Love of a Lifetime

2012
The Shark and the Dragon

a ryuaki side story

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Chapter 1: Paid in full

Ryuji hated hospitals. He always had. He hated the tiny beds, the
shitty food, the blinding white walls. It was bad enough when he'd
have to go in for a broken bone or two when he was a teenager. But
now that he was a fully grown man about three times the size of the
average Japanese citizen, there was an added annoyance with the
beds always being just too fucking short. Currently, he was trying to
rearrange his legs so that they weren't cramped against the foot
board. So far, it was a losing battle. Of course, if he wasn't handcuffed
to the side rail, he would have just gotten up to stretch his legs.

After twisting and turning his feet to no avail, Ryuji finally let his
heavy legs drop on either side of the bed, nearly touching the floor.
He sighed in frustration and fwumped his head into the pillows
behind him. With half-lidded eyes, he glanced at his hospital door. He
saw the cop through the window, dutifully guarding the entrance to
his room.

Ryuji toyed with the idea of going ape and just running out, guns
blazing. He probably could get it done. But after everything... Ryuji
closed his eyes. Maybe it was time he gave up the ghost. Just let
things play out, instead of forcing fate's hand.

His father said he was looking at five years for kidnapping,
property damage, assault and battery. Fine. He'd take it. In the end,
Ryuji got his answers. He knew who he was now, and what he wasn't.
A survivor of the Jingweon, brother to a cop, and squarely second

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fiddle to the Dragon of Dojima. Out of everything Ryuji went through,
that fact stung the most.

The fight on top of the Millennium Tower was a glorious one.
Ryuji wasn't so prideful that he wouldn't admit that. Nor would he
try to pretend he only let Kiryu Kazuma beat him because he wasn't
on top of his game. No, Goda Ryuji had given that fight his all. Every
ounce of his strength went into beating Kiryu down, and he still came
out on top. Ever since getting arrested, Ryuji felt the dragon on his
back itch. As if it was begging to crawl off his unworthy skin.

Voices caught Ryuji's attention, and he cracked open his eyes. A
man, blocked by the door frame, was talking to his guard in the
hallway. Ryuji tried angling his big head, peering at the new visitor. At
first, he wondered if it was just a passing doctor, but his curiosity was
sated as the door opened, and in walked a man in a pinstripe suit
jacket. The cop came with him, and addressed Ryuji dutifully.

“You have a visitor,” the cop said. He turned to the stranger. “Will
five minutes be enough?”

“Yes, thank you.” The man's voice was smooth and charming,
which seemed to reflect... well... everything about him. He was tall
and svelt, with some freshly pressed slacks and a black silk
undershirt, buttoned up to his clavicle. An expensive gold chain sat at
the base of his neck, and his dyed hair sat quaffed perfectly around
his sculpted, handsome face. Everything from his movements to the
way he stood with his hips slightly cocked read smooth as butter.

Ryuji hated him. Immediately.

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“I'm assuming you're Goda Ryuiji-san” he said.
“Yeah?” Ryuji grunted. “Who the fuck are you?” Smiling, the
stranger pulled out a business card and handed it over. Ryuji scanned
the information. “'Akiyama Shun... Sky Finance...' You're a loan
shark?”
“Not quite how I'd describe it, but more or less.” Akiyama
casually took a seat by Ryuji's bedside. He leaned forward on his
elbows, hands pressed together. “Your father hired me to pay your
legal fees.”
“Come again?” Ryuji glared, lowering the business card. “I don't
need no goddamn loan shark snapping at my heels.”
“Unfortunately, you don't have much of a choice,” said Akiyama.
“Your father instructed me to tell you that as of today, you're
officially cut off from the family funds. Meaning, unless you've been
saving your loose change, you're pretty much broke.”
Ryuji scoffed and tossed the business card aside. “I don't blame
the old fart, I guess. Fine.” Ryuji rubbed his eyes with his free hand.
He thought through his options while Akiyama waited patiently for
his answer. “Might as well have some cash for prison commissary.
What do ya need for collateral? What's the interest?”
“Actually, I only recently got into the money lending business, and
I'm going at it at a much different angle than most.”
“The fuck does that mean?” Ryuji lowered his hand.
Akiyama rubbed his hands together. “I'm willing to lend you five
million. That'll cover lawyer fees, commissary money, and business

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expenses while you serve your time. When you're out, you'll pay me
back. Interest free.”

Ryuji blinked. And blinked again. Did he hear that correctly? “The
fuck?” he finally uttered. “What do you mean, 'no interest'?”

“I'm trying to establish a new business model,” Akiyama
explained, “and I think you would be my perfect guinea pig. What do
you say?”

“What kinda shady shit...” Ryuji hoisted himself up in his bed, and
leaned forward, ignoring the pain in his wrapped, fractured ribs.
“What's the catch?”

“No catch,” Akiyama said plainly. “I want to see how well this
works. Of course, after you get out, I'm going to need you to check in
with me regularly. Make sure you don't just skip town after all of
this.”

Ryuji snorted. “And what is a fuckin' stick like you gonna do if you
never see me again?”

Akiyama chuckled. It was an agreeable, playful kind of laugh that
had Ryuji's skin crawling. “Then I guess you can kiss the Omi
goodbye.”

“Come again?”
“I made the arrangements with your father. As of today, you're
ex-communicado from the Omi Alliance. But, after you get out of
prison, if you pay every yen that you owe back, boom. You're
welcomed home with open arms.” Suddenly, Akiyama remembered
something, and he clapped his hands together. “Ah, I almost forgot. I

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am running a legitimate business, so I'm going to have to ask that you
don't do anything illegal to pay me back. I have some friends all over
Kamurocho who could help get you a steady job.”

Ryuji was gaping like a freshly caught trout. After a moment, he
managed to reboot his brain and give Akiyama his answer. “Are you
fuckin' stupid or just crazy?”

Akiyama kept his smile. “My assistant would say both.”
Ryuji stared at his hands. “Am I... really out?”
“Sadly, yes.” Akiyama leaned back in his chair, watching Ryuji
process it all. After a moment, Akiyama glanced at the door. “Here.”
He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and laid one on Ryuji's bedside
table. “Obviously, don't smoke it in here but... in case they take you
out for a little fresh air.”
Ryuji stared at the cigarette. A gesture of good faith? Maybe. He
turned to Akiyama, who was pocketing the rest of his smokes. After a
moment, Ryuji took the smoke and stuck it behind his ear. “I guess...
where do I sign?”
Akiyama's smile widened. Reaching into his blazer, he pulled out
a few folded sheets of paper and a pen. He flattened them on the
bedside table. “Now if you'd want to read it over first—” Ryuji swiped
the pen and immediately jotted down his signature. Akiyama blinked.
“Well uh... all right then.”
Pocketing the paperwork, Akiyama pulled out something new. It
was a small vanilla envelope. “Here.” He handed it to Ryuji, who
looked inside. “Fifty thousand should be good for now. There should

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be a bank card in there...” Ryuji dumped it out and held it up.
“Personally, I'm not a big fan of banks, but I've got a personal friend
acting as the fiduciary. So everything should be on the up and up.
Besides, you can't exactly keep wads of cash in prison.”

“Is the rest of the five mil in there?”
“Not yet,” said Akiyama. “Like I said, I'm still just starting out. But
as the money rolls in, I'll pay into that account until it reaches five
million. Sound good?”
“Yeah...” Ryuji, a little blind-sighted, looked up from his envelope
of cash. “Hey... why're you doing all this?”
Akiyama stood, ready to depart. “Why?” he repeated. “I told you,
your father hired me...”
“No, not that kinda 'why,'” Ryuji said. “I mean... why. I'm sure
there are plenty of other people who would happily be your guinea
pigs...”
But Akiyama's smile never faltered. He wandered over to the
door and opened it. Before leaving, he turned to Ryuji. The sun was
setting by now, and a golden ray of light had hit his brown hair in just
a way that haloed out his highlights. “Because I think everybody
deserves a second chance. Don't you?” Ryuji didn't know how to
answer that. With a smile and a wave, Akiyama stepped out of Ryuji's
hospital room.
That was six years ago.
2012 had brought with it its own challenges. The whole “100
billion yen stolen by the mob” thing the year before was definitely a

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setback for Sky Finance. But, although it took plenty of late nights
and lots of endless trading, Akiyama soon got the office back on
track, just as he said he would. The hostess club around Christmas
time wasn't a bad asset to have, either. Now that a year had passed,
Akiyama was starting to get back into the swing of things. As he
carried his convenience store purchases to his office, he checked his
phone. It was late, and Hana-chan had clocked out for the evening.
With the nights getting longer, Akiyama always liked to have her text
whenever she got home safe. Not that she couldn't take care of
herself, but Kamurocho was dangerous. Akiyama just liked to be
sure...

