Rating: R

Pairing: Asami/Akihito

Disclaimer: These characters belong to Yamane Ayano, not me.

Author's Note: I apologize for the delay between chapters. I'm going to blame this time of year. ;p

The ray of light that slanted through the gap in the bent blinds penetrated the thin membrane of Akihito's eyelids as he came awake with sluggish movements, making him roll over and curl up, not quite free of the vestiges of his dream. A warmth still spread with tingling pleasure from his groin to all his limbs, fading snatches of images flickering in the back of his mind: eyes and lips and-shit-it'd happened again. A tentative touch confirmed the sticky mess that plastered his boxers to his skin. He groaned and pulled the pillow over his head.

It was too embarrassing to be having wet dreams so often, like he was some kid who'd just hit puberty. Especially ones caused by him. He growled and tossed the pillow aside, an unconscious pout settling over his features. He'd had no right to do what he'd done, no right to touch Akihito at all, much less kiss him the way he did. Why should he be reacting this way, even after all these months?

It wasn't even like a kiss ought to be, at least not like any of the few Akihito had shared with blushing girls in the past. It was more like being totally devoured, and there certainly wasn't any blushing involved. Not on the part of him, anyway. Stupid bastard-just doing as he liked, playing around like he was some toy just there for Asami's amusement. He had no right to mess with him, keep him there against his will, or to push him up against that wall and touch him with such familiarity, to kiss him like it was his due.

Akihito's fingers drifted up to his lips as the scorching heat of that kiss played out in his mind again. Asami had been so strong, holding him to that wall by the press of his body as his tongue licked inside Akihito's mouth. A gasp escaped Akihito as his hips gave an involuntary lurch, another erection already tenting the front of his boxers.

Shit. This was so messed up. He liked girls, even if he'd never really had a serious relationship. First, he'd been focused on his friends and then University and photography. He hadn't really had the time or inclination for many dates, but that was just because he had other priorities right now. That was normal, right? Whatever was happening now was just a phase or something, a freak occurrence (that happened with disturbing regularity, Akihito's mind traitorously whispered) caused by that asshole in the three piece suit who didn't seem to have a grasp of personal boundaries.

An image of Asami standing in front of the backdrop of the bay in the fading evening light grew in his mind. He couldn't help but remember how piercing those eyes had been. They'd made him feel so strange, being looked at that way. No one had ever looked at him like that before, he was sure. And, Asami...well, he was good looking. Akihito had to admit that. Almost beautiful, only in a very masculine way; like a powerful jungle cat maybe, all sleek muscle and coiled power, and dangerously attractive.

Giving in to the silent battle with his mind and body, Akihito slipped a hand down inside his boxers and gave himself a nice, long stroke. Shame made him squeeze his eyes shut tight, but his hand didn't stop as he worked himself to another climax, memories of Asami's scent and touch and taste, and finally, that rich, deep voice in his ear sending him over the edge.

Afterward, he lay panting on top of his mattress, sheets kicked down to the foot of the bed, and stared up at the ceiling sated but troubled. He wondered if Asami even remembered him at this point. It had almost been four months since he'd last heard from him, not since he'd received the New Year's card with Asami's greetings and that short note he'd penned that managed to be teasing, suggestive, and infuriating all at once. Akihito had been shocked by the amount of money enclosed with the Otoshidama he'd sent along with the card, not to mention pissed off that Asami was flat out calling him a kid with the gesture.

He'd returned the money, of course. Though he'd sent a little New Year's greeting of his own along with it-a rather good picture of the man he'd managed to snap of him coming out of Club Sion in the wee hours of the morning, along with a message not to underestimate him. That memory made him smirk for a moment until he remembered the excitement the little exchange had caused in him. The thrill he couldn't quite suppress at the time came back to him in a rush. He had kept the New Year's card, but he hadn't heard another thing from Asami after that. It was shoved deep under the junk in his bed-side table, and he had to resist the urge to take it out and read it again.

Angry with himself for dwelling on it, he finally stumbled into the shower and tried to wash away his unwilling fascination along with the sticky residue of his morning activities. It was his birthday after all. Kou and Takato and the rest of the guys had an awesome day planned for him, and it would have nothing to do with Asami.

