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FIC: Cookout, Part 2 of 3
Title: Cookout, Part 2 of 3
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka
Word count: ~7,160
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), and Audition (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3). The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: Onozuka brings a surprise guest to the cookout.
Part 1
***
Onozuka slept over at Kikuchi's place on Saturday night, since it would obviously spoil the surprise if Kikuchi picked him up at Miyasaka's apartment. Onozuka had slept over on Friday, too, and Kikuchi was pleased to have had his prince to himself all weekend. He wondered if Miyasaka was jealous, and rather hoped so--he'd heard from Onozuka that Miyasaka was a little put out that Onozuka was spending so much time away from home. Of course, Miyasaka was probably too dense to realize why he was jealous, but that was Miyasaka's loss and Kikuchi's gain.
When Kikuchi and Onozuka arrived at Iwaki and Katou's house on Sunday afternoon, they could already smell the scent of grilled meat and see plumes of smoke wafting up from the patio.
"Hey, no fair starting without the guest of honor!" Onozuka shouted cheerfully, knocking on the front gate. Kikuchi grinned and hung back out of sight, the better to surprise their hosts with his unexpected appearance.
"Miyasaka-kun," Iwaki called out. "Would you mind letting Onozuka-kun in?"
"I've got it!" Miyasaka replied eagerly, and a moment later, he was opening the gate. "So where's your girlfriend?" he asked as he let Onozuka in. "I can't believe I'm finally going to meet her!"
"Actually, you already know my friend," Onozuka said sweetly, and Kikuchi stepped through the gate, making sure to close it behind him, always aware of the possibility of prying eyes. Of course, there wasn't much he could do about the shouting that was sure to ensue once Katou laid eyes on him.
"Nice to see you again, Miyasaka-kun," Kikuchi said, grinning widely.
Miyasaka's eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped open. "Uh...um...Kikuchi-san?" he stammered incredulously.
"Hey, Miyasaka, what are you doing?" Katou asked impatiently as he came down the steps to see what was going on, and did a double-take as comical as Miyasaka's. Then his eyes narrowed with hatred as he hissed, "You! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"But Iwaki-san told me that I could bring a guest," Onozuka said innocently.
The focus of Katou's anger quickly shifted to Onozuka, and he grabbed his friend by the front of his t-shirt and snarled, "You've gone too far with your little games this time, Onozuka!"
"Let him go, Katou," Kikuchi warned, getting ready to intervene if it looked like Katou was going to actually hit Onozuka. He had to defend his prince, after all. "Your problem is with me, not him."
"My hero," Onozuka cooed, not looking at all frightened, but rather, excited about the prospect of the two of them fighting over him. Kikuchi smiled wryly but affectionately at Onozuka--he was a conniving little troublemaker, but a cute one. And besides, Kikuchi liked Onozuka's devious nature as much as--or more than--his looks. There were plenty of pretty boys out there, but very few who could challenge Kikuchi as Onozuka did.
"What's all the commotion about?" Iwaki asked curiously as he came over to join them, then stopped in his tracks and stared in surprise at Kikuchi.
"Hello, Iwaki-san," Onozuka said pleasantly. "Will you remind Katou that you told me that I could bring a date to this party?"
Iwaki recovered his composure much faster than Katou and Miyasaka, and gave Onozuka a stern look. "You said that you were bringing a girlfriend to the party, Onozuka-kun."
"Actually, I only said that I was bringing a friend with me," Onozuka corrected him. "I never mentioned my friend's gender. It was Katou and Miyasaka who jumped to conclusions and assumed that I was dating a woman. That's quite narrow-minded, don't you think, especially since you and Katou are a same-sex couple?"
Iwaki sighed and shook his head, a resigned but amused smile on his face, like a parent who was used to his mischievous child's antics. "Katou, let go of Onozuka-kun," he ordered.
"But...but...Iwaki-san!" Katou protested plaintively, although he immediately released Onozuka's shirt. "He's brought that dirty old man to our house!" Katou pointed accusingly at Kikuchi.
"It seems that Kikuchi-san is an invited guest," Iwaki said, gazing at Kikuchi suspiciously. "It may be true that Katou and Miyasaka-kun jumped to conclusions," Iwaki said to Onozuka. "But I notice that you didn't bother to correct their misapprehension."
"I wanted to surprise you," Onozuka said, smiling impishly.
"Well, you certainly succeeded," Iwaki said dryly, but he smiled slightly in response. "But I have to ask--are the two of you really dating, or is this just one of your pranks, Onozuka-kun?"
"We really are dating," Onozuka insisted, and gave Kikuchi a deep kiss to prove it. Miyasaka was still staring at them in open-mouthed shock, and Katou was gazing at them with a look of horror on his face, as if his worst nightmares had come true. Ah, this was more fun that Kikuchi'd had in years!
