Kiss me to Springtime - 4. Chapter 4

“Stay still, Soubi. The shot has to be right.”

Soubi closed his eyes and breathed out trying to keep still in the awkward position. His head was braced against another model’s stomach, his body curved back over the same model’s shoulder, with his legs braced against the wall. Every part of his body was painted gold. His hair filled with sparkling glitter blew under his head, hitting against the strong muscled model holding him around his waist. His right hand lay flat on a chiseled flat stomach. His left arm swung down into his hair.

The photographer came to kneel before Soubi, his face upside down, the black high def camera covering most of the photographer’s face.

The things he did for a buck. Soubi sighed.

“Stay still, Soubi-chan.”

Soubi was going mad listening to that phrase. He forced his attention inward, keeping his eyes closed as he thought about the past two weeks living with Ryo. They’d settled into a strange routine.

Soubi woke up earlier than Ryo. Thanks to too many years of having morning calls, even when he lived with Rin, he could never sleep past six o’clock in the morning. He made breakfast for Ryo and Kaito. Ryo usually came down first and wasn’t very talkative in the morning. Ryo ate silently, always thanked him when he was done eating and helped with cleanup. Ryo headed out to the store, while Soubi dressed and got ready for his assignments.

Soubi was starting to hate the grueling schedule he’d preferred before he lived with Ryo. It kept him away from the house and the store longer. His last day off was a week ago and he’d spent it with Kaito playing videogames at the back of the store.

As for Ryo, Soubi caught glimpses of him late at night. Once when Ryo had been coming out of the common bath a towel tied low on his hips. That darned tattoo rippling on his back as he rubbed dry his dark hair. Ryo looked sexy clothed, he was mouthwatering naked. The dreams had started after that sight. Erotic scenes that featured Ryo taking him until he screamed in ecstasy plagued Soubi’s dreams. His subconscious was lusting after the man like a starving idiot. He still wasn’t over the morning he’d woken up coming into his sheets.

When he was conscious, Soubi forced himself to remember that Ryo was an Asada. There could never be anything between them. The difference between their classes could never be shortened. Sei Asada would fight to keep them apart.

Soubi didn’t think he could take abandonment from another person. He’d barely survived Rin Kouga.

A hand closed over his cock and he bit his lip as he realized he was hard.

Damn it! That hand held his cock too tight, his partner was taking advantage of him. The thick arm over his waist kept everyone else from seeing what was going on.

“Great shot,” the photographer called. “We’re done. Go ahead and put him down Hiro.”

“I’ll carry him to the dressing room.” Hiro started to leave the room.

“No.” Soubi almost yelled trying his best to squirm out of Hiro’s strong arms.

He was naked and the moment Hiro got into a relatively private place he was going to try something.

“I need to get—

“You don’t want everyone here to see you’re getting aroused from me touching you,” Hiro whispered meanly into Soubi’s ear as he walked with purpose out of the main studio.

Soubi felt his heart slam against his chest when Hiro entered the dressing room. The door closed with a snap that had him struggling against Hiro’s tight grip.

Hiro dropped him on the only couch in the room and Soubi scrambled away hoping to get some distance between them. His erection long gone, he cried out in panic when Hiro gripped his ankle and pulled him back on to the couch hard. Hiro used his considerable strength, hard fingers dug into Soubi’s wrists as they were slammed against the couch arm. Hiro pulled his arms tightly together, pressing his wrists painfully as he held them in one hand over Soubi’s head. Soubi felt tears sting the back of his eyes when Hiro took his lips in a hard kiss. Hiro reached for his cock with his free hand. Soubi twisted to his side to escape Hiro’s touch. The harder he fought, the more painful the grip on his wrists became. Hiro’s weight on him was suffocating and the awful slobbered kisses on his mouth kept him from screaming out.

A knock on the door saved him. Hiro stood up quickly and reached for a towel on the floor just as the door swung open. Tears threatening to fall down his cheeks, Soubi scrambled to his feet, grabbed his bag from the high back chair and clutched it against his chest.

“Soubi-chan, here’s your envelope. Thank you for your hard work.” A short lady came in holding out his pay. “You looked fabulous out there.”