Hi Chief. Safe and sound.

Akiyama smiled at Hana's icon and texted back.

Good. Enjoy the weekend :)

He slid his phone back into his breast pocket and wandered down
the alley behind his office. That February chill wasn't going away any
time soon, and he shivered as he wandered up the metal steps.
Fortunately, he recently installed a new water heater into his office
loft. He was looking forward to a nice, long bath tonight.

As he went for his keys, he paused. The light was on under the
door crack. More than that, the door was just barely ajar. Did he

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forget to lock it? Carefully, Akiyama pushed it open and stuck his
head inside.

“Hello...?” Akiyama took a quick inventory of the office. Hana's
desk remained as pristine and tidy as ever, while the rest of the office
was in the same wild mess Akiyama left it in. Clearly a robber hadn't
showed up to try and find Sky Finance's stash of capital. His ashtray
was still overflowing, and his trash can was still very much in need of
being taken out. And there, snoring on one of Akiyama's guest
couches, was Goda Ryuji.

Akiyama smiled and quietly set down his Poppo bag. Ryuji didn't
stir. Currently, one meaty arm was over his eyes, while his legs were
splayed wide, one of which was hanging off the head rest of the
couch. The other foot was flat on the floor. He was in his work boots,
with oil stains on his tank top and jeans. His coat, a far less fancy one
than he used to wear, was hung up on the rack by the front door.
Akiyama wasn't sure how long he'd been there, but it was long
enough to be sound asleep, he supposed. Making sure his blazer was
unbuttoned, Akiyama wandered over to the couch and flopped down
on top of the massive man mound, making Ryuji snort wildly upon
awakening.

Akiyama couldn't help it. He chuckled. He could almost feel Ryuji
glare at the top of his head. “The fuck even...?” he growled. Akiyama
lifted his face.

“Morning, sunshine,” he teased.
“Get the fuck off.”

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Akiyama slipped from Ryuji's chest and sat on the opposite
couch, lighting up a cigarette. Ryuji yawned loudly, rubbing his sore
neck. “Rough day at the office?” he asked.

Ryuji grunted. “Had to fix six transmissions today,” he
complained. “And some asshole tried to realign his tires by himself
before bringing his car in. Fucker did more harm than good if just
woulda come in in the first place.”

“Sorry to hear it.” He handed Ryuji a cigarette, who took it gladly.
“You got the weekend off?”

“Tomorrow,” said Ryuji, “but not Sunday.”
“Bummer. Still, at least you can sleep in.”
“Mm.” Ryuji took a drag and then went over to his coat. He pulled
out beat up old envelope and tossed it onto the table. “This month's
payment.” Akiyama picked it up, and with a cursory glance, walked it
over to a small safe behind his desk and threw it inside. “What am I
at now?” Ryuji asked.
“Well...” Akiyama turned around and scribbled a note or two on a
spare sheet of paper. “Calculating this last one... You're currently still
need ¥2,192,200.”
“Uuugh.” Ryuji sat back on the couch, nearly denting it in the
middle. “Even after I gave you all the shit I didn't use?”
“You only gave me back about two million,” Akiyama reminded
him. “Honestly, the rate you're going is impressive.” He stood up
straight, hands on his hips and cigarette dangling from his mouth.

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“You've only been out a year and you've almost cleared a million on
your own.”

“Just a few more years to go then I guess...” Ryuji rubbed his face.
“You heard from Pops?”

“Not lately,” Akiyama admitted. “Though I've been trying hard to
keep out of the Omi's way. You know, after they tried stealing all my
money from me.”

“Oh yeah...” Ryuji snorted. “I heard about that. Good times.”
“If you wanna call it that.” Akiyama walked back over to the
couches, leisurely. “Actually... I'm glad you're here. I've been meaning
to ask you a few things.”
“Yeah?”
Akiyama sat across from him. “Look, it's not that I don't
appreciate the hustle. But I still have to ask if you're doing anything
you shouldn't be.”
Ryuji glared over his smoke. “Of course not,” he said. “That's the
deal, right? Every red cent is fuckin' legit.”
Akiyama nodded. “Those were the terms,” he agreed. He leaned
back on the couch after tapping a few ashes into the tray. “In that
case then... are you keeping enough money for yourself?” Ryuji tilted
his head. “I mean, are you eating ok? Can you pay your rent? All that
stuff.”
“The fuck's this all the sudden?” Ryuji asked. “I'm a grown ass
man. I don't need a babysitter.”

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“Not babysitting,” Akiyama swore. “I just...” He tapped the couch,
trying to find the right words. “Just wanna make sure you're not
neglecting yourself is all. I can't collect if you catch the flu or
something and have to stay home sick.”

Ryuji snorted. “Relax, I'm fine. The convenience stores are cheap,
and the boss has been letting me couch surf for a little bit.”

Rather than placating him, Akiyama frowned. “You mean you
don't have a place to live?”

“Didn't you hear me? I got a place. My boss's couch.”
“But didn't you have an apartment a month ago?” Akiyama
clarified. “What happened to that?”
“Got kicked out,” Ryuji said simply. “Apparently they're
remodeling the whole block, and I couldn't afford the rent hike.”
Closing his eyes, he smoked in silence. Akiyama furrowed his brow in
thought, but said nothing. Ryuji was a prideful guy. He would never
accept a few extra bucks to help find a place. So long as he at least
had a place to sleep, Akiyama figured there wasn't anything he could
say. Except for the following:
“You wanna beer?”
Ryuji opened his eyes and cracked a smile. “Thought you'd never
ask.”
Akiyama headed over to his Poppo bag and brought out two cans
of Malt each. He tossed one to Ryuji, who caught it easily in his big
bear claw, and the two clicked their cans together in a toast.
Together, alone in the office, they drank and relaxed the night away.

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Somehow, they went through Akiyama's entire six pack by the
second hour, but fortunately, Akiyama had some good scotch hidden
away for a special occasion.

As they dove into the harder stuff, the laughs came easier, and
the jokes got dirtier. Akiyama always liked to think of himself as a
gentleman. Ryuji had no such pretenses. Every other sentence out of
his mouth was something off-color, which more often than not had
Akiyama snorting into his booze. Eventually, they got into some light-
hearted argument about the realistic nature of porn. The thing was,
Akiyama didn't even bother to stop and analyze how they'd gotten
on the subject, as he was far too wrapped up in everything to notice
just how weird of a conversation it was.

“I'm telling you!” Akiyama yelled with a smile. “Guys can't jizz
more than once in an hour! Seriously!”

“Fuck off with that bullshit,” Ryuji growled back, grinning. “I seen
it. I swear.”

“You've seen it in edited videos, Ryu-chi.” Ah yes. It wasn't often
they got drunk together, but when they did, Akiyama couldn't help
but let the cute nicknames fly.

“No!” Ryuji protested. “There was this one... I swear, I swear.
There was this one that was like...” Ryuji waved his arms wildly.
Fortunately, his scotch was forgotten on the table. “It was like... one
long... one loooong shot! The dude came three times in like an hour.
Seriously! Seriously.”

“Bullshit.”

