You never last when you bottom," Yuichi says. He likes the pretty blush that spreads over Kikuchi's face and neck. Kikuchi doesn't refute him, so Yuichi figures he's won the round. Kikuchi's usually on top in the videos they shoot, and Yuichi's had this theory as to why for a while now. He's glad to be proven right.

"Don't worry. I'll let you suck me off some other time," Yuichi says, his mouth going dry at the look Kikuchi gives him, like he's accepted a challenge. Yuichi distracts them both by pulling Kikuchi's pants off, his underwear following suit.

Yuichi spits in his hand and wraps his fingers around Kikuchi’s shaft, starting to jerk him off slowly. Kikuchi's cool facade has already mostly crumbled, but Yuichi wants to see even more, wants him to lose himself like he never can in front of the cameras. Wants Kikuchi to show every hidden part of himself to Yuichi.

Kikuchi is staring at him defiantly, but Yuichi can catch the way his throat works, how his fingers push into the fabric of the couch, how he's clearly holding back his moans.

Yuichi allows himself to smile, slowing his pace, and then brushes his thumb over the tip to spread the wetness leaking there.

"You're teasing," Kikuchi grunts. He wraps his legs around Yuichi's waist and hikes himself further up into his lap. "Fuck me."

Yuichi swallows, his cock twitching in his pants. He presses a hand to Kikuchi's hip, and squeezes. "Not yet." He doesn't know what he was expecting, maybe another pretty boy who turned out being lazy in bed, but it seems Kikuchi is eager to make it good for Yuichi.

Kikuchi leans in and kisses him, his lips just as soft as Yuichi had imagined. He gets lost in the kiss, in the small noises Kikuchi makes, in the way he responds so well to Yuichi’s touch. It’s never like this the first time, Yuichi thinks, it’s awkward and unsatisfactory and that’s why Yuichi avoids one-night stands, always left disappointed in the end.

That’s when his phone rings on the small table next to the couch. Yuichi can't see the screen, but it's past midnight and there are only a handful of people and reasons to call so late.

"Ignore it," Kikuchi says, grabbing Yuichi's hand when he tries to reach for it. Yuichi looks at him, thinks about how this was just supposed to be a quick fuck between friends, but somehow feels like something more. Maybe it’s lucky they got interrupted.

Yuichi shakes his head, ignoring the annoyance Kikuchi radiates when he picks up the phone, takes one look at the screen, and gets up. It proves impossible, though, Kikuchi's legs still tightly wrapped around him.

"Kikuchi," he sighs, nudging his knee. "I need to take this."

Kikuchi looks like he's going to protest, but when Yuichi doesn't budge, he scoots back and then sits up, his face impassive when he shrugs. "Whatever."

Yuichi hopes the look he gives Kikuchi is apologetic, but he has no time to check, sprinting to the bedroom and closing the door behind him. The phone has stopped ringing, but he calls back, trying to button his shirt one-handed as he waits.

"Kazuya?" he asks, voice quiet. "Are you okay?"

"'M fine," Kazuya slurs, "Sorry to call so late." Yuichi sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Right. Where are you?" he asks.

"Dunno," comes the delayed answer. Yuichi sets the phone on speaker, and pulls out the app he regularly uses to locate Kamenashi when he ends up in some hole-in-the-wall bar, too drunk to get home on his own. He thought they were past that phase already.

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Drink some water," he says, trying to sound suitably stern, and not let the worry creep into his voice.

"Yeah," Kazuya says, and then ends the call. Yuichi picks up his jacket and car keys, shoving his phone in his pocket.

Kikuchi is no longer on the couch when he steps out of the bedroom. He hears the shower running and walks over to the bathroom, poking his head in.

Kikuchi doesn't seem to hear him, his back facing the door. He has one hand pressed against the wall, the other moving rhythmically between his legs. Yuichi wants to join him too badly.

"I need to go deal with something. You should stay and sleep here. I'll be back later," he says. Kikuchi doesn't turn around, but his hand stills, and his whole body seems to stiffen.

"Sure," Kikuchi says. Yuichi can't tell if he sounds put out or tired or what. He doesn’t have time to figure it out, he thinks.

"Sorry," he says, and then walks out. He feels guilty, but then they aren't boyfriends, and his friendship with Kamenashi comes before any casual hookups. Even when they feel less casual and more like– Yuichi shuts down the thought and leaves.

He can't quite shake the guilt, not even when he finds Kazuya sitting on dirty steps in some side alley, his head in his hands, looking miserable.

"Come on, Kamenashi," Yuichi says, and drags Kazuya up. "Let's get you home."

