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FIC: Family Visit: Okinawa, Part 4 of 5
Title: Family Visit: Okinawa, Part 4 of 5
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka, implied Yoshizumi/Kenzaki
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka, Yoshizumi, Asano
Word count: ~9,550
Disclaimer: No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.
Sequel to: Unexpected Opportunities, Comeback (Part 1 and Part 2), Forgiveness, Firsts, First Date (Part 1 and Part 2), Going Steady (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6), Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cookout (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Press Conference (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Sanctuary, The Prince vs. the Groupie (Part 1, Part 2), Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5), Gigolo (Part 1, Part 2), Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), and Interlude. The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Kikuchi comes up with a creative solution to the lack of privacy surrounding himself and Onozuka, and later gets a surprise visit from a friend.
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
***
Onozuka and the others woke up before the kitchen was officially open, but Kaoru got up early and made breakfast for them personally. When they left, he saw them off with a cheerful wave and a "Come back and visit us again sometime!"
"When hell freezes over," Onozuka muttered under his breath, but he knew there wasn't much he could do to stop his companions from visiting the inn if they wanted to. He tried to comfort himself with the fact that they wouldn't be in Okinawa for much longer and that they were going to be too busy to have much free time during their short stay.
On the ride down to the beach, Onozuka noticed that Yoshizumi was yawning, and asked, "Did you not sleep well, Yoshizumi-san?" He felt a sudden surge of paranoia, wondering if the other actor had overheard him and Kikuchi last night, after all.
"I had no trouble falling asleep," Yoshizumi replied, yawning again. "Especially after being pleasantly stuffed with all that good food, and being tired out from all the dancing. But it was a restless sort of sleep, and I kept having odd dreams..."
"What sort of dreams?" Asami asked curiously, and Yoshizumi blushed.
"Er...I don't really remember now," Yoshizumi replied evasively. "You know how it is when dreams seem clear at the time, but everything fades once you wake up."
Asami giggled, but chose not to pursue that line of questioning, and Onozuka relaxed slightly. It sounded like Yoshizumi really had been asleep, but the sounds of his and Kikuchi's lovemaking might have filtered through and subconsciously affected Yoshizumi's dreams. They would have to be more careful in the future, but for now, Onozuka grinned, hoping that Yoshizumi's dreams had been pleasant ones. He idly wondered if Yoshizumi liked women or men; so far he'd seen no evidence either way.
Once they got to the beach, they started filming Eisuke's and Ryotaro's first meeting. After his wife's death, Ryotaro had alternated between fits of depression and anger--leaning increasingly towards anger when Midori's killer could not be found, and he was barred from working the case himself because of his close relationship to the victim. His supervisor finally ordered him to take some time off from work and get his head together before he did something to get himself fired.
With too much free time on his hands, Ryotaro became obsessed with tracking down the recipient of his wife's heart, wanting to reassure himself that some part of Midori still lived on. The identity of the recipient was supposed to be kept confidential, but Ryotaro used his detective skills to find out Eisuke's name, and eventually tracked him down to Okinawa, where he was studying art at a local university.
Ryotaro found him on the beach, painting a seascape. A professional artist had been hired to create that half-finished painting (and all of Eisuke's other artwork), of course--Onozuka only needed to add a few brushstrokes to make it look like he was the one doing the painting.
"Excuse me, are you Honda Eisuke?" Kikuchi asked as he approached Onozuka, who allowed his eyes to fill with shock and delight as Eisuke recognized the man he had seen only in his dreams up until now. Kikuchi smiled at him warmly, as if there were an instant connection between the two strangers, and they continued with the scene that Onozuka had performed at the audition that had won him this role.
They also filmed the confrontation between Ryotaro and Eisuke's brother Jun, after Ryotaro and Eisuke had begun sleeping together.
Yoshizumi, playing Jun, gave Kikuchi a steely look and said in a carefully level voice, as if fighting to keep his composure, "I'm very grateful to you for donating your wife's organs and saving my brother's life. I know nothing I do can ever repay you for that."
"I don't want anything in return," Kikuchi protested in a subdued voice. "I was only following Midori's wishes."
"Good," Yoshizumi replied, his voice growing a little sharper. "Because I want you to stay away from Eisuke."
"Why?" Kikuchi asked, looking startled.
"I think you know why," Yoshizumi replied curtly. "Eisuke comes home late at night or early in the morning looking disheveled, with kiss marks on his neck. You're sleeping with him, aren't you?"
Kikuchi looked away, as if unable to meet Yoshizumi's gaze, and Yoshizumi said, "I guess that answers my question." He paused for a moment, then continued, "Don't get me wrong; all I want is for Eisuke to be happy. I wouldn't care if he fell in love with a man, as long as that man loved him in return and treated him well, but you don't love him, do you? You're using him as a substitute for your wife."
Kikuchi started to protest, but his words died away as he met Yoshizumi's stern glare. "I never meant for any of this to happen," he said helplessly. "I...I really do care about Eisuke, but..."
"If you care about him, then you'll stay away from him!" Yoshizumi interrupted fiercely. "He cares about you too much as it is, and I don't want him getting hurt any further. He deserves better than to just be a substitute for someone else. He deserves to be with someone who truly loves him. You wanted to meet the person who received your wife's heart, to be assured that part of her lived on and that her gift didn't go to waste. Well, you've done that--now leave us alone."
"You're right," Kikuchi whispered, bowing his head. "Please tell Eisuke that I'm sorry and I never meant to use him. And...that I wish for his happiness." Then he turned and walked away, his shoulders slumping in shame and defeat.
"Cut!" Kitamura called out. "Good work, both of you!"
The director was very pleased with their performances and commended them all on a job well done when they had finished shooting for the day. "I'll buy you a round of drinks at the hotel bar tonight," he promised.
"I'll hold you to that promise, Kitamura-kantoku," Onozuka said with a grin.
As with the previous day, there was a crowd of fans observing the filming, and after they were done shooting, the actors went over to chat with them for a bit and sign autographs. It was good publicity for the movie, and as Onozuka's manager would say, being gracious towards the fans helped to enhance his princely image.