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“No! I swear!”
“Dudes can orgasm a few times an hour, if they're lucky. They
can't cum. You don't produce semen that quickly.”
“Yes they can!” Suddenly, Ryuji slapped his big hands together.
“Fine! I'll prove it to ya. Get yer... get yer laptop or some'n.”
Akiyama snorted. “Are we really about to look up porn on my
laptop?”
“Fuck yeah we are! Bring it!”
“Fine fine...” Akiyama stood up, and immediately had to sit back
down. It only then occurred to him just how drunk he was. Which got
Ryuji laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world. “Man we're
both toasted...”
Ryuji waved off Akiyama's comment. “Your laptop, man! You're
laptop!”
“Okay, okay!” Finally managing to stand, Akiyama headed
towards his desk and returned with his “work” laptop. Not that he
did much work on it anyway. He sat next to Ryuji and opened it.
“What am I looking for?”
“Here, lemme just...” Ryuji pushed his thigh against Akiyama's
and started typing. Now, Akiyama wasn't exactly a prude. In fact, he'd
like to think that he was pretty good when it came to laying some
moves on the ladies (and that one guy in college). But for some
reason, when Ryuji pushed his big frame against Akiyama's slight one,
he felt a delicious pull at his nether regions. So much so that he
couldn't even make sure that Ryuji's porn site of choice wasn't about

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to give his laptop a buffet of malware. Maybe it'd just been way too
long since he'd gotten some. His last couple of dates haven't exactly
been home runs, after all...

Akiyama was momentarily distracted by a lewd noise coming
from his laptop. Ryuji had typed in a weird fetish site that looked like
it was coded in the mid nineties. As he typed in his query, he did so
with the focus of a man defusing a bomb. Akiyama watched those
bleached eyebrows knit firmly above his crooked nose. There was
something so raw about Ryuji's profile. Like he was carved out of
rough wood. No soft curves or gentle slopes here.

“Here it is!” Ryuji slapped the table and turned the screen to face
Akiyama. In the video was an adult actor, filmed from the shoulders
down. He had a vibrator nestled between his ass cheeks, and as it
buzzed, he stroked himself vigorously. Underneath, Akiyama read the
title: “HOT TWINK CUMS FIVE TIMES IN AN HOUR SEXY CUMSHOT
POV.” A little wordy for Akiyama's tastes...

“Am I supposed to watch the whole thing?”
“We can fast forward... but look! Look here, look!” As Ryuji
moved the cursor forward, Akiyama caught flashes of the video.
Down in his pants, Akiyama started feeling it. A twinge beneath his
underwear. The familiar, delightful rush of blood, thumping in
between his legs. Ryuji was busy trying to find the first money shot,
and so as smoothly as he could, Akiyama folded one leg over the
other. Hopefully, the crease in his pants would camouflage the
quickly growing boner in his lap.

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“Here's one!” Ryuji let the video play. The young man in the
footage came with tender whimpers. The buzzing of his sex toy made
Akiyama's blood run hotter, and he squeezed his legs together tightly.
“Okay, let's find the other... Hold on...” Ryuji started moving forward
again, and Akiyama quickly drank the rest of his scotch. An action he
ended up regretting, but he hid his cough by clearing his throat into
his fist.

Ryuji let it play again. This time, the young man had widened his
legs and was now leaning over the camera. Lube was leaking down
his narrow thighs, and bubbling cum was shooting from his tip as he
jerked off towards the audience. “And look!” Ryuji pointed to the
time stamp. It was barely half an hour. “That's twice! Twice in under
an hour!”

“Doesn't the video say five times...?” The question seemed to ask
itself, and Ryuji turned to Akiyama.

“You wanna watch the rest?”
“No,” Akiyama said quickly, his thighs clenching. He realized then
how close he and Ryuji were. And, to his embarrassment, just how
horny he was. Forcing a smile, Akiyama clutched his knee with a
death grip, praying to God that Ryuji didn't notice his tent. “Well,
looks like you showed me! I guess you were right.”
Ryuji lit up. “Yer goddamn right I'm right!” He spun back around
to the video, which he'd left playing. After his second orgasm, the
actor was busy re-lubing his penis for another round. “Damn...”
Suddenly, Ryuji leaned back on the couch, one arm laying along the

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head rest behind Akiyama. He stared at the screen, and with another
sip of his liquor, said without shame: “I got such a wicked boner right
now...”

Akiyama nearly fell off the couch. His face was so hot, he was
sure that if you cracked an egg on his cheek, you'd have breakfast in
ten minutes or less. “M-maybe we should give it a rest...” He went to
close the laptop, but as he did, he accidentally bumped into Ryuji's
arm, which was on its way to setting down his glass of scotch. The
turbulence caused the drink to tip over and spill directly into
Akiyama's lap, ice and all.

“Ah shit!” Without hesitating, Ryuji began swiping away the liquid
Akiyama's pants. As he did, something uncontrollable welled up in
Akiyama's throat. His stomach twisted, his boner twitched, and with
no self control available, Akiyama closed his eyes and moaned under
his breath.

Ryuji froze, hand mid swipe. Akiyama, realizing what just came
out of his mouth, quickly slapped both hands over it. His eyes bulged
from his head, and Ryuji looked up, surprised. Akiyama stared at
Ryuji in utter horror. It only increased when he saw a smile curl over
Ryuji's scarred lips. “Well shit,” he said. Playfully, he pat Akiyama's
lap. Akiyama kept himself from moaning, hands still over his mouth,
but the contact made him jump. “Looks like I ain't the only one who's
hard, huh?”

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“Kn-knock it off...” Akiyama squirmed and managed to flop
himself off the couch. Ryuji laughed as Akiyama waddled his way to
the door leading into his loft. “I'm gonna change.”

“You want me to help you unzip?” Ryuji teased. Akiyama ignored
him, and quickly shut and locked the door. His breath was wild, and
his body shivered. He looked down at his now soaking wet pants. His
hard-on was still there, annoying as ever. Quickly, he undid his pants
and went to his wardrobe.

His loft was moderately furnished, with a big, comfortable bed
and a five drawer wardrobe. Diving into his “comfy” clothes, he
pulled out a pair of designer sweats (a gift from Hana) and an old t-
shirt. He paused at the door and rearranged the front of his pants. It
was still pretty obvious. Maybe he should see if Ryuji was in the
mood to go home, and he could take care of this himself...? Taking a
quick breath to settle his nerves, Akiyama opened the door to his
loft, his mouth half way open.

Ryuji was there at the door, leaning against the frame. Like a big,
imposing, brick wall. Akiyama sputtered, physically reeling back from
Ryuji's presence. “Ryu—” Akiyama didn't get to finish speaking
before Ryuji leaned in and smacked their lips together. Akiyama went
stiff, but didn't have a chance to fall back. One of Ryuji's muscly arms
had wrapped around Akiyama's spindle waist. They pressed together,
kissing feverishly, and Akiyama felt that strain beneath Ryuji's jeans.
He broke away, gasping, and gripped Ryuji's thick shoulders. “Wh-
what are you...?”

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“What do ya say...?” Ryuji growled. “I'm hard. You're hard. You
clearly got turned on by that fuckin twink. Eh?” Akiyama looked
away, but couldn't deny it. After all, the proof was down between
them. Ryuji bent down, and entrapped Akiyama in yet another kiss.

Any thoughts of trying to worm his way out of it were drowned
out immediately. It probably wasn't the greatest idea to give in to his
impulses while being this thoroughly smashed, but at a certain point,
all reason flew out the window. Akiyama's lanky arms shot up and
clasped around Ryuji's thick neck. They kissed all the more fiercely.

Slowly, Ryuji started backing them into the loft, heading directly
for the bed. The back of Akiyama's legs hit the edge of the mattress,
and down they fell. Ryuji's massive frame nearly crushed Akiyama to
a pulp, but something about the weight excited him. It was an
inherent power struggle that excited Akiyama more than he'd ever
admit. They broke their kiss, and Ryuji sat up on his knees. In one
swift move, he pulled off his tank top, revealing the sculpted body
underneath. Akiyama couldn't help himself. He ran his fingers down
the rigid abs of Ryuji's torso, scraping them gently with his nails.

Fuck he was Hot... With a capital H.
They kissed again, and Ryuji kicked off his boots and undid his
jeans. Akiyama was already ripping off his t-shirt. Eventually, Ryuji's
cock managed to peek out from his pants, and Akiyama glanced
between them. He nearly choked on his own spit. “Holy shit.” He only
saw an inch or two, but sweet God in high heaven, Ryuji was big. It
looked like a prized sausage hanging in some butcher's window.

