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FIC: Gigolo, Part 2 of 2
Title: Gigolo, Part 2 of 2
Rating: NC-17 overall
Fandom: Haru wo Daiteita (Embracing Love)
Pairing: Kikuchi/Onozuka
Characters: Kikuchi, Onozuka; Akiha and Ebi from Hana-Kimi
Word count: ~5,260
Warnings: Spoilers for the Hana-Kimi manga
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), and Family Visit: Tokyo (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5). The series also includes two side-stories that are outside of the main timeline: Valentine's Day Surprise and Strictly Business.
Summary: The Gigolo shoot continues.
Translation note: "omuraisu" is derived from "omelet" + "rice"--basically, it's fried rice flavored with ketchup, wrapped up in an omelet, a popular dish in Japan.
Part 1
***
By the time that the actors had changed back into their street clothes, one of Akiha's assistants had arrived with a stack of boxes from the Nakata confectionery, and it took all of Kikuchi's self-control not to burst into laughter when he saw the expression of shock and horror on Onozuka's face.
"Ooh, strawberry mochi!" Asami exclaimed, opening one of the boxes.
"For traditional sweets, Nakata's is the best," Akiha declared, helping himself to a piece of mochi. "For Western sweets, there's a nearby cafe called L'Arc en Ciel that makes the best crepes and pastries!"
Ebi was already happily biting into a piece of mochi; she seemed to share her ex-husband's love of sweets. "Don't you want some, Onozuka-san?" she asked.
"Ah...thanks, but I don't really care much for sweets," Onozuka declined, smiling weakly.
"Oh, what a shame," Ebi said, looking puzzled. "We can order something else for you if you like..."
"No, that's okay," Onozuka said politely. Under his breath, he muttered, "I just lost my appetite."
"I'll have some," Kikuchi said cheerfully, and Onozuka gave him a sour look.
After their break was over, they got ready for the second photo shoot. For Kikuchi, that involved stripping to the waist and letting Ebi apply make-up to redden the scratches on his back and make them stand out more clearly against his skin.
"Sorry, does that sting?" Ebi asked apologetically.
"It itches more than stings, but I can handle it," Kikuchi replied, trying to remain still while she worked. "But is this really a good idea?"
"Trust Akiha," Ebi said confidently. "He always has good instincts about what will work, even if it might seem unconventional."
Asami undressed also, donning a robe until Akiha was ready to shoot, and Ebi changed her make-up from the lighter, girlish colors of the first shoot to darker and more sultry shades for the second. She also painted Asami's nails with blood-red polish. Onozuka only needed to take off his shirt and have his make-up re-touched a bit.
"All set?" Akiha asked cheerfully, peering into the dressing room. "Let's go!"
The first pose involved the three of them standing in front of a plain, dark gray backdrop. "The focus is on you three, no need for props or backgrounds," Akiha explained. "Kikuchi-san, you stand here, with your back facing towards the camera. Asami-chan, I'm ready for you now."
Asami took off her robe and handed it to Ebi, looking only slightly self-conscious. "I'm relieved that there aren't too many people on the set," she confided to Ebi. "It would make me nervous to have more people watching." Aside from the actors, there was only Akiha, Ebi, and one assistant adjusting the lights at present. There had been other people around earlier, to help with hair and wardrobe and to assist Akiha with the sets and camera equipment, but it was a far smaller staff than Kikuchi was used to seeing, at least for a high-profile shoot like this one.
"Akiha is very picky," Ebi said with a smile. "He only works with people that he likes."
"I like to keep things informal, so I prefer working with a small group," Akiha explained cheerfully. "Come over here, Asami-chan, and embrace Kikuchi-san from the front, but a little off to his left side...we need to leave room for Onozuka-kun. Kikuchi-san, wrap your arm around her waist...good! Now let me adjust the pose slightly, Asami-chan. Let's keep one arm around Kikuchi-san's neck, and place the other here." Akiha took her hand and placed it on Kikuchi's back, positioning her fingers so that they lined up with one row of scratches. "Now curl your fingers slightly, like you're digging your claws into him," Akiha instructed. "That's great! Now, Onozuka-kun, I want you to come and mirror that pose on Kikuchi-san's right side."
Onozuka did so, requiring only minor adjustments by Akiha; Kikuchi felt his breath quicken slightly as his lover's arms wrapped around him. "Don't get too turned on, Kikuchi-san," Onozuka murmured, tilting his head slightly to gaze at Kikuchi through half-lidded eyes while his lips curved into a slow, sensual smile.
