Fic: The Camera Eye: Meaningful Gifts [Subaru x Tomoya, NC-17]
Title: The Camera Eye: Meaningful Gifts
Chapter: Forty-third in The Camera Eye series. Links to previous installments can be found here
Author: Boots
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Porn industry AU, drama, smut, romance
Warnings: Male/male sex, polyamory, piercing worship/play, 69
Pairing: Tomoya x Subaru (Royz) (main), Yo-ka (DIAURA) x Yuuki (Lycaon), Kouki (D=OUT) x Ryoga (BORN), mentions of MiA x Koichi (Mejibray)
Disclaimer: Royz belongs to BP Records, the now-disbanded Lycaon belonged to Vogue Entertainment, D=OUT and GazettE belong to PS Company, I own the story only.
Summary: JAVA Awards Nomination Day, Subaru’s birthday and Valentine’s Day all coincide. Uruha gets some interesting news, while Subaru is more concerned with moving into his new apartment - but he can be distracted with gifts of love.
Notes: Birthday fic for Subaru and Valentine’s Day fic! (And, yes, I incorporated the health issues suffered by Yo-ka of DIAURA and Tsuzuku of Mejibray at the time of the fic’s writing).
Uruha knew that watching his Twitter feed like a hawk was, well, kind of silly. Yes, the JAVA nominations were about to come out. No, he wasn’t going to make then come any faster by sitting at his kitchen table, first thing in the godforsaken morning, staring at the screen.
That wasn’t going to stop him from doing it, though.
His unblinking stare at the phone was interrupted by a text message coming through. “You’re waiting too, aren’t you?” wrote Sparxxx.
“Are you surprised?” Uruha typed back. “What else do I have to do on a Sunday morning?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day,” Sparxxx replied. “You have a boyfriend.”
“He’s still sleeping,” Uruha typed. “He’s not as crazy as I am when it comes to this.”
“I can understand,” the blogger said. “Listen - if you want to get a jump on next year’s JAVAs, I have a piece of hot info for you.”
“I’m all ears.” Sparxxx hadn’t steered Uruha wrong yet - it was because of the blogger, after all, that they had the best-selling gay porn video of the decade (Datenshi Blue), the top-selling romance porn of the year (Heart of the Ocean) and, at the last JAVAs, the triple crown of Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Video.
When Sparxxx talked - or, rather, texted - Uruha listened.
“Here’s the story,” Sparxxx replied. “Kiryu Video isn’t happy with the distribution deal they have with Hard Candy. They’re looking to form a new partnership. So far, they’ve had nothing but a pure distribution deal - but they’re putting out feelers about a possible partnership, including co-productions.”
“I’ve already got a pretty full slate of actors,” Uruha said. “What would these people have to offer that the people from Eros Video don’t?”
“A unique set of established video concepts,” Sparxxx replied. “Their bread and butter is the Tails and Legends series - Japanese fairy tale-like stories with a lot of sex. You have nothing like that. But that’s not the best part. Once or twice a year, they do a humorous video - they use the name My Dragon Video for those.”
Okay, now that he mentioned it, Uruha knew exactly who he was talking about. They did, indeed, put out good, best-selling videos - and they had a clutch of JAVAs to boot. “That’s the group that has the green-haired guy who’s always wearing something over his face.”
“Yes,” Sparxxx replied. “Now, you know that Adonis prides themselves on their porn comedies. They always have at least one video in the running for the Best Comedy award. In fact, that’s why they went in with Heavy Hitter on getting the awards changed. They claim that the JAVAs have always shut out humor for the big prize, and the new format guarantees a comedy competing for Best Video.
The blogger added, “You cut a deal with Kiryu Video, you co-produce a My Dragon title, and you’ll be running neck-and-neck with Adonis next year - and that’s one more video you’ll have in the running for the top prize.”
Okay, Sparxxx had some definite points - and as reluctant as Uruha was to expand his roster of actors, he knew that Kiryu Video sported at least one major performer who could be an asset to them. Mahiro already had one Best Supporting Actor JAVA under his belt - he’d won it the year Uruha had won Best Director for the first time - and was a shoo-in to win more. “I’ll definitely follow up on it,” he told his contact.
“Good,” Sparxxx said. “Do it fast - make them an offer before the end of the day, before this gets out.” Then, after a pause - “Oh, they’ve started Tweeting the nominations.”
“Oh, my God,” Uruha replied. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later!” He switched back to Twitter. They were on the minor categories now - the ones that wouldn’t even be presented onstage this year, thanks to Heavy Hitter’s new awards format - but at least it was nominations.
He watched, breathlessly, as more and more Tweets filled his screen. Ruki was nominated for Best Oral - again. The trio of Subaru, Yo-ka and MiA was up for Best Threesome, which pleased Uruha to no end - he knew they’d earned it, that they’d really worked that scene.
Subaru and MiA were up again for Best Two Person Sex Scene - although Uruha noted, to some small amusement, that their competition included Yuuki and Hiro in a non-PSC Eros Video production.
MiA Adore got in for a Best Star Vehicle nod - Uruha had barely finished the final version in time to deliver it to the judges for consideration. But to his surprise, it also had competition from within - Inside Byou got a nod as well. Uruha remembered how he’d fought with Jin over the inclusion of the “biggest cliché in porn” scene - well, he thought, turns out he was right. I’ll never hear the end of it.
Datenshi Blue 2 was nominated for Best Drama, Heart of the Ocean for Best Romance. Well, if they got all three awards, they’d have three dogs in the hunt for Best Video.
Jin got nominated for the Datenshi Blue 2 screenplay, and Uruha got another Best Director nomination - though, to his surprise, it was for Heart of the Ocean instead of Datesnshi Blue 2. And then came the acting categories . . .
Uruha grinned ear-to-ear when he saw MiA’s name on the Best Supporting Actor list, for Datenshi Blue 2. But the best was yet to come - there, on the Best Actor list, was Subaru, for Heart of the Ocean.
It wasn’t very common for an actor to get a nomination for his first leading role. It was even less common for one to win. If he pulled this off, it would cement his status as the biggest rising star in porn in no uncertain terms.
What a birthday present for the boy to get, Uruha thought. Yes, he remembered that today was Subaru’s birthday.
He switched back to text mode and sent a message to his young star. “Congratulations and Happy Birthday,” he said. “We’ve got a bright future ahead of us.”
And if this works out with Mahiro and Kiryu Video? The future will be even brighter, he thought.
* * *
Subaru wasn’t watching his phone like a hawk when the nominations were announced.