As always, Onozuka had a crowd of admirers clamoring for his attention, but somewhat to his surprise, so did Kikuchi--not the usual fans who simply admired his movies, but groupies. To be more specific, male groupies. He didn't have as many admirers as Onozuka and Asami did, but it was still a significant number, and they were being pretty blatant about their flirting. Onozuka wondered if that was a by-product of Iwaki and Katou's success, that the gay groupies didn't feel like they needed to hide or be discreet? Whatever the reason, Onozuka was not pleased. None of the groupies were as pretty as the one who had hit on Kikuchi after the press conference, but having to watch a number of young (and a few not-so-young) men fawning over Kikuchi caused Onozuka to grit his teeth for a moment behind his princely smile. He quickly recovered and continued chatting with his fans, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw several of the groupies proposition Kikuchi.
One of them leaned forward to slip a scrap of paper into Kikuchi's hand and purr, "Here's my number; call me if you get lonely tonight."
"I don't have much free time--the director's working us pretty hard," Kikuchi replied. "But I'll keep your offer in mind." He winked at the groupies, then turned and walked away.
A reporter called out to Onozuka, distracting him from Kikuchi and the groupies. "Onozuka-san, I just heard that your family runs an inn here in Okinawa! Is that why you're filming here?"
"I don't have anywhere near enough experience or influence to be able to dictate where we film," Onozuka laughed. "It was merely a happy coincidence, but I'm glad that I had a chance to see my family."
The reporter questioned him a bit about the inn and his uncle, and Onozuka explained about his late grandfather's motto of treating the guests like family.
"So are you the 'young master' of the inn, Onozuka-san?" the reporter asked, echoing Asami's teasing question from the other day.
"No," Onozuka replied. "Which is fortunate, since my acting career keeps me too busy to devote myself to the inn as a proper heir should. My uncle is the eldest son of the Onozuka family, so his son will inherit the inn when the time comes."
Every word of this was true, of course: Kaoru was the only, and therefore the eldest, son of Onozuka's grandparents. If the reporter chose to assume that Onozuka was the son of a younger son rather than a daughter...well, technically, Onozuka hadn't lied, so it was the reporter's own fault for jumping to conclusions.
A very thorough investigation would probably uncover the truth, but as long as Onozuka didn't act like he was hiding anything, he hoped that the reporters wouldn't dig too deeply. He knew that his grandmother, aunt, and uncle would be discreet when talking to the press, and the local residents liked Kaoru and had respected Onozuka's grandfather, so they would avoid giving out gossip to the tabloids.
Or so Onozuka hoped, anyway. They had kept his secret this long, so he didn't think that they were likely to betray him now.
Later, as the cast rode back to the hotel together, Onozuka said sweetly to his lover, "You're very popular, aren't you, Kikuchi-san?"
"Not as popular as you, your Highness," Kikuchi replied modestly, then ruined the effect by grinning widely.
"You gave that one young man the brush-off by saying you had to work, but you know that we aren't filming tonight," Asami pointed out mischievously.
"Well, he wasn't really my type," Kikuchi chuckled.
"So what is your type, Kikuchi-san?" Asami teased. "Someone blond and princely, perhaps?"
"You're just trying to win that bet," Onozuka said good-naturedly. "Aren't you already being paid a good salary without having to earn money on the side?"
"It wasn't for the money," Asami defended herself. "I bet on the two of you because I think you'd make a cute couple."
"Should I be flattered or insulted?" Onozuka wondered.
"Flattered, of course," Kikuchi said with a grin.
Onozuka had dinner in the hotel restaurant that night with Kikuchi, Yoshizumi, Asami, Mizutani, and Kitamura, and as promised, the director bought them a round of drinks in the bar afterwards. They had discussed the day's shoot over dinner, but now everyone was feeling relaxed, and they talked about more trivial things. At Asami's urging, Yoshizumi told a few stories about how nauseatingly romantic Iwaki and Katou were, and Onozuka chimed in with a few of his own.
"Katou is very happy that Iwaki-san has finishing filming 'Lost Heart,'" Onozuka said with a grin. "Apparently Mochimune-kantoku is a very strict and demanding director, and he ordered Iwaki-san to stay at a hotel and live apart from Katou while they were filming."
"Oh, I can imagine how well that went over with Katou-kun!" Yoshizumi said knowingly.
"But why would Mochimune-kantoku demand such a thing?" Mizutani asked. "It seems rather cruel, if Iwaki-san and Katou-san are as close as you say they are."
"Apparently it had something to do with getting into character," Onozuka replied. "Iwaki-san plays a psychopathic serial killer in the movie; maybe the director didn't think that he could get into the proper mindset of the role while living in marital bliss with Katou." He remembered well how Katou had ranted about how unfair the director was being.
"I hate that method acting crap," Kikuchi grumbled. "I played a soldier in one of my American films, and the director made us go through boot camp training." Onozuka snickered, and Kikuchi glared at him. "It's called 'acting' for a reason--I don't need to have been a soldier in order to play one--or to have killed someone in order to play a killer."
"That sounds like something Mochimune-san would do, though," Asami giggled.
"He can be a bit extreme at times," Kitamura agreed, looking amused.
"Have the two of you worked with Mochimune-kantoku before?" Onozuka asked curiously.
"The three of us went to film school together," Kitamura said with a grin.
"Really?" Yoshizumi asked. "I've never heard it mentioned in the press before."
"He doesn't talk about it in interviews," Kitamura replied. "He dropped out of school early to start working as a cameraman, saying that getting actual on-the-set experience would be more valuable than sitting in a classroom. Which seems to have worked--he quickly moved up the ladder and started directing films of his own. I think that Mochimune prefers to think of himself as a self-made man, and downplays the impact of his film school education. Anyway, we weren't close friends, but I did share a few classes with him, and Asami-chan worked with him on a project once."
"It was a short film he was doing for one of his classes," Asami said. "It was only fifteen minutes long, but he treated it as seriously as if it were a major studio production. He was really hard on the actors, berating them if they didn't give the performance he was looking for. I was actually his second choice--the girl who had the role before me quit."
"Ran off the set in tears, from what I heard," Kitamura interjected.
"To be honest, I nearly did, too," Asami confessed. "But I decided that I wouldn't give him the satisfaction, and I think I won a little respect from him by sticking it out. I have to admit, the film turned out great and he earned the top grade in the class. Even back then, you could tell that he was a talented director, but he was just so damned arrogant about it."
