Fic: The Camera Eye: A Little Push [Junji x Mahiro, NC-17]
Title: The Camera Eye: A Little Push
Chapter: Forty-eigth overall in The Camera Eye series, and the second story in Season 3. 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, spanking
Pairing: Junji x Mahiro (Kiryu)
Disclaimer: Boys belong to BP Records (except Uruha, who is part of GazettE, property of PS Company), I own the story only.
Summary: When Uruha offers Kiryu Video writers Mistuki and Takemasa the opportunity to make a very special video, it brings back memories of another script they wrote - one designed to help two friends realize they were meant to be together.
Notes: No, the American porn video referenced here isn’t real - although its title was inspired by a certain J-rock album, which will also lend its title to Mitsuki and Takemasa’s verison of the script.
Uruha looked at the two young men sitting opposite him, who were unrecognizable as their “pornsona” selves without their usual traditional Japanese-style finery - and in one young man’s case, a mask across the lower half of his face.
In fact, your casual observer wouldn’t find anything unusual about them in their current state at all, except for the fact that one of them had bright red hair - and the other bright green.
“Mitsuki-san, Takemasa-san, thank you for coming,” Uruha told them. “Let me say again that I am delighted to be working with Kiryu Video, and I’ve heard nothing but the highest praise for your scripts.”
“Well, we try, at least,” Takemasa said. “We’re trying to create something unique - something that hasn’t been seen in the industry before. The idea was to take the Kabuki Porn concept one step beyond.”
“We like to think that we’ve accomplished that,” Mitsuki said. “Of course, when we’ve been writing long enough, we tend to think that there’s fairies under the floorboards, too.”
“Well, you won’t need to push yourselves quite as hard in the future,” Uruha said. “You’re going to have another team of writers to help you now. And around here, we emphasize quality over quantity - unlike Hard Candy.”
He fumbled with a folder on his desk. There was a set of printouts in here that could very well hold the key to the best script these two ever wrote. That was why he called them in here today - he wanted to give them a shot at this project before anyone else, and before the rest of the industry knew of its existence.
“We’re very grateful for the opportunity, Uruha-san,” Takemasa said, bowing in his seat. “And we do have a few scripts we had completed already for Hard Candy that we would like to film here.”
“For Kiryu Video, or My Dragon Productions?” Uruha said.
“Kiryu,” Mitsuki replied. “Our My Dragon video for this year is still in story development.”
“Or in re-development, I should say,” Takemasa said. “Hard Candy turned it down flat.”
“Turned it down?” Uruha said. “Why?”
“They thought people would find it offensive,” said Takemasa. “It’s called The Very, Very, Very Private Lives of the Shinsengumi.”
A historical parody, Uruha thought. Like anyone else in Japan, he’d been raised on stories of the Shinsengumi, the elite samurai corps of the 19th century who had been the subjects of so many films, TV shows and anime series. They were so much a part of the cultural landscape that a porn parody was, well, inevitable.
“Why would anyone find that offensive?” he said.
“They told us we were defaming beloved heroes of our country,” Mitsuki said.
More like they resented the fact that their own writers didn’t come up with it, Uruha thought. “Well, you’re going to hear no such thing here,” he said. “Move forward with it. But I want to ask you, how do you feel about doing a second My Dragon video?”
The two exchanged glances. “A second one?” Takemasa said. “You’ll let us do that?”
“Well, I’m going to make a proposal to you,” Uruha said. “I have a very special project here - one I’ve kept under wraps until now. As of today, we officially secured the foreign remake rights to Disco Cowboy - have you ever heard of it?”
The two writers for Kiryu video looked at each other quizzically. “No,” Takemasa said. “What is it?”
“It was an extremely popular American gay porn comedy video from around 2002,” Uruha said “Won every award they had over there. It’s about a gay man from the 1970s who finds himself time-traveling to the Old West and becoming involved with a group of cowboys.”
He pulled out the printout. “I had a translation of the original script done - but we’re definitely not going to follow it word-for-word. Now, as we all know, Hollywood has a thing for taking our samurai movies and remaking them as cowboy films. What we’re going to do with this is the reverse. We’re going to take this American cowboy time-travel porn and turn it into a very Japanese Kabuki Porn time-travel comedy. And you’re just the guys to do it.”