Soubi grabbed the envelope and hurried out of the room. He was grateful the restrooms were just down the hall. He locked himself in a stall and collapsed against the wall shaking. It had happened so quickly he couldn’t believe he’d almost been raped. If the door had been locked—

He cut off that thought and pulled on his jeans, t-shirt and sweater. Tears spilling down his cheeks, he forced his hair into a messy ponytail. He dug out a rubber band from his bag and tied his hair. A hysterical sob escaped as he wore socks and then his boots. The restroom door swung open and he bit his lip to stop his sobs. Wiping his eyes, he stared at the palms of his hands and the gold powder. He cursed under his breath and picked up his bag.

Soubi waited for the unknown person to enter a stall before he came out. He washed his face vigorously at the sink, wiping at the makeup on his face. There was nothing he could do about his hair right now. He pulled out paper towels from the holder and dried his face. Damn that stupid Hiro. He rushed out of the bathroom hoping he wouldn’t run into the bastard. He ran down five flights of stairs to the ground floor and didn’t stop until he was outside on the noisy streets of Ginza.

The train ride back to Shimokita was uneventful. People stared at his glowing hair, and pointed, but he didn’t care. He was used to that kind of treatment. His thoughts were centered on that bastard Hiro and what he’d tried to do to him.

What the hell did he have on him that attracted pricks?

Soubi scoffed under his breath. What did he expect after the way he’d been living lately? Hiro had probably thought he’d want it. Wasn’t that what he deserved?

Ryo had taken him to a clinic the Monday after he moved into the house. The results had turned out clean, but they’d been received with a stern lecture on taking care of his life.

‘Stop screwing around, Soubi. If I hear you’ve done it, I'm going to give you a serious beating.’

Soubi couldn’t tell Ryo about this. He stared at his wrists. A red bruise had appeared on his left wrist. He wiped at it hoping it was makeup. When it didn’t come off, he sighed. Great, he needed to come up with a story for the reddening bruise. Ryo was going to ask the moment he saw the bruise.

Soubi got off at his stop and walked slowly toward Ryo’s house. He was deciding on an excuse when someone jumped on him. He screamed in surprise.

“Jeez, sorry,” Kaito said, shocked by his reaction. “It’s getting really hard to surprise you.”

“Kaito,” he gasped, turning to find the older man standing behind him. “It’s you.”

“Did you think you were being mugged?” Kaito frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. “What’s wrong with your face? Did someone touch you?”

“No, I’m alright.” Soubi waved him off and gasped when Kaito grabbed his left arm to stare at the bruise on his wrist. His eyes widened when Kaito’s frown turned to anger.

“Who did this?” Kaito looked around as if trying to find his assailant.

“It’s nothing, Kai.” He pulled his hand away quickly. “Come on, let’s go home. I feel like eating ramen.”

Kai didn’t move, his gaze narrowed. Soubi wondered what he saw. He didn’t have to wait long. A hand cupped his jaw and suddenly Kaito was looking into his eyes.

“You were crying. What happened? Don’t lie to me.”

Soubi shuddered under the inquisition, closing his eyes, he tried to step back but Kaito took a step forward.

“Start talking, Soubi.”

“It was silly.” He muttered. “Some idiot at the photo shoot got the jump on me. I fought him off.”

“What did he try to do?” Kaito demanded. “Quit.”

“That’s my job, Kai. I have scheduled shoots tomorrow and a runway show the next day.”

“Quit or I tell Ryo,” Kaito warned with a hard tone. “You either quit or tell me the name of this jerk. Which is it, Soubi?”

Soubi sighed.

“I’m not going to be kept in your house. I’ll quit when I find something else to do.”

“When will that be?” Kaito demanded. “I’ll hire you. Work at the store with me. Ryo is always drawing in the back. We could use you in the front.”

“Kaito—

“It’s decided.” Kaito wrapped an arm around his shoulder and they started walking toward the house. “I closed shop early. The carnival is in town, I thought I’d check it out later. You’re coming, right?”

Soubi tried to breath through the lump in his throat. He wasn’t sure about quitting but having someone care enough to worry was nice. He swallowed hard.

“I’d love to come along.”

“Do you really love modeling that much, Soubi?” Kaito asked.