He and Tomoya were busy arranging things in their new apartment. So far, they’d brought in a futon to sleep on - their bed was on order. Most of their clothes had come over, and they’d bought some cooking stuff.
They would have had more of their stuff from their old apartment, but they ran into a problem . . .
Subaru was unpacking a box of his shoes and putting them in his closet when his phone rang. “Hello?”
“Happy Birthday!” Kouki’s voice said on the other end. “See? I remembered.”
“My birthday is Valentine’s Day, so that makes it easier to remember,” Subaru said. “How are you doing?”
“I can’t complain,” Kouki said. “I just wrapped a video and I’m healthy. What about you? How are things with Tomoya?”
“Wonderful,” Subaru said. “I couldn’t be happier. We’re moving into our place now.”
“I’m going to have to come see it,” Kouki replied.
“Well . . . it’s not much to look at right now. Yo-ka and Yuuki were going to help us move, but . . . “ He sighed. “Yo-ka got the flu. Yuuki’s taking care of him. And then MiA and his friends were going to help us as well, but . . .”
“They got it, too?”
“Just Tsuzuku. So we decided to hold off on the majority of the move until everyone was feeling better. Meantime, we’re bringing over what we absolutely need. And we’ve got some furniture coming. My whole family back home is giving me things for the apartment as birthday presents.”
“That’s the kind of family it’s good to have,” Kouki said. “Not the type that meddles in your business. You know, Ryoga and I can pitch in and help tomorrow if you want.”
“You don’t have to,” Subaru said. A text message pinged into his phone, but since he was still talking to Kouki, he ignored it.
“Nonsense,” Kouki said. “I want to. What are friends for, right? And I want to help you and Tomoya get off to a good start together.” There was talking in the background - Ryoga, Subaru figured - and then, Kouki said, “Hold on just a sec.”
“Okay!” Subaru could hear clanking in the kitchen as Tomoya got dishes and cups out of a crate and set them in the cabinet. They’d been shipped from Osaka a day before - it was a set that belonged to Tomoya’s grandmother, which the family had been saving for when Tomoya got his own home.
Our own home, Subaru thought. I still can’t believe it. He and I are together, and we’re building our own little corner of the world.
Kouki came back. “Looks like you got another birthday present,” he said. “Congratulations.”
“On what?” Subaru was baffled.
“The Best Actor nomination. Come on - don’t tell me you haven’t seen the JAVA nominations yet.”
“The WHAT?” Subaru nearly dropped the phone. Oh, hell, he’d completely forgotten they were coming out today! You’d think he’d remember, being his birthday and all - but they were preoccupied with the move, and he was worried about Yo-ka . . .
“You need to take a look right now. You’re up for a couple of them.”
Subaru dashed into the living room, which right now consisted of a couple of folding chairs and a makeshift plank-on-a-couple-of-bricks table. (There was also a fully functioning modem and router, because they had their priorities). His iPad was on said non-table. He snatched it up and opened the Twitter feed . . .
There it was - his name, under the nominees for Best Actor. And there it was again, alongside Yo-ka and MiA, for Best Threesome, and once more, with MiA, under Best Two-Person Sex Scene.
“Three!” he shouted into the phone. “I’m up for THREE awards! Oh, my God!”
“You already have Newcomer of the Year, remember,” Kouki said. “That’s an accomplishment in itself.
“But three awards! THREE! I never thought I’d be nominated for even one! People like Yuuki and Yo-ka are supposed to get awards - people who’ve been in the business for awhile. I never even thought that they gave awards to . . .
“Newbies?” Kouki said. “They do if the newbie impresses them enough. And you obviously did.”
“I didn’t even think about . . .” Subaru said. “I mean, I had no idea they were going to . . .” Pause. “What am I going to wear? I need something special if I’m a nominee!”
“Leave that to Yuuki,” Kouki said. “He’s good at that kind of thing. Okay, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing - let me know what time you want us to help tomorrow!”
“Thank you again, Kouki,” Subaru said. He hung up the phone . . . and just sat there for a long moment.
Awards. Oh, my God. The JAVAs were just an abstract concept before, but now . . . it suddenly became real. Very real.
His thoughts were interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders from behind. “I heard,” Tomoya said. “Congratulations!”
“I just . . .” Subaru shook his head. “It’s unreal. It really is.”
“No, it’s not,” Tomoya said. “You’re talented, and that’s why they’re giving you awards.”
“No awards yet,” Subaru said. “Just nominations. But still!”
“Here, let me see.” Tomoya took the iPad. “Wow, your company is up for a lot. MiA got nominated a few times. Jin’s up for Best Screenplay.”
“That could be you next year, you know,” Subaru said.
“Me?” Tomoya shrugged. “Jin or Saga, definitely, but not me.”
“Yes, you,” Subaru said. “You’re damn talented, too.” He rubbed his temples. “I know nothing about this whole JAVAs thing. Nothing! We’ll have to sit down with Yuuki and Yo-ka for a briefing on it.”
“We?” Tomoya said.
“Yes, we!” Subaru turned toward Tomoya. “You’re my date, aren’t you?”
“I didn’t think I’d be invited,” Tomoya said. “I mean, I haven’t really written . . .”
“You wrote one of the vignettes for MiA Adore - which is up for an award. So there. You’re entitled to come.” Subaru stood up and wrapped his arms around Tomoya, leaning their foreheads together. “Besides - I wouldn’t go if you couldn’t go with me.”
Tomoya wrapped his arms around Subaru. “I get to see my boyfriend be an award -winner,” he said.
“I don’t know about winner,” Subaru said, “but at least you’ll hear my name read as a nominee.” He took a deep breath. “This isn’t quite the present I was expecting for my birthday. Or Valentine’s Day.”
“It’s not a bad one,” Tomoya said. “But . . . “ He picked up a duffel bag. “Guess what I have in here?”
“A present?” Subaru said.
“One for your birthday, and another for Valentine’s Day - but that one’s not in here.” He took out a round box covered in a fancy wrapper and handed it to Subaru. “This is for your birthday.”
“Tomoya . . .” He took the box. “Well, it’s not anything electronic. They don’t come in boxes like that.” Gently, he unfastened the wrappings - the round box had the logo of a hip men’s shop in Harajuku. He paused a moment, then pulled off the lid. Inside was a gray fedora hat with feather decorations on either side.
He remembered this well. He’d had his eye on it the other day, when he and Tomoya had been walking around Harajuku on the way to the PSC office.
“Oh, my God,” he said, lifting it out gingerly. “It’s gorgeous!”