Kazuya comes quietly, his usual drunken rowdiness gone. His eyes look red when he looks at Yuichi later, stumbling into his own apartment. Maybe it's the alcohol, Yuichi thinks. He'd ask, but Kazuya never wants to answer.

"Get some sleep," he says, waiting until Kazuya's in bed before leaving quietly. He doesn't know when he became a friend close enough for Kazuya to reach out to him like this. It didn't start out that way, their personalities not that compatible. They have both matured, since the early days. Maybe Yuichi has become soft. Whatever it is, Yuichi doesn't mind that much, even during times like these.

When Yuichi finally returns home he finds Kikuchi in his bed, snoring away, a wet spot on the pillow where he's drooled. He's naked, it seems, the covers half-fallen onto the floor, his back and half of his ass exposed.

Yuichi rubs his eyes, turns off the lights and gets into bed, too tired to wash up. He tugs at the covers, earning a sleepy whine from Kikuchi. Yuichi's bed is big enough for two, space left between him and Kikuchi's curled up body. It feels weird for some reason.

He turns his head to the side, closes his eyes and promptly falls asleep. They can figure out the aftermath of their interrupted hookup tomorrow.

"He was gone by the time I woke up," Yuichi says with a shake of his head. He's in the studio with Ueda yet again, roped into directing a scene for the agency's next feature-length release.

"Can you blame him?" Ueda asks, actually stopping and turning to look at Yuichi.

"Well," Yuichi starts, and then goes quiet. "I guess I owe him an apology," he grudgingly agrees.

Ueda nods, looking like he wants to say something else. That's when the actors step into the studio, interrupting the conversation. They're already in costume, a full fantasy theme with flowing sleeves and a wig that will be a nightmare to work with.

"So, Matsumura, you wake up and realize you've been thrown back in time," Yuichi says, and checks the notes he's received from Matsumoto, "because you made a wish upon a star." He points to the futon on the worn tatami floor. "Kyomoto, you're obviously the prince of his dreams come to fulfill every sexual fantasy of his lovelorn heart," Yuichi continues, trying not to cringe at the script. "It says here you should jump through the window. You're being chased by some unspecified villains.”

There's a small commotion while Matsumura and Kyomoto take their places, Matsumura in nothing but a loosely tied yukata, Kyomoto in his full fantasy prince getup.

Yuichi is glad to learn that these two know what they're doing as well, not really needing much direction from him. They improvise a few lines, an improvement to the original script in Yuichi's mind, and in general seem to sell love at first sight convincingly enough.

The wig is just as troublesome as Yuichi had feared, and they need to stop filming when Matsumura yanks on it too enthusiastically as he rides Kyomoto.

"Take ten," Yuichi calls, grabbing two bottles of water and handing one to each of the actors.

"I'm glad the scenes weren't this complicated back when we were working," Yuichi says to Ueda, the both of them standing to the side while they wait.

"You would've never learned the lines," Ueda says with a hint of a grin.

"Hey!" he protests. Ueda's probably right, though. "Kazuya would have loved it, though.”

"You let him get away with too much," Ueda says after a moment of silence.

"Maybe," Yuichi says with a shrug.

"As long as you're aware," Ueda says. The actors get back on the set, and Yuichi returns to the task at hand.

Maybe it hadn't been about Kazuya at all, he thinks, and more to do with Yuichi's realization that he'd liked kissing Kikuchi a little too much for a simple no strings attached situation. Maybe it was better like this, for everyone involved.

"This is not the breakroom," Yuichi sighs when he hears the door opening.

"Oh, sorry," a familiar voice says, but it's not the one he was expecting. Yuichi lifts his gaze from the screen.

"You can stay," he hurries to say.

"Thanks," Juri says, and settles on Yuichi's couch.

"Tea?" Yuichi asks, clicking on the electric kettle he smuggled into his room once he got too busy to visit the break room during the day.

"Please," Juri says. He pulls out his phone, playing some game while they wait.

"You know, Fuuma isn't great with words," Juri says unexpectedly, glancing from his phone to Yuichi.

"He seems to do well enough on the show," Yuichi says, distracted by the email he's reading through.

"Yeah. I meant about things that really matter to him."

Yuichi lifts his gaze and frowns at Juri.

"Did he send you?" he asks, annoyed at everyone but mainly himself. It's been two weeks since Kikuchi and his interrupted get together. They've barely spoken, even during Janino filming. Yuichi has meant to address the situation, but it never seemed like the right time. He'll get around to it, eventually.

"Like he would admit anything's wrong. But he's still sulking about it," Juri says with a little shrug.

"Sulking about what?" Yuichi asks.