He handed the printout to the two writers. Takemasa flipped through it, Mitsuki looking over his shoulder. “You really mean we can rewrite this in our style?” Mitsuki said.
“Go nuts,” Uruha said. “All I ask is you follow the basic outline of the plot and keep the central concept of the time traveler from the ‘70s. I know a couple of older guys in my building who were disco dancers back then, so I can put you in touch with them if you need consultants about the period. You’ll want to consult with Kobe-san on the fine points of your script, because he’s going to be your director on this.”
“I’m so glad!” Takemasa said. “We wanted him to work on a My Dragon production for so long, but . . .”
“Let me guess,” Uruha said. “Hard Candy thought he was too important a director to throw away on silly fluff.”
“How’d you know?” Takemasa said.
“I know how guys like that operate.” Uruha typed into his computer. “I’m going to E-mail the translation to both of you. Talk with Kobe about your casting - but there’s one thing he and I agreed on. If it’s okay with you, we’d like to bring in someone who’s not part of your regular group to play the time traveler.”
“Um . . . we’ve never worked with outside people before,” Mitsuki said. “At least not in major roles.”
“But we’re open to it!” Takemasa said, quickly. He could see the opportunity to do the film of their lives ahead of him - and he wasn’t letting it slip away. “Who is it?”
“Kouki,” Uruha said. “We’ve been criminally underusing him as of late, and I think he has a real flair for comedy. The other lead - the samurai who becomes his love interest - you can cast as you like.”
“That’ll be Mahiro,” Takemasa said.
“Isn’t he a little short for Kouki, though?” said Mitsuki. “I mean, Kouki’s a giant!”
“They’ll make it work,” Takemasa said. “I have faith in Mahiro on all levels.”
“But we need to get in the Mahiro Requirement, too,” Mitsuki said.
“What’s the Mahiro Requirement?” said Uruha.
“A sex scene with Junji in every video he does,” said Mitsuki. “It’s not an official requirement from the producers, but we write one in anyway.”
“They love each other,” Takemasa said. “A lot. I mean, REALLY a lot. And it comes across onscreen.”
“He doesn’t have to be his primary love interest in the video,” said Mitsuki. “He can just play a fling of his. But the chemistry is there regardless.”
“Of course, if it wasn’t for us, those two wouldn’t be together,” said Takemasa.
“Oh?” said Uruha. “You two were their matchmakers?”
“Well . . . sort of,” said Takemasa. “It was like this. We’d been doing Kiryu Video for awhile. Those two were always together. They always swore up and down they were nothing but friends with benefits. They both dated other guys to prove that. But we’d see them together, and . . .”
“It would be a room full of sparks,” Mitsuki said. “It’s a miracle everything didn’t catch on fire.”
“And we were starting to get frustrated,” Takemasa said. “Everyone knew they needed to be together but them. And so . . .”
* * *
ONE YEAR EARLIER
Mitsuki walked into the ramen shop around the corner from where they’d been filming. It was kind of a pain in the butt to have to get out of their elaborate costumes and back into street clothes to go out - but it beat just sitting around and ordering takeout.
Besides, he didn’t want to talk to Takemasa about this in front of everyone - especially Those Two.
Takemasa saw him enter and waved to him from the corner table where he was sitting. “What’s going on?” he said.
“I’m going to knock their heads together, that’s what’s going on!” Mitsuki said. “They sit close to each other all the time. They find any excuse to touch each other. When they look at each other, they stare into each other’s eyes like they could see entire galaxies in there. And they still insist they’re just friends with benefits!”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know,” Takemasa said. “Life on other planets knows they’re in love.”
“They don’t!” said Mitsuki. “And it’s getting frustrating!”
“Because they’re your friends?” The server came to their table, and the two men quickly gave their orders.
When the man had gone, Mitsuki said, “Yes, because they’re my friends! And also, it’s just plain annoying that they’re so dense!”
“Maybe they need a nudge,” Takemasa said. “Some sort of a push.”
“How are you going to nudge them?” said Mitsuki.