Soubi had never really thought about it. He started modeling when he turned sixteen. He had long hair even then and the agency had thought it incredible. Rin had urged him to start modeling because they needed the cash to pay for rent. When Rin had started playing in the band, they’d needed the money to buy his wardrobe. When Rin had left, Soubi kept modeling to keep moving. There had been a lot of bastards like that Hiro. Some shadier than Hiro, photographers wanting lascivious favors, he’d taken it as part of the job because the money was good.

“You are staying with us now.” Kaito rubbed his arm in a comforting gesture. “You don’t need to pay rent; Ryo owns the house free and clear. We make descent money from the store. Think about it, alright?”

Soubi nodded. “I will. Please, don’t tell Ryo about the bruise.”

“As long as you don’t go back there,” Kaito warned with a raised brow. They’d reached the wooden gates. Kaito pushed it open and urged him in. “Now, about this ramen you promised. How thick can you make the soup? I love it when it’s really thick.”

Soubi laughed.

“Can I take a shower first? I need to wash this makeup out of my hair.”

Kaito led the way into the house, pausing to remove his shoes before he headed into the living room.

“Fine, run along.”

Soubi dumped his bag on a table in the short hallway and took the stairs to the first floor. He hurried into the bathroom, stripping quickly, he sighed in relief when he was standing under hot water washing the shoot's makeup and the feel of Hiro’s mitts off him.

****

Kaito waited until he heard the shower start upstairs to reach for Soubi’s bag. He rummaged through the contents with determination until he found the white envelope with Soubi’s pay in it. He pulled out the check and stared in shock at the pay.

Six hundred and fifty thousand yen for the single catalog photo shoot, the little punk was loaded. He returned the envelope and sighed. No wonder Soubi was so hesitant to quit. He’d end up going for the shoots under false pretenses.

Kaito walked back to the living room and sunk into the couch. He turned on the television thinking about the best way to broach this subject with Ryo.

****

Ryo walked into the house late. His head was pounding from a day spent with lawyers dealing with his trust. His father was making adjustments again for his second wife. It didn’t help that he’d had to sit through hours of listening to her begging his father for a position in the Asada Company.

Wasn’t it enough that she’d taken his mother’s place?

He pulled off his shoes and tried to shrug the stress away. He hated going for these meetings. He hated the dejection he read in his mother’s eyes, worst of all, he hated the way his older brother treated his father for the sake of the position he was destined to take.

‘The moment he dies, Ryo, I’ll kick that second wife bitch out, for the sake of our mother.’

His brother’s words made his skin crawl. His brother, Tohaku, was cruel enough to kick a woman onto the streets and leave her with nothing.

The house was quiet; he wondered whether Soubi and Kaito were still at the shop. A quick glance at his watch had him sighing. It was almost ten o’clock at night.

Where the hell were they?

In the kitchen, he found a note stuck on the dining table. Soubi’s handwriting, he smiled at the sight of the cat drawn on the top of the note under his name.

We went to the carnival. Be back at ten o’clock. I made you a bento. S.

His gaze fell on the black lacquered box that had been under the note. He opened it to find a delicious salmon bento. Soubi was fast becoming his most favorite person in this house.

Well…he pulled out a chair and picked up the chopsticks in the box. It wasn’t that hard to like Soubi. It was even very easy to fall in love with him. The problem was trying to get through that maze of triggers that Soubi hardwired into his brain. One move and things could go wrong, very wrong.

Ryo started the coffee maker before he sat down and pulled off his jacket ready for some food. He ate his dinner quietly. He was enjoying the taste of an egg roll when the back door opened and Soubi dragged a drunken Kaito into the kitchen.

Soubi dropped a shopping bag full of toys on the table and helped Kaito into a chair.

“Hi, Ryo,” Soubi said with a wide smile, his color high, “this guy is very heavy.”

“What happened?” Ryo asked, sitting back to watch Kaito lean on the table. His hair looked wet like he’d been dunked into water.

“He won a drinking contest.” Soubi fell into a chair with a sigh.

“I won a night with a pretty lady at the carnival tomorrow.” Kaito slurred with a pleased smile. “Had to fight off some guy who thought Soubi was part of the contest. Can’t have him getting caught up in more—

“He’s wiped out.” Soubi cut in glancing at Ryo with panicked eyes.

Soubi smiled sheepishly and Ryo wondered what the younger man was hiding. He looked handsome, his hair falling around him. His t-shirt clung to his well toned slender body. A set of beaded bracelets covered his left wrist.