“I saw you looking at it,” Tomoya said. “So when you went in your meeting, I bought it.”
“I love it!” Subaru put it on his head and then rushed off to the bathroom - the only place where they had a mirror at the moment. “It’s perfect! And it’ll keep me warm, too.” He raced back into the living room and tackled Tomoya with a huge hug. “Thank you!”
“And your Valentine gift . . .”
“Mine for you first!” Subaru rushed into the bedroom. They’d already agreed ahead of time that they were going to do something for Valentine’s Day - but it wasn’t going to be chocolates. Those were for girls to give to boys they wanted to impress - and besides, as a porn star in constant need of maintaining his weight, chocolates were something Subaru didn’t really need.
This, however, had no calories.
He ran back into the living room carrying a small box, which he handed to Tomoya. “Here you go!” he said.
Tomoya unwrapped it - and gently pulled out a pair of earrings that looked like two silver feathers. “They’re gorgeous,” he said.
“Since you have both ears pierced now, I thought you might like them,” Subaru said.
“I do. I love them. But you know what I’d love even more?”
Uh-oh. Had he goofed with the gift? “What?”
“If you wore one of them - and I wore the other. They’ll be couple’s earrings.” He held one against his own ear, the other against Subaru’s. “See?”
Subaru hadn’t even thought of that when he bought it for him. But now that he suggested the idea . . . he found his heart melting even more than it usually did when Tomoya did something sweet. “I love it!” he said.
“See? Two halves of a whole, it’s perfect.” Tomoya gingerly slid out one of the rings in Subaru’s right ear and replaced it with the new one. “Just like we’re two halves of a whole.”
“Tomoya . . .” Subaru’s heart was starting to pound like a teenage girl’s in a shoujo manga. He nearly glanced around him to see if he was surrounded by floods of sakura petals. He’d never had a Valentine’s Day like this before. Or a birthday, for that matter.
Tomoya put the other earring in his own ear. “There!” he said. “And now, your Valentine present . . .” He headed for the bedroom. “Come in here.”
Subaru followed him. “Did you have something delivered that I don't know about?”
“Not really. This is something, well, special.”
Subaru glanced around. “I don’t see anything.”
“Not yet, you don’t.” Toymoya reached for the bottom of his shirt. “I know how much you love navel rings. Whenever you and MiA are in a video together, you’re always playing with his. So I thought about what I could do for you for Valentine’s Day that was extra-special, and, well . . .
He pulled off his shirt and flung it in the corner, then slid off his pants, so he was wearing nothing but his underwear. And there, glittering in the middle of his belly, was a dangling, bejeweled navel ring.
Subaru’s eyes grew wide. He did this just for him? He got a piercing . . . because he knew it would make him happy?
“I had it done a few days before,” Tomoya said. “I’ve just had a small stud in it until now so you wouldn’t notice.”
A bright smile spread over Subaru’s face. “So that’s why you kept your shirt on the last couple of days when we made love.”
“Yes,” Tomoya said. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?” Subaru moved closer to him, touching it gingerly. “It’s gorgeous. It’s hot. It suits you. It . . .”
And before he could get another word out, he was pulling Tomoya close for a hot, wet kiss. Tomoya kissed back, wrapping his arms around Subaru, their tongues quickly coming out to rub together.
They broke apart, both breathing heavily, just long enough for Subaru to strip quickly, his shirt, pants and underwear landing on the floor, Tomoya’s underwear next to it. They tumbled to the futon, kissing again, tongues roaming.
The lovers rolled over so that Subaru was on top of Tomoya, kissing his way down his neck, running his fingers over his nipples. Tomoya let out a small moan, arching up toward his lover, encouraging him.
Subaru began to slide his tongue down the other man’s neck, moving down toward his chest, his hands roaming lower, down onto his stomach. His eyes traveled downward, until they lit on the bright bit of metal glistening against Tomoya’s skin.
It looked so beautiful and sexy, so deliciously sinful - especially considering that it was on the body of someone who was NOT a porn star.
He began to kiss his lover’s nipple, running his tongue around the bud, flicking it back and forth and listening to his soft purring. As he sucked at it, Subaru opened his eyes, looking down Tomoya’s body again to that tempting ring.
Oh, yes, he was going to pay it full homage, as it deserved.
He licked downward again, tongue sliding over his lover’s belly, feeling the heat within him growing . . . and reached the ring, circling Tomoya’s navel, being sure to flick over the point where the metal penetrated his flesh.
He kissed the top of the piercing, then all around the glittering decoration, rubbing his lips back and forth against it. He felt his own piercing, below his mouth, brush against it, the sensation of metal on metal just damn sexy as hell.
Subaru knew that since the piercing was new, it was very sensitive, and he couldn’t tug on it too hard - but he couldn’t resist grasping it in his teeth, pulling it very gently.
He did this for me, he thought. He went and had a piercing done just for me, for my eyes.
Pulling his head back, he ran his fingers very lightly over the piercing, the strands of it brushing over his skin. Tomoya raised his head, watching as Subaru moved down again, tracing the outline of the piercing with his tongue.
“It’s so beautiful,” Subaru murmured. “It’s the most beautiful jewelry I’ve ever seen in my life.”
He kept his fingers on his navel, still teasing and stroking the piercing, as he licked the rest of the way down his stomach, pausing just above his hardness . . .
“Yes,” Tomoya murmured. “Please, do it . . .”
Subaru shifted position, so he was kneeling on either side of Tomoya’s head, as Tomoya groped on the futon for their lube. . .
Then, as Subaru bent over toward Tomoya’s cock, Tomoya lifted his head, seeing that Subaru’s cock was right near his mouth. A wicked idea filled his head, and he opened his mouth, pressing his tongue forward.
He began to lick at Subaru as Subaru’s lips surrounded the tip, sucking at it, starting to move down, slowly.
Subaru purred - he wasn’t expecting Tomoya to do that, but it was a very pleasant surprise indeed. His hips pushed forward, trying to get himself closer to Tomoya, encouraging his lover to take it further, to get bolder . . .
Tomoya ran his tongue up and down Subaru’s shaft, around the tip, even lifting his head enough so that he could get some of it in his mouth and suck . . . while Subaru was sucking at him with his full mouth, moving down quickly, taking Tomoya deep . . .
For Subaru, this wasn’t an unusual thing - as a porn star, he’d done plenty of 69s, both on and off camera. But Tomoya was completely caught up in it, in the give and take of sensations, of the wet heat that seemed to be everywhere.