"You walking out on him mid-fuck," Juri says. Yuichi twitches. He really doesn't like the idea of Juri knowing the details of his sex life.

"It’s complicated," Yuichi says. He doesn't know why he feels the need to explain himself to Juri. His reputation as a commitment-phobic fuckboy hasn't escaped Yuichi's attention. It’s always felt a little off to Yuichi but he can't claim to know Juri well enough anymore to judge the truth of it. "I don't know what happened but Kazuya was in a bad shape that night. You get that, right? Helping your friend. Even when it's inconvenient.”. Yuichi realizes belatedly he probably shouldn't have named Kazuya. He keeps his troubles close to his chest.

"He didn't tell you?" Juri asks, looking surprised. Yuichi is lost and shakes his head. "It was…" Juri starts, and then stops. Yuichi watches his throat working, the way his fingers curl into his knees. It's easy to forget how the loudest people often carry the heaviest burdens.

"Ah, of course," Yuichi says slowly. It makes sense the episode with Kazuya was about Koki, Juri's brother and one of the six actors in their old company. Kazuya and Koki used to be close, until Koki’s partying habits got too far out of hand for any of them to pretend it was normal.

"He got arrested," Juri finally says with a forced smile, trying to appear casual.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Yuichi says, wishing there was more than words that he could give.

"It's fine," Juri says. "I don't get why he'd get so upset about it, though. Is he in love with my brother or something?" Juri adds a forced laugh.

"He isn't," Yuichi says. He remembers the way sixteen-year-old Juri had looked at Kazuya and wonders. "He feels responsible for a lot of things." Yuichi sighs. It's been like that from the day he met Kazuya. He doubts it will ever change. "I guess he blames himself for parts of it."

Maybe they all do, he thinks.

"You know, I'm sorry I didn't keep in touch," Yuichi says. "If you ever need anything...” He trails off, not knowing what to add. It feels stupid to offer his help, Juri's an adult now and definitely doesn't need a big brother figure anymore. Yuichi doesn't think he gives particularly good advice either.

Juri's smile seems genuine when he nods. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

It feels like he still has something to say. Yuichi waits, clicking open the email again.

"So are you in love with him?" Juri asks after a few moments. He seems back to his usual self, the set of his shoulders more relaxed. Yuichi sighs, wondering if he should just pretend to not understand who Juri is asking about.

"No, but you know that already," Yuichi says. Juri smiles more widely, tapping away on his phone. "Is there a bet going on I don't know about?" Yuichi prompts when Juri refuses to elaborate.

"No bet. Gotta get to work, though. Thanks for the tea," Juri says. He's up and out of the door before Yuichi can react. He huffs to himself, still confused about the whole conversation. Maybe he should ask for a lock for his office door.

However strange, the conversation with Juri actually seems to help. The next time they gather to film for their channel, Yuichi pulls Kikuchi aside. "I never properly said sorry about walking out on you," Yuichi says. "It was an emergency. But I'm still sorry."

Kikuchi looks at him for a while and then nods. "It wasn't a big deal," he says. Still, his demeanor changes towards Yuichi. He teases Yuichi during filming again, sits closer to him, leans against him when he laughs. Yuichi hadn't realized how much he liked Kikuchi acting so casual with him.

At some point Yuichi even starts spending his lunches with Kikuchi, usually at one of the small restaurants near the office. They chat about nothing in particular, but Yuichi can’t help but feel lonely on the days Kikuchi can’t make it. Ninomiya and Yamada join them sometimes.

“Shouldn’t we be filming this?” Yamada asks one of those times, pulling out his phone and zooming it at Kikuchi who is inhaling his ramen with loud slurps.

“Fuuma, how is it?” Yamada asks. Yuichi pulls out his phone, too, filming from another angle.

“Delicious,” Kikuchi says, exaggerating his voice like he’s in a food commercial.

“Fuuma’s face gives me indigestion,” Yuichi says when Yamada points the phone at him, next.

Yuichi realizes his slip-up with the name too late. Fuuma has stopped eating, and is staring at him with wide eyes.

“Fuuma, huh?” Ninomiya says, his eyes going from Yuichi to Kikuchi. It seems like he thinks he sees something that definitely isn’t there.

“I said it because Yamada did,” Yuichi says. It doesn’t look like anyone believes him. Kikuchi is now staring at the table. His ears are red. Yuichi does not find him cute.

“How is it?” Yuichi asks, trying to move on by filming Ninomiya.

“Surprising. Two flavours that shouldn’t mix but work surprisingly well together,” Ninomiya says. Yuichi bites his tongue. Yamada is shaking with silent laughter next to him. Yuichi decides to delete all of this, once he gets his hands on the material.