"I brought a peace offering," Kikuchi said, holding up a small plastic cooler. "It's some fish that we caught yesterday, to contribute to the cookout."
"Well, actually, Katsuya caught them," Onozuka said modestly. "I only caught one fish, which we ended up eating for lunch yesterday."
"He caught two, but we let the second one go since it was undersized," Kikuchi added.
"That's more embarrassing than saying that I only caught one," Onozuka complained, and Kikuchi laughed.
"Yuu did very well for a beginner," he told the others, who were still staring at him with varying degrees of shock (Miyasaka and Katou) and bemusement (Iwaki).
Miyasaka's head slowly turned to Onozuka and then to Kikuchi and back again. "'Yuu'?" he asked in a bewildered voice. "'Katsuya'?"
"The two of you are already on a first name basis?!" Katou demanded.
"Of course," Kikuchi replied sweetly, although he didn't do "sweet" as well as Onozuka. "It's only natural for lovers to call each other by given names, isn't it? It seems awfully formal to use family names and honorifics in bed." Kikuchi watched with satisfaction as his well-honed remarks struck home and Katou flinched.
Iwaki's eyes narrowed, as if he knew exactly what Kikuchi was doing, but he took the cooler from Kikuchi and said politely, "Thank you for the fish. They'll make a tasty addition to our barbeque, I'm sure."
"You're welcome," Kikuchi replied, just as politely. Then he added with a grin, "It's the least I can do, considering that I dropped in only semi-invited."
"You're Onozuka-kun's date, so of course you're welcome at his party," Iwaki said smoothly, and Kikuchi had to grudgingly admire his aplomb. "Will you come up and help me cook the fish?"
"Sure," Kikuchi replied, and Iwaki turned to address Onozuka and Miyasaka.
"Onozuka-kun, Miyasaka-kun, there are some drinks and salad fixings in the fridge. Would you mind taking care of that, please?"
"Not at all, Iwaki-san," Onozuka replied with princely courtesy. "Come on, Miya-chan." He headed into the house with Miyasaka following mutely, still looking dazed.
"Iwaki-san!" Katou exclaimed. "You're not seriously going to let him stay, are you?!"
"He is Onozuka-kun's guest," Iwaki pointed out.
"But he tried to force himself on you!" Katou cried angrily.
"I've put that incident behind me," Iwaki replied firmly. "And besides, Onozuka-kun is your friend. If he and Kikuchi-san are going to continue seeing each other, we're all going to have to learn how to get along." He glared sternly at both Katou and Kikuchi.
"Of course," Kikuchi said agreeably.
"But Iwaki-saaan!" Katou wailed.
Iwaki sighed, "Katou, maybe you should go and help Onozuka-kun and Miyasaka-kun."
"I'm not leaving you alone with this pervert!" Katou said fiercely.
"Don't worry, Katou-kun," Kikuchi assured him, thoroughly enjoying himself. "Iwaki-kun isn't really my type; I prefer blonds. Actually, you'd be kind of cute if you didn't scowl all the time."
Katou growled threateningly and clenched his fists, and Iwaki gave Kikuchi an annoyed look, as if to say, "Don't provoke him." Aloud, Iwaki said to Katou, "Go help Onozuka-kun and Miyasaka-kun," in a sharp, crisp voice that was obviously an order, not a request. "I'll be fine, and you'll be within shouting distance if I need any help." He gave Kikuchi another stern look and added, "Not that I expect to need it."
"I'll behave myself," Kikuchi promised.
Katou still hesitated until Iwaki snapped, "Go!" Katou very sullenly and reluctantly followed Onozuka and Miyasaka into the house, looking over his shoulder to glare at Kikuchi one last time.
"It's obvious who wears the pants in this marriage," Kikuchi muttered under his breath, but Iwaki was running ahead up the short staircase leading to the patio, and--perhaps fortunately--didn't overhear the remark.
"Ah, the meat is burning!" Iwaki exclaimed, and hastily removed a few very well-done burgers from the grill. He turned to Kikuchi and asked, "Do we need to prepare the fish before we cook it?"
"No, I've already cleaned and seasoned them," Kikuchi replied.
"How considerate of you," Iwaki said with a faintly ironic smile, and they laid the fish out on the grill.
"So is this where you ask me what my intentions are regarding Yuu?" Kikuchi asked, grinning.
"I'm so glad that we understand each other, Kikuchi-san," Iwaki replied calmly. "For myself, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones, but if you're just using Onozuka-kun as part of some scheme to get revenge on me and Katou..." His voice hardened and his gaze focused into an intense, icy glare--it was really quite impressive; Iwaki made a surprisingly good villain. "...then I will make you regret it," he finished.