There was wet velvet surrounding him, and hardness in his lips, the feel and scent and taste of cock intense as it slid through his mouth . . . he was giving as good as he got, a true pleasure exchange, sucking and being sucked.
Subaru opened his mouth wider, moving down harder, trying to take in as much cock as possible, feeling Tomoya speed up, the sucking getting harder, more intense . . . and at that moment, the birthday boy was wishing he had a camera on him. He wanted to see how it looked, the two of them tangled up in each other, writhing and thrusting as they plunged into one another’s mouths . . .
Tomoya reached up, grabbing Subaru’s ass as he continued to suck and be sucked, squeezing it, and then fumbling for the lube again, slicking a finger and pushing it into him.
Subaru cried out with his mouth full of cock, sending vibrations through Tomoya’s body, just making Tomoya push the finger in harder, starting to thrust a little . . . He moved back so he could rub his tongue around the head of Subaru’s erection, tasting the tantalizing bitterness of precome . . .
Both men were moaning now, Subaru moving his head faster, sucking harder, the cock sliding through his lips and over his tongue, his whole body shuddering - which grew more intense as Tomoya bent the finger, stroking here and there, trying to find just the right spot.
Tomoya was lost in an erotic trance, the whole world reduced to the mouth surrounding him, the cock against his tongue, the tight heat encasing his finger. He was losing himself entirely in Subaru, drowning entirely in his lover, and it was the sweetest state he’d ever been in.
Then, his finger connected with a very hot spot, and Subaru let out a cry, feeling a sharp blast of intense pleasure through his whole body, making his nipples harden even more, his cock twitch against his lover’s tongue. Tomoya started to suck the tip again, rubbing the spot faster, making Subaru’s body shudder.
He sucked harder, moving his head faster, one finger pressing behind Tomoya’s balls, finding the little mound of flesh between his cock and his opening. He rubbed at it, pressing hard, wanting to bring his lover at least a little of the pleasure he was feeling.
The sudden shock of pleasure from an unexpected spot made Tomoya gasp, his body tensing, starting to tremble . . . He rubbed at Subaru faster, sucked at him harder, and finally, he was rewarded with a loud cry, Subaru’s hips pushing forward as he poured his come into Tomoya’s mouth. Tomoya pulled back, some of it splashing onto his face . . . and it that moment, he felt as much like a porn star as Subaru.
Subaru pulled his mouth off Tomoya as he cried out in ecstasy, the sensations washing over and over his body until he went limp, but he leaned over Tomoya again, taking the hardness in his mouth, sucking hard, his fingers pressing at the taint again, massaging it . . .
Tomoya suddenly felt the fiery explosion of pleasure, and he gasped and shuddered, then let out a long yell as the pulses ran through him, pouring into Subaru’s mouth like Subaru had done to him.
There was a long moment when they just lay there, collapsed and panting, Subaru still straddling Tomoya’s head, with his face pressed against his lover’s thigh. Then, he turned around so they could hold each other, cuddling close, kissing softly and whispering, “I love you.”
Subaru felt warm in a way he hadn’t after sex before. It was one thing to do it with a friend - even a friend who was as precious to him as Yuuki or Yo-ka or MiA. It was another thing altogether with the one you love.
“I could stay here forever,” Subaru sighed, leaning his head on Tomoya’s chest.
“Mmm,” Tomoya said. “That would be nice, except . . .”
“Except what?”
“We need to move when our bed is being delivered, don’t we?”
“We’ll move - and then we’ll test it out once it’s here.” Subaru kissed Tomoya’s lips, gently. “I love you so much. So much, it almost scares me.”
“I love you, too.” He brushed Subaru’s hair away from his face. “Happy Valentine’s Day. Our first one.”
“And there’s going to be a lot more,” Subaru said. “I promise.”
They kissed, snuggling together, warm in their futon. It didn’t matter to them that their apartment was not-quite-done at the moment. They’d made it a home, together - and it was only the beginning of a long road together.
* * *
“Wow, you guys made a lot of progress,” Yuuki said as he walked into the apartment. Indeed, there were shelves against the wall, filled with games, consoles, books and CDs. There was a real couch now (courtesy of Subaru’s parents) and a real table (courtesy of Tomoya’s family).
“Thanks,” Subaru said. “We did it bit by bit. Kouki and Ryoga came over and helped us the day after my birthday, and then MiA and Koichi helped the day after that.”
“I just wish I could have done more,” Yuuki said. “But, you know . . .”
“How is he doing?” Subaru moved into the kitchen area to get out a couple of glasses. Progress had been made there, too - the counter now sported a microwave, toaster and rice cooker.
“Better,” Yuuki said. “He was going to go out with me, but I ordered him back to bed. I told him I don’t want him relapsing.”
“I’m so glad,” Subaru said. “I was worried.” He got out a bottle of green tea and poured glasses for himself and Yuuki.
“How was your birthday, by the way?” Yuuki wandered into the kitchen area.
“Wonderful,” Subaru said. “He’s made me happy, Yuuki. Incredibly happy. See?” He turned his head to show off the feather earring. “We’re each wearing one of those now.”
“It’s beautiful.” Yuuki put an arm around Subaru and hugged him. “And I’ll bet the nominations didn’t hurt, either.”
“Oh, I almost forgot about them.” Subaru rubbed the back of his head. “Yes, that was good, too - but that wasn’t the best part of the day.”
“Almost forgot your nominations?” Yuuki said. “Don’t let Aoi hear you say that. He’ll accuse you of being a blasphemer against the industry.”
“We’re competing against each other for one of them, you know.”
“Like I care?” Yuuki said. “I already have one of those things. They just take up space on my counter. I don’t need another.” He hugged Subaru again. “We’ll go to the costume warehouse this weekend and find outfits for you two.”
“Okay!” Subaru smiled. “And Yuuki? The awards don’t mean everything to me, either. I mean, they do mean a lot, but - not as much as knowing that Tomoya is going to be by my side that night.”
Yuuki was going to reply - but at that moment, Tomoya rushed into the apartment. “They’re downstairs,” he said.
“Who’s downstairs?” said Subaru, coming out from the kitchen toward him.
“The movers with our bed.” He hugged Subaru. “We’re going to have our own bed!”
“Show them in,” Yuuki said. “And then, I’ll help you set it up and go buy you a nice set of satin sheets.”
“Yuuki!” Subaru said. “You don’t have to do that!”
“Of course I do,” Yuuki said. “It’s a birthday present. And a housewarming present. And a present just because I’m so happy for the two of you.”
Subaru looked over to his love, taking his hand. Yes, this mattered more than all the awards in the world.
“Not as happy as I am,” he said.