"Why are you here?" Yuichi asks as he steps into his office and spots Kazuya lounging on his couch, a script in hand.

"Can't I just drop in to see a friend?" Kazuya asks, sitting up and setting the script aside. Yuichi sighs, sets one cup of coffee he was carrying on his desk and hands the other to Kazuya. The company cups are ridiculously small, and Yuichi still hasn’t replaced the mug he'd broken two years previously. Hence, the two cups.

"Matsumoto asked me to consult on the script for King of Sexy Island," Kazuya says, lifting up the script. It looks to be covered in underlines and writing in red. Yuichi hopes that finally means they'll end up with something a lot less cringey than the usual three guys fucking in the shower scenes. The sound of water drowning out any moans or dialogue makes it a pain to edit.

"You know they replaced Miyadate, right?" Yuichi asks, walking around his desk to take a seat. He doesn't wake his computer, though.

"Yeah. Juri texted me," he says, voice perfectly neutral.

"And you're okay with that? You'll have a scene together, right?" Yuichi asks, carefully watching Kazuya's face. His smile looks tight at the edges.

"It's just work, Yuichi. Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" Kazuya asks. Yuichi can tell he's unwilling to discuss this. Yuichi sighs, then nods. "Sure."

The silence between them feels tense for a second, Kazuya vigorously stirring his coffee. Yuichi pretends to look at something on his screen.

"I have two scenes with Kikuchi. Are you okay with that?" Kazuya asks, the tension gone from his voice. Yuichi wants to point out the contradiction with what he just claimed, but he doesn't particularly want to pick a fight.

"We're not dating," Yuichi says, not that it would matter even if they were. He's not really the jealous type.

"Why not? I've seen the way he looks at you," Kazuya says, standing up and walking over to take a seat on Yuichi's desk. Yuichi decides to get a plant or something to stop people from doing that.

"He's just a flirt," Yuichi tells Kazuya. Yuichi knows Kikuchi doesn't mean half the stuff he says. Yuichi is just a distraction until he finds someone his own age. Someone better suited.

"Anyway, I don't mix work and pleasure," Yuichi says, a little frown on his face. Kazuya of all people should know why. He was there, right in the middle of it. Dating a costar until he wasn't. It wasn't like Akanishi fucking off to America was the only reason their company failed, but it definitely played a big part.

"It doesn't need to end badly," Kazuya says, poking Yuichi's thigh with his toe. "It could be fun. Remember that, fun?"

"I'm fine, Kamenashi. I'm not lonely," he says. The words stick to his tongue, making him mumble the last part. He's not lonely, he tells himself. He just got asked out the last time he visited the gym. Sure, he blew the guy off, but still, the opportunity was there.

"It's been so long since you dated anyone you've forgotten how it feels not to be alone," Kazuya says.

Yuichi furrows his brow, shaking his head."Pot calling the kettle black," he says before he can stop himself. Yamashita, Kazuya's ex, has been a forbidden topic ever since the messy breakup nearly a year ago. To his surprise, Kazuya just snorts out a laugh and pats Yuichi's knee.

"I'm over being angry about it. My therapist told me it's unhealthy and gives me wrinkles," Kazuya says with a little wry smile.

"Can't have a wrinkly sugar baby," Yuichi agrees, a warm feeling in his chest when Kazuya just chuckles.

"I think I'm done with that, too," Kazuya says. "I don't really need the money anymore, anyway."

"So you own your place?" Yuichi asks. Kazuya looks at him, then nods.

"I consider it damages paid," he says airily. Yuichi guesses that's as good as a confirmation of the rumours about Yamashita and how he had paid for Kazuya's silence with the apartment. It doesn't sit right with Yuichi, this assumption that Kazuya would sell the story to the press. But it isn't his life, so he stays silent.

"What are you going to do with all that free time?" Yuichi asks, wondering if this means Kazuya is returning to being a full-time actor.

"I'll figure out the next step," Kazuya says. "Maybe I'll open a sex class for repressed housewives," he says with a little smile.

Yuichi snorts. "What do you know about female sexuality?" he teases, receiving a light punch to his shoulder.

"Anyway, gotta run. Matsumoto hates it when people are late," Kazuya says, giving Yuichi a one-armed hug before leaving him alone. The rest of his day passes without further interruptions. Still, when he gets home that evening, he feels oddly restless, unable to stop thinking about Kazuya's words.

Yuichi is comfortable with how his life is now. He likes coming home to an empty apartment, likes being able to come and go as he pleases. He doesn't want a bratty kid disturbing his routines and demanding his attention. Even so, he goes to bed still feeling unsettled.