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Ryuji laughed lowly, throwing off his jeans. Clearly, the man didn't
believe in underwear. “Scared?”

“Erum...” Akiyama wasn't sure how to answer that, but was
momentarily distracted by Ryuji pushing down his waistband and
fiddling with his ass. By now, they were laying on their sides, facing
each other. Akiyama's hips bucked, and he shivered. “R-Ryu-chi...” he
husked. “How the fuck am I s-supposed to... take all that?”

“You got lube don'tchya?” Ryuji pressed.
“A-a little...” Akiyama admitted. He bit his lip as Ryuji dove in for
Akiyama's neck, leaving love bites up and down his tense tendons.
“Ryu-chi... H-hold on... I-I don't...”
“Eh?” Ryuji lifted his heavy head. “You don't what?”
Akiyama took a steadying breath. “Look, I haven't...” He glanced
away. “I haven't done... that... in a while. Shit, just looking at what
you've got makes my ass hurt.” Ryuji grinned, but Akiyama continued.
“C-can we... can we just...?” With trembling hands, Akiyama laid their
dicks together, and started stroking them with both hands. He saw
Ryuji's eyes flutter, while his own erection was buzzing with carnal
delight. “Is this... okay... instead?”
Ryuji took a deep breath and looked up. “Sure... This is fine...”
They kissed again, and Akiyama's hand was joined by Ryuji's own.
Together, the stroked and tugged at one another's member. It was
like masturbating, but different. Better. The angle made the whole
experience feel new and exciting. And with every kiss, Akiyama felt
himself edge closer and closer to that precipice of pleasure.

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At one point, Ryuji actually sucked on his own fingers and brought
them back down to Akiyama's ass. He slid one inside, making
Akiyama arch and moan in delight. His hips bucked with Ryuji's
hands, while his own desperately worked that monster cock with
frantic fingers. At least he had the sense to know that anal was not in
the cards tonight, though goddamn if he didn't want it.

Eventually, he felt his toes curl, and his stomach did a back flip.
Eyes closed, he pressed their noses together and seized. He moaned
without restraint as hot shots of jizz splattered onto his expensive
sheets between them. Despite the orgasm, Ryuji didn't stop playing
with Akiyama's body. After another fierce kiss, Ryuji got up on his
knees and pulled Akiyama onto his lap. “W-wait—”

“Relax,” Ryuji said. “I ain't stickin' it in.” Instead, he used
Akiyama's cum to lather up a space between his thighs. Squeezing his
legs together on Ryuji's lap, he began humping from below, using the
flesh from Akiyama's thighs to pleasure himself. Ryuji gasped against
Akiyama's ear, making him hard all over again. “Fuck... you got
some... real nice legs, you know that...?” Akiyama nodded, his body
shivering as those big hands lead his hips up and down. Ryuji's
massive cock was flapping lightly against Akiyama's sack, eliciting a
brand new hard on. Ryuji's breaths were coming harsher and harsher,
and sweat was starting to glue their bodies together.

“Fuck... fuck... Akiyama...” In his final throws of pleasure, Ryuji
leaned his head forward and bit into Akiyama's shoulder. It wasn't
enough to draw blood, but Akiyama's whole body stiffened up in

371

surprise. As the shock went through his system, Ryuji came hard
between Akiyama's legs. It shot so violently that it reached all the
way up to Akiyama's face, splashing against his chin. The climax
lasted for a long moment of beautiful anguish, before the two men
finally collapsed next to each other on the pillows.

Gasping for breath, Akiyama and Ryuji rolled onto their backs and
stared up the ceiling. They were used and satisfied, with Akiyama's
mind drawing up nothing but blanks. It even took a while before
Akiyama had the foresight to wipe off his face and chin with the top
sheet. “Fuck...” He cleaned himself up as best he could before letting
it flop off the side of the bed. He straightened back out and took a
deep breath.

“Did that just happen?”
“Yeah,” Ryuji grunted.
Akiyama turned to Ryuji, who did the same. “How the hell...?”
“Beats me.”
They turned back up to the ceiling, and a silence fell over them.
After a moment, Ryuji rolled out of bed and started going for his
clothes. Akiyama looked up, confused. “You leaving?”
“Yeah,” said Ryuji. “My boss doesn't like me wandering in too
late. It wakes him up.”
Akiyama hesitated, but after seeing Ryuji zip up his pants, he sat
up. “Stay.” Ryuji turned to him. “For the night I mean. No use waking
up your boss at this hour.”

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Ryuji, for the first time since they'd known each other, looked
unsure of himself. “Are you okay with that?”

“Why wouldn't I be? You have tomorrow off, right? Not like you're
gonna bug me too early in the morning.”

Ryuji blinked and rubbed the back of his head. “Well uh...”
“Seriously. It's fine.” Akiyama pat the bed next to him. “You've
had a long day anyway. And it's freezing out there.”
“I guess...” After a moment of consideration, Ryuji took off his
jeans and got back into bed. Akiyama pulled the blankets over them
both, and they laid on their backs for a while. An awkward silence
settled over them. Akiyama, never one to like too much air in the
conversation, drummed his fingers on his stomach.
“Sooooo.” Akiyama cleared his throat. “That was... new.”
Ryuji turned to him. “You never been with a guy before?”
“Once. In college. But I think everybody's a little gay in college.”
Ryuji chuckled and turned back to the ceiling. “I wouldn't know.
Never went.”
“Mm.” Akiyama fidgeted. “So um...” They glanced at each other.
“Do you uh... like... dogs?”
Ryuji sat up on his elbow. “Dogs?”
“Yeah...” Akiyama looked away, a little embarrassed. “Or are
you... more of a cat person?”
Ryuji cracked a smile. “I love dogs. Especially the little ones.”
Akiyama looked up. “No shit?”

373

“Yeah. My boss's neighbors have this little shibu. Sometimes if
they go out of town, I offer to walk it.” Ryuji laid back down, one
hand behind his head. “It's dumb as a rock but I love it.”

“What's its name?”
“Poppy.”
“Awe.” Akiyama rolled onto his stomach, propping himself on his
arms. “That's adorable.”
“Pickin' up the shit isn't great, but whatever. I've done worse.”
“Yeah...” Akiyama picked at his pillow. “So um... Are you... used to
guys?”
Ryuji cocked a thick eyebrow. “I spent five years in prison, man.
What do you think?”
Akiyama chuckled. “I guess...” He paused. “Wait, you're clean,
right?”
“Yeah, I'm plenty clean.” Ryuji rolled onto his side and laid a
heavy arm along Akiyama's back. “Relax. I got tested regularly.
Modern prisons are good about that stuff, you know.”
“Really...?”
“Yeah.”
Akiyama hesitated before laying down away from Ryuji. He didn't
like sleeping with too much in front of his face. After a moment, that
arm stretched out, and soon enough, Ryuji was spooning Akiyama
from behind. Akiyama felt his neck grow hot, and he snuggled into
his pillow, smiling. “You're... a nicer guy than you let on, you know.”

374

“Am I?” Ryuji's lips were just shy of Akiyama's nape, and he felt
that hot breath splash across his skin.

“Yeah. It's refreshing.”
“Never been called that before.”
Looking at their hands, Akiyama started toying with his big
fingers. “Sorry we didn't get to... y'know.”
“S'alright,” Ryuji yawned. “It's a pain when you gotta take forever
to prep a guy anyway. Next time we'll do it right.”
“Next time...?” Akiyama looked over his shoulder. Ryuji cracked
his eyes open and looked back. “Is there gonna be a next time?”
Ryuji hesitated before lacing their fingers together. “You want
there to be?”
Akiyama mulled it over. He rolled his head back, deep in thought.
“I'm not... a 'boyfriend' kinda guy,” he admitted. “But... that was...
good.”
“Yeah it was,” Ryuji joked.
Akiyama leaned back into Ryuji's chest. His body was so warm, he
doubted he'd need a blanket tonight. Wrapped in those tree trunk
arms, Akiyama closed his eyes, smiling as he did so. “I think... Yeah. I
think I would like there to be a next time.” He glanced behind him. “If
you don't mind.” But Ryuji was already dozing off.