"He's brilliant and he knows it, and lets everyone know that he knows it," Kitamura said with a wry smile. "And he looks down on anyone who doesn't match his high standards of excellence--which is most of the population."
"He doesn't sound like much fun to work with," Onozuka said, secretly gloating a bit that Iwaki had been forced to work with such a troublesome director. He supposed that was a bit petty of him, but still, it pleased him to know that there was at least one person who didn't fall all over himself to fawn over Iwaki (besides himself and Kikuchi, of course).
"He isn't," Asami said, making a face. "But his one redeeming quality is that he isn't a jerk just for the sake of being a jerk. I don't think that he gets off on making actors cry; it's just that he's so passionate about filmmaking that everything else is secondary--including people's feelings. He was popular with the women at school--and some of the men, too, rumor had it--but he never had a serious lover that I know of. Mochimune-san is the type who's married to his work."
"It's possible to provoke an actor into giving a good performance by challenging him or wounding his pride," Kitamura said. "But personally, I feel that I get the best out of my actors by having a good working relationship with them. Still, there's no denying that Mochimune's methods are effective, at least for him." He smiled wryly again. "He really is as brilliant as he thinks he is, which is a bit galling, but I'll probably go see 'Lost Heart' when it comes out."
"I ran into him at a party last year, and he told me that I had talent, but I was wasting it by not playing more challenging roles," Asami said.
"Which is a roundabout insult towards me, I suppose, since you star mainly in my films," Kitamura laughed, not looking particularly upset by Mochimune's low opinion of him. "I know he thinks of me as an overrated hack, but that's fine with me. It was never my goal to make films that will change the world, or to create a revolutionary style of filmmaking. I just want to make movies that will entertain the audience, and maybe make them think a little bit about it afterwards."
"And you do that very well, Kitamura-san," Mizutani said with a smile. "I'm certainly very happy with the way you're bringing my story to life."
"To the success of the movie, then," Kikuchi said lightly, raising his glass.
"To the movie!" Onozuka and the others chimed in, raising and clinking their glasses together.
***
After they left the bar, Onozuka went up to his room, aware of all the eyes upon him. He passed by a couple of crew members in the hall and greeted them pleasantly, and he saw a few doors crack open as he walked by--no doubt the occupants were checking to see if he was returning to his own room or heading up to Kikuchi's. And hotel security had already chased out a couple of paparazzi earlier.
Onozuka sighed, knowing that he couldn't risk sneaking into Kikuchi's room tonight, and instead entered his own--to the disappointment of everyone who was betting on him and Kikuchi being a couple, he was sure. Since he was being deprived of his lover's company, he decided to console himself with a hot bath. He had taken a quick shower before dinner, but he wanted a good, long soak, especially since he'd had to settle for a cold shower last night at the inn.
He soaked in the bath, lulled into a pleasant drowsiness by the heat, but finally hauled himself out when his fingertips were starting to wrinkle. He was drying himself off with one of the big, fluffy hotel towels when he heard his cell phone ring in the next room.
The ringtone was Kikuchi's, so Onozuka quickly wrapped the towel around his waist and hurried out to answer the phone.
"Hi, what's up?" he asked, sitting down on the bed.
"It looks like we won't be able to get together tonight, so I just wanted to hear your voice," Kikuchi replied.
"Aw, how sweet of you," Onozuka laughed, but he was genuinely touched.
"What are you wearing?" Kikuchi asked, without any further preamble.
Onozuka laughed again and replied coyly, "A towel. I just got out of the bath."
"Well, that must be a pretty picture," Kikuchi chuckled, in a delightfully wicked voice that sent a shiver down Onozuka's spine.
"And what are you wearing?" Onozuka retorted, going on the offensive.
"Nothing at all," Kikuchi purred, and Onozuka laughed and shook his head, acknowledging that his lover had bested him again--at least for the moment.
"That's a very appealing picture, too," Onozuka said. "But it's not really fair to tempt me with what I can't have."
"I wish you were here," Kikuchi said huskily. "First, I'd kiss you, long and slow..."
"Mmm, and then what?" Onozuka whispered, unable to resist although he knew that this conversation could only lead to further frustration.
"Then I'd kiss your neck," Kikuchi continued. "Gently, at first, then I'd bite down and leave a mark that--"
"Hey, I thought we agreed, no marks during filming!" Onozuka objected.
"This is only a fantasy, your Highness," Kikuchi said patiently. "Surely there's no harm in indulging me, since it won't leave a real mark?"
"I suppose," Onozuka grudgingly conceded. "Though I still wonder if you're part vampire, since you seem to have a thing for chewing on my neck."
"Don't forget that you left marks on me at Akiha's photo shoot," Kikuchi reminded him.
"That wasn't my fault," Onozuka defended himself. "I didn't know that the shoot would get moved up! And you certainly didn't protest at the time."
"Actually, I kind of liked having your marks on me," Kikuchi purred. "Having half the country see them, not realizing that they're real and that you put them on me, is kind of a turn-on."
"Pervert," Onozuka teased.
Kikuchi just laughed, then continued, "So I'd leave a mark on your neck, to let everyone know that I've claimed my Prince, and then I'd kiss my way down your chest, licking and sucking your nipples..."
Onozuka could feel his breath growing ragged, and he reached up to pinch and rub his nipples with his free hand, pretending that it was Kikuchi's mouth on him instead.
"Then I'd slowly kiss my way down your stomach," Kikuchi continued, in that sinful, husky voice. "And I'd stroke your thighs, watching your prick get hard, aching for me to touch you..."
Onozuka bit down on his lower lip, trying to stifle a moan, and a little whimper escaped instead. He slipped his hand under the towel to stroke his rapidly growing erection, because as usual, Kikuchi was able to make him hard with the sound of his voice alone.
"Are you touching yourself, Yuu?" Kikuchi asked mischievously.
"No!" Onozuka snapped, guiltily jerking his hand away--which was pretty stupid, since Kikuchi couldn't see him, but it was an automatic reflex.
"Liar," Kikuchi purred knowingly.
"Well, are you touching yourself?" Onozuka asked defensively.