“What if we wrote a script?” said Takemasa. “A script about two guys who are in denial about being in love - and then cast them in the leads?”
Mitsuki frowned. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m serious! Look - you don’t think that would work?”
“If I wrote that into a script - two screenwriters giving a couple of actors a script designed to help them realize they’re in love - the producer would tell me it was corny, clichéd and unrealistic,” said Mitsuki.
“Exactly. It’s so ridiculous that it’s bound to work. Look - just try it, okay? If it doesn’t work, we can at least say we put some effort into it.”
“If we do this and it doesn’t work, you’re buying me lunch,” Mitsuki sighed.
“Fine,” said Takemasa. (He was confident he wouldn’t be buying lunch, though. He’d seen them together too much.)
* * *
Junji sat on his couch in his microscopic apartment - so microscopic that his couch was his bed most nights, because he didn’t feel like dragging out his futon and trying to cram it in the remaining space.
He read through the script again, shaking his head. It was the biggest part he’d been given yet - a romantic lead. He was usually the best buddy of the hero (who got a sex scene in), and the final pairing was usually Mahiro and Hiyori, or Mahiro and Mitsuki.
“Damn,” he said. “Wonder what possessed them to do this?” He lay back, fumbling for his phone, and looked for the familiar speed-dial - the most used one on his phone.
“Hello?” said Mahiro after less than a full ring.
“Well, hi there, co-star,” said Junji. “Did you read the script?”
“I did,” Mahiro said. “You’re my leading man, it seems.”
“I’m thrilled,” Junji said. “I’ve never been a lead before. But you and I don’t get together until the end. What’s up with that?”
“That’s the plot,” Mahiro said. “Our characters are with other guys - while we’re really longing for each other. And in the end . . .”
“I get my head out of my ass . . and get my cock in YOUR ass?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes.”
“Kind of not the type of plot we usually do, is it?” Junji said. “I mean, it’s straightforward, not the Tales and Tails fantasy stuff.”
“Maybe they need to do something less complex every once in awhile,” Mahiro said. “You know, let the audience breathe. Something different.”
“Speaking of something different, how was your date last night?” Junji said.
“He was nice,” Mahiro said. “Kind of a dull conversationalist, but he was a good listener, and he liked to dance.”
“And it ended there?” Junji said. “Dancing?”
“Your last date didn’t exactly end in a love hotel,” said Mahiro.
“That’s because he said he doesn’t do that on the first date,” Junji replied.
“And is there going to be a second one?”
“Maybe,” Junji said. “Haven’t decided yet.”
The thing was that none of Junji’s dates got followups nowadays. They were perfectly nice guys, all of them. A couple of them had even sampled his porn star skills to one extent or another. But there was no, well, spark. No fire.
Maybe my standards have gotten too high since I’ve been in porn, he thought.
“Well, I’ll see you on the set tomorrow,” Mahiro said.
“Yep,” Junji said. “I’m looking forward to it, Leading Man.”
He hung up and started looking at the script again. A guy with a string of unsatisfying relationships, who suddenly finds that the guy of his dreams has been in front of him all along . . .
“I should be so lucky as my character in this thing,” he said to himself.
* * *
As filming progressed over the next two weeks, Junji decided that being a leading man was pretty damn tiring.
He was on camera more than he’d ever been - in scene after scene, interacting with his best friend (played by Mahiro, of course), flirting with a pretty young thing (played by Hiyori), going to bed with said pretty young thing, having a solo scene in which his character realized he was thinking about his best friend . . .
Junji was beginning to wonder how the hell Mahiro did it all the time. Then again, he packed a lot of energy into that tiny body.
That tiny, gorgeous body. Fuck, maybe that was the reason his standards had gotten so high. He was comparing every guy he met to Mahiro and finding them wanting. Well, how could they NOT be found wanting? Mahiro was a complete package - sweet, sexy, smart . . . whoever ended up with him was one lucky guy.
And he shouldn’t be thinking about his friend like this. Well, in a sexual way, of course - they were friends with benefits, after all, and the benefits had been damn good. He had to admit that he was looking forward to the scene with Mahiro more than anything else in the video. He found himself fantasizing about it, in fact.