Chapter: Forty-third in The Camera Eye series. Links to previous installments can be found here
Author: Boots
Rating: NC-17
Genre: Porn industry AU, drama, smut, romance
Warnings: Male/male sex, polyamory, piercing worship/play, 69
Pairing: Tomoya x Subaru (Royz) (main), Yo-ka (DIAURA) x Yuuki (Lycaon), Kouki (D=OUT) x Ryoga (BORN), mentions of MiA x Koichi (Mejibray)
Disclaimer: Royz belongs to BP Records, the now-disbanded Lycaon belonged to Vogue Entertainment, D=OUT and GazettE belong to PS Company, I own the story only.
Summary: JAVA Awards Nomination Day, Subaru’s birthday and Valentine’s Day all coincide. Uruha gets some interesting news, while Subaru is more concerned with moving into his new apartment - but he can be distracted with gifts of love.
Notes: Birthday fic for Subaru and Valentine’s Day fic! (And, yes, I incorporated the health issues suffered by Yo-ka of DIAURA and Tsuzuku of Mejibray at the time of the fic’s writing).
Uruha knew that watching his Twitter feed like a hawk was, well, kind of silly. Yes, the JAVA nominations were about to come out. No, he wasn’t going to make then come any faster by sitting at his kitchen table, first thing in the godforsaken morning, staring at the screen.
That wasn’t going to stop him from doing it, though.
His unblinking stare at the phone was interrupted by a text message coming through. “You’re waiting too, aren’t you?” wrote Sparxxx.
“Are you surprised?” Uruha typed back. “What else do I have to do on a Sunday morning?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day,” Sparxxx replied. “You have a boyfriend.”
“He’s still sleeping,” Uruha typed. “He’s not as crazy as I am when it comes to this.”
“I can understand,” the blogger said. “Listen - if you want to get a jump on next year’s JAVAs, I have a piece of hot info for you.”
“I’m all ears.” Sparxxx hadn’t steered Uruha wrong yet - it was because of the blogger, after all, that they had the best-selling gay porn video of the decade (Datenshi Blue), the top-selling romance porn of the year (Heart of the Ocean) and, at the last JAVAs, the triple crown of Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Video.
When Sparxxx talked - or, rather, texted - Uruha listened.
“Here’s the story,” Sparxxx replied. “Kiryu Video isn’t happy with the distribution deal they have with Hard Candy. They’re looking to form a new partnership. So far, they’ve had nothing but a pure distribution deal - but they’re putting out feelers about a possible partnership, including co-productions.”
“I’ve already got a pretty full slate of actors,” Uruha said. “What would these people have to offer that the people from Eros Video don’t?”
“A unique set of established video concepts,” Sparxxx replied. “Their bread and butter is the Tails and Legends series - Japanese fairy tale-like stories with a lot of sex. You have nothing like that. But that’s not the best part. Once or twice a year, they do a humorous video - they use the name My Dragon Video for those.”
Okay, now that he mentioned it, Uruha knew exactly who he was talking about. They did, indeed, put out good, best-selling videos - and they had a clutch of JAVAs to boot. “That’s the group that has the green-haired guy who’s always wearing something over his face.”
“Yes,” Sparxxx replied. “Now, you know that Adonis prides themselves on their porn comedies. They always have at least one video in the running for the Best Comedy award. In fact, that’s why they went in with Heavy Hitter on getting the awards changed. They claim that the JAVAs have always shut out humor for the big prize, and the new format guarantees a comedy competing for Best Video.
The blogger added, “You cut a deal with Kiryu Video, you co-produce a My Dragon title, and you’ll be running neck-and-neck with Adonis next year - and that’s one more video you’ll have in the running for the top prize.”
Okay, Sparxxx had some definite points - and as reluctant as Uruha was to expand his roster of actors, he knew that Kiryu Video sported at least one major performer who could be an asset to them. Mahiro already had one Best Supporting Actor JAVA under his belt - he’d won it the year Uruha had won Best Director for the first time - and was a shoo-in to win more. “I’ll definitely follow up on it,” he told his contact.
“Good,” Sparxxx said. “Do it fast - make them an offer before the end of the day, before this gets out.” Then, after a pause - “Oh, they’ve started Tweeting the nominations.”
“Oh, my God,” Uruha replied. “Okay, I’ll talk to you later!” He switched back to Twitter. They were on the minor categories now - the ones that wouldn’t even be presented onstage this year, thanks to Heavy Hitter’s new awards format - but at least it was nominations.
He watched, breathlessly, as more and more Tweets filled his screen. Ruki was nominated for Best Oral - again. The trio of Subaru, Yo-ka and MiA was up for Best Threesome, which pleased Uruha to no end - he knew they’d earned it, that they’d really worked that scene.
Subaru and MiA were up again for Best Two Person Sex Scene - although Uruha noted, to some small amusement, that their competition included Yuuki and Hiro in a non-PSC Eros Video production.
MiA Adore got in for a Best Star Vehicle nod - Uruha had barely finished the final version in time to deliver it to the judges for consideration. But to his surprise, it also had competition from within - Inside Byou got a nod as well. Uruha remembered how he’d fought with Jin over the inclusion of the “biggest cliché in porn” scene - well, he thought, turns out he was right. I’ll never hear the end of it.
Datenshi Blue 2 was nominated for Best Drama, Heart of the Ocean for Best Romance. Well, if they got all three awards, they’d have three dogs in the hunt for Best Video.
Jin got nominated for the Datenshi Blue 2 screenplay, and Uruha got another Best Director nomination - though, to his surprise, it was for Heart of the Ocean instead of Datesnshi Blue 2. And then came the acting categories . . .
Uruha grinned ear-to-ear when he saw MiA’s name on the Best Supporting Actor list, for Datenshi Blue 2. But the best was yet to come - there, on the Best Actor list, was Subaru, for Heart of the Ocean.
It wasn’t very common for an actor to get a nomination for his first leading role. It was even less common for one to win. If he pulled this off, it would cement his status as the biggest rising star in porn in no uncertain terms.
What a birthday present for the boy to get, Uruha thought. Yes, he remembered that today was Subaru’s birthday.
He switched back to text mode and sent a message to his young star. “Congratulations and Happy Birthday,” he said. “We’ve got a bright future ahead of us.”
And if this works out with Mahiro and Kiryu Video? The future will be even brighter, he thought.
* * *
Subaru wasn’t watching his phone like a hawk when the nominations were announced.
He and Tomoya were busy arranging things in their new apartment. So far, they’d brought in a futon to sleep on - their bed was on order. Most of their clothes had come over, and they’d bought some cooking stuff.