"Yes," Kikuchi replied frankly, without any shame, and Onozuka couldn't help but laugh.
"You really are a pervert!"
"Well, since we couldn't be together, I thought that phone sex would be the next best thing," Kikuchi said, and Onozuka could almost see his grin.
"How creative of you," Onozuka laughed. He pulled off the towel and tossed it on the floor, then lay back on the bed. "All right, I admit that I'm touching myself. And by the way, I got rid of the towel." He heard Kikuchi's breath quicken, and he grinned; two could play at this phone sex game. "Tell me what else you would do to me, Katsuya," Onozuka said seductively.
"What would you like me to do to you, my Prince?" Kikuchi replied in a husky voice. "I could use my mouth on you, or maybe you'd like me to fuck you--I'd love to feel myself inside your body. Or maybe you'd like to fuck me instead? I love having you inside me, too, Highness..."
Onozuka moaned, torn with indecision, since all the possibilities were equally tempting. "Fuck me," he finally whispered.
"Last night I took you from behind on your hands and knees," Kikuchi said, his voice low and hoarse with lust. The sound of it excited Onozuka so much that he turned his face into the pillow for a moment to stifle a loud groan. Even though he was alone in his room, it still wouldn't be good for his princely image if the people in the rooms next door could hear him moaning like a porn star.
"But this time I'd like to make love to you face to face," Kikuchi continued. "I want to see your face, watch your lips part in a moan as I slowly thrust into you. I want to feel your legs wrapping around me, pulling me in deeper."
Onozuka couldn't hold back another moan. He had once thought to himself that Kikuchi could almost make him come simply by talking at him, and right now, that possibility didn't seem so far-fetched. He fumbled in the nightstand drawer for the bottle of lotion he'd left there on the off-chance that Kikuchi would find a way to sneak into his room. He fumbled with the cap, trying to open it one-handed as held the phone to his ear with the other hand, then cursed as he got the bottle open, but spilled the lotion onto the sheets as well as his hand.
"What's wrong?" Kikuchi asked.
"I was just thinking that I need a third hand for this," Onozuka grumbled, and Kikuchi burst into laughter.
"I bought a hands-free headset at one of the hotel shops before dinner," Kikuchi said smugly.
"You planned this in advance, you bastard," Onozuka accused, torn between irritation and amusement.
"Actually, it was fortuitous coincidence," Kikuchi replied. "I misplaced the charger for my cell phone, so I went to buy a new one and saw the headset, and was struck by inspiration."
Onozuka gave in to amusement and laughed, "You could've bought one for me, too, you know!"
"I'll get one for you tomorrow," Kikuchi said placatingly. "For now, let's pick up where we left off."
"Mmm," Onozuka sighed, reaching behind to ease two fingers inside himself, pretending--wishing--that it was Kikuchi inside him instead. "As I recall, you had just started fucking me," he said in a hoarse whisper.
"Slowly," Kikuchi drawled in a sensual voice that enflamed Onozuka even more.
"Fuck me harder," Onozuka commanded.
"Make me," Kikuchi retorted, with both laughter and challenge in his voice.
"I rake my nails down your back," Onozuka said, getting into the fantasy. "Hard enough to leave marks like the ones on Gigolo poster." He heard Kikuchi moan, and felt a sense of satisfaction that at last he wasn't the only one being affected in their little game. He sped up the motion of his fingers, and that was satisfying, too--this masturbation fantasy wasn't as good as the real thing, of course, but it still felt good and at least he was in control of his own pleasure and not completely dependent on his tease of a lover.
"Are you fingering yourself?" Kikuchi panted.
"Yes," Onozuka hissed in reply, too far gone to feel any shame at this point. "But I still wish it was you inside me. I want you so much, Katsuya!"
Kikuchi groaned loudly, then growled, "I'm fucking you, hard and fast, feeling your nails digging into my back, driving me on. You feel so good, so hot and tight around me. I want to hear you calling out my name, begging me for more."
"Katsuya!" Onozuka gasped obligingly, three fingers inside himself now. "Please, more!"
He heard only heavy breathing and a few incoherent moans on the line for the next minute or so, and then Kikuchi groaned urgently, "Yuu, are you almost there? I can't hold back much longer."
"Hang on," Onozuka murmured, reluctantly withdrawing his fingers to wrap around his cock, hard and aching for release. Next time, I am definitely using the headset so I have both hands free, he promised himself. He was so turned on, by Kikuchi's voice as much as his self-ministrations, that he barely needed to touch himself before he felt himself going over the edge. "Katsuya, I'm going to--ahhh!" he gasped as he came.
"Yuu--oh, Yuu!" Kikuchi groaned, then let out a stifled cry that quieted into heavy, ragged breathing.
Once he'd managed to catch his own breath, Onozuka affected a playful tone of voice, although his words came out a little shakier than he'd intended: "Well, that was pretty damned good sex, considering that we aren't even in the same room!"
Kikuchi laughed in his deep, rich voice, and the sound warmed Onozuka almost as much as his lover's physical embrace would have. Then he mentally scoffed at himself for getting as soppy as Katou in puppy-mode.
"It really was good," Kikuchi purred. "Jerking off to the sound of your voice is much better than sex with any number of groupies."
"Shameless flatterer," Onozuka retorted, although he was secretly pleased by Kikuchi's words.
"Same time tomorrow night?" Kikuchi asked, in such an exaggeratedly lascivious voice that it made Onozuka burst into a peal of laughter. His next-door neighbor (the assistant director, who was also in on the betting pool, according to Asami) was probably wondering what the hell Onozuka was finding so funny, and he was going to have to check the TV listings later to find a comedy show that he could claim to have been watching.
"It's a date," Onozuka promised.
"Sleep well, my sweet Prince," Kikuchi whispered.
"Pleasant dreams, my perverted hero," Onozuka replied.
"Oh, they will be," Kikuchi said slyly. "Both pleasant and perverted, because I'll be dreaming of you."
Onozuka burst into laughter again as he turned off the phone.
***
Asano arrived in Okinawa the next day, to begin filming the climax of the movie, the scenes where Akio tracked down Eisuke with the intent to kill him, determined that no part of his beloved Midori-san should belong to anyone else.
