Papers, papers, and more papers.

They just didn't seem to end. It was all that filled Ryo's vision, having to take periodic breaks for a mimosa or a few. He knew he was rather famous but goddamn, these were a lot of applicants to sift through. It had been suggested by his manager that a body guard would be a good idea. With fame came a target on his back too. Having someone there that could watch his back while at public events, lectures, and photo shoots would ensure his safety, especially with some of the more controversial subjects he discussed.

"You should know that from your Twitter what people think when you discuss philosophies involving Satan, God, and what not. This is just a precaution. They're going to be 'your' bodyguard, so you should be the one going through the process of hiring them. Good luck!" She then took off running before Ryo could make any kind of protests.

Now, he was stuck in this office watching person after person come in of various builds and genders. Ryo supposed it didn't really matter who he picked as long as they got along well. He hadn't found anyone he had a stellar connection with yet. He pinned that on his own difficult personality. It wasn't any fault of theirs. The ones he had picked out he went on outings on to see how he liked them. So far, not much.

"I always carry a knife or something like that with me all the time. She's overreacting with all this bodyguard stuff. I'm not the fucking president," Ryo mumbled, rolling a marble along the desk. He watched lazily as the light caught it at certain angles and the colors inside swirl around. The last applicant today should be here any minute now. "Akira Fudo" was the name on the sheet. He was looking forward to lying naked in bed without anything to do besides get right back to work interviewing people tomorrow.

Even when he heard the door open, his eyes stayed glued to the marble.

"Have a seat," he said, still day dreaming and rather distracted by his own thoughts, twisting a finger around one of the side fringes of his hair. "So, you're Akira Fudo, right?"

"Oh, yes, that's me!" a voice spoke up which made Akira look up from the marble. A dark-haired guy sat in front of him with equally dark, smoldering eyes and rather nice muscles. But..why did that name sound oddly familiar?

"Fudo..Fudo," Akira muttered to himself. "Oh!" He really should've recognized him from the name alone. "Akira? Like from back when we were kids?"

"It took you long enough, Ryo," Akira chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he laughed.

Ryo blinked a few times, really looking him over now. Yup, this was Akira: his childhood friend. Geez, that seemed so long ago, and he had changed so much! Was this really the little Akira he remembered? He was so…beefy. This beefcake sitting in front of him was Akira. Ryo had always had a big fat crush on him, but holy shit. He felt like he was going to get a nose bleed looking at him. He wondered if Akira had changed in personality at all or if he was still the same as always. He'd have to look into this.

"Well, we'll have to catch up later. I gotta stay professional, you know?" Ryo chuckled, trying to get back into a professional state of mind. "So, you want to be my body guard, huh? Why the interest? Besides the you know me."

"Well, I've done some work with private security companies, so I'm familiar with the job, and I'm currently looking for something new. The job I have now is nice, but it's pretty boring. Plus, I'd get to catch up with you. I guess I don't have any particular or super special interest," Akira said with a shrug, trying his best to seem nonchalant about it. However, inside his heart felt like it was going to pop out of his rib cage. He hadn't seen Ryo in so long, and he knew how famous he was now with all his accomplishments. How could one person go from beautiful to divinely stunning? He had to remain professional though. If he was lucky, he'd be working to protect Ryo which was like a dream to him only a little while ago.

"I see," Ryo said, nodding as he talked. He was trying his hardest to keep his eyes focused on Akira's face and not..other places. "Well, you certainly seem qualified, but I'll go through the standard process I've been using. Let's go out on an outing and see how things go." He was failing to conceal his smirk. With a final look through the application, he got up from his desk, grabbing his jacket. "Come, let's go."

Akira obediently stood up and followed him to the door. There was apprehension mixed with excitement fueling him. This was Ryo after all. Who knew what he had planned or how this was going to go.

As each of them had expected, the rest of the afternoon was spent driving around in Ryo's Audi catching up from when Ryo had left to study abroad. Of course, Ryo being Ryo, they ended up mostly hanging out at his place, sitting out on the deck and sharing a glass of wine. By sunset, their cheeks were rosy, and they were laughing like dorks.

"So..I'm guessing I'm hired?" Akira chuckled, happily gazing at the sun as it dipped lower in the horizon, splaying hues of orange and purple across the sky.

"Hell yeah, you are! This was probably one of my best evenings ever," Ryo said with a cute little laugh. "Guess fate or something of the like must be real if you ended up in front of my desk."

"Yeah, definitely." Akira looked at Ryo for a second then back up the sky. "You know, you gave me a lot of confidence even after you left."

"Hm?" Ryo was a bit perplexed by that. To him, Akira seemed to be exuding confidence.

"Even after you left, I still thought about you. I kept up with the stuff you'd model in. I'm glad of how confident you got with your body. I mean, being intersex, a lot of people wouldn't see your body as being a guy's body, but you always modelled with such confidence and an iron will. You kind of inspired me to be more confident in myself and my body too. I started working out and doing my best with being me, and here I am today meeting you again. Seems everything worked out somehow." Akira was still gazing up at the sky with a slight smile on his face. He looked completely at peace like that.

"Hey, do me a favor and don't move, okay? Stay completely still and keep that expression on your face." There was the sound of a camera shutter before Akira was given the okay to move. Ryo showed him the photo he took on his phone. "You looked so content. I had to take a picture. You know, you've always been beautiful to me. I'm glad to know I was an inspiration for you as you were for me." Ryo bit his lip as he felt a few inevitable tears run down his cheek, wiping them away quickly. "Akira Fudo, I look forward to this career together." Even though he was currently sniffling, he held out a hand to Akira who happily took it, giving his hand a comforting squeeze. Without much effort, he pulled Ryo into a hug, enjoying the bit of shared warmth.