But being jealous of the guy that Mahiro would inevitably end up with? That was just-don’t-go-there territory. Man, he thought, I have to start dating more once we’re done with this video if I keep thinking about my best friend like this. This just isn’t right!
* * *
The night before their big scene - when the characters confessed to each other, then made love for the first time - Junji found himself reading over the script again. He didn’t know why he was doing it, when he’d read it over it a billion times over at this point.
“You’re the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep,” Junji recited. “You’re the reason I get up and put on my clothes and strap on this sword and go about my business. You’re . . you’re what I’ve wanted all along.”
He tossed the iPad aside and closed his eyes. Should he call Mahiro? he thought. No, it was probably past the time he went to bed. He should be sleeping, too, since they had a big scene tomorrow - except he felt restless.
“Call Mahiro” was always the first thought in his head every evening, wasn’t it? Every time he wanted or needed to talk, it was Mahiro he went to. Advice? Mahiro. Want to go out for quick ramen? Mahiro. Whenever someone gave him two tickets to the movies that they weren’t using, the second one went to Mahiro.
He’d spent so much time with him in the past that it was pretty amazing that this was the first time they were co-leads in a video.
Yawning, he stretching his arm out, dropping the iPad on his table. Well, they were going to do a good scene tomorrow, to be sure. They were best buddies - and best buddies always did the best scenes together, right? Sure, because there was real affection there . . .
As he drifted off on the couch, he found himself murmuring the dialogue from the script again. “You’re what I wanted all along . . .”
* * *
Takemasa saw Mitsuki across the set the next morning. Neither one of them was technically supposed to be there, of course. Kobe-san always ran closed sets when they did sex scenes.
But Takemasa wanted to check out what the mood of Mahiro and Junji was when the two of them were in makeup. So he came in, on the pretense of talking to the director about a possible script change.
He walked over to Mitsuki and whispered, “And why are you allegedly here?”
“Left my phone charger behind when I left Starbucks this morning, accidentally on purpose,” Mitsuki whispered. “And Junji was at the table with me.”
“Clever. Did Junji say anything interesting?”
“No - but I can tell you that he looked happy. Really, really happy. Like, he couldn’t wait to do this scene.”
“I just overheard Mahiro talking to the makeup lady,” Takemasa whispered. “Accidentally on purpose. And he was saying he was looking forward to today’s shoot more than any other in the video.”
“This is all good - right?”
“It just means they really, really want to have sex,” Takemasa whispered. “It doesn’t say anything about deeper feelings.”
Kobe-san walked over to them. “You two DO know what we’re filming today, right?” he said. “Given that you wrote it?”
“Yes, sir.” Takemasa bowed. “I just came to ask if you made up your mind on the script change for the tavern scene, since I was in the neighborhood . . . .”
“We’re keeping the scene as you originally wrote it,” Kobe said. “And Mitsuki?”
“Phone charger.” He held it up. “Left it with Junji.”
“All right, then. Now, will you gentlemen please let us get on with today’s filming?” In other words - scram.
“Yes, sir.” Both the writers/actors bowed in unison and headed back down the hall.
“That wasn’t as productive as I thought it would be,” Takemasa said.
“That wasn’t productive at ALL,” said Mitsuki. “We don’t know anything!”
“We’ll just have to call them tonight,” Takemasa said. “And be subtle about it. Meanwhile, nothing to do but go work on the next script and wait it out.”
It was going to be a tense wait, that much was certain.
* * *
Junji was done with makeup. He was sitting there watching Mahiro get into his.
He had butterflies in his stomach, for God’s sake. Like a teenager about to have sex for the first time. He was a porn star! He’d been filmed having sex with Hiyori just the other day!
Maybe it’s the fact that it’s our first time as co-leads, he thought. But I didn't feel like this for any other part of the video.
Mahiro finished and stood up, adjusting his kimono. Kobe came over to them. “How are you doing?” he said.
“I’m ready for this,” Mahiro said.
“So am I,” Junji replied. “Really, really ready.”
“All right - we’re going to run through the dialogue, and then go right into the sex scene . . .