A small stunt crew had also flown in to choreograph the fight scenes and, when necessary, to act as stunt doubles. Onozuka had expected this, but he hadn't expected that the stunt director would be Kikuchi's friend Noguchi, the one who owned the fishing cabin they'd stayed at.
Neither had Kikuchi, apparently. "Noguchi-kun!" he exclaimed with genuine surprise when they met on the set, which was actually the campus of a local university. They had gotten permission to film in the art building where Eisuke was supposed to be taking classes, in exchange for a generous donation from the studio. And no doubt the school would also benefit from the publicity associated with the movie.
"You sly dog," Kikuchi laughed, clasping his friend's hand in a firm handshake. "Why didn't you tell me that you were working on this film?"
"The job was actually offered to one of my assistants, but I asked to take it on personally since you were involved, Kikuchi-san," Noguchi said with a grin. He was about Kikuchi's age and roughly the same height and build, which wasn't surprising since he had served as Kikuchi's stunt double on several of his pre-scandal films. Of course, he wasn't nearly as good-looking as Kikuchi, but filmed from a distance, he could easily pass for Kikuchi as long as the camera didn't zoom in on his face.
"And you were in on the secret, too, Kitamura-kantoku?" Kikuchi asked accusingly, but judging by the grin on his face, he wasn't really angry.
Kitamura smiled and said, "Noguchi-san wanted to surprise you, so I agreed to go along with it."
"Well, consider me pleasantly surprised," Kikuchi chuckled. "Allow me to introduce you to my co-stars, Onozuka-kun and Asano-kun." They were the only three actors present at the moment, since Asami and Yoshizumi weren't in this scene and so had been given the day off, much to the envy of the rest of the crew. "Asano-kun, Onozuka-kun, this is my very good friend and stuntman extraordinaire, Noguchi Hisao."
"It's nice to meet you," Asano said politely, shaking Noguchi's hand.
"Likewise," said Noguchi, then turned to Onozuka.
"I'm very pleased to meet you," Onozuka said with princely charm and courtesy, taking the opportunity to size Noguchi up. He had an open, friendly smile and he gripped Onozuka's hand firmly as he shook it, but not so firmly as to seem like a challenge. Noguchi was the only Japanese friend that Kikuchi had spoken of warmly--the only Japanese friend that he'd mentioned at all, in fact--and Onozuka wondered if it was possible that they'd been more than friends in the past. If so, it wasn't visible in their demeanor, which seemed more like the bond between himself and Miyasaka and Katou--a close but platonic, almost brotherly sort of camaraderie. Then again, Onozuka did find his two best friends physically attractive, although it was something that he would never act on and tried not to think too much about.
"Kikuchi-san has told me a lot about you," Onozuka said sweetly to Noguchi. "He said that you have a fishing cabin he likes to visit." Asano gazed at him with suspicion and Noguchi with a hint of amused speculation. Onozuka pretended not to notice, smiling innocently at Kikuchi as he said, "Perhaps you can take me with you sometime, Kikuchi-san, if I'm not being too forward."
"You like to fish, Onozuka-kun?" Asano asked incredulously, his lip curling slightly in a sneer. "It's hard to picture the Golden Prince fishing in his designer clothing."
Onozuka continued smiling sweetly, showing no sign of his own contempt for his fellow actor. Asano had talent, but he was strictly small-time--he was never going to make it big as an actor if he couldn't manage to disguise his feelings better than that. "I'm not very good at fishing," Onozuka said modestly, which was true, then continued, "but I do enjoy it," which wasn't. He laughed good-naturedly and added, "And of course I dress more practically for fishing than I do when I'm performing or attending some sort of official event."
Noguchi and Kikuchi both laughed, causing Asano to look even more sullen, and Onozuka felt a surge of smug satisfaction that he was careful not to show on his face. He had graciously laughed off Asano's insult, taking no offense, which made himself look good while making Asano look petty.
Don't mess with me, Asano, he thought. I won't let you off nearly as easy as Iwaki and Katou did!
"You should take him up to the cabin, Kikuchi-san," Noguchi suggested with a grin. "Maybe after the movie's finished." He winked at Onozuka and added, "If you aren't afraid of being alone with Kikuchi-san, that is, given his somewhat notorious reputation."
"Oh, not at all," Onozuka said earnestly, affecting a look of wide-eyed innocence. "Of course I'd heard about the rumors, but Kikuchi-san has been a perfect gentleman on the set."
Kitamura snorted loudly, and even Mizutani, who was always unfailingly polite, seemed to be struggling not to laugh. The crew members were less successful and developed a sudden coughing fit, while Asano merely rolled his eyes in disbelief.
When he managed to recover, Kitamura said, "You and Kikuchi-san can take a well-deserved vacation after the movie is completed, but for now, let's get back to business."
"Of course, Kantoku-san," Onozuka said, all brisk professionalism now, and the crew quickly struggled to get themselves under control.
Noguchi chuckled, then got down to business and introduced his staff. He had brought along a couple of assistants who would help to set up the stunts, and a young man in his late teens that he introduced as "My son, Taketo. He'll be doubling for Asano-san, and of course I'll stand in for you, Kikuchi-san."
Taketo bowed respectfully; he was slimmer and shorter than his father, and a fairly good match for Asano. Onozuka relaxed, since the presence of a son meant that Noguchi was probably married and almost certainly straight.
"Following in your father's footsteps, eh, Taketo-kun?" Kikuchi said with a grin, patting the boy on the shoulder.
"Yes, Kikuchi-san," Taketo replied, with an earnestness that was probably more sincere than Onozuka's. "I've been training hard for this moment, and I promise I won't let you or the director down!"
"I'm sure that you'll do fine," Kikuchi assured him.
"It's a pretty straightforward scene," Noguchi said. "Mostly some slashing and grappling, a few punches thrown. The only really complicated stunt is a tumble down the stairs." In the script, Akio tracked Eisuke down to the university, where he was working alone on a painting in one of the studios in the evening after classes were over. Akio attacked Eisuke, attempting to stab him with a knife, and Ryotaro would rush in to the rescue, fight with Akio, and eventually Akio would be fatally stabbed as they struggled over the knife.