Asami had certainly been joking when he'd invited Akihito to Club Sion for a drink. And after the few rumors Akihito had been able to scrape up about him, he knew it would be the height of idiocy to show up there just to prove he wasn't intimidated. Asami would probably laugh at him if he showed up thinking that he had meant it seriously.

It was time to write off that whole incident-put it behind him. No more dreams, no more wasted time trying to find out more about the man or thinking about what happened. He was officially an adult now, so he would take charge of his life, live strongly, and not give Asami Ryuichi another thought.

He was able to keep mostly to his resolution until much much later that night, or more accurately, into the morning of the next day, when he finally dropped into bed exhausted, drunk, and happy. It was only then as he watched the play of light and shadow on his wall, drifting just on the edge of unconsciousness, did an unbidden sliver of disappointment begin to niggle at the back of his mind. Had a part of him secretly hoped that Asami would somehow show up today?

Akihito's head rolled on the pillow, and he stared up at the ceiling which spun faster and faster, making him dizzy even as he laid there. Crazy-that was crazy. His heavy-lidded eyes slowly closed. Asami Ryuichi wasn't someone he wanted to meet again. Asami was...

Akihito yawned deeply, then his breathing deepened and slowly evened out.

Asami...

Akihito was crouched down on one knee, intent on the shot he was framing and totally unaware of anything else as he focused on his goal. It made the moment even more entertaining when Asami spoke.

"Happy Birthday, Akihito."

The boy lost his balance as he swung around, his eyes going wide as they met Asami's amused gaze. Asami extended his hand, his lips curving up slightly when Akihito eyed it warily before letting him haul him back to his feet. He dropped it quickly enough and stepped back, brushing the seat of his pants and beginning to glower a little as he collected himself, pulling his camera closer to his body and cradling it protectively.

"My birthday was last week."

Asami could almost hear the unspoken, asshole, he was sure Akihito had tacked on to that sentence.

"My apologies. I had wanted to give you a proper greeting on the actual day, but business took me out of Tokyo. I hope you weren't too disappointed we couldn't have that drink."

The teasing made Akihito flare up delightfully. Asami made an effort to contain a grin.

"As if I cared! Don't think I actually showed up at your stodgy old club, Asami. I had much better things to do!"

"Oh? How much of a hangover did those things leave you with?"

Akihito grimaced, making Asami chuckle.

"That bad, eh? Well, you only turn twenty once." He stepped forward and ruffled the young man's hair, noting with satisfaction the way his eyes widened again and the swift blush that suffused Akihito's cheeks as he took a couple of hasty steps back and averted his face.

"Stop treating me like a kid," he snarled cutely. "What the hell was up with the Otoshidama anyway?" He was back to glowering again, challenging Asami as he built up steam.

"I merely wanted to give you the traditional gift, Akihito."

Asami's smooth reply earned him a snort.

"Who wants your money?"

"Well, if you won't accept that, will you allow me to take you out to dinner tonight as a belated birthday offering? You don't have plans, do you?"

That caught him off guard. Akihito looked uncertain for a moment. His eyes searched Asami's, looking for what Asami wasn't sure, but he could see Akihito's spine stiffen and he glared again.

"No way! Why should I go anywhere with you?"

Asami tilted his head slightly, his lips graced with a slight smirk. "Scared?"

"Hell, no! I'm not scared of you!"

"Well, then, come out with me. I'll take you someplace good."

"Where? So you and your friends can manhandle me again? You stole my film!"

"I gave it back, didn't I?" Asami smiled and took a step closer, then another. He could see the boy visibly steel himself not to back up, trying to put on a show of unconcern. It forced him to raise his chin to meet Asami's eyes, and they didn't disappoint with their fierce glow of bravado and challenge. "I won't do you any harm."

A play of emotions made a fascinating display over the boy's features, and Asami watched, intrigued and diverted by the unknowing openness Akihito offered up. It had been the same the first time they met. The boy had made him laugh with his uncowed belligerence and had drawn him in with his unpracticed, yet fervent response to Asami's touch. He had no idea how delectable he looked, whether spitting like a cat or staring up Asami, his own poorly hidden fascination making his eyes shine with a fiery enticement that Asami had no inclination to resist.

