Chapter 11
Author's Note: Let me destroy your Monday. Ugh... My feels.
Two weeks had gone by far faster than any of them could have expected. The time had flown by with each evening being spent at work where Miki happily played in the staff room before falling asleep while he danced and made the money he needed to pay the bills. Each time the club closed for the night, he would gather up his daughter and head home where he too would fall asleep and begin another day. Miki had even made herself a small calender where she could cross off another day as they drew closer and closer to when they could begin their move, as she was so excited that every time they saw Shintarō, she would express it to him before kissing his cheek and giving him a hug. It was a wonderful sight to see and one that Takao wouldn't trade for anything.
It was his final night, the last night where the Cotton Tail's dirty little secret would be performing, but that didn't matter in the least bit. All that mattered was that he, Miki and Shintarō were spending it together in what was to be their new home and as Shintarō entertained Miki in the living room, with the background noise of one of Miki's favorite shows playing on the flat screen TV, he prepared dinner in the fully stocked kitchen.
He chopped the vegetables while the water boiled on the stove top and soft music played throughout the apartment. He sliced the chicken and beef into thin strips and sprinkled seasonings over them before dropping in the noodles and checking the rice. The apartment was beginning to smell wonderful from the mixing of spices and the aroma of marinades and just as he tasted the warming sauce that was next to the boiling water, his daughter's voice reached his ear.
"Daddy!... Come look!" Miki called out to him, sitting on Shintarō's lap on the couch.
"I'm coming, Sweetie!" Takao called back, washing his hands and drying them on a hand towel before padding towards the living room.
However, the second he stepped around the couch to see his daughter and boyfriend, he froze and instantly started to choke on his laughter. He cupped a hand over his mouth, but it did little to settle the hard chuckles creeping up from his belly. His abs were even starting to hurt from the silent laughter he was suddenly being plagued with and at the mere sight of it, Miki's own laughter soon joined.
Miki had been playing with Shintarō's hair, and she had covered the entire swath of green with nearly her entire collection of hair ties and pins. Small little ponytails were stuck up everywhere like he was a hedgehog and his bangs were swept to the side and pinned back by a small army's worth of bobby pins. He had a deadpanned look on his face and all he could manage to do was glare over at his boyfriend as if he wasn't amused in the least bit.
"It's bad, isn't it." Shintarō said as his emerald eyes shifted over to look at Miki as she giggled, which only made it much more difficult for himself not to laugh.
Takao removed his hand just to give him a chance to take a breath and when he planted his hands down on his hips, he sucked in a huge breath that came out in long, rolling guffaws that he couldn't stop.
"Oh my god!... Shin-Chan!... You look like... a pincushion!" Takao rolled out through his laughter, wrapping his arms around his stomach just to hold himself together.
Shintarō dropped his face into his palm, "I'm afraid to look." He grumbled as Miki flicked one of the many ponytails on his head.
"Hold on!... Hold on!... Let me get my phone!... I've gotta get a picture!" Takao continued to laugh uncontrollably as he headed for the kitchen counter where his phone was sitting.
"No!... Don't you dare!" Shintarō yelped, setting Miki down on the couch before springing to his feet and chasing after him.
Takao scurried for the kitchen, but as he reached out to pick up his phone, a pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around his waist and lifted him up off his feet without an ounce of trouble.
"Shin-Chan! It needs to be immortalized!" He squealed as Shintarō spun him around, burying his face into the crook of his neck to tickle him.
"Not in a million years! No one outside this home will see this!" Shintarō fired back as he started to laugh.
"But Shin-Shin is pretty!" Miki cheered from the couch, having stood up to watch as Shintarō walked around the couch to dump her father down next to her.
"I'm kinda with Pumpkin. You look marvelous, Darling." Takao said with a big smile and a fake accent.
However, instead of trying to come up with something to say, Shintarō just plopped down onto the couch in front of Takao and leaned back, squishing the smaller man between his back and the couch cushions. Takao squealed again as his laughter returned ten fold where it mixed with Miki's and once Shintarō's deeper rolls were added, the whole lot of them laughed uncontrollably.
"Shin-Chan! There needs to be a picture!" Takao bellowed through his laughter once more as Miki flopped herself down onto Shintarō's lap.
