Rori's Corner: I enjoyed writing this. It's a one shot!
Summary: Gray needs fast cash, Natsu has an idea. All Gray has to do is audition for a casting, answer some questions, and get money. It's a solid idea and a bad plan. Unknowingly, Gray walks into a gay for pay porno audition.
Warnings: Rated T for a reason. Beware of language and sexual inclinations.
A Money Situation
It's going to be fun, he said.
It's going to be fine, he said.
It was not fun. Or fine.
"Hey, Gray, you need extra cash, right? Dude, listen, there's a place downtown that's looking for college kids like us. All you gotta do is go in, answer a few questions, pose, and then get paid. Sweet, right? I think it's some kind of paid audition or casting for something, like a show or modeling agency and stuff. Gajeel introduced me to it. Anyway, I did it last Friday and now I have 500 – five hunned – loading up my bank. You gotta do it, man. You gonna get easy bills flying in your empty wallet, fast, trust me."
Natsu had flashed him a sparkling, white-tooth grin with his thumbs up as he left Gray's cramped apartment floor.
"Remember, you just gotta answer some questions and then strip half naked. Easy, yeah?"
So here he was, sitting on a leather brown couch in the coolly conditioned casting room, surrounded by cameras in every direction. He crossed his arms, nerves tingling.
He felt anxious. Out of his comfort zone. He had no idea what to expect, because Natsu, half-assed as always, left completely obscure instructions. What was this audition for? How was he supposed to act? Was a t-shirt and cargo shorts okay? Was he under-dressed? When will this damn thing start?
Just as he was about to send an angry text to Natsu to complain about waiting for thirty minutes for the audition, the door to the beige room was pulled open.
He instinctively sat up straighter, eyes taking in snow-white, gelled, styled, and very deliberately blowdried hair, slanted, cold brown eyes, a prominent nose, and a thin mouth. A silver stud glinted in his left ear. The tall man wore a navy, collared shirt under a black, buttoned vest with long dark slacks that led to his shined and polished dress shoes.
He looked...good.
And Gray, on the other hand, felt way under-dressed. He was wearing beach clothes. Compared to the bartender-esque attire of the other man, he was absolutely just-woke-up-extremely-late-and-threw-on-some-clothes trashy.
Well, then, there went the interview.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fullbuster," the man said, an arrogant tone clipped to his voice, as he took the swivel chair opposite the couch on the other side of the coffee table.
Gray cleared his throat. "Mornin'."
"You were referred by Natsu Dragoneel, correct?"
"Yea – yes."
"I will assume you understand the situation perfectly, in that case."
Gray bit back an attempt to question the man on the purpose of this audition, realizing that he might lose his chance to make some fast money. Besides, the guy already looked like a condescending snob to begin with; he really didn't need to make himself look any more stupid.
All he had to do was answer some and flash some. Right?
"My name is Lyon Bastia. You may call me Lyon. In fact, you might need to use it, later." Lyon's tone was the same emotionless one he'd been using, but his eyes had flickered briefly from the clipboard in his hand to Gray's face, and there was an unreadable but undeniable meaning in that glance.
What does he mean, I might need to use it later? Gray felt off; something was amiss. That statement was suspicious. That cryptic glance said it all. He shifted a bit on the couch, quietly waiting.
"I will start by asking you a series of questions. Your answers won't harm your chances, for the most part," Lyon drawled, pen in hand, leg crossed over the other, business-like.
Gray took a small breath, preparing himself. "Okay." He was getting nervous.
"If at any point, you feel uncomfortable, you are free to stop. You won't get paid, however."
He perked up at the word "paid." This all sounded so simple and easy. Answer some questions, get the money. What was the worst that could happen? He nodded, showing he understood.
Lyon took notice, and he impassively began, "How many times – "
All right, I can do this, Gray thought.
"– On average, do you masturbate in a day?"
"Oh, I do it around – wait, what?"