"That's perfect, Onozuka-kun!" Akiha exclaimed. "Just turn your head towards the camera a bit more--perfect! Kikuchi-san, turn your head to face the camera also." Akiha didn't specify right or left, so Kikuchi automatically turned his head towards Onozuka, glancing over his shoulder at the camera. "Great," Akiha said. "Now all three of you, give me your most sexy, smoldering look!"
Kikuchi did his best to oblige, and Akiha seemed satisfied, snapping several shots. Kikuchi was a veteran at this type of thing, but he found it difficult to concentrate with Onozuka's arms wrapped around him and Onozuka's lips so close to his. Perhaps Akiha noticed, because he said, "Kikuchi-san and Onozuka-san, lean in a bit closer to each other till your lips are just barely touching--like the beginning of a kiss."
"Hey, what about me?" Asami asked, half-jokingly.
"Yes, let's get you in on the action, too," Akiha said with a grin. "You kiss Kikuchi-san's neck while he's kissing Onozuka-kun, and let's do this..." He repositioned Asami's and Onozuka's hands on Kikuchi's back so that their fingers were overlapping. "That emphasizes the connection between all three of you," he declared. "And then for variety, let's reverse things and have Kikuchi-san kiss Asami-chan."
"I know you'd rather kiss Onozuka-kun," Asami said playfully.
"I can't deny that, but it's no burden to kiss a lovely girl like you, Asami-chan," Kikuchi assured her gallantly.
Once Akiha was done shooting, they gathered around the computer again to view the photos. "Wow, that's really hot!" Asami exclaimed, and Onozuka pursed his lips and whistled in agreement.
Kikuchi remained silent, but he agreed with his co-stars; the photos were intensely sexual and provocative. Akiha had shot them from the waist up, creating the illusion of nudity that he had promised, making the pictures seem racier than they actually were. Although Asami was topless, most of her body was hidden by Kikuchi's body, and only a bit of the side of one breast was actually visible.
"I have to admit, no one would ever guess that you were gay just by looking at this photo," Asami said of the shot where Kikuchi was kissing her.
"Well, I am an award-winning actor, after all," Kikuchi laughed. Of course he wasn't attracted to Asami, but he had a lot of experience playing steamy love scenes with female co-stars.
"Still, the one where you're kissing Onozuka-kun has a bit of extra sizzle," Asami observed, and Onozuka smiled modestly, blushing slightly.
"Gigolo will choose which shots to use for the posters, but I think that the first one is best," Akiha said, and Kikuchi nodded.
"It really looks like they're clawing me," he said with a grin. "But it is a bit extreme--do you really think that Gigolo will go for it?"
"If they want to top the Katou and Iwaki ads, they will," Akiha replied bluntly. "I didn't do this just to be shocking, but my pride as a photographer makes me want to create an ad even more memorable than the previous one."
"It's the same for me," Kikuchi admitted, and Onozuka grinned.
"Katou is my friend, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to surpass him!"
"Okay, let's set up the next series of shots," Akiha told his staff.
The second scene had the three of them sprawled out together on a large bed. "I feel like I'm taking part in an orgy," Asami joked, and Onozuka couldn't quite suppress a fit of muffled laughter. "What's so funny, Onozuka-kun?" Asami asked curiously.
"Ah...I was just thinking that satin sheets aren't as sexy as they look," Onozuka said, although Kikuchi had the distinct impression that wasn't what he had been laughing about. "They're kind of slippery and not very comfortable."
"But they look good," Akiha pointed out. "And besides, it's not like you'll actually be having sex on them, right?" He grinned and winked at them.
"What a pity," Kikuchi sighed.
Kikuchi leaned back against the headboard and Akiha had Asami lie down on the bed with her head in his lap, her black hair spilling across his thighs and one of her arms resting across her chest so that once again, only a tantalizing hint of her breasts were exposed. Kikuchi was still shirtless and clad in his trousers, while Asami was wearing a short skirt, but a sheet had been draped across her hips to make it look like she was completely nude.
"Onozuka-kun, I want you to kiss Kikuchi-san right here," Akiha instructed, pointing to the bruise on Kikuchi's chest. He grinned and added, "That way, we don't need Ebi to cover up the mark!"
Onozuka smiled and leaned forward, pressing his mouth against Kikuchi's chest and splaying one hand across his stomach. Without prompting, Kikuchi tangled the fingers of one hand in Onozuka's hair, and rested his other hand gently on Asami's head.
"Hold that pose!" Akiha said, giving them a thumbs-up and rushing back to his camera.
They tried a few more variations of that pose, with Asami and Onozuka switching positions. When Onozuka laid his head on Kikuchi's lap, he playfully pressed a kiss against Kikuchi's thigh, causing a flash of heat to stir in Kikuchi's groin. Kikuchi gently rapped his knuckles on the top of Onozuka's head and said huskily, "Let's not get carried away, Onozuka-kun, or this photo is going to be a little more risqué than the censors would like."