"Onozuka-san, I was told that you wouldn't require a stunt double," Noguchi told him. "Mostly you run around the room trying to evade Akio until Kikuchi-san shows up to save you. You do fall into a stack of canvases at one point, but that should be pretty easy to stage. There shouldn't be any danger to you other than a few bruises, but one of my assistants can double for you if the need arises."
Onozuka grinned at Kikuchi, saying, "I have my pride as an actor and a man. I know that Kikuchi-san did many of his own stunts in his old movies, so how can I back down? I won't take any unnecessary risks, of course, but I would be ashamed if I whined about the possibility of a bruise or two."
"That's the spirit!" Noguchi said, giving Onozuka a look of approval. "What we'll do first is block the scene and choreograph the fight."
They spent most of the day doing that: blocking the action and setting up the cameras. Everything had to be choreographed precisely in order to look realistic while keeping the actors and stuntmen safe, as well as to be in the right position for the cameras to film them properly.
To the audience, Onozuka would appear to be running haphazardly around the room, but each move was planned out by Noguchi, and he and Asano practiced the scene over and over again until Noguchi was satisfied. Onozuka had actually done a bit of action work on a few of his previous dramas, and Noguchi was pleased that Onozuka knew how to fake a fall without hurting himself. And to be fair, Asano was not exactly a stranger to action scenes, either, due to his work on "Winter Cicadas."
Onozuka had to carefully dodge Asano's knife attacks; strategic camera angles and clever choreography would make it seem like the knife was striking closer to him than it really was. It was a prop knife and the blade was dull, of course, but even a stage prop could cause injury if it was struck with enough force, and Onozuka wryly noted that Asano seemed to be playing this scene with a bit more enthusiasm than was strictly professional.
He stumbled and fell into a stack of canvases leaning against the wall, then snatched one up to use as a shield, just in time as Asano plunged the knife into it.
"That was great!" Kitamura said, clapping his hands together after Onozuka and Asano had run through the scene for about the tenth time. "I think the two of them have it down--let's get that on film on this time."
The fight scene between Asano and Kikuchi required even more complex choreography, as Asano slashed at Kikuchi, and Kikuchi closed in, trying to wrest the knife away from him. At one point in the struggle, Ryotaro was supposed to slam Akio into the wall, and Noguchi decreed that Taketo would stand in for Asano during that stunt.
"I'm okay with doing it myself," Asano said defiantly. He glanced at Onozuka and added sarcastically, "I have my pride as an actor and a man, after all."
"I have no doubt of your bravery or your enthusiasm, Asano-kun," Kitamura said, looking amused. "However, I can't risk you getting injured because we only have the location for a single day, and we have to finish shooting tonight or it won't get done at all. If we have to recreate the set on a soundstage, then it will cost extra time and money, and I'll have to listen to that smug bastard Hasegawa saying that he knew an indie director like me wasn't ready for the big time. So let's stay on schedule and get this done today, people!"
"Yes, sir!" the actors chorused, and Asano bowed deeply, but he shot a quick, resentful glance at Onozuka as he straightened up.
Despite his sulking, Asano did follow instructions and perform the scene capably enough. He and Kikuchi (and occasionally, the stuntmen) fought in the art studio, with Akio inflicting a small gash on Ryotaro's arm, staining his sleeve with blood (actually, a fake blood packet hidden beneath Kikuchi's costume). And Ryotaro managed to punch Akio in the jaw--something Onozuka enjoyed watching, even though it was actually mimed with precise timing and clever camera angles. He was secretly hoping that one of the actors would miss their cue and Asano would get punched for real, but he supposed for the sake of the film that it was better that things went according to plan.
"Get out of here!" Kikuchi shouted as he grappled with Asano. Following the script, Onozuka-as-Eisuke hesitated, not wanting to leave the man he loved in danger, but Kikuchi urgently shouted, "Go! Call the police and get help!"
This time Onozuka obeyed and fled the room. Asano managed to break free and ran after him, chasing him down the hall. Onozuka ran down the stairs leading out of the building, and that was where Kikuchi and Asano switched places with their stuntmen: Ryotaro was supposed to tackle Akio, sending them both tumbling down the staircase, which was obviously too dangerous a stunt to let the actors perform themselves, even if they were so inclined.
A padded mat was placed at the foot of the staircase to break their fall (though it wouldn't show up in the final cut of the film, of course), and Noguchi and his son took the place of the actors. They tumbled down the stairs together, looking as though they would both surely break their necks, and Onozuka felt his breath catch in his throat, even though he knew that the fall had been choreographed to look dramatic while providing minimal risk to the stuntmen.
Onozuka smiled approvingly; if the stunt was good enough to fool a professional like himself, even for just a second, the audience would definitely be sucked into the illusion. One of the directors that he'd worked with early in his career had told him that they were creating a fantasy world and that it was the job of the actors to make the audience forget reality and believe in the fantasy for the hour or two that the TV show or movie lasted.
The stuntmen had to perform the fall twice to give Kitamura the footage he needed, but they came through it without a scratch. Once the stunt was completed, Kikuchi and Asano switched places with the Noguchis at the bottom of the staircase; in post-production the two sequences would be edited together seamlessly.
Akio was supposed to have lost hold of the knife during the fall, and Asano and Kikuchi both scrambled for it. Asano managed to grab hold of it first, and he and Kikuchi rolled on the ground together, wrestling for control of the knife.
The camera zoomed in for a close-up as Asano's eyes widened in shock, and Kikuchi rolled off of him, revealing Asano lying on the ground with the knife hilt sticking out of his chest (a nice bit of work by the special effects crew).
"Mi...dori," Asano whispered, then lay still, eyes staring blankly up at the sky.
Onozuka rushed over to Kikuchi's side, shouting, "Are you all right, Ryotaro-san?"
"It's just a scratch," Kikuchi said dismissively of his wound. He stared anxiously at the red stains on the front of Onozuka's shirt and placed a gentle hand on his chest, as if searching for a wound. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Onozuka said reassuringly. He gestured at his stained shirt and added, "This is just paint, not blood."
"Thank God!" Kikuchi said fiercely, pulling Onozuka into his arms and holding him tightly. "I couldn't bear to lose you, too, Eisuke!"