"You're as noble as ever, Iwaki-kun," Kikuchi laughed, a bit mockingly, and wondered if Onozuka would be amused or offended that Iwaki was being so protective of him. "But don't worry," Kikuchi continued. "I promise that I'm completely serious about Yuu."
"It's a pretty big coincidence that you just happened to start dating one of Katou's best friends," Iwaki replied skeptically.
"Not everything is about you and Katou," Kikuchi retorted. "I still don't like the two of you, but it's obvious that trying to hurt you will only hurt my own career. I'm sure you know that I was working with Miyasaka-kun, and it was just by chance that I met Yuu through him. Yuu is a very intelligent, charming, and handsome young man--why shouldn't I like him for himself? Besides, do you really think that he would let me take advantage of him like that?"
"Onozuka-kun is very clever, but he's also very young and a little too confident about his own cleverness," Iwaki replied. "Even a sly fox can be outsmarted by an older and slyer fox."
Well, well...maybe Iwaki isn't as naive as he seems, Kikuchi thought to himself. Verbally sparring with Iwaki and Katou was fun, but he was going to have to achieve some sort of truce with them eventually if he and Onozuka were going to become a permanent couple someday.
So Kikuchi made a deliberate decision to drop all his masks, just for a moment, and let Iwaki see his true emotions. "I'm crazy about Yuu," he said frankly, steadily meeting and holding Iwaki's gaze. "This isn't just a fling for me--I want to have a serious relationship with him. That's why I'm here, because it's important to me to meet Yuu's friends and family."
Kikuchi would never have exposed himself this way if Onozuka had been present. Things were progressing nicely between them, but Kikuchi sensed that his prince was still a little commitment-shy, and revealing his hand at this point might scare Onozuka off. However, Onozuka was safely in the house, and even if Iwaki repeated this conversation to him later, Onozuka would chalk it up to Kikuchi conning the naive Iwaki into believing that his intentions were pure.
Katou, of course, would never believe that Kikuchi wasn't up to something underhanded, even if Kikuchi took a lie detector test in front of him. But that didn't matter, since Iwaki was the one he had to convince.
Iwaki relaxed, obviously reassured by the sincerity in Kikuchi's eyes and voice. "I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Onozuka-kun is a bit mischievous, but he has a good heart, and I wouldn't like to see him get hurt."
"Are we talking about the same Onozuka?" Kikuchi joked, and Iwaki just smiled and shook his head slightly.
"I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Kikuchi-san," he said. "If you care about him so much, then you must know that he's a decent guy deep down. Although I suppose that his twisted nature must appeal to you as well."
"Oh, it does," Kikuchi with a wicked grin.
Iwaki laughed, then asked curiously, "So have you met Onozuka-kun's family? I don't think I've ever heard him mention anything about them, come to think of it."
"No, not yet," Kikuchi replied. "He doesn't really like to talk much about them."
"It's a little awkward, I suppose, introducing a male lover to your family--as I know from experience," Iwaki said with a wry but sympathetic smile.
"I'm willing to wait until he trusts me enough to feel comfortable discussing his family with me," Kikuchi said sincerely, although he didn't add that he had already secretly ferreted out a good deal of information from Toshi-chan.
Iwaki gave him an approving look, and Kikuchi decided that Iwaki really was naive, after all, to take him at face value so easily. It wasn't that Iwaki was stupid, Kikuchi decided, just that he was an idealist who wanted to believe the best of everyone, even a man who had attacked him in the past. It was a little foolish to be so blindly idealistic, but at least it was making things easier now for Kikuchi.
"What about your family?" Iwaki asked as Kikuchi flipped the fish over on the grill. "Are they all right with you being gay?" Then he got a little flustered and said hastily, "Forgive me; I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to answer if it's too personal."
"Well, you're playing the protective father or older brother for Yuu's sake, so I'll allow a little prying," Kikuchi said good-naturedly, thinking about how surreal it was to be chatting about his family with Iwaki, like they were old friends. "Yes, they're fine with it. In fact, my mother would be happy to see me settle down with a nice man, and I'm sure that she would be completely charmed by Prince Yuu."
"I'm sure that he could charm almost anyone," Iwaki laughed.
***
Meanwhile, Onozuka had opened the fridge and found it filled with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, along with cans of beer and soda. He took out the vegetables and found a large salad bowl in the cupboards, then began tearing apart the lettuce and washing it in the sink. "Just leave the drinks in the fridge for now," he told Miyasaka, grinning widely. "It'll take a little while to put the salad together, and besides, Iwaki needs some time to interrogate Katsuya about his intentions regarding me, I'm sure."
"Just when did the two of you get together?" Miyasaka asked, still looking bewildered.