Things change on a rainy day in late April when they're driving home from a filming trip for the channel. The four of them stayed at a traditional inn for the weekend, but now it’s just the two of them, Kikuchi at the wheel.

"Do you think we got enough content?" Kikuchi asks, glancing at Yuichi.

"Watch the road," Yuichi says. He wonders about the question, not having realized Kikuchi actually worries about this stuff. He'd sort of just assumed he came along to have fun and wasn't really interested in the business aspect of things. Maybe Yuichi was wrong.

"We should manage four videos, easily," Yuichi says. "Maybe even five if the cooking isn't too boring."

"I can't come up with funny jokes while I'm worried about being burnt by boiling oil," Kikuchi says. Yuichi laughs, earning a smile from Kikuchi. The rest of the drive passes talking about the channel, what they both want from it, where they think they're doing good and what needs to change.

Kikuchi has always been good with bringing ideas to the table, especially ones that would appeal to a younger audience, but this is the first time Yuichi actually hears him discussing things so seriously. It’s a side to him Yuichi hasn’t seen before.

The filming had been the usual mix of bickering and laughing together, the atmosphere comfortable and relaxed. Kikuchi had gotten under his skin again with his obvious innuendo and twinkly smiles.

There were a drunken kiss or two that Yuichi is having a hard time forgetting about, too.

He has a suspicion that under all the teasing Kikuchi actually cares for him. He keeps doing nice things for Yuichi when he thinks no one is watching. He remembers little things, like Yuichi’s birthday or an off-handed movie recommendation. It is a strange feeling, knowing someone is paying such close attention to him.

"You know you gave me a ride home after my audition?” Kikuchi says, breaking a long stretch of comfortable silence.

"I did?" Yuichi asks, surprised. He can't even remember when Kikuchi joined, but it must have been years ago. He hadn't been interested in talking to many of the talents for many years. They felt too young. Yuichi hadn't wanted to watch them repeat the same mistakes he and his friends had.

He hadn't realized that had changed, too, now. He’s on friendly terms with most of the actors now, even joining them for drinks sometimes. It feels good.

"I guess you saw me limping and felt sorry," Kikuchi says with a little laugh. "I thought you were so cool."

Yuichi rubs his neck and mumbles a non-reply, embarrassed. He’s not sure everyone has ever called him cool before. It’s getting harder to remember the reasons not to give Kikuchi and him a chance. If that is what Kikuchi wants.

"You asked me if I was okay, too. I think I would've chickened out and never returned without that," Kikuchi continues. Yuichi nods, squeezing Kikuchi's knee. Kikuchi turns to look at him.

“Eyes on the road, Fuuma,” Yuichi says with a smile. Kikuchi is smiling now, too.

"I'm glad you decided to stay," Yuichi says, and finds that he means it.

"Is this weird to you?" Yuichi asks in a quiet voice. Ueda, who's checking the settings on the second handheld camera while his assistant manages the first camera, takes a look at the scene unfolding in front of them.

"Yes," he says shortly. It makes Yuichi feel a little better to know even Ueda is feeling a little weird about watching Kazuya and Juri together. It started out awkwardly, Juri looking like a deer in the headlights, Kazuya barely reacting to his touches. Yuichi was glad that Matsumoto was there, his sharp words shaking both of them out of it.

Only, then it had slowly grown much more heated. At this point, Yuichi can tell Kazuya isn't faking even half of his breathy moans, and he’s pretty sure Juri hasn't needed help staying erect since the first few takes.

Yuichi is trying his hardest not to look, but that’s a little counterproductive to actually helping the red-faced camera assistant catch the angles they need. So he looks, tells him when to zoom in, where to focus, warns him to not stand in front of the light. By the time of the climax, he almost manages to feel neutral about it. Almost.

"I'm going for a swim," Juri says the moment Matsumoto calls it a wrap. He grabs his trunks and is out of the door before anyone can react.

"That sounds good, actually," Fuuma says, hiding away in the doorway of the bungalow the studio has rented. Yuichi isn't exactly sure why he's there, but he suspects pure curiosity. Yuichi watches Kazuya roll off the bed and head towards the bathroom, closing the door firmly behind him. Yuichi thinks about going to him, but decides against it when Fuuma's hand casually brushes against his. It can wait.

"Coming?" Fuuma asks, lingering by the door, his shirt already off. Yuichi nods, walking out of the bungalow to the private beach. He can see Juri already wading deeper into the water, Watanabe, Meguro and the rest of them sprinting after him, some of them fully clothed.

He watches Fuuma neatly folding his clothes onto a flat rock near the water, and then jogging in, fully nude.

"Admiring the view?" Ueda asks, stopping to stand next to Yuichi. Yuichi coughs, and doesn't comment.