"Ryotaro-san," Onozuka whispered, returning the embrace. They pulled apart slightly to look at each other, then started to lean in for a kiss. Later, during editing, the sound of a police siren would be added in, but for now, Onozuka and Kikuchi merely pretended that they heard it and hastily jumped apart, pulling out of the embrace. A few moments later, extras dressed in police uniforms rushed onto the scene.
"Cut!" Kitamura shouted. "Excellent work, all of you," he said, addressing both the cast and crew. "We finished on schedule, so let's clean up and call it a night."
The crew had to stay behind to pack up the equipment and clean up the mess caused by the staged fight, but the actors were free to go back to the hotel. It was late, and Onozuka didn't feel like going down to the restaurant or bar, so he took a shower and was about to order something from room service when he got a call from Kikuchi--not for phone sex, but to invite him over to Noguchi's room for dinner and drinks.
It was crowded with himself and Kikuchi and the stunt crew all crammed into the room that Noguchi and his son were sharing, but no one seemed to mind. Kikuchi had ordered a platter of sushi from room service, putting it on his own tab, and Kitamura had gifted Noguchi with a bottle of awamori for a job well done. Someone had also procured some bottles of sake, so the stuntmen were soon in a boisterously good mood.
Onozuka mostly feigned sipping from his glass of awamori, knowing from past experience how strong it was. They were supposed to be filming the closing scene of the movie tomorrow, where Eisuke and Ryotaro finally admitted their love for each other, and he didn't want to risk screwing it up with a hangover.
Taketo and the two assistants were too young to have worked on Kikuchi's old movies, and Kikuchi and Noguchi were happy to satisfy their curiosity by telling them some entertaining stories from those days. Onozuka couldn't help feeling a little jealous of how comfortable and familiar the two older men were with each other, trading jokes and affectionate insults, much as he did himself with Miya-chan and Katou.
But he was determined not to give Kikuchi the satisfaction of seeing that he was jealous, so Onozuka smiled and laughed along with the others. It didn't really require that much acting, since he did find the stories interesting, having been a fan of those movies long before he'd ever met Kikuchi.
There was probably nothing to be jealous over, anyway, since Kikuchi treated his old friend more like a brother than a lover, to the point of regarding Taketo with the air of a fond uncle. "You did a good job today, Tak-kun," he told the boy, ruffling his hair--which amused Onozuka, because it reminded him of himself and Kaoru.
"Kikuchi-san, I'm not a little kid anymore!" Taketo protested with an air of offended dignity, and the older men burst into laughter. After a moment, Taketo grinned sheepishly and laughed along with them, proving himself a good sport.
Kikuchi drew Noguchi's assistants into the conversation, asking them about the movies that they'd worked on, and Onozuka was struck by how easily and naturally Kikuchi could mingle with both the show business elite and with the crew members whom many big stars snubbed or simply ignored as if they didn't exist. For his own part, Onozuka went out of his way to be friendly to the crew since he figured that it was counterproductive to antagonize the people whose job it was to make him look good. If they liked him, they'd work all the more hard for him, while making an enemy out of them might result in someone trying to secretly sabotage him one day. Besides, those lowly assistants and secretaries were in a good position to hear some juicy gossip and pass it on to him, and occasionally, to put in a good word for him with their not-so-lowly bosses.
If Kikuchi's friendliness was equally calculated, it certainly didn't show. The younger stuntmen were a bit diffident towards him at first, but Kikuchi soon had them laughing with him as if they were old friends, and he seemed to genuinely enjoy their company.
Onozuka was beginning to feel a little left out, but before he had time to start sulking, Kikuchi cracked a few jokes about working with the Prince, and one of the assistants smiled and said, "You're not what I expected, Onozuka-san. I thought you'd be some pretty boy actor who'd turn his nose up at breaking a sweat, but you worked hard and didn't complain about all the times you had to fall into those paintings for rehearsal and the final takes."
"Is that any way to talk to one of the stars of the movie?" Noguchi scolded, slapping the younger man on the back of the head, which made Onozuka laugh, because it reminded him of the way that he and Katou often swatted Miyasaka.
"Please don't be offended, Onozuka-san," the other assistant said with a grin. "Yamada-kun is just jealous because his girlfriend is a big fan of yours!"
"She has a poster of that Gigolo ad on the wall," the assistant--Yamada--groaned good-naturedly. "She even gave me a bottle of Gigolo cologne so that I could be more like the Golden Prince!"
"We actors only look good because of all your hard work," Onozuka said modestly. "You put yourselves at risk for the sake of the movie without getting much credit in return, so it's the least I can do to work hard without complaint. Getting a few bruises for a little fall is nothing compared to falling down a flight of stairs." He smiled at Noguchi and added, "Or almost getting blown up for Kikuchi-san's sake."
"Spoken like a true Prince!" Noguchi laughed.
"Indeed, I'm lucky to have such a noble co-star," Kikuchi said with an inebriated grin, throwing an arm around Onozuka's shoulders.
"Kikuchi-san!" Onozuka protested as the stuntmen laughed. He tried to push away his lover's arm, but Kikuchi tightened his hold and pulled Onozuka a little closer. "I think you've had too much to drink, Kikuchi-san," Onozuka scolded playfully, but he noticed that Kikuchi's glass was still half full and had been for awhile, so maybe Kikuchi was only pretending to be drunk.
"I'm just trying to get into character for our romantic kiss scene tomorrow," Kikuchi defended himself in an innocent voice belied by his wicked grin. He exaggeratedly puckered up his lips, and this time he allowed Onozuka to push him away, falling over onto his back as the stuntmen roared with laughter--but Onozuka noticed that he didn't spill so much as a drop of his awamori.
After that, the stunt crew seemed to accept Onozuka as one of them, treating him with the same camaraderie that they did Kikuchi, and he found himself joining in their conversation more easily. He even ended up signing an autograph for Yamada's girlfriend, and Yamada laughed, "Thank you, Onozuka-san--I'm sure that she'll reward me well for this!"
"See, it's not so bad working with the Prince, after all," the other assistant teased.
A couple of hours later, Taketo had passed out snoring on the floor, and the two assistants were in only slightly better shape. Noguchi was obviously tipsy, but still sober enough to haul the younger men to their feet.