"No, no, that's perfect!" Akiha said enthusiastically.
"Well, hurry up and take the photo, then!" Kikuchi groaned, fighting to keep his body under control as Asami giggled and Onozuka snickered.
They managed to get through the shoot without it turning obscene, and Akiha took some shots of Kikuchi gazing at either Asami or Onozuka, but the best shots seemed to be the ones where Asami and Onozuka were gazing at Kikuchi, and Kikuchi was staring straight ahead into the camera with a defiant, wolfish grin, his eyes gleaming with a hungry, feral light.
"Wow," Asami said breathily as they viewed the pictures on the computer screen later. "That's just..."
"Hot," Onozuka finished with satisfaction. "You'll have both male and female fans beating down your door after the ads go up." Then he frowned slightly, not finding the idea so appealing on second thought, and Kikuchi grinned at him.
"You and Asami-chan will be getting your share of attention, too," Akiha said diplomatically.
"I'm sure we will," Onozuka replied without any false modesty. "But Kikuchi-san is the focus that pulls all three of us together, which is as it should be, since he's the star of the movie."
"There's something magnetic about Kikuchi-san, that automatically draws the eye towards him," Ebi mused thoughtfully.
"That's what we call 'star quality' in the biz," Asami told her. "You either have it or you don't, and Kikuchi-san definitely has it."
"I'll get a swelled head with all this praise," Kikuchi joked.
"Oh, that's impossible, I'm sure," Onozuka said sweetly, with a mischievous glint in his eyes--one could interpret his words as meaning that Kikuchi was too modest to get a swelled head, or that his head was already swelled to maximum capacity. Kikuchi suspected that Onozuka was hinting at the latter, and gave his young lover a stern glare; Onozuka gazed back at him with a look of innocent bewilderment.
"It was a pleasure working with all of you," Akiha said, shaking the actors' hands. "Today was a bit rushed, but you did a great job, and I hope to have the chance to work with you again someday, at a more leisurely pace."
"It would be my honor," Kikuchi said politely, and Asami and Onozuka echoed their agreement.
"Oh, and you and Onozuka-kun have excellent chemistry," Akiha added, winking at Kikuchi. "I look forward to seeing your love scenes in the movie!"
"Me too!" Asami agreed enthusiastically, giving her two co-stars a playful leer.
"You're going to ruin your sweet starlet image," Kikuchi told her dryly.
"She can just say that you corrupted her," Onozuka laughed, and he and Asami exchanged conspiratorial winks as Kikuchi gave them both a mock-glare.
"Young actors have no respect for their elders these days," he grumbled, and Asami and Onozuka giggled in chorus.
Asami called her manager to pick her up; her manager and Onozuka's had left after dropping off their clients in the morning, since Akiha had not wanted extraneous personnel hanging around the studio during the shoot. Kikuchi had driven down on his own, so Kojima had not accompanied him.
"I can give you a ride home, Onozuka-kun," Kikuchi offered casually.
"Thank you, Kikuchi-san," Onozuka replied sweetly. "Let me just check in with Fujimoto-san and tell him that the shoot went well."
***
Onozuka told his manager only that he would go home on his own, not that he was getting a ride from Kikuchi, but Fujimoto still cautioned him, "If the ads are as steamy as you say, the attention from the paparazzi will increase once they go public, so keep that in mind."
"I will," Onozuka promised. "But it's inevitable that I'll have to socialize with Kikuchi-san and the other actors occasionally after work. Besides, a bit of titillation is good publicity, right?"
"In small doses, yes," Fujimoto said sternly. "But go too far, and you'll wind up with a full-blown scandal. Sometimes that can help one's career, as with your friends Iwaki and Katou, but it's risky, and one can never fully predict how the public will react. Iwaki and Katou's relationship is portrayed in the media as 'true love,' but Kikuchi is openly gay, so the public might see an affair with him as something promiscuous and shameful--even if there's nothing going on between you. With the media, the truth doesn't matter--"
"Only the public's perception of it," Onozuka finished. "I'll be careful, Fujimoto-san."
"Good," Fujimoto said, sounding satisfied, and he ended the call.
"Your poor manager has no clue what you're up to, does he?" Kikuchi asked as he opened the car door for Onozuka.
"It's none of his business, as long as I don't cause a scandal," Onozuka defended himself. "Besides, Kojima-san doesn't know what you're up to, either. As I recall, you promised her that you'd be 'the perfect gentleman' around me."
"Is that what you want?" Kikuchi asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.