They would have had more of their stuff from their old apartment, but they ran into a problem . . .
Subaru was unpacking a box of his shoes and putting them in his closet when his phone rang. “Hello?”
“Happy Birthday!” Kouki’s voice said on the other end. “See? I remembered.”
“My birthday is Valentine’s Day, so that makes it easier to remember,” Subaru said. “How are you doing?”
“I can’t complain,” Kouki said. “I just wrapped a video and I’m healthy. What about you? How are things with Tomoya?”
“Wonderful,” Subaru said. “I couldn’t be happier. We’re moving into our place now.”
“I’m going to have to come see it,” Kouki replied.
“Well . . . it’s not much to look at right now. Yo-ka and Yuuki were going to help us move, but . . . “ He sighed. “Yo-ka got the flu. Yuuki’s taking care of him. And then MiA and his friends were going to help us as well, but . . .”
“They got it, too?”
“Just Tsuzuku. So we decided to hold off on the majority of the move until everyone was feeling better. Meantime, we’re bringing over what we absolutely need. And we’ve got some furniture coming. My whole family back home is giving me things for the apartment as birthday presents.”
“That’s the kind of family it’s good to have,” Kouki said. “Not the type that meddles in your business. You know, Ryoga and I can pitch in and help tomorrow if you want.”
“You don’t have to,” Subaru said. A text message pinged into his phone, but since he was still talking to Kouki, he ignored it.
“Nonsense,” Kouki said. “I want to. What are friends for, right? And I want to help you and Tomoya get off to a good start together.” There was talking in the background - Ryoga, Subaru figured - and then, Kouki said, “Hold on just a sec.”
“Okay!” Subaru could hear clanking in the kitchen as Tomoya got dishes and cups out of a crate and set them in the cabinet. They’d been shipped from Osaka a day before - it was a set that belonged to Tomoya’s grandmother, which the family had been saving for when Tomoya got his own home.
Our own home, Subaru thought. I still can’t believe it. He and I are together, and we’re building our own little corner of the world.
Kouki came back. “Looks like you got another birthday present,” he said. “Congratulations.”
“On what?” Subaru was baffled.
“The Best Actor nomination. Come on - don’t tell me you haven’t seen the JAVA nominations yet.”
“The WHAT?” Subaru nearly dropped the phone. Oh, hell, he’d completely forgotten they were coming out today! You’d think he’d remember, being his birthday and all - but they were preoccupied with the move, and he was worried about Yo-ka . . .
“You need to take a look right now. You’re up for a couple of them.”
Subaru dashed into the living room, which right now consisted of a couple of folding chairs and a makeshift plank-on-a-couple-of-bricks table. (There was also a fully functioning modem and router, because they had their priorities). His iPad was on said non-table. He snatched it up and opened the Twitter feed . . .
There it was - his name, under the nominees for Best Actor. And there it was again, alongside Yo-ka and MiA, for Best Threesome, and once more, with MiA, under Best Two-Person Sex Scene.
“Three!” he shouted into the phone. “I’m up for THREE awards! Oh, my God!”
“You already have Newcomer of the Year, remember,” Kouki said. “That’s an accomplishment in itself.
“But three awards! THREE! I never thought I’d be nominated for even one! People like Yuuki and Yo-ka are supposed to get awards - people who’ve been in the business for awhile. I never even thought that they gave awards to . . .
“Newbies?” Kouki said. “They do if the newbie impresses them enough. And you obviously did.”
“I didn’t even think about . . .” Subaru said. “I mean, I had no idea they were going to . . .” Pause. “What am I going to wear? I need something special if I’m a nominee!”
“Leave that to Yuuki,” Kouki said. “He’s good at that kind of thing. Okay, I’ll let you get back to what you were doing - let me know what time you want us to help tomorrow!”
“Thank you again, Kouki,” Subaru said. He hung up the phone . . . and just sat there for a long moment.
Awards. Oh, my God. The JAVAs were just an abstract concept before, but now . . . it suddenly became real. Very real.
His thoughts were interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around his shoulders from behind. “I heard,” Tomoya said. “Congratulations!”
“I just . . .” Subaru shook his head. “It’s unreal. It really is.”
“No, it’s not,” Tomoya said. “You’re talented, and that’s why they’re giving you awards.”
“No awards yet,” Subaru said. “Just nominations. But still!”
“Here, let me see.” Tomoya took the iPad. “Wow, your company is up for a lot. MiA got nominated a few times. Jin’s up for Best Screenplay.”
“That could be you next year, you know,” Subaru said.
“Me?” Tomoya shrugged. “Jin or Saga, definitely, but not me.”
“Yes, you,” Subaru said. “You’re damn talented, too.” He rubbed his temples. “I know nothing about this whole JAVAs thing. Nothing! We’ll have to sit down with Yuuki and Yo-ka for a briefing on it.”
“We?” Tomoya said.
“Yes, we!” Subaru turned toward Tomoya. “You’re my date, aren’t you?”
“I didn’t think I’d be invited,” Tomoya said. “I mean, I haven’t really written . . .”
“You wrote one of the vignettes for MiA Adore - which is up for an award. So there. You’re entitled to come.” Subaru stood up and wrapped his arms around Tomoya, leaning their foreheads together. “Besides - I wouldn’t go if you couldn’t go with me.”
Tomoya wrapped his arms around Subaru. “I get to see my boyfriend be an award -winner,” he said.
“I don’t know about winner,” Subaru said, “but at least you’ll hear my name read as a nominee.” He took a deep breath. “This isn’t quite the present I was expecting for my birthday. Or Valentine’s Day.”
“It’s not a bad one,” Tomoya said. “But . . . “ He picked up a duffel bag. “Guess what I have in here?”
“A present?” Subaru said.
“One for your birthday, and another for Valentine’s Day - but that one’s not in here.” He took out a round box covered in a fancy wrapper and handed it to Subaru. “This is for your birthday.”
“Tomoya . . .” He took the box. “Well, it’s not anything electronic. They don’t come in boxes like that.” Gently, he unfastened the wrappings - the round box had the logo of a hip men’s shop in Harajuku. He paused a moment, then pulled off the lid. Inside was a gray fedora hat with feather decorations on either side.
He remembered this well. He’d had his eye on it the other day, when he and Tomoya had been walking around Harajuku on the way to the PSC office.
“Oh, my God,” he said, lifting it out gingerly. “It’s gorgeous!”
“I saw you looking at it,” Tomoya said. “So when you went in your meeting, I bought it.”