"Excuse me for a few minutes while I take these two to their room and tuck them into bed," Noguchi told Onozuka and Kikuchi with a grin, then managed to steer the two stuntmen out the door and into the hall, although they were rather unsteady on their feet.
As soon as they were gone, Kikuchi grabbed Onozuka's arm and pulled him into the bathroom, locking the door behind them.
"What are you doing?" Onozuka demanded, although the answer was obvious when Kikuchi kissed him and began unzipping his trousers.
"Noguchi managed to give us a little free time alone, so let's not waste it," Kikuchi replied, nipping at Onozuka's earlobe. "Phone sex isn't enough; I want to touch and taste you."
Onozuka gasped, feeling himself harden as Kikuchi's hand closed around him and Kikuchi's tongue licked at his ear. "Are you crazy?" he demanded, his voice sounding too breathless to really be intimidating. "Noguchi-san will be back any minute, and the kid is right in the next room!"
"Taketo is out cold and won't wake up until tomorrow--with a raging hangover, no doubt," Kikuchi said dismissively. "As for Noguchi, he's probably giving us some time alone on purpose--"
"Did you tell him about us?!" Onozuka demanded, a little more sharply this time.
"I wouldn't do that without telling you first," Kikuchi replied soothingly, his hand moving in slow strokes up and down Onozuka's erection. Onozuka bit his lower lip to stifle a moan, determined not to let Kikuchi distract him. "But Noguchi knows me well," Kikuchi continued, "and even if he did walk in on us, he wouldn't tell anyone. He's absolutely trustworthy."
"But..." Onozuka protested weakly as Kikuchi dropped to his knees.
"Of course," Kikuchi said silkily, "he's definitely going to walk in on us if we don't hurry it up, your Highness."
Any further protests Onozuka was about to make instantly evaporated as he felt Kikuchi's mouth engulf him, hot and wet and demanding, without any of his usual teasing little licks and kisses. Maybe it was because Onozuka was worried about getting caught, or maybe it was just because Kikuchi knew exactly how to push his buttons, but he came in about thirty seconds flat, and wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or chagrined.
"You really are a perverted bastard," Onozuka said, gasping for breath.
Kikuchi wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and grinned up at Onozuka smugly, saying, "But that's why you like me, your Highness," and Onozuka couldn't help but laugh.
"You're a horrible man, Katsuya," Onozuka scolded as he zipped his trousers back up, then knelt down on the floor to kiss his unrepentant lover. Kikuchi was already unzipping his own trousers, and Onozuka threatened, "I ought to just leave you like this as punishment."
But Onozuka's mouth watered at the sight of his lover hard and ready for him, the tip of his cock already wet and slick with pre-come, and he bent down to take Kikuchi into his mouth. It was a bit awkward and uncomfortable with the two of them sprawled out on the cold tile floor of the bathroom, but Onozuka forgot the discomfort, feeling smugly satisfied when Kikuchi groaned loudly, twining his fingers in Onozuka's hair.
It was good to know that he had as much effect on Kikuchi as Kikuchi had on him, and Onozuka was tempted to prolong things and tease his lover to punish him for his mischief. But he didn't want Noguchi to walk in on them, no matter how trustworthy the man might be, so he set about trying to make Kikuchi come as quickly as he had. Onozuka didn't quite succeed, but by now he knew Kikuchi's likes and dislikes in bed as well as Kikuchi knew his, so it didn't take all that much longer to make the smug bastard lose control.
He swirled his tongue across the head of Kikuchi's cock one last time, and Kikuchi groaned, "Yuu!" as he came in Onozuka's mouth--and just in time, too, because a couple of minutes later, they could hear Noguchi's voice from the hall, singing a drinking song in a loud, cheerful, and off-key voice.
Suspiciously loud, perhaps, because Onozuka suspected that Noguchi was pretending to be drunker than he really was. Still, whether it was intentional or not, Onozuka appreciated the warning, and he and Kikuchi managed to be out in the main room, fully clothed and more-or-less composed by the time that Noguchi opened the door.
"Those two will be ashamed tomorrow that they let a couple of actors drink them under the table!" Noguchi laughed, conveniently ignoring the fact that Onozuka and Kikuchi hadn't drunk as much as the stuntmen. "How about another drink, Onozuka-san?" he asked, picking up a half-empty bottle of sake. (The awamori was already long gone.)
Onozuka still felt a little flushed from his bathroom encounter (what was it with Kikuchi and bathrooms, anyway?), and couldn't quite meet Noguchi's eyes, somehow feeling that the other man would be able to read in his face what he and Kikuchi had been up to.
"No, thank you," he replied politely, keeping his eyes downcast. He yawned and added, "It's late, and Kikuchi-san and I are scheduled to be filming tomorrow morning, so I'd better turn in." Onozuka gave his lover a stern look and added, "And so should you, Kikuchi-san."
Kikuchi grinned, but said meekly, "I will, after I help Noguchi-kun clean up here." Then he said in a huskier, much more seductive voice, "Sleep well, my Prince. Perhaps we'll meet in our dreams tonight." He smiled at Onozuka in such a lascivious manner that it left no doubt at all as to what he thought the two of them would be doing in their dreams.
"Only in your dreams, Kikuchi-san!" Onozuka retorted, not quite slamming the door behind him as he left.
Part 5
***
Afterword: When I was writing Part 3 of "Press Conference," I vaguely had in mind that Mochimune knew Kitamura personally, perhaps from film school and not just from his movies, but it didn't really fit into that story. When I was writing this fic, I thought it might be interesting to use that plot bunny and show Mochimune from the perspective of another director and an actor other than Iwaki.
And Asano's snide remark about Onozuka's designer clothing was inspired by Snapelike's comment on my "Cookout" fic.
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and Asano definitely hasn't learnt anything, i almost pity him, poor jealous mean little sweetie, when will he understand he can't have this attitude.. with guys far above his league! *LOL*
i liked the bit with the stunt crew, including the bathroom intermezzo! XDD it's cool to have them mingling with different people.
the movie itself would almost be worth a fic, like sensei did with fuyu no semi ^^
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I'm not sure if I'll ever write it out as a separate fic, but I did enjoy planning out the movie story.
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be it in the figurative sense, meaning a severe scolding, or even better, literally, a good spanking!! *hehehe*
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