"No," Onozuka replied with a grin. "Not unless being a perfect gentleman means that you're going to fuck me until I'm too exhausted to move."
"Well, I'm sorry that we had to work on our day off, but I'll do my best to make it up to you with the time we have left," Kikuchi promised, grinning back at Onozuka.
Kikuchi hadn't bothered to wash off his make-up before leaving the studio, and since Onozuka was eager to spend some time alone with him before the day ended, he hadn't objected. It also gave them a good excuse to shower together, and Onozuka offered to scrub Kikuchi's back.
"I think that's only fair, considering that it's your fault," Kikuchi said tartly, but then he sighed with pleasure as Onozuka gently cleaned his back with a washcloth, being careful of the scratches he had left behind last night.
"I didn't know that the photo shoot would be moved up," Onozuka pointed out reasonably. "Besides, it worked out pretty well in the end, didn't it?"
"Yes, but now people know that I'm sleeping with someone," Kikuchi said in a more serious voice. "I don't think that Asami-chan will gossip about it, but who knows if Akiha or his staff might let something slip? I don't think that they'd do it maliciously, but they only need to share a bit of juicy gossip with one friend to set off a chain reaction of rumors. And since you're playing my lover in the movie, it's natural for people to speculate that you're the one I'm sleeping with--especially since you are."
"I'll be careful," Onozuka promised, planting a kiss on the nape of Kikuchi's neck. "It's okay if people wonder if we're lovers, as long as they don't know for sure."
"But no more marks," Kikuchi said sternly. "No more biting or scratching."
"You're the one with the biting fetish," Onozuka retorted.
"Well, it's all right as long as it doesn't show," Kikuchi said slyly, turning around so that he could lower his mouth and catch one of Onozuka's nipples between his teeth. A little whimper escaped from Onozuka's mouth before he could stop it, and Kikuchi smiled smugly in response. "Thanks for scrubbing my back," Kikuchi whispered into Onozuka's ear, nipping at the lobe, hard enough to make Onozuka gasp, but not enough to leave a mark...probably. "Now let me return the favor," Kikuchi purred.
Kikuchi scrubbed Onozuka thoroughly back and front, lingering over his genitals far past the point of cleanliness, until Onozuka was whimpering incoherently. He tried to stifle the noises at first, but soon gave it up as a lost cause, his pride dissolving in direct proportion to his increasing desire.
"What would you like, Yuu?" Kikuchi murmured seductively, soapy fingers sliding up and down the length of Onozuka's cock in slow, teasing strokes.
"Oh God, I don't care--just let me come!" Onozuka begged desperately, then couldn't hold back a loud moan as Kikuchi reached around with his free hand to gently rub and tease Onozuka's entrance, then slowly push one finger inside him.
"Turn around," Kikuchi whispered, and Onozuka obeyed, as if in a trance, turning to brace his hands against the shower wall. He glanced behind him to see Kikuchi licking his lips, staring at Onozuka with same hungry look that he'd displayed in the photo shoot, which caused Onozuka to tremble with anticipation.
"Hurry," Onozuka moaned, and Kikuchi reached out to pluck a suspiciously convenient bottle of bath oil from a plastic rack on the wall. He poured a generous amount into his hand, spreading it over his fingers and slicking it over his cock, which was already half-hard. He grinned unselfconsciously and stroked himself fully erect, and it was Onozuka's turn to stare at his lover hungrily and lick his lips.
"You should have been a porn star instead of Katou," Onozuka joked, then realized that he'd made a mistake when Kikuchi's eyes narrowed in anger. His features relaxed a moment later, and he smiled, but it was a vengeful rather than a reassuring sight.
"Haven't I told you that it's rude to talk about other men when you're with me?" Kikuchi chided in a silky voice, sliding two fingers into Onozuka with excruciating slowness.
"I'm sorry," Onozuka said, trying to push back against Kikuchi's hand, but Kikuchi withdrew his fingers, leaving Onozuka empty and moaning in frustration.
"Hold still," Kikuchi ordered, and Onozuka struggled to obey, his body trembling with the strain as Kikuchi's fingers moved inside him, slowly and expertly--a form of exquisite torture that soon had Onozuka panting and moaning shamelessly.
"Please...I can't hold back anymore," he gasped as he lost control of his body and began pushing back against Kikuchi's thrusting fingers.
But it seemed that Kikuchi had reached his limit, too, because his voice was hoarse with need as he growled, "Well, as long as you've learned your lesson."
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry, Katsuya," Onozuka said hastily, although he would also have said that the moon was made of green cheese if that would get Kikuchi to fuck him.
He heard Kikuchi snort in amusement, so his lover was probably aware of his insincerity, but it didn't matter because he could feel Kikuchi's cock nudging against him, and then thrusting deeply inside him.