"Absolutely not! I won't allow it!" Shintarō boom, but smiled, pinning Miki to his lap as he tickled her into a furious fit of wild, little girl giggles.
"But the blackmail!" Takao squealed as he tried to tickle Shintarō's sides, only to remember that the man wasn't ticklish in his sides.
"I refuse to allow it! This hair will not leave this home!" Shintarō smiled wide.
The more he tickled Miki, the more she screamed her joy and laughter, curling into herself in an attempt to defend against the onslaught of tickles. Her jovial wails filled the apartment and when Takao heard the bubbling water splash onto the stove top to sizzle, he knew he had to get back to making dinner.
"Shin-Chan!... I've gotta get back!" Takao smiled, pushing against Shintarō's back in an attempt to free himself.
"Pay the toll." Shintarō grinned, ceasing his tickles of Miki to set her down next to him.
"Oh great. How expensive is this gonna be?" Takao beamed with a toothy grin, laying on his side as he reached up and twirled a spiky ponytail of Shintarō's hair.
"Extraordinarily expensive." Shintarō said in a mirthful voice that was low and void of laughter.
Smiling up at him, Takao softly bit his bottom lip as Shintarō turned and leaned down to press their lips together for a motionless kiss while Miki giggled. She smiled nice and big and despite the spikes protruding all over Shintarō's head, she leaned forward and kissed his hair with a wet and sloppy smack.
Laughing against Takao's lips, Shintarō sat up and scooped Miki up into his arms before standing up and offering Takao a hand. He helped him up where they shared another quick kiss before Takao headed back to the kitchen to tend to dinner and with Miki in his arms, he went to the bathroom to inspect the damage.
Takao couldn't wipe the smile from his face as he continued chopping and slicing and stirring the noodles so they didn't clump together. He was floating on cloud nine with the lighter than air feel of the evening and it was the first time where he felt as if they truly were a family. Shintarō was more than happy to play with Miki, making her laugh and smile while he made dinner and it was such bliss that not even the thought of having to go work that evening was enough to shatter the atmosphere. He was completely content with how Shintarō had fallen so effortless into the role of Miki's second parent and just watching them play and laugh was so contagious that he had to join in. They were happy. They were a family and after tonight, it would never change.
As Shintarō returned from the bathroom with Miki, having removed all of the ponytails and putting Miki's hair up into two bouncy pigtails, he set her down before heading into the kitchen and coming to stand behind Takao. He wrapped his arms around Takao's waist and pulled him back against him where he bowed his head and planted a soft and sweet kiss to his temple.
"It smells wonderful." Shintarō said quietly into Takao's ear as he finished up chopping the vegetables.
"Thank you. It's been a long time since I've actually gotten to cook a meal like this. Miki has simple tastes." Takao said, softly smiling as he turned his head to look up at the man behind him.
"And that's perfectly fine. She doesn't have to change." Shintarō said, placing another soft kiss to Takao's ear.
"I just wanted to celebrate." Takao said as he scooped the vegetables into a large serving bowl.
"Your last night?" Shintarō asked.
Takao nodded, "Mmhmm... It's done... I walk away after tonight and then we can really be a family without the dark cloud of me being an exotic dancer."
Shintarō exhaled a smile as he unwound his arms to grasp Takao's hips, turning him around to face him where he pinned the smaller man between him and the counter. He held him close as they gazed into each others eyes and when Takao smiled up at him, his heart fluttered. He would never tire of that smile.
"That didn't matter to me. Only you and her do. I love you both and I will never stop." Shintarō said, brushing aside a lock of Takao's hair that had escaped his headband.
"I think the same goes for both of us. This is what we want... This is perfect." Takao said with his arms around Shintarō's waist.
"It is... I can't wait for you and her to officially move in. We're going to be so happy." Shintarō said in just above a whisper.
"We just gotta get passed tonight, then it begins. I love you too, Shin-Chan; With all my heart." Takao said.
Shintarō smiled down at him as he brought their lips together, tasting the notes of the sauce Takao was making on the stove top. It was mildly spicy and flavorful, having a hint of curry and he couldn't wait until it was time to eat. He loved the smell of fresh cooking and with having the man he loved in his home, their home, he was looking forward to many more.