"I guess I should thank you for that, Miya-chan," Onozuka replied, winking at him mischievously. "That night you got drunk and brought him home..." Miyasaka blushed, and Onozuka laughed before continuing, "...I walked him down to wait for his cab, and we got to talking and really hit it off, so I gave him my number and he called me a couple days later, and we've been seeing each other ever since."
"But he...but I..." Miyasaka protested, not quite coherently, as if he didn't know exactly why he was upset.
"What, are you mad that I poached on a guy you brought home?" Onozuka asked flippantly, still grinning. "You didn't even really want Kikuchi--you made it clear that you were only using him as a substitute for Iwaki. It's not like you were actually dating, and even so, I waited until it was clear that nothing was going to happen between you two before I moved in on him."
"Well, yeah, but--" Miyasaka started to argue halfheartedly, but just then, Katou walked in.
"What?!" he barked out. "You were fooling around with him, too, Miyasaka?! And what's this about a substitute? I thought you gave up your fixation on Iwaki-san!" He focused a murderous glare on Miyasaka and growled, "I swear, I won't forgive you a second time if you try anything with Iwaki-san again!"
"I know that!" Miyasaka protested, sounding hurt and indignant. "I said that I was sorry and I meant it! I'd never do anything to hurt you or Iwaki-san again! It's just..." He flushed and mumbled sheepishly, "I was wondering what it would be like to be with a man, and I knew that Kikuchi-san was gay. We were drinking together after the wrap party for our TV series and...well, I sort of invited him to come home with me. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but I was really drunk."
"You were so drunk that I was surprised you didn't pass out cold before you had a chance to even try to get it up," Onozuka snorted.
Miyasaka shot a quick glare at him, then defensively said to Katou, "Nothing happened between him and me! Uh...well, nothing much, anyway." He flushed again. "Kikuchi-san said that he didn't want to be a substitute for anyone, and that was that. Maybe it was for the best, since I doubt I would've had the nerve to proposition him if I'd been sober."
"Then there should be no hard feelings, right?" Onozuka asked cheerfully.
"You're not getting off the hook so easily, Onozuka!" Miyasaka snapped. "How come you never even hinted to me that you were a Kikuchi fanboy? For that matter, you never even let on that you had any interest in men, period! I thought we were best friends--how could you not trust me? After all, I confided in you that I was attracted to Iwaki-san."
Miyasaka pouted, thrusting his lower lip out in a childlike manner. It was actually kind of cute, but Onozuka said scornfully, "What, are you five years old? I didn't confide in you because there was nothing to tell. Kikuchi was an actor I admired, but I never dreamed that I'd have the chance to date him until he showed up at your apartment that night. I've never dated any other men during all the time that I've known you, and now that I'm dating Katsuya, I've introduced him to you, so what the hell are you complaining about?"
"But you guys have been together for weeks, and you never said anything until now!" Miyasaka whined. "You let me think that you were dating a woman!"
"That was your own false assumption," Onozuka said unrepentantly. "I told you over and over again that I didn't have a girlfriend and you refused to believe me."
"Well, he was halfway right," Katou muttered. "You were seeing someone--it just wasn't a woman."
"And I didn't want to tell you that Katsuya and I were dating before the audition because I figured it might throw you off," Onozuka continued virtuously. "But now that it's over, I'm telling you about it, aren't I? And showing a great deal of trust, I might add, since it would cause a big commotion if our relationship got leaked to the press."
But Miyasaka frowned, not looking placated at all. "Was there any point in my auditioning at all?" he demanded. "You knew all along that the role would be yours, since you're Kikuchi's real lover!"
Onozuka no longer had to feign being offended as he smacked Miyasaka hard on the back of the head and snapped, "You think I slept with him to get the role, you bastard?!"
"Ow!" Miyasaka protested. "Of course not! I just meant that it's only natural that Kikuchi would want his real lover to play his movie lover!"
"You spent all that time working with him, but you don't understand him at all!" Onozuka shouted. "He cares about his movies more than anything! He'd never give a role to someone who didn't deserve it just because he happened to be fucking them!"
"'Cares about his movies more than anything'?" Katou asked pointedly. "More than you?"
"That's not what I meant, and you know it!" Onozuka retorted. "I just meant that he cares about his craft, the way that you and Iwaki--that all of us--do! Do you think that Iwaki-san would've let you be cast as Kusaka if you didn't deserve the role, just because you were sleeping together?"
"Kikuchi is not like Iwaki-san," Katou insisted. "He's a sneaky bastard and you can't trust him! You don't know what he did to Iwaki-san!"