"Oh, yes!" Onozuka cried ecstatically, which seemed to spur Kikuchi on, because he began pounding into Onozuka urgently without any further teasing.
"I've been wanting to do this all day," Kikuchi said in a low, husky growl. "You have no idea how hard it was to concentrate with your body wrapped around me, or your face resting practically next to my crotch!"
"Hey, don't blame me, blame Akiha," Onozuka protested.
"I told you not to mention other men when you're with me," Kikuchi growled, thrusting into Onozuka even harder.
I thought I was the one who was supposed to be jealous of Akiha, Onozuka thought, but couldn't manage to say the words aloud because he was too busy gasping for breath and trying to keep his balance under the force of Kikuchi's onslaught, his hands clutching at the wall and his feet skidding slightly on the wet floor. He moaned, overwhelmed by the sensation of Kikuchi moving inside him, and of Kikuchi's skin, still slippery and soapy, sliding against his own as Kikuchi wrapped one arm around Onozuka to pull him closer, pressing his chest against Onozuka's back.
Onozuka managed to gasp out, "Please," and Kikuchi's hand slid down to wrap around his cock.
"Come for me, Yuu," Kikuchi whispered, but Onozuka was already coming with a loud groan before he finished the sentence. His legs nearly buckled beneath him, but he managed to stay upright (thanks mostly to the help of the wall) until Kikuchi came a short time later.
"Yuu," Kikuchi murmured contentedly, resting his head on Onozuka's shoulder.
"Katsuya..." Onozuka said shakily.
"Hmm?"
"I'm not sure how long I can keep standing."
Kikuchi burst into laughter, a low, rich sound that Onozuka savored, even if it was at his own expense. "Okay, let's finish up here," Kikuchi chuckled.
***
They cleaned up a second time--much more briskly--and rinsed off, and were soon lying together in Kikuchi's bed, naked and limbs entwined.
"This would make a pretty picture for Akiha, but it probably wouldn't pass the censors," Kikuchi said with a grin.
"You and Akiha seemed awfully cozy," Onozuka said suspiciously. "Did you really just meet him once before?"
"Why, are you jealous?" Kikuchi asked, his grin growing wider, and Onozuka whacked him with a pillow in response. "Don't start a fight if you aren't willing to see it through, your Highness," Kikuchi purred, rolling over to pin Onozuka's body beneath his. Onozuka put up only a token struggle: just enough to cause his body to writhe suggestively against Kikuchi's without enough force to push Kikuchi away. "Wicked prince," Kikuchi whispered, giving his lover a long, lingering kiss, and Onozuka stilled beneath him.
When they finally came up for air, Kikuchi said casually, "It's nothing more than what I said: I met Akiha at a party in L.A. He doesn't like formality, so he asked me to call him by his first name, and I returned the favor--everyone in America uses first names, anyway. We flirted a bit, but he was married at the time, so nothing happened. And this was all before I met you, your Highness, so you have nothing to be jealous of."
"I'm not jealous," Onozuka retorted automatically, but he had a thoughtful look on his face. "Do you think that he and Ebi got divorced because he likes men?"
"I don't think that was the problem," Kikuchi replied. "I think he meant what he said about liking both men and women, and he genuinely seemed to be in love with Ebi when I first met him." He grinned and added, "After all, he must have been in love to turn down the chance to be with me, right?"
"Your ego knows no bounds," Onozuka said dryly, and Kikuchi laughed and kissed him again.
"So what do you want to do with the rest of our day off, Yuu?" Kikuchi murmured.
"Not move from this bed," Onozuka started to reply, but just then, his stomach rumbled loudly, and he laughed sheepishly. "Except maybe to have lunch? Or is it closer to dinner?"
"That's right; you haven't eaten all day," Kikuchi said. "We got called in before we had a chance to eat breakfast, and you didn't eat anything during the break."
"I don't really like sweets," Onozuka said nervously. Kikuchi had enjoyed seeing Onozuka's reaction to the boxes of Nakata sweets earlier--an unexpected source of amusement--but now he felt a little guilty about it.
"Mochi isn't much of a meal, anyway," Kikuchi said. "Although Akiha seems to live off of sugar!"
"Well, Fujimoto brought me coffee, and I stole one of Miyasaka's energy bars to eat during the drive to the studio, so I wasn't that hungry earlier," Onozuka said. Then he grinned and added, "Not for food, anyway! But now that one appetite is satisfied..."
"I'll cook something for you," Kikuchi offered. "Keeping in mind that I don't have a lot of ingredients on hand. But I can run out to the store if you want something special..."