“I love it!” Subaru put it on his head and then rushed off to the bathroom - the only place where they had a mirror at the moment. “It’s perfect! And it’ll keep me warm, too.” He raced back into the living room and tackled Tomoya with a huge hug. “Thank you!”
“And your Valentine gift . . .”
“Mine for you first!” Subaru rushed into the bedroom. They’d already agreed ahead of time that they were going to do something for Valentine’s Day - but it wasn’t going to be chocolates. Those were for girls to give to boys they wanted to impress - and besides, as a porn star in constant need of maintaining his weight, chocolates were something Subaru didn’t really need.
This, however, had no calories.
He ran back into the living room carrying a small box, which he handed to Tomoya. “Here you go!” he said.
Tomoya unwrapped it - and gently pulled out a pair of earrings that looked like two silver feathers. “They’re gorgeous,” he said.
“Since you have both ears pierced now, I thought you might like them,” Subaru said.
“I do. I love them. But you know what I’d love even more?”
Uh-oh. Had he goofed with the gift? “What?”
“If you wore one of them - and I wore the other. They’ll be couple’s earrings.” He held one against his own ear, the other against Subaru’s. “See?”
Subaru hadn’t even thought of that when he bought it for him. But now that he suggested the idea . . . he found his heart melting even more than it usually did when Tomoya did something sweet. “I love it!” he said.
“See? Two halves of a whole, it’s perfect.” Tomoya gingerly slid out one of the rings in Subaru’s right ear and replaced it with the new one. “Just like we’re two halves of a whole.”
“Tomoya . . .” Subaru’s heart was starting to pound like a teenage girl’s in a shoujo manga. He nearly glanced around him to see if he was surrounded by floods of sakura petals. He’d never had a Valentine’s Day like this before. Or a birthday, for that matter.
Tomoya put the other earring in his own ear. “There!” he said. “And now, your Valentine present . . .” He headed for the bedroom. “Come in here.”
Subaru followed him. “Did you have something delivered that I don't know about?”
“Not really. This is something, well, special.”
Subaru glanced around. “I don’t see anything.”
“Not yet, you don’t.” Toymoya reached for the bottom of his shirt. “I know how much you love navel rings. Whenever you and MiA are in a video together, you’re always playing with his. So I thought about what I could do for you for Valentine’s Day that was extra-special, and, well . . .
He pulled off his shirt and flung it in the corner, then slid off his pants, so he was wearing nothing but his underwear. And there, glittering in the middle of his belly, was a dangling, bejeweled navel ring.
Subaru’s eyes grew wide. He did this just for him? He got a piercing . . . because he knew it would make him happy?
“I had it done a few days before,” Tomoya said. “I’ve just had a small stud in it until now so you wouldn’t notice.”
A bright smile spread over Subaru’s face. “So that’s why you kept your shirt on the last couple of days when we made love.”
“Yes,” Tomoya said. “Do you like it?”
“Like it?” Subaru moved closer to him, touching it gingerly. “It’s gorgeous. It’s hot. It suits you. It . . .”
And before he could get another word out, he was pulling Tomoya close for a hot, wet kiss. Tomoya kissed back, wrapping his arms around Subaru, their tongues quickly coming out to rub together.
They broke apart, both breathing heavily, just long enough for Subaru to strip quickly, his shirt, pants and underwear landing on the floor, Tomoya’s underwear next to it. They tumbled to the futon, kissing again, tongues roaming.
The lovers rolled over so that Subaru was on top of Tomoya, kissing his way down his neck, running his fingers over his nipples. Tomoya let out a small moan, arching up toward his lover, encouraging him.
Subaru began to slide his tongue down the other man’s neck, moving down toward his chest, his hands roaming lower, down onto his stomach. His eyes traveled downward, until they lit on the bright bit of metal glistening against Tomoya’s skin.
It looked so beautiful and sexy, so deliciously sinful - especially considering that it was on the body of someone who was NOT a porn star.
He began to kiss his lover’s nipple, running his tongue around the bud, flicking it back and forth and listening to his soft purring. As he sucked at it, Subaru opened his eyes, looking down Tomoya’s body again to that tempting ring.
Oh, yes, he was going to pay it full homage, as it deserved.
He licked downward again, tongue sliding over his lover’s belly, feeling the heat within him growing . . . and reached the ring, circling Tomoya’s navel, being sure to flick over the point where the metal penetrated his flesh.
He kissed the top of the piercing, then all around the glittering decoration, rubbing his lips back and forth against it. He felt his own piercing, below his mouth, brush against it, the sensation of metal on metal just damn sexy as hell.
Subaru knew that since the piercing was new, it was very sensitive, and he couldn’t tug on it too hard - but he couldn’t resist grasping it in his teeth, pulling it very gently.
He did this for me, he thought. He went and had a piercing done just for me, for my eyes.
Pulling his head back, he ran his fingers very lightly over the piercing, the strands of it brushing over his skin. Tomoya raised his head, watching as Subaru moved down again, tracing the outline of the piercing with his tongue.
“It’s so beautiful,” Subaru murmured. “It’s the most beautiful jewelry I’ve ever seen in my life.”
He kept his fingers on his navel, still teasing and stroking the piercing, as he licked the rest of the way down his stomach, pausing just above his hardness . . .
“Yes,” Tomoya murmured. “Please, do it . . .”
Subaru shifted position, so he was kneeling on either side of Tomoya’s head, as Tomoya groped on the futon for their lube. . .
Then, as Subaru bent over toward Tomoya’s cock, Tomoya lifted his head, seeing that Subaru’s cock was right near his mouth. A wicked idea filled his head, and he opened his mouth, pressing his tongue forward.
He began to lick at Subaru as Subaru’s lips surrounded the tip, sucking at it, starting to move down, slowly.
Subaru purred - he wasn’t expecting Tomoya to do that, but it was a very pleasant surprise indeed. His hips pushed forward, trying to get himself closer to Tomoya, encouraging his lover to take it further, to get bolder . . .
Tomoya ran his tongue up and down Subaru’s shaft, around the tip, even lifting his head enough so that he could get some of it in his mouth and suck . . . while Subaru was sucking at him with his full mouth, moving down quickly, taking Tomoya deep . . .
For Subaru, this wasn’t an unusual thing - as a porn star, he’d done plenty of 69s, both on and off camera. But Tomoya was completely caught up in it, in the give and take of sensations, of the wet heat that seemed to be everywhere.
There was wet velvet surrounding him, and hardness in his lips, the feel and scent and taste of cock intense as it slid through his mouth . . . he was giving as good as he got, a true pleasure exchange, sucking and being sucked.