As their lips parted, they smiled at each other for another moment before Shintarō stepped away to set the table, setting up three places and a booster seat for Miki to sit between them. Dinner was ready and as Takao placed the food on the table, Shintarō took Miki to the bathroom to wash their hands before sitting down to eat.
Dinner was delicious, and Takao and Shintarō couldn't stop laughing as Miki ate and got a ton of it all over her mouth like she just committed murder. Takao cleaned his baby girl's mouth with a napkin before returning to his meal and even in silence, they all wore contented smiles on their faces. Every few minutes, Takao and Shintarō would glance up at each other if only to steal the occasional glance and each time their eyes met, their smiles broadened. Everything truly was falling into the right place like it should have nine years ago, but even though that time had passed them by, it was like someone had pressed play on their story. They just picked up where everything had left off and it was so easy, so honest and true that he didn't have to think. This is what he had always thought his life would be and with the special addition of his daughter, it made it perfect.
As they finished eating, Takao cleaned Miki's face before setting her loose to go play in the living room while he and Shintarō cleaned up the table and did the dishes. They would steal quick kisses and as a pair, everything was cleaned up and put away in not a lot of time, but when Takao glanced at the clock, he gasped and scurried to get his apron off.
"Shit... I've gotta get going, Shin-Chin, or I'm gonna be late for work." Takao said, untying his apron and setting it down on the counter.
"What?... But you'll be early." Shintarō said as he looked down at his wrist watch.
"I've gotta catch the bus remember? I won't be home till tomorrow, so afterwards, I'll just head to my apartment and then see you tomorrow, okay?" Takao said as he quickly jogged into the bedroom.
Shintarō furrowed his brows as he checked on Miki to make sure she was okay before following him, walking in just as Takao started to pull Miki's things from the backpack so he would have them while he watched Miki for the night.
"Kazu... Why won't you come back here?" Shintarō asked, walking up behind Takao and wrapping his arms around him to halt his progress.
"The buses don't run that late. You know that." Takao said as he craned his head up to look up at him.
"You don't need to worry about that. Take my car and come back here when you're done." Shintarō said as he turned Takao around so he faced him.
Takao's breath caught, "W-What?... S-Shin-Chan... I can't take your car." He softly gasped.
"Why not? You have a license and I'm fully insured on it. Just watch out for the torque when you start off. It tends to grab." Shintarō said, resting his hands down on Takao's hips to keep him from moving anywhere.
Takao started to blush, "Shin-Chan... That's an $80,000 car that you're wanting me to take to a strip club in the red light." He airily laughed, resting his hands down on Shintarō's chest.
"And I did the same. I want you to take it and come home where you're safe in my arms. It's our car now, Kazu, so please... Use it and come home." Shintarō said softly.
Takao softly bit his bottom lip as his eyes began to sting, but they didn't build up any tears to shed, rather just made them glisten. He didn't think his evening could get any better, but hearing Shintarō's soft words and seeing the way he looked at him made it even more perfect if such a thing actually existed. His heart fluttered with love and peace and the world could end right outside their small part of heaven where he wouldn't care. Let it end because he was so happy, so free of the struggle he had lived that every second had been worth it.
"Alright... Alright. I'll take your car. How do I start it?" Takao asked, breathing out a wider smile as he snaked his arms around Shintarō's neck.
"Just get in, buckle your seat belt, put your foot on the break, and push the button. It'll start right up." Shintarō said as he returned the smile.
"Alright... You gonna be okay with Miki tonight?" Takao asked, stretching his neck up to plant a peck to Shintarō's lips before unwinding himself to finish pulling out Miki's things.
"I'll be fine. It puts me at ease knowing she's here with me." Shintarō said, drawing in a deep breath as he loosely crossed his arms.
"Alright... If I come home and your hair's done up like that again, I'm totally getting a picture." Takao lightly laughed again just at the thought.
Shintarō groaned and rolled his eyes, "I only allowed it because she was enjoying herself."
"It was priceless." Takao smiled.
"We'll see. Are you still heading out?" Shintarō asked as he let his smile soften.
Takao nodded, "Yeah... I have to clean out my vanity and make sure I get everything out." He said, pulling Mr. Fuzz from the bag to empty the backpack of her things.
"Alright. I love you, Kazu. We'll be here when you get home." Shintarō said softly.
Takao continued to smile as he closed the bag and sprung up to plant another kiss to Shintarō's lips before heading back to the living room and setting the bag down next to the couch to turn his attention to Miki.