"Actually, I do," Onozuka replied coolly, making an effort to reign in his temper. Maybe Katou and Miyasaka's hot-headed idiocy was rubbing off on him--a truly appalling thought. He took a deep breath, then continued in a level voice, "I know that he convinced Iwaki-san to leave the party with him and go to a secluded location. And by the way, it was rather foolish of Iwaki-san to go off alone with a strange man, and moreover, rude to you as his lover to leave without telling you."
"Don't you dare blame Iwaki-san for what Kikuchi did!" Katou snapped defensively. "It's just that Iwaki-san is such a good person that he's a little too trusting. That doesn't give Kikuchi the right to attack him!"
"I didn't say that it did," Onozuka said mildly. "I'm just saying that Iwaki-san put himself in a dangerous situation that could easily have been avoided."
Katou opened his mouth to argue, but Miyasaka interrupted, "What do you mean, 'attack him'?!"
"He tried to force himself on Iwaki-san," Katou growled, the mere thought of it obviously fueling his rage further.
"How dare he!" Miyasaka exclaimed and was about to rush off and confront Kikuchi when Onozuka said dryly, "Isn't that sort of like the pot calling the kettle black?"
That halted Miyasaka and caused him to flush with shame. "How many times do I have to apologize?" he grumbled in a more subdued voice. "And that still doesn't make it okay for Kikuchi to attack Iwaki-san!"
"Of course not," Onozuka replied. "He admits that he was out of line, but what happened wasn't as bad as Katou makes it sound."
"That's because you only know his side of the story!" Katou protested hotly. "Of course he'd try to downplay his bad behavior."
"Oh?" Onozuka retorted in a cool voice. "Then are you claiming that he lied when he said that he made some unwanted advances but didn't actually rape Iwaki-san and never intended to?"
Katou glared at him, obviously angry that he couldn't contradict Onozuka outright, and said sullenly, "I'd call them more than 'unwanted advances.' You didn't see how devastated Iwaki-san looked when he came home that night."
"But his real aim was to stir up trouble between you and Iwaki-san, and you played right into his hands," Onozuka pointed out. "You got into a fight with him and threatened to quit the movie unless he was fired."
"Why would Kikuchi-san want to cause trouble between Katou and Iwaki-san?" a confused Miyasaka asked.
"Because that old man is jealous of our success," Katou snarled. "And our love for each other!"
Onozuka rolled his eyes and said, "The first, to some extent, but not the second." He explained to Miyasaka, "It was only natural for him to be a little resentful, considering that he was run out of the country for having a male lover, when Katou and Iwaki-san are celebrated for the same thing."
"Bitter old man," Katou muttered unrepentantly.
Miyasaka frowned. "Well, I guess I understand, but that still doesn't make it right. He should be angry with the media, not Iwaki-san and Katou. It's not their fault...it's just that times have changed."
"Anyway, he doesn't intend to try anything like that again," Onozuka continued. "He was forced to leave the film; isn't that punishment enough? You forgave Miyasaka, so why can't you forgive Katsuya, for my sake?"
"There are differences," Katou growled. "Part of me still wants to kill Miyasaka for what he did, but at least he was acting out of love--or at least, what he thought was love. Kikuchi, on the other hand, was acting out of malice. And Miyasaka realized that what he did was wrong and he apologized to us. I'm not convinced that Kikuchi feels any real remorse."
Onozuka thought that he did: Kikuchi had seemed ashamed of what he had done, although he was still resentful of Iwaki and Katou. However, Onozuka knew that he'd never be able to convince Katou of that, so he didn't bother trying. Instead, he shrugged and said, "Well, Iwaki-san is the one who was wronged, and if he's able to accept Katsuya as my lover, then you should, too."
"How can you, as my friend, go out with someone who hurt my precious Iwaki-san?" Katou complained stubbornly.
Maybe because I'm sick of hearing about your precious Iwaki-san all the time, Onozuka thought to himself sourly. He finished with the lettuce, and began slicing the tomatoes as he replied, "Maybe because I understand how it feels to have to hide in the closet to protect my career."
"Closet?" Miyasaka echoed. "So you really are gay?"
"I thought that was obvious, considering who my date is," Onozuka said sarcastically.
"Well, you said that you hadn't dated any men until Kikuchi," Miyasaka pointed out.
"During the time that I've known you," Onozuka corrected him, although he hadn't really dated any men before he'd met Miyasaka, either. But still, he'd known that he was gay since he was sixteen, so it wasn't like he had just now discovered that he liked men.
"Well, Katou and I aren't really gay," Miyasaka persisted. "It's just that we happen to like Iwaki-san. I thought maybe it was that way for you with Kikuchi-san, too."
"Well, it's not," Onozuka replied impatiently. "I like Katsuya because he's a man, not in spite of it. Well, I like him for other things, too, but you know what I mean."