375

His eyes closed lightly, Akiyama could count every pale lash on his
eyelids. After watching him drift away, Akiyama returned to staring at
the wall. His heart was full, and his body was content. With a smile
on his face, Akiyama reached out, and shut off the bedside lamp.

376

Chapter 2: hidden fees

It was Saturday, and the sun was hanging lower and lower in the
cloudy sky on the horizon. Summer was tourist season, and although
the city itself was hot enough to roast a fish in, travelers from all over
the world packed themselves into every tight corner of Tokyo. Along
Tenkaichi Street, the hustle and bustle of the city flew by beneath the
window of Sky Finance. The unassuming lending office was normally
empty on the weekends, and indeed, a closed sign hung on the door
for any potential customers looking for a spot of cash. However, that
didn't mean the building was vacant.

On the coffee table was anything but coffee: cigarette ash and an
overflowing tray, cans of beer, both empty and full, newspapers,
magazines, and a slew of pens with various, cute pen toppers. On the
couch, drinking, laughing and kissing, was Akiyama, and his massive,
barrel chested, blond boyfriend, Ryuji.

Currently, Ryuji was on his back, one leg propped up on the far
arm rest, with his head on the other. Akiyama, his thighs entangled in
Ryuji's own, laid on top of him. In between dirty jokes and swigs of
beer, Ryuji and Akiyama kissed like there was no tomorrow. But this
was how it had been for the past five months.

Whenever Ryuji got off work, and Akiyama closed his shop down,
the two couldn't keep their hands off each other. Currently, their
tongues were down each other's throats, with Akiyama's fingers
sliding in and out of that sharp, gelled hair. They broke to breathe,

377

and Ryuji took a sip of his open Malt can from the floor. As he drank,
his hand laid on Akiyama's round buttock. “I ever tell you you got an
ass like a ripe apple?”

Akiyama snorted. “That's a new one.” They kissed again. Akiyama
tasted the bitter hops on Ryuji's lips. “Explains why you keep trying to
take a bite, I guess...” Ryuji snapped his teeth, making Akiyama laugh
harder. “Beast,” he teased. A few more kisses, and suddenly, Ryuji sat
up, Akiyama in his lap.

“Ah! I forgot to send this to you!” Overly excited, Ryuji set his
beer aside and pulled out his phone. “Neighbors let me walk Poppy
again. We passed by this costume shop and the owner let me try out
one of their doggie costumes.” Finding a photo, he showed the
screen to Akiyama, who grinned. On the phone was a fat shibu inu,
its cheeks squished into a round, sunflower costume. It didn't look
particularly pleased, but the photo opp was adorable.

“Fuck that's cute,” Akiyama said, taking a swig of his own beer.
“At this point, I'm surprised you haven't stolen her from your
neighbors.”

“I'm just about ready to...” Ryuji pocketed his phone and put his
hands on Akiyama's lower back. “When I get my own place again, I'm
getting like... ten dogs.”

“Ten?” Akiyama grinned. “Can you handle that many?”
“Pfft. That's on the low estimate.” They fell into more kisses, and
Akiyama shimmied his hips into Ryuji's. Beneath those pants, he felt
his man get excited. He'd be lying if he said the feeling wasn't mutual.

378

When Akiyama broke the kiss, he tilted his head back, letting Ryuji
nibble at his neck.

“Hey... Ryu...” He twirled his fingers through Ryuji's hair. “I wanna
try something.”

“Oh?” Ryuji continued to kiss and lick and bite at Akiyama's skin.
One of his hands flattened against the small of Akiyama's back, and
Akiyama purred.

“Yeah...” He kissed Ryuji's temple. “I wanna top.”
Ryuji stopped. Akiyama could feel the mood change at the drop
of a hat. He pulled away to try and see Ryuji's expression, but it was
hard to read. Akiyama opened his mouth to say something, but Ryuji
had already pulled back and turned to light a cigarette. “Not gonna
happen,” he said, flicking open his zippo.
Akiyama blinked. “...Seriously? You're not even gonna think about
it?”
“What's there to think about?” Ryuji leaned back on the couch,
taking a drag. “What? You tired of my cock or something?”
“That's not what...” Akiyama frowned. “Why are you being so
bitchy all of the sudden?”
“I'm not bitchy.”
“Yeah right you're not.” Akiyama took the cigarette from Ryuji's
mouth, and Ryuji scowled. “Look, it's not that I don't love it, but... I
mean, you've got to do it this whole time. Why can't I have a turn?”
Ryuji swiped the smoke back from Akiyama and stood. “Cause I
fuckin' said so.” He grabbed a fresh can of beer and snapped it open,

379

heading for the window. Akiyama followed, feeling any excitement
from earlier drain out of him like rainwater.

“That's not a good enough reason,” Akiyama snapped. “Why do
you get to top but I don't? How is that fair?”

“If you wanna top, find a twink,” Ryuji argued back. He stared
passively out the window, watching the sunset.

“The fuck?” Akiyama marched over and turned him around by his
big shoulder. “You're being a real shithead right now, you know that?
What, are you scared about taking it or something?”

“I'm not scared of shit.”
“Well what then? You can't just tell me no and that's that.”
“Stop pushing the fuckin' issue.”
“No. Not until you give me a real reason.”
“Fuck off. How's that for a real reason?”
“Now you're just being an asshole.”
“Nothin' new there.”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? We're not even going to
talk about this?” Ryuji tried looking away, but Akiyama grabbed his
shoulder, firmly. “Don't turn away, Ryu! Come on, talk to me! If
there's a real reason or something, I should know, right? Otherwise,
it's something I've been really wanting to do, and you just shutting
me down just isn't fair—”
“I don't bottom.”
“Why not?”
“Cause bottoming is for faggots.”

380

Akiyama froze. He and Ryuji stared at each other, and Akiyama
saw regret dawn over Ryuji's expression. Yet he didn't make a move
to start apologizing. As for Akiyama, it felt like a slap in the face,
times a thousand. When he finally did find his voice again, what
came out was bitter and wounded. “Oh. I see.”

“Aki-chan...” Ryuji began. Akiyama turned away. “Wait, that's not
what—”

“I think you should go.”
“Akiyama—”
Refusing to look Ryuji's way, Akiyama walked into his loft and
slammed the door behind him. He braced against it with his back,
almost in preparation for Ryuji to come knock it down. After a few
moments of silence, however, those big steps lumbered their way to
the front door, slipped into their boat-sized boots, and left Sky
Finance. Akiyama stood in the silence for a while. He probably should
be crying after something like that. Yet he couldn't summon up the
emotion. He was just... numb.
When Akiyama opened up the door again, he found his office
completely empty. The evidence of Ryuji's visit stared at him from the
sofa. Frustrated, Akiyama grabbed a beer from the Poppo bag and
snapped it open. He pulled out his phone to mindlessly scroll for a
while. But Ryuji's words still lingered in his mind. Eating away at him
until all that was left was the sinking feeling in his gut. Akiyama
tossed his phone aside and laid face down on the couch, hands on his
head.

381

There's always something, he thought.
Akiyama's phone buzzed. At first, Akiyama didn't bother looking
over. His immediate thought was Ryuji, texting from the bottom of
the steps about how sorry he was. Finally flipping it over, he saw, not
Ryuji's number, but Kiryu's.

Hey, Akiyama-san. Headed to NS.
You in the office? Come get a drink.

Kiryu... Maybe that's what he needed right then. A hard drink and
someone to confide in. Akiyama pushed back his hair and responded:

Be there in a few.

After cleaning up and washing his face, Akiyama headed down to
New Serena. Part of him hoped that he would see Ryuji standing at
the bottom of the steps, wondering if he should go back up and
throw himself at Akiyama's mercy. No such luck. Trying to push away
his disappointment, Akiyama walked into the bar. Date looked up
from the glass he was cleaning and flashed a smile. “Ah, Akiyama-
san.”