Diving into the ocean feels good after the hectic day, but his plans of just relaxing are forgotten when Fuuma splashes him with water and then swims away, laughing. Yuichi follows him, grabs his ankle, and tugs him under. He makes his way back towards the shore before Fuuma can retaliate. He's too slow, though, tripping into the water face-first as Fuuma jumps on his back with a cry of victory.

They both topple over, and things end up in a wrestling match in the shallow water. Yuichi gets the upper hand by the power of surprise - Fuuma has the physical advantage - and pins him down on the sand, forcing his wrists above his head. Yuichi has to use his full weight to keep Fuuma down, their hips ending up flush together, only the wet fabric of Yuichi's trunks separating their dicks.

Fuuma's eyes darken as he stops fighting the grip and looks at Yuichi. It would be so easy to kiss him, to grind against him, to touch him until he’s begging for more. Yuichi swallows thickly, reminding himself that they have an audience and the likelihood of someone filming this is high. This thing between him and Fuuma isn't something he's willing to share with an audience.

“Not here,” he says, getting off of Fuuma and standing up. Fuuma stays laying down, unashamed of his own nakedness, watching Yuichi as he takes a few steps back.

“Later?” Fuuma and Yuichi nods. He thinks Fuuma is waiting for him to make the first move.

There's a bonfire someone has set up a little further along the beach that Yuichi makes his way to. There's beer, and stupid stories being shared, but Yuichi can focus on none of it once Fuuma joins the group. Yuichi really was planning on waiting until they got back home, but his resolve crumbles with every long look Fuuma gives him.

Yuichi gives up the pretense after one beer, excusing himself and walking slowly towards where he thinks he left his clothes. Fuuma joins him before he can get far. They walk in silence to pick up Yuichi's clothes - Fuuma's are gone, courtesy of one of his friends, Yuichi assumes.

"The bungalow is empty," Yuichi says, and Fuuma nods before he can elaborate. They're not really supposed to be using it outside of the shoot, but both of them are sharing rooms at the hotel. Ueda definitely won't appreciate being shut out of their room, and Yuichi doesn't trust Fuuma's friends to leave them alone.

Fuuma kisses him the moment they get inside, his hands on Yuichi's face and his body pressing close. It's really doing things to Yuichi's ego how eager he is, despite having just spent a day fucking other pretty guys in all kinds of combinations. Yuichi kisses back, pressing his hands against Fuuma's back and slowly sliding them down, stopping at the curve of his ass. Fuuma's still fully naked, his skin warm under Yuichi's touch.

"You're gorgeous," Yuichi breathes against Fuuma's mouth, one hand sliding further down to cup Fuuma's ass. "Everything about you is gorgeous," he says, feeling Fuuma gasp and shiver.

"Please can I suck you off?" Fuuma asks. Yuichi's dick, half-hard since he first touched Fuuma, twitches, and he groans out a yes. Fuuma doesn't waste time, getting on his knees right there, pulling Yuichi's still damp swimming trunks off. Yuichi watches him wrap his pretty fingers around Yuichi's shaft, the way Fuuma wets his lips straight out of Yuichi's wet dreams.

Fuuma's looking up at him as he sinks his mouth down on Yuichi's cock, bobbing his head slowly. Yuichi isn't expecting him to pull back after a minute, his nose wrinkled.

"It tastes like the ocean," Fuuma whines, and Yuichi can't help but huff out a half-exasperated laugh. "Fine," he says, helping Fuuma up from the floor and taking them both to the shower. The whole bungalow is blessedly clean, the bed freshly remade and the large tiled shower sparkling clean.

They trade slow kisses as they shower, washing each other slowly, Yuichi letting the tension build up until he can't take it anymore. Fuuma knows what he's doing, kneeling down with the pretense of washing Yuichi's lower body, pressing wet kisses to his thigh once he's rinsed the soap off, his fingers skating over Yuichi's skin.

"Tease," Yuichi grunts out, rock hard and running out of patience fast. He grips Fuuma's hair and guides his mouth to his cock. The whispered yes together with the first lick of Fuuma's tongue draws out a groan from him.

It's a struggle to keep himself from thrusting into Fuuma's mouth, especially since Yuichi is painfully aware how well he could take it. He doesn't want hard and fast now, though, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes, letting Fuuma set the pace. His mouth is heaven, his lips plush and skilled, his tongue mapping out every inch of Yuichi's dick.

Yuichi loses himself in the pleasure, his low moans echoing off the tiled walls. It's the sight of Fuuma looking up at him as he lets Yuichi sink into his throat that pushes Yuichi over the edge. He comes with a surprised groan, his grip on Fuuma's hair tightening. Fuuma's still looking up at him while he swallows all of Yuichi's come, barely letting a drop spill from his lips, a pleased look in his eyes.