"Daddy's gotta go to work, Sweetie. You be a good girl for Shin-Shin okay?" Takao said in a sweet voice as he brushed Miki's bangs from her face.
Miki nodded, "Okay, Daddy. I love you." She smiled.
Takao beamed, "And I love you, Pumpkin. I'll be back before you know it." He nuzzled his daughter's nose with the tip of his own.
Miki giggled, "Okay, Daddy. Bye bye." She said as she leaned forward and wrapped her father up in her arms.
Takao gave her a warm hug before letting her go, standing with the intent of going to get his coat from the closet, but it had already made its way to him on its own. Shintarō had laid it over the armrest of the couch and after putting it on, picking up his backpack to sling over a shoulder, Shintarō dropped his car keys down into his palm.
"I love you." Shintarō whispered.
"I love you too." He said before heading for the door.
He was exhausted, but happy. The entire night he had been spent as his alter ego, Gabriel Hawk, chatting up guests and dancing for the masses. He had been cheered, rained on by cash for his last night as the Cotton Tail's dirty little secret, but he had given it his all and because of it, he had scraped in a wad of cash that even he was stunned by.
With the club closed for the night in the early morning hours, Takao had cleaned his face of the makeup and was cleaning out his vanity. The other dancers all gave him hugs of good bye and wishes of good luck, but it was Star whom had stayed behind because she truly, and honestly, was going to miss him.
"I can't believe you're leaving, Kazu. I'm gonna miss little Bumpkin." Star said sadly, sitting down next to him at a vacant vanity as she watched him pack.
"You have my number, Star. If you wanna see her, just call. We'll set up a play date, or something so she and Takeshi can play." Takao said, sending her a quick smile as he pulled out his makeup case and put it into his bag.
"I think he'd like that a lot. Just be safe out there. Sometimes it's not nicer on the other side of the fence." Star said quietly.
Takao's smile slowly died, "It will be for me. Shin-Chan's my soulmate, Star. I know it seems ridiculous since we've only been together for a few weeks since reconnecting, but we've been together for so much longer than that. We dated in high school for a year, but even though we had that nasty break up, we never moved on. For nine years, we didn't date anyone, or sleep with anyone else. We were just apart and when we got back together... It was easy; Like it never happened." He explained.
"I understand. I'm happy for you, Kazu. I really am. It sounds like this guy's... really what you needed. You're one of the lucky ones." Star said.
Again, Takao nodded, "Yeah... Like the stars aligned and just... fixed everything. I'll miss you guys, but I have to do this for Miki; For us." He said, pulling a few more odds and ends from the vanity to stuff into his backpack.
"I get it," she nodded, "But hey, the ape wants to see you, so I'll talk to you later maybe. I might take you up on that play date for Takeshi and Miki." Star said as she stood.
"I hope you do. I'd really like you to meet Shin-Chan. He's amazing." Takao said, zipping up his bag before standing up and closing the drawer of his vanity.
"It sounds like it. You glow whenever you talk about him. Does he have brother?" Star airily laughed.
Takao smiled, "Sorry... Younger sister."
"Damn... Oh well... I'll keep looking. Take care of yourself, Kazu." Star said.
Takao nodded and smiled just a bit longer before giving her a hug, staying there a moment because he genuinely was going to miss her. She had helped him plenty by watching Miki while he worked, and every so often, she would bring her young son into the club as well where both he and Miki would play with their toys. Over the course of his three years working at the Cotton Tail, Star and her boy had been a stable place to find peace and solace in his chaotic world and he would forever be grateful for it. She had helped him to stay sane in the insanity and no matter how much time passed, he would always be thankful.
With a quick kiss to Star's cheek, Takao finally let go, softly smiling, but that gentle arc was quickly wiped away when the man he hated most opened his office door.
"Kazunari! Get in here!" The man barked, making Takao's smile vanish in an instant as his stomach began to churn.
"You better go. I'll see you later." Star said in a whisper before heading off.
Takao sucked in a breath to help settle his stomach as he turned around to face the man, how his angry and dead eyes stared at him and how his mouth was set into a hard line. It was clear the man wasn't happy, but needing his final paycheck, he had to go and meet with the man.