God knew, the past year had been intensely demanding. It had taken all his resources, both mental and financial, to prune and shape his ever expanding business interests into something very close to the organization he'd conceived so many years ago. He wasn't quite there yet, but his grip on Tokyo and his other territories was getting more iron-clad every day. If he ever needed a diversion such as this, a way to release some of the unrelenting pressures of his lifestyle, it was now. He had shown remarkable restraint seven months ago, and he wasn't about to let the boy wriggle off the hook now.

"We can talk photography." The offered inducement startled Akihito, but his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I've met Nobuyoshi Araki, you know."

The eyes flew wide again. "Really?"

Asami allowed himself a small smile and reeled him in. "I own several of his prints, actually."

He savored the moment when Akihito blushed, obviously guessing correctly the nature of the prints he'd purchased from the taboo-challenging photographer.

"Exclusive ones that you won't have seen before. I'd invite you to come over and have a look at them, but I hate to sound like I'm spouting a horribly cliché pick up line."

Surprisingly, Akihito burst out laughing.

Asami pressed the advantage. "You'd be doing me a favor by letting me treat you to dinner. Work has been stressful lately. I could use a break." He let a little line appear between his eyes and tried to look fatigued, rather than like a shark circling in chummed up waters.

It earned him another snort, and a sarcastic reply. "Yeah, I'm sure." But Akihito's eyes softened a little. "All right, then. I won't go to your place, but you can buy me dinner."

The mercurial mood change was surprising, but Asami didn't waste time capitalizing on it. He swept Akihito off to his car and then to an intimate little place with traditional seating in a private room, and allowed the boy's nervousness to abate as he consumed plate after plate of decadent food, enjoying his obvious pleasure in each bite.

"So, Akihito." Asami smiled as Akihito looked up. "I've heard you were quite the hell raiser in high school. Five times in juvie?"

He reached over to pour more water into Akihito's glass as he choked on the piece of fish he was swallowing and started coughing violently. Eyes streaming, he gaped up at Asami. "How the hell did you know about that?"

"I have my ways." Asami said serenely.

His answer obviously pissed off Akihito, though it didn't stop him from reaching for another bite of food, chewing carefully and swallowing before responding. "Well, yeah," he allowed grudgingly. "I wouldn't say hell raiser, but I might've given my parents a few more gray hairs than they deserved."

"But you saw the error of your ways, eventually? Decided to trod the straight and narrow?" Asami's mouth slanted with a mocking smile.

"Oh, sorry I didn't decide to devote myself to a life of crime like some people." Akihito glared.

Asami laughed. "Who can you be thinking of?"

"You know damn well who I mean."

"Do I? Have you been asking questions about me, Akihito? I'm flattered that you've shown such an interest."

"Who's shown an interest?"

"It says a great deal that even despite your suspicions, based on hearsay though they may be, you were willing to come out with me tonight."

Akihito stared at him with an almost horrified, deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression, before he finally put down his chopsticks, and folded his arms over his chest defensively and looked away.

"I like to give everyone a chance-the benefit of the doubt-but if you're going to be an asshole, then I'll just go home."

Asami laughed. "Fair enough. I'll be on my best behavior."

Akihito shot him a suspicious look but picked up his chopsticks again. "So what do you do exactly, then?"

"Ah." Asami took a sip of sake and then topped off Akihito's cup for him. "I'm sure you already know that I own several clubs here in Tokyo, among other things."

"What other things?"

Asami merely smiled. "I'd much rather hear about how your photography, and why you chose to study it."

Eyebrows raised. "You really want to know?"

"Yes."

The boy came alive as he told Asami about the camera his father had given him four years ago in an effort to redirect his energy toward something more positive. Akihito had been hooked from the first, and he'd even gotten part time jobs to save up for a really nice digital model all on his own.

"Dad has always been kind of a free spirit, so he really encouraged me to go for it, even though my mom doesn't think it's too practical. The camera he gave me is still my favorite. I love my digital, but there's just something about film, you know? There's a real pleasure in watching something develop, working it with your own hands; trial and error and tweaking this way and that just to see what comes out. You know?"

"Ah, I know exactly what you mean."

Asami smiled to himself, watching Akihito's bright, animated features. It turned into a smirk as Akihito suddenly fixed Asami with a pointed look.

"Yeah, but lately I've been thinking of going into investigative journalism. Capturing all the secret, shady dealings of criminals in my viewfinder."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, I've got friends in the police department, and they were telling me I might be able to do some work for them after I graduate."