Fuuma gets up with a satisfied grin and Yuichi pulls him into a hungry kiss. It's disappointing to find him soft when Yuichi slips a hand between his legs, hoping to return the favour.

"I think I found my limit," Fuuma says regretfully, looking down at where Yuichi is touching him.

"Quit your job," Yuichi says, an edge to his voice. Fuuma laughs, sounding delighted, and leans in to kiss Yuichi again.

"In the morning, I want you inside me," Fuuma says, his arms wrapped around Yuichi's neck. They kiss for a moment longer, until the warm steam dissipates and it gets too cold to stand in the bathroom. Yuichi takes Fuuma to bed, doesn't complain when he sticks his cold feet against Yuichi's shin, and kisses him goodnight when his eyes start drooping.

Yuichi wonders if both of them will regret this once morning comes, but for now he's satisfied and happy in a way he's scared to think too deeply about. He'll worry about it in the morning.

Yuichi wakes up when it's barely light out after way too few hours of sleep. Fuuma's moved in his sleep, and is now spread-eagled on the bed, one arm and leg casually thrown over Yuichi. Annoying even in his sleep, Yuichi thinks fondly, rolling reluctantly out of bed, his bladder demanding his attention.

Fuuma lifts his head when he gets back, watching Yuichi silently as he pads back into bed.

"It's early," Yuichi says, brushing a strand of hair off Fuuma's face. His hair is sticking out on one side and flat on the other, his face still puffy with sleep. Yuichi finds him pretty, regardless.

"Don't you have a morning shoot?" Fuuma asks, his voice still rough with sleep. Yuichi nods. "A few hours from now." Fuuma plants a kiss in the general direction of Yuichi's mouth, quickly back asleep. Yuichi drifts off for a while, too, until the rising sun gets too bright to ignore, the sheer curtains doing nothing to dim the room.

Fuuma has kicked off the covers during the night, and Yuichi can't resist the opportunity to touch him. He presses a light kiss on his bicep, then another one a little bit higher up, receiving only a sleepy mumble from Fuuma. He gets on top of Fuuma, resting his face on his shoulder, listening to his steady breathing for a moment. He then presses a kiss to the top of his spine, nuzzles his hairline, and then starts trailing a path down his body with his mouth and hands.

Yuichi doesn't stop when he feels Fuuma waking up, running his hands up and down his sides, kissing lower and lower until he stops, right before the swell of his ass.

"Can I?" Yuichi asks, smoothing his palms onto Fuuma's buttocks, gently massaging. Fuuma makes a sound of confirmation, wiggling his hips. Yuichi hides his smile into Fuuma's skin, peeking his tongue out, dragging it along the crack of his ass before burying his face into his flesh, licking a thick stripe against his hole.

Fuuma jolts, gasping out an ah sound that shouldn't be as sexy as it is. Yuichi loves listening to the noises he can pull out of Fuuma with his tongue and lips and fingers, first just teasing him with languid touches and kisses, then spreading him apart and licking his way in. Fuuma is gasping into the pillow, his whole body trembling by the time Yuichi is satisfied. He sits up and wipes his mouth, allowing himself a few tugs on his own cock.

"You look good like that," Yuichi says, watching as Fuuma instinctively cants his hips up in search of more pleasure. "Want me to fill you up?" he asks, leaning closer to nibble on the shell of Fuuma's ear, letting his cock rub against Fuuma's ass.

"Yes, fuck" Fuuma breathes, his arms shaking when he lifts himself off the bed to chase after Yuichi's mouth. The kiss is hungry, wet, Fuuma's teeth tugging on his lip. Yuichi moves to blindly grab at the lube, a condom, a stash of supplies on the floor next to the bed.

Fuuma sits up when Yuichi gets the lube, watching him with an intense expression, his fingers loosely curled around his own cock. Yuichi can't remember why he ever thought this might be a bad idea. He pushes Fuuma back on the bed, kisses him open-mouthed, tweaks his nipples until he cries out.

"Fuck me," Fuuma says, guiding Yuichi's slick fingers into his body. He relaxes easily, pulling Yuichi down to kiss him, slower, deeper this time. "Don't make me beg," he mumbles against Yuichi's lips, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

It's a tempting thought to draw this out, to pull Fuuma apart so completely he barely remembers his own name and then fuck him, but Yuichi is a little too turned on to have the patience for it.