"Do you have my final paycheck?" Takao asked blandly, stepping into the office as his boss shut the door with a click.
"Yes." He said bluntly as he stepped around Takao and went to heavily plop down in his well used office chair.
"Can I have it?" Takao asked, trying to keep calm and ignore the boil in his stomach.
"Maybe... We still need to resolve our little problem we're facing in regards to how you're gonna keep your mouth shut." The man hissed as he crossed his flabby arms.
Takao's brows furrowed as he pursed his lips together, but remained silent while his boss continued.
"I've done a lot of thinking over the last couple weeks and I think I've come up with something." The man said, drawing in a deep breath as he stared up at Takao.
Takao swallowed.
"I thought about just buying you off, but then it dawned on me that even with the temptation of getting more money, you still refused me. That's when I realized that money wasn't enough for you." The man said, uncrossing his arms to push against the armrests of his chair to hoist his 300 pound bulk up to his feet.
"If you lay a hand on me, then you've sealed your fate." Takao said, trying to not even blink so he could keep a sharp eye on the man as he fidgeted with straightening up his desk.
"You see, Kazunari, there's one thing you have that keeps you in power like this, and after all that thinking, I came to the conclusion that I have to take it away." The man said as he turned around and locked gazes with Takao.
Takao was feeling nauseous, but he stood his ground, "And what would that be?"
"Your dignity."
Takao swore his heart stopped, "What about my dignity?"
"It's your dignity that's kept you from accepting my offers of making more money. It's your dignity that keeps me from controlling the red light district and it's your fucking dignity that makes you think you can just walk out of here whenever you want!" The man started to yell as he turned to fully face Takao with the glisten of sweat shining on his fat forehead.
"So what was your conclusion? What do you think you can do that's gonna make sure I won't talk?" Takao asked, stepping back against the door to hide that he was trying to open it, only to find that it was locked.
"I take your dignity."
The moment Takao spun around to try to unlock the door, his boss grabbed a hard fistful of his hair, yanking him back and throwing him against the desk where papers and folders splashed to the floor. He planted his hands down hard onto the desk to keep himself on his feet, but before he could turn around, his boss was on him and painfully jerking his arms behind his back.
"Get off me!" Takao barked, trying to struggle against the far larger man as abrasive rope began to wrap around his wrists.
"This is the only way to keep you quiet! Without your dignity, you're nothing! You won't even be a man!" His boss howled, yanking the rope down far too tightly around Takao's wrists and continuing to wrap it up his arms.
"Let me go! Don't touch me!" Takao screamed, struggling more and hissing with pain as his boss pulled his arms up near to the breaking point for his shoulders to handle.
However, the pain didn't stop as the man behind him yanked the rope, knotting it secure around Takao's arms with enough left over to act as a leash. He pulled on it hard to yank Takao away from the desk, causing him to stumble and drop to his knees, but in the same instant, his boss's giant fist rocketed forward and plowed into his nose.
His whole head erupted into white hot pain as he fell back, blood pouring from both his nostrils that seeped into his mouth to be spat onto the floor. His eyes immediately shed tears from the pain, but too soon, too hard, he was yanked up by his hair to come face to face with rage and intent.
"Have you figured it out yet?" The man seethed with his nicotine laced breath splaying out into Takao's face.
He wanted the man away from him, as far as possible, but with his arms painfully bound behind his back, he only had one option. With the blood still crawling into his mouth, Takao spat into the man's face to pepper it with spittle and blood. His boss flinched and closed his eyes, but his tight grip on his hair didn't even flinch.
"Don't you touch me." Takao hissed out as his bottom lip started to quiver and his heart began to hammer in his chest.
His boss was turning out to be far stronger than he looked as he pulled Takao to his feet by his hair and threw him across the office to land hard on the old couch. Without his arms, pushing himself up was left to his legs, but just as he planted a foot down onto the musky carpet, his boss grabbed his ankle and lifted his leg. His boss pulled his legs apart and wrapped his fatty hand around his throat, squeezing it just enough to make taking a breath wheeze and his skin begin to turn crimson and with the overweight man so close, glistening with sweat, the pungent scent of cigarettes and body odor hit his bleeding nose.
"You will always belong to the Cotton Tail." The man growled out as he started to smirk.