Miyasaka was about to reply, when he took a closer look at what Onozuka was doing and frowned slightly--more of a puzzled expression than an angry one. "Since when are you so domestic? I thought you didn't even know how to cook, beyond boiling water for instant ramen."
"What are you talking about?" Onozuka asked irritably. "How much skill does it take to cut up a tomato?"
"Yeah, but you've sliced it all nice and neat like a professional chef--or a housewife," Miyasaka said with a grin. "You really must be serious about Kikuchi-san!"
Onozuka looked down at the cutting board and only then realized that he had sliced the tomatoes into neat, precise wedges virtually identical in size and shape. It was an automatic reflex due to all the training he'd been forced to endure while he was growing up. His family specialized in sweets rather than vegetables, of course, but he had been conditioned to slice, measure, mix, and knead with careful precision, and that conditioning tended to carry over into normal food preparation on the rare occasions that he did cook.
He was angry at himself for slipping and betraying a hint, however slight, of his true identity, and equally angry at Miyasaka for bringing attention to that slip, not to mention comparing him to a housewife. Onozuka was about to chew Miyasaka out when he saw the look of horror on Katou's face and changed his mind.
"Please tell me that you're not serious about him, Onozuka!" Katou begged. "Please tell me that it's just a fling, that you're only going out with him to get on my nerves!"
Onozuka considered telling him the truth: that it wasn't a serious relationship, that he and Kikuchi were living in the moment and not really thinking about the future. Although...Onozuka suddenly remembered the key that Kikuchi had given him, which wasn't something that a casual lover normally did.
But the key was for merely for convenience's sake, Onozuka reminded himself, brushing aside that uneasy thought. Not that having a relationship with Kikuchi was a bad thing--Kikuchi was great in bed, and Onozuka certainly enjoyed his company, and it wasn't as if there was anyone else he wanted to be with. But he was content to simply enjoy the moment and let the relationship--if that's what it was--develop naturally, rather than trying to rush things along.
However, this was a perfect opportunity to toy with Katou, so there was no harm in exaggerating the extent of his relationship with Kikuchi a bit. Besides, Katou and Miyasaka had been neglecting Onozuka in favor of Iwaki for a long time, and he found himself savoring the chance to be the center of attention for a change.
"Of course I'm serious about Katsuya," Onozuka said with the same sweet earnestness he had used to portray Eisuke in the audition. "Why else would I have brought him here to meet all of you? We're totally, madly in love with each other!"
"What could you possibly see in a guy like that?" Katou demanded.
"He's handsome, charming, and incredibly good in bed," Onozuka replied with a mischievous smile. "What more could I ask for?"
"That's a little too much information!" Katou complained, shuddering and shaking his head vigorously, as if to rid himself of the mental image of Onozuka and Kikuchi in bed together. "And personally, I think that he's an arrogant jerk! He's a bitter old man who can't stand to see younger actors like me and Iwaki-san achieve some success! And I still think he attacked Iwaki-san because he wanted Iwaki-san's body, and not just to cause trouble for me!"
"He says that Iwaki-san's not his type," Onozuka retorted.
"Well, of course, he'd tell you that!" Katou shot back.
"And you're delusional!" Onozuka snapped, throwing the tomato slices into the salad bowl with a little more force than was necessary. He found some salad dressing and croutons in a cupboard, and then slammed the cupboard door shut with a loud bang. Miyasaka jumped slightly, and his gaze nervously shifted back and forth between Onozuka and Katou.
"You think that just because you're obsessed with Iwaki-san, everyone else must be as well," Onozuka continued, tossing the croutons and dressing into the salad rather viciously, venting his frustration on the lettuce. "Not everyone has the hots for Iwaki-san, you know! It's pretty insulting for you to claim that Katsuya wants Iwaki-san even though he's with me now."
Katou's expression immediately softened into one of concern, and he said quietly, "I'm worried for your sake as well as Iwaki-san's, Onozuka. I don't want to see you get hurt if it turns out that he's using you to get to us. And I don't mean that as an insult--you're the Golden Prince, after all. You could have your pick of almost any woman--or man--that you want. Can't you choose a better man than Kikuchi, for your own sake as well as mine?"
Onozuka sighed, his anger draining away; he could never stay mad at Katou for long. Katou was hot-headed and given to acting without thinking, but he had a good heart and he meant well. His Iwaki-obsession could be annoying, but he was a loyal and dependable friend.
"Trust me, Katou," Onozuka replied. "You, of all people, should know that I'm not the gullible type. I know that Katsuya isn't a saint, and I probably wouldn't like him if he were. But I believe him when he says that he's not interested in Iwaki-san and that he won't go after you guys anymore." Then he smirked and added, "Although I'm sure he enjoys seeing how outraged you are. You're playing right into his hands when you act like this, you know. If you really want to annoy him, you should pretend that it doesn't bother you at all."