"Take it, then," Yuichi grunts, pulling out his fingers and pushing in. It's a tight fit, Yuichi squeezing his eyes shut, taking a steadying breath to pace himself, all of it almost too much. Fuuma wraps his legs around Yuichi, pulling him closer, his fingers in Yuichi's hair and his moan vibrating against Yuichi's throat, where he's pressed his face.

The pace is slower at first, then picking up once Yuichi learns how Fuuma seems to like it, his moans rising in pitch when Yuichi finds a perfect rhythm of deep and fast.

"Please," Fuuma says, “please, Yuichi,” and Yuichi is helpless, everything too much and not enough at the same time. He slows down for a moment, sitting up and bringing Fuuma up with him, the new angle making them both groan. Fuuma finds his balance quickly, in Yuichi's lap now, Yuichi's arm wrapped around his waist, and the other stroking his erection.

Fuuma comes with a surprised gasp against Yuichi's mouth, his body tightening around him, his blunt nails scraping against Yuichi's back. Yuichi fucks him through his orgasm, calls him pretty, and strokes him until he's spent.

Yuichi follows suit a moment after, spurred on by the way Fuuma looks at him, the breathy noises that keep falling off his lips, his fingers teasing Yuichi's nipples. He pulls out, gets rid of the condom, and needs only one stroke before he's coming, strings of pearly white on the flat of Fuuma's stomach.

The sheets are a tangled mess, the pillows thrown onto the floor, and Yuichi will be in trouble if he doesn't find someone to clean up before the afternoon's shoot. None of that matters now, though, as he flops down onto the bed. His mind is clouded, like he's floating, his muscles sore in the best way possible.

Fuuma is reaching into the basket on the floor, grabbing baby wipes and cleaning himself off. Yuichi wants to pull him close and kiss him, but he's hesitant. They lay on the bed, side-by-side, both quiet. When Yuichi moves his hand to rest on top of Fuuma's, he doesn't pull away. Yuichi slots his fingers between Fuuma’s.

They stay like that for a moment. Yuichi thinks about how he’d forgotten how it felt to want to be constantly near someone like this.

"I know you think mostly bad things about me, but you can't say I'm not sexy after that," Fuuma says, rolling onto his stomach, his hand leaving Yuichi’s. He rests his chin on his arms as he glances at Yuichi.

Yuichi shakes his head, taking a glance at the time and realizing he's already late. It's hard to care when he's feeling so entirely good.

"Then what do you think?" Fuuma asks. He's putting on a mask of indifference again, but it seems Yuichi has learned to see through it. He's too old to play games, he thinks.

"I think you're lovely," Yuichi says, clearing his throat. The words come out a little too sincere, and he's worried Fuuma will laugh at him. "Well, gotta get to work," he says, sitting up on the bed and looking around for his clothes. It takes him a moment to realize Fuuma is being uncharacteristically quiet. Yuichi looks over his shoulder, finding him with a strangely vulnerable look on his face.

"Don't try to sweet-talk me," Fuuma says after a second of Yuichi staring at him. "Next you're gonna say something gross, like that you want to date me, or something."

"I do want to date you," Yuichi says. Really, he feels like he's too old for his heart to be skipping beats over a pretty boy blushing in his bed, but that's exactly what happens.

"Whatever," Fuuma says, visibly flustered. Cute Yuichi thinks, and bites his lip so it doesn't slip out.

"You don't want to?" Yuichi asks, a smile slowly spreading onto his face. He scoots closer to Fuuma on the bed. "Fuuma?"

"I guess," Fuuma says, still looking at Yuichi like he expects him to take it back any minute now. Yuichi figures he’s feigned annoyance a little too well.

"Good," Yuichi says, and leans in to kiss Fuuma. He does it slowly, meaningfully, lingering close, their noses brushing together until he feels the tension melting from Fuuma's body.

Yuichi is definitely late now, but that feels insignificant. He thinks there still are layers of Fuuma he hasn’t seen yet, and he’s eager to find out. Eager to fuck him again, too. Eager for pretty much anything that involves Fuuma. Even the teasing, and the bad jokes. He wonders how long it will take until Fuuma figures that out. He'll be unbearable, when he does. Yuichi smiles, brushing his lips against Fuuma's cheek.

"Okay," Fuuma breathes out, planting the smallest of kisses to Yuichi's lips, and then getting up and sprinting into the bathroom. Yuichi shamelessly watches him the whole way.

"See you at the set," he calls once he's fully clothed and somewhat presentable. He's sure Kazuya will take one look at him and know exactly what he's been doing all morning. Once everyone finds out, he expects to be mercilessly bullied over it for the rest of the eternity. Somehow, when he thinks about Fuuma's shy smile waking up, he doesn't mind one bit.