"No," Onozuka replied firmly, grabbing Kikuchi's arm as if to keep him from leaving. He released Kikuchi a moment later, looking a little startled and embarrassed by his own reaction. "How about omuraisu?" he suggested sheepishly.
"Yeah, sure, I've got lots of eggs and rice and a bit of chicken on hand," Kikuchi replied. He kissed Onozuka and said, "Okay, just relax and I'll serve you a very late breakfast in bed."
He got up and began getting dressed, and Onozuka sighed, "It's a waste to cover up that beautiful body of yours."
"Normally I wouldn't mind indulging you, your Highness," Kikuchi replied. "But it's not really a good idea to be working in front of a hot stove without protecting the...ah...more delicate portions of one's anatomy, shall we say?"
"You could just wear an apron...and nothing else," Onozuka suggested with an impish smile.
"Don't push your luck, Yuu," Kikuchi warned him sternly, and Onozuka just grinned at him insolently.
***
Onozuka lay back on the bed, rather tickled by the idea of Kikuchi waiting on him so indulgently, but eventually he got bored, so he pulled on his clothes and went to join Kikuchi in the kitchen.
"Hey, Yuu," Kikuchi greeted him, looking up from the stove with a startled smile. "I was going to bring the food in when it's ready."
"I got lonely," Onozuka pouted, and Kikuchi chuckled and planted a kiss on his mouth.
"Okay, have a seat; it'll be ready in a few minutes."
Onozuka pulled up a chair at the kitchen table and watched Kikuchi work. He was cooking fried rice flavored with chicken, onions, and ketchup in one pan, and had just started the omelet in another. He switched back and forth between both pans easily, and Onozuka observed, "You could be a professional chef."
"I like cooking," Kikuchi said with a grin. "I learned out of necessity, but it's become kind of a hobby with me."
"Not me; I hate cooking," Onozuka replied.
"Well, I don't mind cooking for you, your Highness," Kikuchi laughed. "Not that omuraisu is particularly difficult, anyway. Is it a favorite dish of yours or something?"
Onozuka nodded. "When I first started living on my own and didn't have much money, there was this small restaurant near my apartment that served good omuraisu. It was cheap, but tasty and filling. I still go back there once in awhile--it's a nostalgic taste, I guess." He laughed and added, "I suppose it's silly to be so nostalgic about my early days as a starving actor."
"Not at all," Kikuchi replied. "Not that I miss going hungry or living in a small, roach-infested apartment, but there's something exciting about being on your own for the first time and making the decision to follow your dream, right?"
"Right," Onozuka agreed. He had felt a little scared and homesick when he had first arrived in Tokyo (although he would never in a million years have admitted that to anyone), but he had also been filled with a buoyant, almost giddy sense of freedom and excitement, to have finally escaped the pressures of the family expectations that had been weighing him down his entire life.
Kikuchi scooped the fried rice onto half of the omelet, then folded the other end over it and slid it onto a plate. He swirled some ketchup on top of the omelet as a garnish, then set the plate down in front of Onozuka with a flourish.
"Your meal is served, your Highness."
Onozuka suddenly recalled the time that he'd gone out to eat at a yakiniku restaurant with Katou and Iwaki. Katou had been grilling the choicest bits of meat for Iwaki, and Onozuka had playfully whined, "Cook it for me, too, Katou!" He hadn't really expected Katou to indulge him, and true to form, Katou had bluntly told him to cook it himself, but it did irk him slightly to watch Katou and Miyasaka always fussing and fawning over Iwaki.
It felt good to be the one being spoiled for a change, and the simple dish of eggs and rice suddenly filled Onozuka with delight, and he beamed at Kikuchi with all of his princely charm--none of it feigned, for once.
"Thank you, Katsuya!" he sang out happily.
"You're welcome," Kikuchi said, giving him a puzzled smile in return. "It's only omuraisu."
Onozuka thought about explaining the incident with Iwaki and Katou, but stopped himself just in time, remembering Kikuchi's complaint that he talked about other men too much. He still wasn't sure if Kikuchi was joking or not, but since he was in such a good mood, he decided not to tease his lover this time. "But you made it for me, so that makes me happy," Onozuka said simply.
"I'll cook it anytime you like, if it makes you that happy," Kikuchi promised, still looking bemused, and leaned across the table to kiss Onozuka.
"It looks great," Onozuka said, picking up his spoon and starting to dig into the omelet when he belatedly realized that there was only one plate. "Don't you want some of this?" he asked Kikuchi. "You didn't eat anything other than the mochi, either."
"I thought I'd share with you, if that's okay," Kikuchi replied.
"Sure," Onozuka said. It was a large portion, generous enough to feed the both of them, and besides, Kikuchi had cooked it, after all.