Soubi tugged at them nervously. “I should take Kaito to bed.”

Ryo stood up and nodded to the coffee he’d started.

“Get some coffee, you look cold, Soubi. I’ll take Kaito.”

“Ryo,” Kaito slurred happily when Ryo helped him up.

Ryo slung Kaito’s left arm over his shoulders, and led him out of the kitchen to his bedroom in the back.

“You’re so sensible, Ryo.”

“And you’re very drunk.” Ryo pushed the bedroom door open and walked over to the neat bed in the middle of the room.

“I wanted to keep Soubi safe.” Kaito sighed as Ryo placed him on the bed. He pulled back the covers and helped Kaito lie back on his pillows. “Ryo, help Soubi like you helped me. He needs you.”

“I am helping him, Kaito.” Ryo pulled the covers over his drunken friend. He turned to leave only to have Kaito reach for his arm. He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Kaito’s eyes were wide awake his slurring almost absent.

“Soubi is having issues at work. I’m serious Ryo. He needs your help.”

Ryo frowned. “Is that why you went out fighting?”

“He won’t talk about it. I tried to make him talk, but he won’t open up.” Kaito sighed. “He’ll talk to you, only with you.”

Kaito closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Ryo sighed.

“You’re such a pain, Kaito.”

What was he supposed to do with half information? He left the bedroom wondering how to ask about Soubi’s day. It had to be pretty bad for Kaito to worry. He walked into the kitchen to find Soubi seated at the kitchen table blowing at his hot coffee. Ryo watched him push a lock of hair behind his ear.

He sat down to finish his food, stealing glances at Soubi after every two bites.

“Will you quit doing that?” Soubi demanded when he caught him the third time. “It’s making me nervous.”

“Want to talk about the reasons why Kaito was drinking?”

“He’s an idiot who won’t listen to reason.” Soubi pointed out with a raised brow. “He can’t hold his liquor and loves to prove a point. Do you want me to keep going?”

“Why was he fighting?” Ryo asked, biting his lip when Soubi scowled at him. “Oh come on, there has to be a funny story about that.”

“You sound like you’re carrying out an inquisition.” Soubi accused with flashing eyes. “It was silly really, Kaito loses his mind sometimes.”

“I think your pretty face has something to do with it too.” Ryo laughed when Soubi gaped at him. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah,” Soubi replied with a slow smile.

Soubi picked up the bag he’d dumped on the table and pulled out a small paper. Ryo watched in fascination as Soubi undid the little package until a small wooden carving dangled in his fingers.

“I got this for you.”

Ryo took the leather string from Soubi and brought it close to stare at the small perfect eagle carving hanging on the string.

“It looked like yours,” Soubi explained. “I thought you’d like it.”

“I do.”

How typical of Soubi, he thought with a small smile. Soubi continued rummaging pulling out things from his bag and laying them out on the table. Soubi put a funny dramatic mask over his face and turned to look at him. Ryo laughed at the exaggerated eyes.

“That’s definitely different. You look like those demons that dance at the festivals.”

“I got it from a small vendor selling masquerade masks.” Soubi pulled it off and placed it on the table. “How was your day?”

“Tiresome.” Ryo shrugged. “My brother gets angrier everyday. I’m afraid he’s going to do something stupid.”

“Did you see your mom?” Soubi asked quietly.

“Not today, she didn’t feel like seeing anyone.” He always asked to see her. She always said no preferring to hide away in her house like a shunned creature. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

“Is she still angry with you?” Soubi looked at him with wide guilty eyes.

“She forgave me a long time ago. She has it rough living at that estate now. Things have changed a lot since I left.”

Soubi frowned. “You’re not going back there are you?”

“No,” Ryo assured him. “My father’s second wife and my mother don’t get along. As a result, my father makes life harder for my mother, and my brother keeps vowing to take revenge. I hate visiting that place.”

Soubi stared at him with dark eyes filled with compassion.

Ryo reached to take Soubi's left hand. His fingers wrapped around the slender wrist and the painful whimper that followed had him frowning. Soubi tried to pull his hand away but he didn’t let go. Ryo pushed back the beaded bangles and gasped at the dark bruises on Soubi's wrist. Four imprints on the outside and a thumb on the inside.

“What is this?” Ryo demanded in anger. “Who dared to touch you?”

***