"I'll repeat; how many times, on average, do you – "
"No, no, I know what you're asking, but what the hell does that have to do with anything?" Gray half-shouted, half-screamed, stunned by the sudden inquiry about his personal, not to mention very private, life.
"I was under the impression that you understand your situation perfectly, Mr. Fullbuster."
Perfectly. Perfectly? He was perfectly confused!
At Lyon's raised eyebrow and haughty sneer, Gray calmed himself down. He felt like a real idiot. Answer a few questions, get paid. Natsu, you fucking retard. Be more damn specific, next damn time!
Suddenly, a hatred for the classy, egotistical man and frustration with his rent bills choked him, and he clenched his fists tightly.
He had no choice. He needed the money for this month. Shit, this week. He had to do it. There was no other way. Humiliation and pride be damned. Money makes the world go round.
Nails digging into his palms, he muttered, "Shit – I mean, I'm sorry. Bad morning."
Lyon nodded slowly, his eyebrow still arched and condescending. "I told you, you are permitted to stop at any time," he reminded.
"No – uh, I'm okay. I was just...surprised." He cleared his throat. "I...m-masturbate...like...once? Actually, most of the time, I don't do it. I'm jam-packed with college and work," he admitted, his face and ears feeling unbearably hot.
The white-haired interviewer jotted down some notes and then asked, "Do you party a lot?"
"No."
"Do you drink or smoke?"
"I drink from time to time. I don't smoke, at all. Can't stand the smell."
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-one."
"You don't act like one. You're already an old man."
Gray's vein bulged. "Says the guy with white hair," he retorted.
Lyon narrowed his eyes at him, and Gray glared back.
A full minute of tense silence passed, and Gray's heart was thumping rapidly, wondering if he just lost five hundred dollars. To his astonishment, Lyon merely continued questioning him.
"How many times do you have sex, on average, per month?"
"That," Gray gritted his teeth, "depends."
The Bastia scowled, recrossing his legs, patience wearing thin. "Provide an estimate."
"I don't just fuck anything that moves," Gray snapped, and then realized what he did. He pulled back, reclining into the couch, and tried to make up for the outburst, "Sorry, I mean, if I have a girlfriend, then probably three times a week, so probably around twelve a month."
"How many lovers have you had?"
He was starting to get used to these indecent questions now, but the more questions were asked, the more they illuminated his situation, and that was not a line he was willing to tread anytime soon. As soon as he finished and collected the money, he decided, he was out, for good.
"Three," he answered.
"What's your relationship status?"
"Single."
"On a scale of one to ten, how much sexual experience have you had? One being very little, five being average, and ten being very high, with many partners and sexual encounters."
"..."
How was he supposed to answer this one?
"Since you had three partners, I would think you have average or below average experience," Lyon said.
Below average? If three is considered below average, then how much would you need to be a ten? He stared as the arrogant man scribbled over the clipboard. How much experience did he have? Probably more than him, if he were working in whatever this industry was.
"Where's the most outrageous place you've had sex?"
"...What?"
"Must I repeat?"
Gray "tch"ed lowly.
"For example, in the movie theater, in the park, on the beach, in a barn, etc..."
"Who does it in a barn?"
"The guy before you," Lyon stated in a matter-of-fact manner.
"Weirdos."
"College students tend to be."
"I'm not."
"The fact that you take relationships seriously and still applied for this audition is a testimony to that."
"Tch."
"Now, if you've noticed, I am waiting for an answer. But I certainly don't mind if you take your time thinking."
Gray glared at the impassive interviewer. "Are you being sarcastic, or what."
"No, Mr. Fullbuster, not at all," said impassive interviewer replied impassively, with a touch of arrogance.
"Asshole," Gray muttered under his breath. "Fine. In the mountains."
"I wouldn't have pegged you for the adventurous type. What's your kink?"
"My...what?"
"Fetish, whatever gets you off."