"Even I'm not that good an actor," Katou said with a fierce scowl, and Onozuka laughed.
"You'll never win a Best Actor award if you can't learn to disguise your emotions," he teased, and picked up the salad bowl. "Miyasaka, can you get the drinks? I'm sure that Iwaki-san must be done interrogating Katsuya by now."
As Onozuka sauntered back out to the patio, he heard Katou mutter skeptically, "I hope you know what you're doing, Onozuka."
***
Kikuchi and Iwaki had just finished cooking when Onozuka returned, smiling sweetly. Katou and Miyasaka trailed behind him, still looking sullen and puzzled, respectively. No, that wasn't quite true--Miyasaka was also regarding Kikuchi with a new edge of hostility, so Katou must have told him about the incident at the restaurant with Iwaki.
Iwaki smiled cheerfully, as if nothing was wrong, and declared, "Let's eat!"
The food was good, but the conversation was a little awkward at first. Iwaki was doing his best to be pleasant and make polite small talk, but Katou was sullen and uncommunicative, responding mainly in grunts. Miyasaka was also silent, though it seemed more like he was still trying to process the whole situation in his head.
Onozuka, however, cheerfully ignored them, chattering blithely about how excited he was to be working on Kitamura's movie. "I'm really looking forward to working with Katsuya," he said brightly, giving Kikuchi a doting look as he patted Kikuchi's thigh fondly. Onozuka let his hand linger there a little longer than was really appropriate, and a deep furrow creased Katou's brow as he scowled at them.
Kikuchi grinned and decided to play along. "Yuu, you've got a crumb on the corner of your mouth," he said innocently.
"Oh, really?" Onozuka asked with exaggerated surprise. "How embarrassing!" He reached up to touch his face, saying, "Where is it?"
"Here, I'll get it," Kikuchi purred, reaching over to brush the non-existent crumb from Onozuka's mouth, slowly and sensually rubbing his thumb across Onozuka's lower lip in the process.
"Thank you," Onozuka said sweetly. "You know, this fish is really delicious, Katsuya--you ought to try some." He broke off a small piece with his fingers and held it up to Kikuchi's lips.
"He already has some fish on his own plate!" Katou growled, but they both ignored him. Kikuchi closed his mouth over Onozuka's fingers and let his lips and tongue slide down them before finally taking the morsel of food.
"Mmm, you're right; it is good," Kikuchi said, giving Onozuka a lascivious smile.
They continued acting like besotted newlyweds, flirting and feeding each other bits of food, and frequently reaching out to touch each other casually on the arm or thigh, as if they couldn't keep their hands off each other.
"Were you a fan of Kikuchi-san before you met him?" Iwaki asked Onozuka, looking amused by their antics.
"Oh, absolutely!" Onozuka gushed. "I watched all his movies when I was a kid! In fact, he's the one who inspired me to become an actor myself!"
"Ah, that makes me feel so old," Kikuchi said, heaving an exaggerated sigh.
"Oh, don't be silly," Onozuka scolded playfully. "It wasn't that long ago!" He leaned over to kiss Kikuchi and purr, "You know I don't think of you as old at all, Katsuya."
It was great fun for Kikuchi to watch the others' reactions out of the corner of his eye: Katou was fuming, his face turning red as if he would explode any second; Miyasaka was staring at them with such wide-eyed disbelief that it looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head; and Iwaki looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.
Kikuchi also had to admit that he enjoyed seeing Onozuka gaze at him so adoringly, even though he knew that it was (mostly) feigned. He didn't really want a slavishly devoted groupie as a lover, but it was fun to have Onozuka fawn over him in play.
In fact, the whole situation was a turn-on for Kikuchi--not just the fawning and flirtation, but the way that Katou was fuming over their demonstrations of affection, and the way that Miyasaka was staring at them in confusion mingled with a hint of jealousy. Kikuchi took great satisfaction in finally being able to stake his claim on Onozuka, knowing that there was nothing Katou and Miyasaka could do about it.
Kikuchi smiled as he thought of an even better way to stake his claim on Onozuka. He rose to his feet and asked Iwaki casually, "Is it all right if I use your restroom?"
"Of course," Iwaki replied. "Onozuka-kun, will you show him the way?"
"Sure," Onozuka said sweetly, jumping to his feet and taking Kikuchi by the hand. "Come on, darling, it's this way."
"'Darling'?!" Miyasaka exclaimed incredulously, and Kikuchi had to fight hard to suppress his laughter as he followed Onozuka into the house.
Onozuka led him down a hallway and said, "It's right here."
"Great," Kikuchi said with a wicked grin, shoving Onozuka into the bathroom ahead of him and then locking the door behind them.