And there went those damn butterflies again. Junji was only half-listening to what the director was saying. It isn’t as if we’ve never had sex, he thought. We fool around all the time. That’s the benefits part of being friends-with-benefits.
Mahiro seemed to be listening, his face bearing a look of deep concentration, nodding every few moments. At least one of us is paying attention, Junji thought.
“All right,” the director said. “Places, and let’s run through the dialogue . . .”
Mahiro’s character was supposed to be writing a letter when Junji’s came into the room, wanting to apologize for something said in the tavern - a scene that took place before this, but which still needed to be filmed.
When the director called “Action!” Mahiro was seated, quill in hand, and Junji made his entrance. The dialogue he’d memorized and memorized leapt into his mind. “Hello,” he said. “There is something I need to say to you . . .”
“It can wait,” Mahiro said in a cold voice, his character turning icy eyes on Junji’s.
“No, it can’t,” Junji said. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said back there.” He bowed low. “I never would have said that if I hadn’t been drinking.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t drink, then,” Mahiro said. “Now, is that all?”
“Yes,” Junji said, and turned to go - then suddenly stopped, glanced at Mahiro and turned around. “No,” he said. “No, that’s not all. There’s something else I need to say to you - something I’ve needed to for a long time.”
And there were the butterflies again - almost enough to make Junji lose his concentration. Stay in character, he told himself. Just get through this . . .
“You’ve been on my mind,” he said. “A lot. More than a lot. I know you’re supposed to be my friend, and you’ve been a very good one to me, but . . . “
He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair as Mahiro turned toward him, a surprised look on his face. He spoke the name of Junji’s character in a puzzled tone of voice.
“You’re the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep,” Junji recited. “You’re the reason I get up and put on my clothes and strap on this sword and go about my business. You’re . . you’re what I’ve wanted all along.”
And then, suddenly, Junji realized he wasn’t just reciting dialogue. He was repeating words that Mitsuki and Takemasa had written, to be sure, but . . . in his mouth, they suddenly became his own. They were expressing HIS feelings. What his character felt for Mahiro’s character was the same thing he was feeling for Mahiro.
No wonder I’m having the damn butterflies, he thought. It’s not because of the sex. It’s because of this dialogue!
“You’re the one that I love,” Junji said. “You’re the one I’ve always loved. And I know that men like me normally aren’t your type, but I would just like to consider my words.” He bowed low. “I’m holding my heart out to you, my lord. It’s up to you what you’re going to do with it.”
I’m holding my heart out to you, he repeated in his head. Is that what he wanted all along? Is that why his relationships with other men never could get going? Was his heart just a thing that he wanted to hold out to Mahiro?
Mahiro got up and walked toward Junji, slowly. Junji thought he was going to explode from the inside out watching him.
“I never thought I’d hear those words,” Mahiro said. “And you cannot believe how long I’ve waited to hear them.”
Junji felt his breath quicken - if only he was hearing Mahiro say those words for real, not just as part of dialogue . . .
“I’ve loved you from the day you walked into my life,” Mahiro said, reaching out and taking Junji’s hand. “I’ve denied it, of course, because it took me by surprise - to the extent that it scared me. I don’t think I’ve felt anything so, well, so intense.”
“My lord . . . I am yours from this day forward if you will have me.” And this really wasn’t just reciting dialogue anymore. It was from his heart. He really was offering himself to Mahiro. He was . . .
When Mahiro approached him and kissed him hard, it caught him off-guard at first - until he realized it was in the script, it was what they were supposed to be doing. He kissed back, passionately, fiercely, pushing his tongue forward almost at once, feeling Mahiro’s equally passionate response.
He reached for the other man’s kimono, pulling a bit at it, trying to get it open . . .
“Cut!” Kobe-san shouted. “Get out of your clothes and on the futon!”
“Damn this having to film in traditional outfits,” Junji said in a shaky voice.
Mahiro just nodded. He was already half out of his kimono - and Junji followed suit. The faster they got naked, the faster they could get on the futon together and . . .
They tumbled to the bedding, laughing and wrapping their arms around each other. God, his body felt good, so warm and smooth and . . .