Takao's eyes shot wide as his worst fear came into the front of his mind, making him shake and try to struggle to get free, but with over 300 pounds over him, all his strength, all his muscle wasn't enough. His boss kept his hand wrapped around his throat as his other began to float down his chest and when the man's face was an inch away from his, he whimpered and closed his eyes because he simply didn't want to see.
As a hot, wet thing began to slither up his cheek, Takao yelped, screaming and struggling just to try and get away, but he was pinned between the sweaty man above him and the old couch and without his arms, all he could do was kick.
If being an exotic dancer had granted him one thing, it was flexibility, and it was that flexibility that allowed him to crane a leg up to plant his foot into the man's chest. His legs were strong, incredibly so and with all his power, he shot his leg forward and tossed his boss into the other side of the couch. Without the weight above him, Takao sat up with the intent to run, but his boss still had ahold of the rope.
Takao was yanked back into fat arms where he was spun around and pressed hard into the wall, knelt on the couch with his boss's heavy hand on the back of his head. He yelped again, struggling more and more, but when his boss forced his meaty leg between his, forcing them apart, he couldn't stop the whimper from creeping up his throat.
"No!... Please don't do this! I promise I'll keep quiet!" Takao pleaded, starting to sob with his terror of what was happening.
"I can't take that risk! Maybe this way, you'll be too ashamed of yourself to open your fucking mouth!" His boss hissed as his plump hand gripped the collar of Takao's t-shirt and pulled, tearing it down his back.
"Don't!... I'm begging you, please!" Takao screamed, breathing far too fast for the air to satisfy his lungs.
"This is your fault! If you would have just accepted my offer, than this would never have had to happen!" The man shot back, clamping his teeth down onto the back of Takao's neck.
The moment he felt the man's tongue begin to suck and lick his neck, Takao screamed his terror and thrashed, trying to get the man away from him, but he couldn't get the leverage to, couldn't find that ledge to push off of to try and get free. He could hear his heart slamming in his chest, could hear his belt coming undone and he could feel the hot slick of the man's sweat against his exposed back. He whimpered from the pain radiating in his nose and the pressure against his head and all he wanted to do was vanish, to evaporate, but he couldn't with the hot line being run up his neck to his ear.
"P-Please... L-Let me go." Takao sobbed, squeezing his eyes shut to try and being whisked away into another world.
"You'll always belong to me. I will never lose the Cotton Tail's dirty little secret and this way... You really will be dirty." The man said lowly before claiming Takao's earlobe between his teeth.
Takao yelped through his sobs, whipping his head to the side to free his earlobe, but where one relief came, his boss only acted in kind. The man gripped his hair and pulled him down into the couch, pressing his face into the awful cushions that smelt of old musk and body sweat. He gagged as he tried to get clean air, turning his head to the side, but that brought his boss into his peripheral vision, seeing him above him as he knelt between his legs. His large hand was pressed down into his shoulder blades, keeping him face down against the couch and when his other hand grabbed the top of his pants, all he could do was scream.
"No!... No! No! No!... NAAAAAAAH!"
All that crept out from beneath the locked office door were screams that were too soon muffled, drowned out where they went ignored by those whom remained in the club for the activities of after hours. Clients came and went, none being the wiser, but there was one amongst the girls that knew what was happening behind that fateful door.
She hadn't had a choice, saw no other way out other than to listen to the man that ensured she could feed her son. She knew Takao had been right, that she never should have agreed to participate in the man's illegal games, but seeing no other way to make ends meet, she had. It had put her deep inside a world she didn't want to be in, but it was too late. She either complied, or would face the consequences and with her son as her only motivation, she had agreed to carry out his order.
Just as the door had locked, Star had fought against her own emotions, had pushed back her tears of what she was about to do. He had her son, had threatened him and needing to protect him in every way she could, she had gone to the DJ booth and turned on the music. None could hear the screams, could hear the terror happening behind that door and as she just sat there, listening to the music thump and drown out the noise, she cried.
She had betrayed her friend, had turned her back on him just as he had found the happiness he had been searching for for so long. She had abandoned him, had cast everything they had ever done for each other aside as if it was garbage. She felt like the worst thing to exist on the planet, like she didn't deserve to keep taking in breath, but as she stared at that door, catching the faintest of screams through the music and knowing what was happening, a piece of Star's soul died as she turned up the music.