Asami looked amused.

"It's good to have goals." He wanted to laugh at the look of disappointment his lack of reaction seemed to cause Akihito, but he held it in. "More sake?" He lifted the bottle.

"Um...sure, okay." Akihito lifted his cup and drank, eyeing Asami with a mix of confusion and speculation.

"What are you thinking about?"

The boy flushed, unthinkingly tossing back the contents of his cup. "Nothing, just thinking...this is kind of weird."

"Weird?"

"Yeah, weird. I mean..." He pointed back and forth between himself and Asami. "Having dinner like this. After all, you were a jerk before and you..."

Asami's eyebrow lifted. "I what?"

Akihito's shoulders hunched, and he shook his head quickly. "Nevermind."

Asami could almost see the waves of heat coming off the boy's face.

"You're thinking about that kiss, aren't you?"

"What? No!"

Frantically, Akihito waved his hands in front of him in a gesture of denial. "That's not it! I-"

"I've been thinking about it too."

That arrested Akihito's movements. He froze, his eyes fixing on Asami's with a wild, cornered expression that only made Asami want to pounce.

"It was very good." Asami acknowledged with a slow smile. "But I think we can do even better."

He was sure Akihito didn't even realize the way he shivered under Asami's intent, heated gaze that promised him another unforgettable experience. His eyes were already dilated, and he bit his lip as Asami stood and walked around the low table.

"Don't..." Akihito said breathlessly, finally breaking out of his shocked stillness when Asami took a seat next to him.

"Come here, Akihito."

He struggled as he was pulled into Asami's embrace, until his mouth was sealed with a hot kiss that stole all his breath and set all his nerves instantly alight. By the time he was pushed down on the tatami, Asami's hard thigh between his legs, Akihito wasn't struggling at all.

He arched up with unstudied wantoness as his neck was licked and bitten, moaning out loud when fingers tugged and rolled his nipples through the fabric of his shirt.

Asami smiled when Akihito wound his fingers through his hair and pulled his face up, silently demanding another kiss. He was more than happy to oblige, claiming the mouth beneath his thoroughly while he rocked gently against the straining bulge in Akihito's pants.

His scalp stung as the boy released a strangled cry, fingers tightening and his body going taut and still before the tension bled out, leaving his chest heaving against Asami's.

Silent laughter shook Asami's chest as he ghosted kisses across Akihito's temple and jaw. "You are too cute."

"Don't laugh at me, asshole!"

"I'm not laughing at you." Asami's smile seemed to belie the statement as he lifted his head to gaze down out at Akihito's flushed and erotic face, whose eyes were beginning to fill with a fire fueled by embarrassment. Asami couldn't resist. "You really are adorable."

"I'm not fucking adorable! I'm a guy, and if you treat me like anything else, I'll fucking break your nose!"

The little wildcat shoved at him furiously, and Asami allowed him to push him off. He rolled onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow and offering Akihito a grin.

"You don't have to run off. We're just getting started."

"Like hell we are!" Akihito stomped over to the sliding door, stopping only to slip on his shoes. "I'm going home."

Asami opened his mouth to speak, but Akihito cut him off.

"Alone!"

The screen couldn't be slammed but Akihito did his best. A few seconds later it slid open again, and Akihito stuck his head in, not quite meeting Asami's eyes. "Um...thanks for dinner," he said gruffly, then disappeared again just as quickly.

Asami's hearty laugh echoed through the thin walls, raising more than one eyebrow throughout the establishment.

His hopes for entertainment that evening hadn't been disappointed, though he really should feel like a cradle robber now. The way the boy had come in his pants from just a few simple touches was unbelievably cute.

He chuckled again as he rose to his feet and straightened his jacket. He definitely felt refreshed, though next time he wouldn't let the boy escape before he'd completely eaten him up just like he'd promised seven months ago.

Takaba Akihito. I definitely would like to play with him a bit more.

Notes:

1. On New Year's Day, Japanese people have a custom of giving money to children. This is known as otoshidama. It is handed out in small decorated envelopes called pochibukuro.

2. Nobuyoshi Araki is a controversial photographer most famous for his erotic nudes and sensual flower studies, His subject matter consists most markedly of sex and death.