"What're you doing?" a startled Onozuka asked, and in reply, Kikuchi shoved him up against the wall and kissed him hard.
Onozuka returned the kiss briefly before breaking it off to laughingly protest, "Katsuya!"
"I want you, Yuu," Kikuchi murmured into Onozuka's ear, his hands sliding under Onozuka's t-shirt to sharply tweak at his nipples.
Onozuka gasped, then asked, a bit breathlessly, "Can't you wait until we get back to your place?"
"No," Kikuchi replied and kissed Onozuka again, slipping his tongue between Onozuka's parted lips.
Onozuka's tongue entwined with Kikuchi's for a moment, and then he placed his hands on Kikuchi's chest and firmly pushed him away. "I want you, too, Katsuya, but I am not going to do it in the bathroom with you!"
"Why not?" Kikuchi asked with a rakish grin, and Onozuka laughed and shook his head. "Come on," Kikuchi cajoled, leaning in to run his tongue along Onozuka's ear and nibble on the lobe. "Tell me that the idea of doing it under Iwaki and Katou's roof doesn't turn you on, at least a little," he purred enticingly.
"Not at all," Onozuka insisted, then gasped as Kikuchi shoved his leg between Onozuka's, pressing his thigh firmly against Onozuka's crotch, finding incontrovertible proof that his young lover was getting hard despite his protests.
"Liar," Kikuchi whispered, as Onozuka moaned and rubbed against Kikuchi a couple of times before he managed to stop himself.
"You're an evil man," Onozuka said, glaring at Kikuchi accusingly.
"Of course I am," Kikuchi said, grinning unrepentantly. "But you already knew that when we started dating, so you have only yourself to blame."
"I suppose that's true," Onozuka admitted, smiling ruefully. "But seriously, I'm really not the exhibitionist type--unlike Katou."
"The door's locked," Kikuchi pointed out, pushing up Onozuka's t-shirt so that he could tease Onozuka's nipples with his lips and tongue and teeth.
Onozuka moaned, then protested weakly, "But they could hear us."
Kikuchi kissed his way down Onozuka's chest and stomach as he dropped to his knees in front of his lover. "Not all the way out on the patio," he said, then grinned up at Onozuka. "Unless you start screaming, which has been known to happen."
Onozuka flushed and retorted in a tone of wounded dignity, "I meant that they might come looking for us if we're gone too long."
"Well then, you'd better come quickly," Kikuchi replied, then smirked up at Onozuka. "But that usually isn't a problem for you."
Onozuka's blush deepened and he glared down at Kikuchi fiercely. "Insulting your lover isn't usually an effective seduction technique," he said sarcastically.
"It wasn't meant to be insulting," Kikuchi said, giving Onozuka a sultry smile. "I've told you before," he purred in a low, husky voice, "I love it that I excite you so much that you can't control yourself."
A helpless moan escaped from Onozuka's lips, sounding wrenched out of him against his will. Kikuchi smiled with satisfaction as he unbuttoned the fly of Onozuka's jeans, but then Onozuka's hands reached down to grasp his, stopping Kikuchi from proceeding any further.
"Katsuya...wait," Onozuka protested hesitantly. He gazed down at Kikuchi uncertainly, looking young and vulnerable, without his normal air of cocky self-assurance.
To catch a glimpse of the real Onozuka without his usual masks only made Kikuchi want him even more, and Kikuchi had to bite down on his lower lip to hold back a groan. He turned his head to press a light kiss against Onozuka's thigh, then said in a very gentle voice, as if trying to calm a skittish stray dog or cat, "Trust me, Yuu."
Onozuka hesitated a little longer, then let his hands fall to his sides. Kikuchi took that as tacit permission to continue, and unzipped Onozuka's jeans and yanked both jeans and underwear down to his knees. Partly to ease Onozuka's fears of being discovered and partly because he didn't want to give Onozuka time to change his mind, Kikuchi dispensed with his usual teasing foreplay and immediately took Onozuka into his mouth.
"Oh!" Onozuka exclaimed, then hastily clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle the cry. His other hand reached out to grip Kikuchi's hair and push slightly on the back of his head, just enough to urge him on.
Kikuchi was more than happy to oblige, sucking greedily as if he wanted to devour his lover alive--which he did, metaphorically speaking. Onozuka leaned back against the wall, as if he didn't trust his legs to support him, and let out a groan that was probably loud enough to be heard out in the hall, even with his hand over his mouth.
That sound caused Kikuchi's cock to throb in response, and he hurriedly fumbled with the fly of his jeans to free his erection. He had thought he'd have Onozuka return the favor when he was done satisfying his lover, but now Kikuchi found that he couldn't wait. He--literally--took himself in hand and began stroking himself to the sweet accompaniment of Onozuka's muffled groans and whimpers...
Part 3
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