This guy...is seriously saying all this with a straight face. How does he do it? In comparison to Lyon's composed and apathetic face, Gray's was an entirely different story. Ketchup red and all.
"We're not talking about blindfolds and chains...right."
"We are," Lyon proceeded to crumble his dreams. "But it can be as simple as glasses, a ponytail, uniforms, and animal appendages, such as cat ears and tails. That is a separate division of entertainment in of itself," he informed.
"Uh..."
"Dirty talk, horseback riding, foreplay, foodplay, bloodplay, submission, domination. The list is neverending."
"I don't...really know." Gray's entire face was steaming with shame by now. He'd never considered any of them. Kink, fetish, or whatever. Sex felt good if it were done with the right person. He didn't think it needed enhancement.
"Then I suppose you're open to everything."
"I'm not into the idea of bondage," Gray denounced quickly.
"It's not bad." A playful smirk lifted the corner of Lyon's lips.
Gray looked away, embarrassed for no coherent reason.
"Then, anything but bondage?" Lyon offered. "Bondage is a popular kink. People who do it get paid almost double."
"...Then I guess I can be anything."
He had a bad feeling about this. He only had to answer questions, right? So why...did it seem much more than that? He was slowly apprehending his situation. But money is hard to come by. Fast, "easy," money, that is. What was the worst that could happen?
"Why did you apply for this casting?"
"I need cash on the side."
"Are you straight, gay, or bisexual?"
"Straight."
"Hmm..."
"What," he snarled, brow twitching. Is this guy seriously...
"Are you open to different sexualities?"
"You mean, going gay for pay?"
Lyon looked at him, sensing his anxiety. "If you're not open to it, it's fine, but the term 'gay for pay' is a genuine factor that convinced heteros, such as yourself, to go down that road. After all, actors in the gay industry get paid nearly double, if not more, that of a 'normal' show. A popular straight actor on average makes five hundred and less, and a starting or less popular straight actor makes even less, perhaps two-fifty tops. On the other hand, a gay actor makes eight hundred or more. Almost a thousand an hour."
Gray's jaw dropped open.
Lyon made a contented noise, smirking deviously. "Just informing you. You are free to decide for – "
"I'm open. For anything."
Eight hundred an hour. Eight hundred an hour. Eight hundred a fucking hour. That was more in an hour than he could make in two weeks as a part-timer! In his excitement, he failed to realize that he was whisking himself deeper and deeper into a hole he never meant to fall in.
He also failed to notice the interviewer, Lyon Bastia, moving about the cameras and lights, turning them on and illuminating the beige room brightly.
The money signs were making his head spin. His rent would be paid, he could buy gas again, and he wouldn't have to eat instant noodles for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for three weeks. He was ecstatic. He was almost drooling at the thought of the bills that he struggled to make with his three part-time jobs on top of cramming for college. Why didn't he do this earlier?
"On the referral filled in by Mr. Dragoneel, it seems that he has applied you for a video audition on top of the normal interview and photographing. Mr. Dragoneel also seemed to have checked everything on the page. I may be wrong, but it appears that your referrer was in a rush, or had no patience for reading the application thoroughly. He has managed to apply you for everything from S and M to double penetration. Anyway, once you complete the live audition, the recording will be sent to the director. Naturally, you will have higher priority, because you applied for a live performance. Since you are already aware of this, we will now proceed to the second half of the casting. You will shoot a scene in order to receive the money," Lyon's protrusive, authoritative voice brought him back to cold reality.
Gray nodded, having only caught the end of Lyon's speech. "This is the part where I take off my shirt and flash the junk, right," he said, his fingers grasping the hem of his casual tee, trembling lightly.
Lyon finished fiddling with the cameras and turned to face him with an...amused expression. A short laugh tumbled from his mouth.