“Date-san?” Akiyama took a seat at the end of the bar. “I thought
you were back on the force.”

“I am,” Date said, “but the wife is visiting her mother this
weekend. Figured I'd keep an eye on the place while she was out.”

382

Date threw the rag he was using over his shoulder and approached
him. “Can I get you something?”

“Yes. Anything strong.”
“Ah. One of those, huh?”
“Yeah.”
With a shake of his head, Date poured Akiyama a scotch whiskey,
round ice ball included. Akiyama enjoyed his drink with Date, keeping
his mind off his relationship troubles, until Kiryu showed up. He took
a seat next to Akiyama, Date fixing him up with his usual order. He
seemed to be in high spirits; clearly this was a celebratory drink.
“So what's up?” Akiyama asked. “I hardly ever see you in my neck
of the woods anymore.”
Kiryu sipped his drink. “It's mine and Majima-san's anniversary.”
“Eh? No shit?” Akiyama smiled over his fresh cigarette.
“Congratulations.”
Kiryu nodded. “He's meeting me in a few hours in the back alley.”
“Why the alley?”
Kiryu chuckled. “It was where we had our first fight.”
Akiyama's smile widened. “How lovely.” He pinched the smoke
between his knuckles and took a long drag. Ashing it in the tray next
to him, Akiyama propped his chin in his hand. “Glad to see you two
are still going strong. How many years does that make it?”
“Dating? Six.” Akiyama whistled, lowly. “But it feels like I've
known him my whole life, truth be told.”
“What do you got planned?” Akiyama pressed.

383

Kiryu finished up his drink. “Knowing him, he'll probably want to
brawl out back. Which is why he's meeting me there in the first
place.”

“Eh? Seriously?” Kiryu nodded. “You've... got one hell of a weird
relationship, Kiryu-san.”

“Well that's not all,” Kiryu insisted. “I have dinner reservations for
us at a fancy steakhouse later. He's always hungry after a fight.”

Akiyama chuckled. “So romantic...” His smile faltered and he
stared into his drink. Kiryu, momentarily distracted by his exciting
evening plans, noticed Akiyama's change in mood.

“Something on your mind?” he asked.
Akiyama tried to wave off Kiryu's concerns. “Ah, no, it's all
good...” But that fake smile wasn't fooling anyone, least of all, Kiryu.
Date walked over to the pair of them and leaned on the bar with his
elbows.
“I know that look,” he said.
“What look?” Akiyama asked.
“You've got some trouble in paradise, don't you, Akiyama-san?”
Akiyama looked away, confirming Date's suspicions. “I thought
something was up. All right. Let's have it.”
Akiyama rubbed the back of his neck. “Date-san... you probably
wouldn't be interested. It's a little... embarrassing.”
“Nonsense. I'm a grown man. I can handle it.”
“You sure? It's... a 'homo' problem.”

384

“Oh?” Kiryu leaned in. “Is this that boyfriend you've told me
about?”

“Yeah...” He turned to Kiryu, realizing this might be just the
person he needed to ask. “Kiryu-san... between you and Majima-san,
who tops?”

Date's face immediately went pale, while Kiryu's cheeks burned
cherry red. It was certainly not lost on Akiyama that Date began
vigorously washing more cups at the sink. Kiryu cleared his throat.
“Well uh... Mostly, it's me.”

“Mostly?” Akiyama said. “So you do switch it up sometimes?”
“W-well... yeah.” Kiryu fidgeted with his whiskey glass. “I'm not...
I don't really talk about this stuff much—”
“Kiryu-san, please.” Akiyama took his arm. “I'm dealing with a
real problem here. I need all the advice I can get.”
Kiryu glanced at Akiyama, and after a moment more, sighed in
defeat. “All right... I'll give you the best answers I can.”
Akiyama nodded. “I appreciate it.” He turned to stare at his ice
ball, which was mostly melted by now. “The thing is, Ryu-kun is a
really prideful guy. Believe it or not, he's a lot like you, Kiryu-san. He
was in the life for a while but he's clean these days. Anyway, he's as
stubborn as a damn ox. I'd been wanting to ask forever, but when I
finally did, he turned on me. He said...” Akiyama's words cut short.
His heart sank.
“He said... that 'bottoming is for faggots.'” Akiyama finally tore his
eyes from his glass. Both Kiryu and Date put aside their

385

embarrassment in order to address this with all the seriousness it
required. “What do I do?”

“Have you talked to him?” Date asked.
Akiyama shook his head. “I didn't know what to say. So I kicked
him out. I needed to think...”
“Hmph.” Date put his hands on his hips, glaring with righteous
fury on Akiyama's behalf. “Well if that's what he thinks, then I say he
can stay out. You're too good for someone like that, Akiyama-san.
Dump him.”
Akiyama smiled weakly. “Date-san...”
“I'm serious!” Date declared. “Someone who claims to care about
someone else doesn't say something that hurtful! If I were you I
would have had my locks changed by now.”
Akiyama nodded. “You might be right. Still, it's not like we've had
too many problems before now...” He noticed that Kiryu had been
curiously silent as Akiyama spoke. Akiyama addressed him
specifically. “What do you think, Kiryu-san?”
Kiryu lifted his head. “You said he used to be yakuza?”
“That's right.”
Kiryu took a long sip of his drink before speaking. “I don't know
who your Ryu-kun is,” Kiryu finally began, “but just based off of my
own experience... I don't think he said that to hurt you. Or that he
thinks any less about you at all.”
“What do you mean?”

386

Kiryu folded his arms on the bar. “You have to understand. A lot
of the families are... traditional. I don't know who he used to belong
to, but there aren't many patriarchs who are okay with this kind of
thing. Hell, even Majima-san has gotten some shit occasionally
because of our relationship. But even if you find yakuza who are fine
with it by chance, you still run into this snag... There's this idea that if
you top, it's less embarrassing than if you bottom. I'm sure it's
something your Ryu-kun knows pretty well, even more so if he's done
time. Like... bottoming makes you less manly.”

“Really?” Akiyama asked. “I mean... I know that Japan's a little
slow to catch up to the rest of the world about this, but I always
thought gay was gay, wasn't it?”

“Not to people like us,” said Kiryu. “It's a whole... dominance
issue. See, whether you're with a guy or a girl, so long as you're the
one doing it, it's not as bad. If I had to guess, he probably didn't even
mean to say it. He was probably feeling cornered. Like, defensive. I'm
not arguing that what he said to you wasn't awful, it was. But that's
just it. It's just the kind of thing you learn in the life. It's... hard to get
rid of sometimes.”

Akiyama leaned over. “You sound like you're talking from
experience...?”

Kiryu ran his fingers through his hair. “I panicked the first time
Majima asked me, too. It took a while for me to finally even give it a
chance.” He turned to Akiyama, earnestly. “Look, if you really like this
guy, go easy on him. There's probably a lot of conflicting feelings

387

going through his head right now. At least give him a chance to
apologize.”

Akiyama returned to stare into his glass. Slowly, he pulled out his
phone, and thumbed to his and Ryuji's text conversation. Mindlessly,
he scrolled up. Pictures of the neighbor's dog Poppy, complaints
about work, questions about when Akiyama would be free next.
Akiyama looked at the time stamps. Scrolling further, he came to the
realization that he and Ryuji had texted every day, without fail, for at
least the past month. Every. Single. Day. Akiyama hadn't even
noticed. What's more, as he came across morning messages, he
realized that Ryuji was usually the first to text. Sometimes it was as
simple as a “morning,” and sometimes, it was a dirty joke or a
suggestive photo. But it was still a text. It was Ryuji, thinking about
Akiyama. Missing Akiyama. Wanting to keep Akiyama present in his
thoughts from morning until night. Once he pieced two and two
together, his heart swelled, and he hurriedly scrolled back down to
send a new text.

Where are you?

Akiyama waited. Adrenaline hit him as he saw that speech bubble
pop up, only to vanish without anything sent. It started again, and
then fell. Once more. And then nothing. Akiyama clutched his phone
tighter. Come on, dummy, he thought to himself. For a fourth time, it
showed up. And this time, a message followed it:

388

Poppo's
Akiyama typed back immediately.