Kikuchi picked up a second spoon and scooped up some of the omuraisu, but instead of eating it, he lifted the spoon to Onozuka's mouth, then grinned mischievously and said, "Say 'ah.'"
"Ahhh," Onozuka obliged, opening his mouth wide.
"You look like a baby bird," Kikuchi chuckled, but before Onozuka could make an indignant retort, he popped the spoon into Onozuka's mouth.
Onozuka glared at Kikuchi, but closed his mouth around the spoon and took the food. Kikuchi withdrew the spoon and waited, watching for his reaction. Onozuka chewed and swallowed, and his momentary irritation vanished.
"That's really good!" he exclaimed.
"Of course it is," Kikuchi said smugly.
"Conceited bastard," Onozuka replied, but with an affectionate smile.
Kikuchi just smiled, scooped up another spoonful of food, and held it out expectantly.
"Ahhh!" Onozuka said, fully aware that they probably looked just as insipid and nauseating as Katou and Iwaki at their worst, but somehow he didn't mind at all.
THE END
Next story in the series: Yoshizumi's Night Out (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
***
Long-winded afterword (feel free to skip, you know the drill...): The story was inspired by this Haru trading card that I bought from jpqueen--the picture looked like a Gigolo ad. I'm not sure if it actually is, but it made me think that it would be fun to have Kikuchi and Onozuka do a Gigolo ad themselves. Asami got added because she is the co-star, and also to make the ad a little spicier by having a threesome instead of just a gay couple, and partly just because I like writing Asami.
As mentioned in the header, Akiha is a character from the Hana-Kimi manga, published in the US by Viz. I needed a photographer and thought it would be fun to use him instead of creating one from scratch. His mentor Morita is an OC, btw, and does not exist in Hana-Kimi. I was just going to have Akiha be the assigned photographer, but then I got the idea of having Kikuchi's back being scratched up by Onozuka, but these two calculating Slytherin types would be careful not to leave marks on each other if they knew they were going to be shooting, so I created the accident to mess up the schedule of the photo shoot.
If you haven't read it before, Hana-Kimi really is a fun series. It's shoujo manga, not yaoi or BL, but it definitely has BL overtones. The main character Mizuki disguises herself as a boy in order to get into the school that Sano, the athlete that she idolizes, attends. (Osaka High is an all-boys school, and incidentally, is located in Tokyo, not Osaka--it's apparently written with a different kanji than Osaka the city, which was a bit confusing when I was originally reading the manga.) She is lucky enough to be assigned as Sano's roommate, and soon starts developing romantic feelings for him--which she has to keep hidden, since she's supposed to be a boy. (Sano quickly figures out that she's a girl and starts developing feelings for her, but doesn't let on that he knows her secret.) Meanwhile, Mizuki's friend Nakatsu finds himself becoming attracted to her, and starts wondering if he's gay. The school doctor Umeda is openly gay, and a couple of his boyfriends are shown during the course of the manga, and there are also a few chapters centered around his unrequited love for an old high school friend. Akiha is unabashedly bisexual, and spends a great deal of time comically pursuing his old crush, Umeda, who wants nothing to do with him, for the most part--there are a couple of moments where he seems to soften slightly towards Akiha, but they're pretty fleeting.
Akiha gets introduced into the story when he decides that he wants Mizuki and some of her friends to model for him. His ex-wife Ebi also appears in the manga, as does the "Goddess" portrait. Ebi tells Mizuki that Akiha has a void inside his heart and that he can't bring himself to fully trust anyone, which was why their marriage broke up even though she loved him deeply--and he appears to care about her, as much as he's capable of, which apparently wasn't enough. It's later revealed that he was abandoned and rejected by his mother, which is probably the cause of that "void." He's really a very interesting character: outwardly cheerful and comically annoying, but a lot more complex below the surface. I sort of suspect that he's chosen Umeda as the object of his affections because he knows that there's no danger of Umeda returning his feelings, so there's no risk of opening himself up to being hurt in a real relationship. His issues, and his unrequited love for Umeda are never really resolved, since they're only supporting characters and the main focus is on Mizuki and Sano. I actually did like the main storyline a lot, but I have to admit that I was buying the series mainly because of Umeda, who is a wonderful character--gorgeous but cynical, with a cutting, sarcastic sense of humor. Plus, he wears glasses, which totally hits my bishie-guys-in-glasses kink!
Akiha's lecture about the exchange of signals between photographer and model was taken from pp. 39 and 92-95 of Hana-Kimi, Book 10 (Viz edition)--more or less direct quotes, patched together and paraphrased slightly to fit the story better. Akiha's love of sweets is a running joke in the manga, and he really does eat a pot of anko (red bean paste) flavored with vanilla for breakfast on p. 121 of Book 10. Which then gave me a good excuse to have him order sweets from the Nakata confectionery! Strawberry mochi really does exist, although it's actually called "ichigo daifuku"--a layer of mochi wrapped around a filling of red bean paste, with a strawberry in the center.