Subaru opened his mouth wider, moving down harder, trying to take in as much cock as possible, feeling Tomoya speed up, the sucking getting harder, more intense . . . and at that moment, the birthday boy was wishing he had a camera on him. He wanted to see how it looked, the two of them tangled up in each other, writhing and thrusting as they plunged into one another’s mouths . . .
Tomoya reached up, grabbing Subaru’s ass as he continued to suck and be sucked, squeezing it, and then fumbling for the lube again, slicking a finger and pushing it into him.
Subaru cried out with his mouth full of cock, sending vibrations through Tomoya’s body, just making Tomoya push the finger in harder, starting to thrust a little . . . He moved back so he could rub his tongue around the head of Subaru’s erection, tasting the tantalizing bitterness of precome . . .
Both men were moaning now, Subaru moving his head faster, sucking harder, the cock sliding through his lips and over his tongue, his whole body shuddering - which grew more intense as Tomoya bent the finger, stroking here and there, trying to find just the right spot.
Tomoya was lost in an erotic trance, the whole world reduced to the mouth surrounding him, the cock against his tongue, the tight heat encasing his finger. He was losing himself entirely in Subaru, drowning entirely in his lover, and it was the sweetest state he’d ever been in.
Then, his finger connected with a very hot spot, and Subaru let out a cry, feeling a sharp blast of intense pleasure through his whole body, making his nipples harden even more, his cock twitch against his lover’s tongue. Tomoya started to suck the tip again, rubbing the spot faster, making Subaru’s body shudder.
He sucked harder, moving his head faster, one finger pressing behind Tomoya’s balls, finding the little mound of flesh between his cock and his opening. He rubbed at it, pressing hard, wanting to bring his lover at least a little of the pleasure he was feeling.
The sudden shock of pleasure from an unexpected spot made Tomoya gasp, his body tensing, starting to tremble . . . He rubbed at Subaru faster, sucked at him harder, and finally, he was rewarded with a loud cry, Subaru’s hips pushing forward as he poured his come into Tomoya’s mouth. Tomoya pulled back, some of it splashing onto his face . . . and it that moment, he felt as much like a porn star as Subaru.
Subaru pulled his mouth off Tomoya as he cried out in ecstasy, the sensations washing over and over his body until he went limp, but he leaned over Tomoya again, taking the hardness in his mouth, sucking hard, his fingers pressing at the taint again, massaging it . . .
Tomoya suddenly felt the fiery explosion of pleasure, and he gasped and shuddered, then let out a long yell as the pulses ran through him, pouring into Subaru’s mouth like Subaru had done to him.
There was a long moment when they just lay there, collapsed and panting, Subaru still straddling Tomoya’s head, with his face pressed against his lover’s thigh. Then, he turned around so they could hold each other, cuddling close, kissing softly and whispering, “I love you.”
Subaru felt warm in a way he hadn’t after sex before. It was one thing to do it with a friend - even a friend who was as precious to him as Yuuki or Yo-ka or MiA. It was another thing altogether with the one you love.
“I could stay here forever,” Subaru sighed, leaning his head on Tomoya’s chest.
“Mmm,” Tomoya said. “That would be nice, except . . .”
“Except what?”
“We need to move when our bed is being delivered, don’t we?”
“We’ll move - and then we’ll test it out once it’s here.” Subaru kissed Tomoya’s lips, gently. “I love you so much. So much, it almost scares me.”
“I love you, too.” He brushed Subaru’s hair away from his face. “Happy Valentine’s Day. Our first one.”
“And there’s going to be a lot more,” Subaru said. “I promise.”
They kissed, snuggling together, warm in their futon. It didn’t matter to them that their apartment was not-quite-done at the moment. They’d made it a home, together - and it was only the beginning of a long road together.
* * *
“Wow, you guys made a lot of progress,” Yuuki said as he walked into the apartment. Indeed, there were shelves against the wall, filled with games, consoles, books and CDs. There was a real couch now (courtesy of Subaru’s parents) and a real table (courtesy of Tomoya’s family).
“Thanks,” Subaru said. “We did it bit by bit. Kouki and Ryoga came over and helped us the day after my birthday, and then MiA and Koichi helped the day after that.”
“I just wish I could have done more,” Yuuki said. “But, you know . . .”
“How is he doing?” Subaru moved into the kitchen area to get out a couple of glasses. Progress had been made there, too - the counter now sported a microwave, toaster and rice cooker.
“Better,” Yuuki said. “He was going to go out with me, but I ordered him back to bed. I told him I don’t want him relapsing.”
“I’m so glad,” Subaru said. “I was worried.” He got out a bottle of green tea and poured glasses for himself and Yuuki.
“How was your birthday, by the way?” Yuuki wandered into the kitchen area.
“Wonderful,” Subaru said. “He’s made me happy, Yuuki. Incredibly happy. See?” He turned his head to show off the feather earring. “We’re each wearing one of those now.”
“It’s beautiful.” Yuuki put an arm around Subaru and hugged him. “And I’ll bet the nominations didn’t hurt, either.”
“Oh, I almost forgot about them.” Subaru rubbed the back of his head. “Yes, that was good, too - but that wasn’t the best part of the day.”
“Almost forgot your nominations?” Yuuki said. “Don’t let Aoi hear you say that. He’ll accuse you of being a blasphemer against the industry.”
“We’re competing against each other for one of them, you know.”
“Like I care?” Yuuki said. “I already have one of those things. They just take up space on my counter. I don’t need another.” He hugged Subaru again. “We’ll go to the costume warehouse this weekend and find outfits for you two.”
“Okay!” Subaru smiled. “And Yuuki? The awards don’t mean everything to me, either. I mean, they do mean a lot, but - not as much as knowing that Tomoya is going to be by my side that night.”
Yuuki was going to reply - but at that moment, Tomoya rushed into the apartment. “They’re downstairs,” he said.
“Who’s downstairs?” said Subaru, coming out from the kitchen toward him.
“The movers with our bed.” He hugged Subaru. “We’re going to have our own bed!”
“Show them in,” Yuuki said. “And then, I’ll help you set it up and go buy you a nice set of satin sheets.”
“Yuuki!” Subaru said. “You don’t have to do that!”
“Of course I do,” Yuuki said. “It’s a birthday present. And a housewarming present. And a present just because I’m so happy for the two of you.”
Subaru looked over to his love, taking his hand. Yes, this mattered more than all the awards in the world.
“Not as happy as I am,” he said.