Which one?
Tenkaichi St
Akiyama sat up straighter. He hadn't even left the block? He
texted back.
Come to New Serena.
Akiyama's foot bounced. He saw those speech dots form as Ryuji
typed out his answer.

Now?
Now.

K

389

Akiyama heaved a sigh and shoved his phone into his pocket.
Kiryu looked over his drink, and Akiyama flashed a weary smile. “He's
headed this way. I think... we're due for a talk.”

Kiryu smiled back. “That's good,” he said. “Hey, maybe I can
finally meet this guy.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Akiyama. He sipped the last of his drink
and set the glass down. “Thank you, Kiryu-san. This has been a big
help.” Kiryu nodded. While they waited for Ryuji to get there,
Akiyama practiced what he was going to say in his head. No matter
what he had prepared, none of it felt right. He guessed the only thing
he could do was let the words come to him naturally. After all, if
Akiyama had nothing else to his name, he'd always have his charm.
Still, he wondered if charm would be enough to smooth this over...

Finally, the door jingled, and all eyes turned to the front. Ryuji
stepped in, and Akiyama moved to greet him. “Ryu...”

“Hey, Aki-cha...” Ryuji's eyes drifted over to Kiryu, and they
widened. Akiyama blinked, and followed his gaze. Kiryu was staring
as if he'd seen a ghost. Akiyama looked between the pair of them,
suddenly feeling as though he was caught in the middle of
something.

“YOU?” both men bellowed in unison, pointing at the other in
shock.

Akiyama's head snapped back and forth like he was watching a
tennis match. “Kiryu-san. You know Ryu-kun?”

“This is your 'Ryu-kun'!?” Kiryu asked.

390

“Aki-chan!” Ryuji boomed. “The fuck are you doing with this
washed up piece of shit?”

Kiryu barely heard him, and put a hand on his head. “Your Ryu...
is actually Goda Ryuji. I can't believe it...”

“Oh, believe it, Fourth Chairman,” Ryuji sneered. “What, it's not
enough that you macked on my sister, now you gotta make a move
on my boyfriend, too?”

“Good God, that was one time—”
Akiyama held up his hands. “Guys, calm down—” Akiyama's brain
caught up to Ryuji's words and he turned to Kiryu. “You made out
with Ryu's sister?”
Kiryu shot up, stiff as a board. “I... Look, we both thought we
were going to get blown up, what else were we supposed to do?
Shake hands?”
“Boy are you due for an ass beating,” Ryuji growled.
Kiryu glared. “I got better things to do.”
“Yeah I'll bet—”
Akiyama jumped between them, holding his hands up to either
man. “Guys, guys!” He turned to Ryuji in particular, who was ready to
blow a gasket. He laid his hands on Ryuji's broad chest. “Ryu... Hey,
this isn't why I asked you to come here.” Ryuji took his eyes off of
Kiryu and looked down at Akiyama. The guilt from earlier flooded his
caramel brown eyes and he glanced away. Akiyama smiled meekly,
and moved his hand over to Ryuji's arm, giving it a comforting
squeeze. “Let's go upstairs.”

391

“Akiyama... I never meant...”
“Hey. Beast.” Ryuji blinked and snuck a look over towards
Akiyama, daring to hope. After a moment, Akiyama took his massive
hand. Silently, Ryuji nodded, and they turned to leave. As they closed
the door of New Serena behind them, Kiryu turned to Date, who was
stunned into silence, watching the whole transaction. Kiryu pushed
his empty glass towards him.
“Another one, please, Date-san.”
“Yeah...”
Up at Sky Finance, Akiyama locked the main door and they
migrated to the couches. The trash from earlier still littered the area.
Ryuji rested his elbows on his knees and stared at his clasped hands.
“You gotta understand, I wasn't prepared for that question. I didn't
ever think you'd ask it and I know that's a stupid excuse. Shit, you're
a guy, I'm a guy. It's only natural you'd want a turn.”
“Ryu...”
“Maybe it's just cause I'm me, you know? I mean, look at me.
What dude sees me and thinks, 'yeah, this is a guy who likes to take it
up the ass'? So why even think about it?”
“Ryuji.”
“It's not like I don't want... I mean, I don't know, it's not like I'm
afraid or whatever. And it's gotta feel good cause I know that it feels
good for you and everything, so like, why am I even—?” Ryuji didn't
get much farther than that. Mainly because Akiyama, realizing he'd
never get a word in otherwise, reached up, turned Ryuji's head, and

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kissed him. That got Ryuji to at least stop, giving Akiyama ample
opportunity to finally say his piece.

“I just want us to have a good time. Whether that means I get a
turn on top or not... So long as I'm with you, nothing else matters.
Yeah?”

Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Akiyama could have sworn
he saw the tips of Ryuji's ears get a little pink. He turned his eyes
back down, and after a moment of thought, he nodded. “Yeah...
Okay.”

“Okay?”
Ryuji took a deep breath through his nose. He turned to Akiyama
and kissed him, sweetly. “I'll give it a try.”
Akiyama brightened. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Akiyama's smile stretched so far, it nearly surpassed his jawline.
Slowly, he slid onto Ryuji's thick thighs, straddling his lap with his
own. Ryuji's guilt washed away as Akiyama kissed him, steadily.
Those big hands flattened against his back, and the two of them
slowly lost themselves, together. When the kiss finally broke,
Akiyama's eyes bore into Ryuji's. He saw that desire well up behind
them. More than that, though, Akiyama saw trust, and a quiet
kindness that Ryuji only dared to show bit by bit.
“Hey,” Akiyama breathed. “How about tonight?”
“Tonight...?” Ryuji touched the tips of Akiyama's hair.

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“It's your call,” said Akiyama. “But we got plenty of stuff to use...
If you want to give it a try.”

Ryuji looked away, and for a moment, Akiyama was worried that
he'd back out. But finally, Ryuji nodded. As they fell into another
deep kiss, Ryuji stood, Akiyama clinging to his front like a koala. They
walked into Akiyama's loft, and fell easily onto the sheets.

It was a slow, arduous process. But one that Akiyama was willing
to take his time with. No matter what he said to the contrary, the first
time Ryuji laid on his stomach, Akiyama could see those muscles
trembling with fear. Akiyama was sure to go as slow and as gentle as
he could. First, with just his fingers. His free hand gently massaged
that fierce, golden dragon, letting Ryuji relax and enjoy himself. It was
a balance of serenity and pleasure, one that in which, slowly but
surely, Ryuji let himself indulge.

By the time Akiyama had moved onto a toy stretcher, Ryuji's
muscles had loosened considerably. His massages were rhythmic,
focusing purely on Ryuji's reactions. Ryuji's breathing was deep and
intimate. One of his hand gripped the pillow he laid on, occasionally
twitching, or letting out the smallest of sounds. While he was a silent
top, it seemed that he was an even quieter bottom. Akiyama was
slowly sliding a smooth dildo in and out of Ryuji's tan cheeks,
watching his jaw open a little wider each time.

“How are you feeling?” Akiyama asked. As he leaned over, the
lamp light twinkled against his golden chain. Call it an aesthetic

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choice, but even totally naked, Akiyama liked keeping it on. “Good?
Bad? Do you want it slower? Faster?”

Ryuji cracked his eyes open. “Sh-shut up...” he grumbled.
Akiyama smiled. “I just want to know how you're doing.”
“M'fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Y-yes.”
“Then you don't mind if I turn this on?”
Ryuji's eyes popped open. “Turn what on?”
But Akiyama had already flipped on the switch. The dildo
suddenly came to life, whirring deep in Ryuji's asshole. Ryuji cried out
in surprise, which quickly turned into a deep, satisfied moan. Ryuji bit
his scarred lip and shoved his face deep into the pillow. Akiyama
heard a muffled “fuck” within the cushion as he began to move it in
and out. Looking down at his feet, Ryuji's toes curled tightly. Akiyama
shut off the toy, and Ryuji's body physically laxed. Akiyama discarded
it into his steadily growing collection of sex toys, and crawled over
the top of Ryuji. He hovered above him on his hands and knees,
watching Ryuji's reactions with delight.
“Are you ready for the real thing?” Akiyama asked with a grin.
Ryuji poked one eye up from the pillow. Without a word, he
nodded. Akiyama kissed the top of his head, and then turned to his
bedside table, where a fresh condom awaited him. He pulled Ryuji
onto his knees, gently massaging those round ass cheeks of his.
Kneeling behind him, Akiyama addressed his own erection. His dick

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had been hard as a rock for the last twenty minutes, and it twitched
as he slid the rubber condom over the skin. Once it was firmly at the
base of his cock, Akiyama spread Ryuji's cheeks and bent over, kissing
his inked back. “Here I come,” he sang.