He laughed! Gray raged, wondering what was so funny. That was how porno castings went, right? There was no doubt about it anymore. He was auditioning for a porno, and Natsu was going to get his ass kicked later, but this was it. He couldn't back out now. He needed that money. Plus, all he had to do was strip and let the camera zoom all over his body, and then it was done. Right?
Lyon spoke up after his little bout of laughter, "I'd prefer you do that and leave. Unfortunately, it seems that you have been completely misinformed by the referrer. In other words," he said, "you'll have to do more than simply strip."
"Like...what?" The bad feeling was digging deeper into his stomach now.
The tall, white-haired man sat down on the couch beside him, his hawk eyes following Gray's wide, cobalt ones.
Gray moved to make space between them.
Lyon looked at him expectantly.
"W-what," he uttered, swallowing.
"Turn me on," was Lyon's simple response.
Gray's face flooded with hot red. "Excuse me?!"
Lyon sighed. "Do you want the money or not? Seeing your slovenly appearance, I was expecting something more confident. You certainly proved me wrong."
"I'm sorry that I'm a first timer gay for pay with no idea that I was going to be forced to perform a gay for pay scenario right off the bat," Gray snapped.
"It's either continue or stop. I don't have all day, and I don't think you do, either. If you continue, you'll be getting eight hundred today. Even more if the director likes what he sees. If you stop, you lose the eight hundred."
Gray breathed, sweating. Now or never...eight hundred or no eight hundred.
"It's good that you're unsure. A little resistance makes it interesting," Lyon remarked, a haughty smirk on his face. "So what's it going to be, straight boy?"
"Oi, Gray! You dead or alive? Helloooooo!"
Natsu frowned, standing in front of his rival-slash-best-friend's dorm room. The door was locked, and Gray hadn't responded to any of his calls or texts ever since his audition. That was yesterday, and right now, it was eleven in the morning. Gray had already skipped his morning lecture, and Natsu, though he wouldn't admit it, was getting worried. It wasn't like the guy to ditch any class. He worked his ass off to be here, so there was just absolutely no way he would.
So the fact that he did was incredibly unnerving.
Natsu heaved in a breath and then shouted obnoxiously, "Oi, Gray, if you don't open this damn door, I'm breaking in!"
No response.
Although, the neighbor dorms did open, and out came some groggy students glaring daggers at him for making a ruckus in the morning. He ignored them and pulled out his right fist, covering it with his left hand.
"All right, you leave me no choice!" He stepped back and inhaled deeply, puffing his cheeks out. He then extended his fist and then:
"FIRE DRAGON'S FIST!"
BAM!
"OW, OW, OW, OW!" He cried out, clutching his fist. His whole hand was smarting a large and painful bruise. He had barely made a dent in the door. "That hurt like a bitch!"
After a significant time spent nourishing his abused fist, he remembered that Gray had entrusted to him a spare key for these circumstances. That was how he finally got into the dorm and found his friend out cold, like a pig, snoring away on his side of the dorm. Around his bed were cans and bottles of beer. Now that was suspicious. Gray hardly ever got drunk, and when he did, Natsu was always drunk with him.
He walked over and stood in front of his slumbering friend, arms crossed. "Gray, ya looking like a pile of shit right now!" he announced. "The hell happened to you?"
Gray twitched, rolling over and cracking open a dark, gloomy eye. He lifted an arm out from under his cover and crooked his index finger.
Natsu blinked.
Gray crooked his index finger again.
Natsu leaned down, curious.
Gray smirked.
Natsu noticed too late.
BAM!
Natsu sailed into the wall behind him, a new bruise forming on his cheek.
"Got ya, fucker!" Gray rasped, croaking, but triumphant.
Natsu spit out blood and pulled himself up unsteadily. "You're...gonna...get it...Gray," he growled.
"Not today, bastard, not after what you made me go through..."
The fight ended with Natsu winning, because Gray couldn't get out of bed due to a headache and a back situation that made him unable to move.
Rori's Corner: Gray's money situation, solved. His back situation, on the other hand...