Akiha uses real film rather than digital photography in the manga, but since I wanted them to be able to view the pictures right away, I went with digital. Besides, I figured that digital technology has probably come a long way since the series originally debuted in 1996, so he might well be using digital if the story took place today. (Although I sort of suspect that he'd still prefer film.) Obviously, I've fudged the timelines so that the Hana-Kimi and Haru storylines are running concurrent. I suppose I could have made Akiha older, but I'm not quite sure how a more mature version of him would act. He's a really fascinating character, whom I hope fits in well with the Haru cast--he's a bit like my Onozuka, keeping up a pleasant mask to hide his true self. I only intended to have him make a one-off appearance, but maybe I'll bring him back again someday.
The idea of what's hidden being more exciting than actual nudity of course comes from the chapter "Under Wear" in Book 8 of the Haru manga.
Originally, I was going to conclude the story with the shower scene, but I started thinking about the scene that opens "Emergency Door" in Book 11, where Onozuka, Katou, and Iwaki are eating at a yakiniku restaurant. "Yakiniku" means "grilled meat," but it's often translated as "Korean barbeque" in manga. Basically, it's a restaurant where each table has its own grill, and you can cook your own food to your liking--usually slices of beef, along with some vegetables. (My mom says she can't see the point of paying to cook your own meal--she says if she goes out to eat, she wants someone else to cook it for her, and I have to admit she has a point. But it still seems like it would be kind of fun.) Anyway, as Onozuka recalls in my fic, he watches Katou cooking for Iwaki and says, "Cook it for me, too!" and Katou basically tells him to do it himself.
Which started me thinking that it would be nice to have Kikuchi spoil Onozuka a little, and then I started wondering what he could cook for Onozuka. I thought about sukiyaki or nabe, but then omuraisu popped into my head--I think I saw it mentioned on my F-list awhile back--and for some reason, that just seemed perfect. A dish that's easy to whip up on the fly, something simple and filling--comfort food. At first I was going to make it a favorite childhood dish of Onozuka's, but on second thought decided that it would probably call up unwelcome memories, so instead I linked it to the start of his new life as an actor. There's a recipe at this link, if anyone wants to try making it.
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*huggles you*
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hmmm...tasty!
Re: hmmm...tasty!
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BTW, I think that in Part 1, where you use the word "reigns" 9or "reign", I forget which), you really mean "reins".
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Thanks again for reading! ^_^
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I just can't get enough of these two apparently ^__^
Great job!!
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it was so much fun reading it - well it always is, but I must say I really would not want to switch positions with kikuchi - yuu is a lot to handle, I always see kikuchi making one step across the line, that one last step of no return , and than on the other hand I would say yuu is pretty much in love so maybe there is no point of no return, but than love can allways end... well lets not get to realistic here ne XDDDD
on the other hand I find it very much amusing how yuu could be so how do you say... he is partly aware of his feelings but he don't catches whats going on - is that understandable? I hope so (sorry for my english being bad)
well I can't wait to read more of you and thanks for the amusing parts
I nearly forgot: aren't daifuku made of some dough?? because the one you can buy here are - me is always asking questions XD - but I like your end notes, they are informative and enjoyable XD
and thanks for that nice comment to my icon - I'm also very found of it, it always gets me in a better mood, because I just have to smile when I see it its just to cute and to funny - little bit like me (well the funny part I'm soo not cute XD)
have a nice time
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on the other hand I find it very much amusing how yuu could be so how do you say... he is partly aware of his feelings but he don't catches whats going on
That is exactly what's going on, and you said it very well. He's a little afraid of falling in love, so he doesn't recognize his own feelings...yet.
Daifuku is a type of mochi filled with sweet bean paste. The mochi dough is made from rice pounded into a sticky paste, or you can take a shortcut and make the dough from rice flour, which is a lot less work.
Thank you for reading and for all your comments--I'm happy that you enjoy the end notes! ^_^
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ah so that it is- the sell shortcut daifuku here- but I really love them *_* even more so when they are not only cold but very close to being still frozen in the middle <3333
thanks for telling
^-^
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btw Akiha is definitively BL material ^^
i naturally got hungry again at the end, but this time unlike with wagashi, i can savour omuraisu even here since i can make it myself (without the ketchup, yuck) XD *itedakimasu*
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Sorry to make you hungry, but I'm glad you were able to make omuraisu for yourself!
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