“Just fuckin' do it,” Ryuji snapped.
With a smirk, Akiyama pushed forward. Even with the extra
lubrication, there was resistance. Ryuji gasped, but quickly went
silent. Akiyama slowed for a moment, before continuing to push all
the way inside. The pressure against his nerves was delightful. Better
than any woman he'd had in his lifetime. Finally, those round cheeks
met his pelvis, and Akiyama lingered, letting Ryuji get used to the
feeling. Not even Ryuji's breaths were detectable by now. He had
gone deadly silent, with only his own throbbing dick any indication
that he was enjoying himself. Slowly, Akiyama began to move.
Staying upright on his knees, Akiyama focused on a gentle
swaying of his hips. Pleasure washed over him with every thrust, and
Akiyama's hands roamed freely around Ryuji's body. Feeling the
toughness of his skin, the thickness of those muscles. Akiyama
eventually found a smooth rhythm, and rolled his hips to a
nonexistent beat. All the while, his eyes never left that golden dragon
on Ryuji's back. It danced with Ryuji's body, stretching and
contracting, shifting and swaying as Akiyama made love to its owner.
Eventually, Ryuji's head turned to the side, freeing his face from
the pillow. His eyes were glossy, and his lips were moist. From his
deep, heavy breaths, came a word. “Sh...Shun...” Akiyama never

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stopped his movements, though he felt his heart skip a beat. Leaning
over Ryuji's body, Akiyama placed kisses up and down those
monstrous shoulders.

“I'm here, Ryuji... Mm... I'm here...” Reaching up, Akiyama laid his
hand on top of Ryuji's knuckles, clutching it from above. Ryuji's
fingers folded closed in response. Akiyama used his other hand to
balance himself over Ryuji's massive body. Finding a more stable
position, Akiyama started picking up the pace.

“Ahh... ah!” Ryuji let a sharp cry escape him, which he quickly
silenced, his eyes closing. Akiyama continued to kiss wherever he
could.

“Don't stop yourself,” he breathed. “Ryuji... I want to hear you...”
Akiyama shifted his hips a bit and started thrusting at a bit of an
angle, making Ryuji gasp loudly. His head tilted back, and his fingers
tightened over Akiyama's. Their skin had begun to stick to each other,
with only the sweat allowing them to slide against one another,
rather than chafe. Akiyama's pleasure began ramping up, and his hips
started moving faster on their own accord. Akiyama closed his eyes,
burying his lips deep into Ryuji's thick neck. His whole body felt like it
was made up of electric sparks. From his dizzying head to the tingling
in his toes, Akiyama's whole body was alight with sweet, endless
pleasure. And the more he thrust, the more he felt that pleasure
building up into a pressurized cannon. And he was ready to blow any
minute.

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“F-fuck,” Ryuji choked out. He pushed his eyes into the pillow, his
breath quickening with every hump. “Fuck. Fffff... ah... fuck... Fuck...”
Akiyama could feel it. Those walls were tightening, and unless he was
mistaken, Ryuji's hips were starting to thrust backwards, meeting
Akiyama's dick with greedy motives. Akiyama wasn't about to
complain. Though right then, he wasn't even able to think.

“R-Ryu...” Akiyama panted into Ryuji's thick neck, his gold
pendant sticking to a sweaty spot of Ryuji's skin. “Fuck... close...”

Ryuji tilted his head backwards, his mouth still wide open.
“Hahh...aah. Ah. Ah—shitshitshitshit—!” Akiyama suddenly stopped
as he felt Ryuji's whole body tense up. As the walls around his cock
tightened, Akiyama's own pleasure exploded within him, and he
arched his back. His climax ran long and hard, milked by Ryuji's
throbbing body. When it was over, Akiyama slowly opened his eyes to
see Ryuji collapsed on the bed in a puddle of his own mess.

Gently, Akiyama dislodged himself from Ryuji, revealing a limp
and well used dick, encased in rubber. Taking off the condom, it
snapped as it left Akiyama's skin, and he tossed it in the waste paper
basket by his bed. Akiyama bent over and grabbed a towel, which he
got for this very occasion, and started wiping Ryuji down. Tenderly,
he turned him over to one side to clean him off. As the fabric of the
towel touched Ryuji's massive, limp penis, his whole body twitched,
and Ryuji cracked his eyes open.

“Sensitive still?” Akiyama asked. Ryuji nodded. After finishing
cleaning up, Akiyama tossed the towel aside and climbed up to meet

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Ryuji's face. His long arms wrapped tightly around Ryuji's neck, and
the two nuzzled noses. “So? How was it?”

Ryuji's eyes were hazy, and he smiled. “It was... good...” He bent
his head forward, pressing their crowns together. “Fuck, Aki-chan... it
was... real good. I never knew...”

Akiyama ran his fingers through Ryuji's blond hair. “Hurting?”
“Eh.” Ryuji kissed him. “I've had way worse. Trust me.”
“I do.” He answered Ryuji's kiss with one of his own. Before long,
their arms and legs were entangled like ivy. Akiyama rolled onto his
back, with Ryuji remaining on his stomach. However, his arm and
shoulder were flopped over Akiyama's chest. His head rested in the
space beneath Akiyama's chin, and Ryuji smiled into his collar bone.
“Thanks, Stretch,” he mumbled.
“Hm?” Akiyama had mindlessly begun to pet his hair. “For what?”
Ryuji closed his eyes. “For lettin' me apologize for bein' a massive
dickhead.” Akiyama chuckled, his chest making Ryuji's body bounce.
“You only get a few of those 'free dickhead pass' cards, pal. Use
them wisely.”
“Yeah.”
They laid together, listening to the symphony of the city outside
Akiyama's window. Akiyama, not really sleepy, scanned the room.
Even with a bed big enough for two, his loft was starting to feel more
and more cramped. “Hey, Ryu. Any luck finding a place yet?”
“Hm?” Ryuji yawned and scratched his jaw. “No, not really.
Haven't really been lookin', if I'm bein' honest.”

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“I see.” Akiyama continued to pet Ryuji's head, and staring at the
ceiling, he proposed: “Why don't we get a place together?”

Ryuji blinked. He lifted his head from the pillow. “Come again?”
“A place,” said Akiyama. “Somewhere close to your work. There
are plenty of apartments in the city. And with my capital, we can live
pretty much anywhere.”
“Akiyama...” Ryuji began.
“I know it's a lot to think about. You don't have to give me an
answer.” He gently pinched Ryuji's chin with his finger and thumb.
“But I figure, we get a place together, you get to sleep somewhere
that isn't a couch, and you get your dogs.” He paused. “Not ten
though. Maybe we start off with one for now, and see where we go
from there?” Ryuji stared in utter shock, which only made Akiyama
smile. “Like I said. It's a lot. So take your time and—”
“Let's do it.”
Akiyama blinked. “Really?”
“Yeah. Fuck it. You and me. Let's get a place. Let's get a dog. Fuck
it. Fuck.” Suddenly, Ryuji was smiling. He rolled onto his back and
continued. “Maybe we can find a place with a garage? My boss is
talking about selling his motorcycle for parts, but I think I can
convince him to give it to me if I fix it up and stuff. Oh and we gotta
make sure that wherever we are has good take out places. I swear,
you leave me in the kitchen long enough and I'll burn the place
down, so don't expect me to be no house wife.”
“Ryuji?”

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