Junji suddenly bent over and kissed Mahiro again. “The cameras aren’t running,” Mahiro whispered when Junji eased away.
“Do I need cameras to kiss a man I want to kiss?” Junji replied.
“Okay, it’s great so far,” Kobe-san called. “Let’s see if we can keep it going for the actual sex! And . . . action!”
The word wasn’t even all the way out of the director’ mouth when Junji fairly pounced on Mahiro, yanking him close and kissing him fiercely, pushing his tongue forward aggressively. Mahiro actually seemed a bit shocked by the sudden assault, stiffening a little - but then he quickly responded with equal ardor, raising his head a bit so he could press against Junji harder, the two of them wrapping their arms around each other, rubbing their bodies against one another, both of them forgetting the camera for a moment.
They split apart, breathing heavily, and Junji pushed Mahiro down to the futon, leaning over and pressing his tongue to the other man’s flat belly, licking his way upward until he reached his neck, which he scraped with his teeth before sucking on a sensitive spot at the side of his throat.
Mahiro arched upward, grabbing at the back of Junji’s head, moaning, “Oh, yes, ohhhh . . .” The moan just served to make Junji feel all the hotter, of course.
He leaned back, making sure the camera got a good view of his whole torso, and took one of Mahiro’s hands, pressing it against his chest and guiding it downward over his body, from his chest to his stomach, letting Mahiro feel the shape of his muscles, the texture of his skin.
When he guided the hand upward so the fingers brushed his nipple, Mahiro suddenly sat up, bringing his mouth to the bud so he could lick it, making sure the camera could catch his actions. He paused, looking up at Junji, both of them breathing heavily.
“Go on,” Junji said in a husky voice. “Suck it.”
Mahiro wrapped his lips around the bud, sucking it hard, and Junji leaned back, moaning. “Oh, yes,” he moaned. “So good . . .”
He pulled away just far enough so the camera could catch him starting to lick down Junji’s torso, the wet trail his tongue was leaving on the heated flesh, the eager expression on his face. And then, it moved in for a closeup as he got closer to his goal . . .
When Mahiro wrapped his lips around the hard cock and started sucking, Junji let out a loud moan - maybe it was the cameras, maybe it was just the moment, but Mahiro was sucking him like never before, firm and wet and hot, sliding down hard and fast, then pulling back, glancing upward at Junji while he still held the very tip in his mouth.
Fuck, if he keeps going like this, I’m not going to last, Junji thought, and then felt that mouth envelop him again, the hot pleasure running over every inch of his body as he slid in and out of wet heat.
“Yes,” he moaned. “Oh, yes . . . “
Mahiro gently slid away from him - probably sensing that if he kept going, he’d take Junji past the point of no return - and he moved upward, kissing Junji’s lips, and Junji responded, rubbing his tongue against Mahiro’s, making sure they kept their mouths wide enough open so that the camera could catch it.
When the kiss broke, Junji suddenly pushed Mahiro down to the futon, on his stomach this time. Mahiro pulled his knees up, putting that lovely bottom on full display to both Junji and the camera.
Junji’s reaction was to pull back his hand and deliver a firm smack - not hard enough to really hurt, but just enough so Mahiro would really feel it. The smaller man let out a loud cry that indicated he liked what was being done - so Junji repeated the spank on the other cheek, drawing another yelp.
And then, Junji leaned over, pressing his lips to the ass he’d just spanked, leaving a line of tender kisses up the curve. His hands ran up Mahiro’s back, caressing it as the kisses continued all the way up to the small of his back.
He leaned back, fingers teasing the cleft of Mahiro’s ass. “Do you want me inside you?” he said.
“Yes,” Mahiro gasped.
“Turn over first,” Junji said. “Let me look at you.”
Mahiro rolled over on his back, breathing heavily as Junji ran his eyes up and down, from his shoulders to his cock, reaching out to wrap his fingers around the hard organ, stroking it softly, making sure the camera could see everything he was doing.
It didn't matter what the viewers were seeing, though. What mattered was the feel of this lovely thing in his hand, so gorgeously shaped and hard, and the way Mahiro writhed beneath him, moaning loudly . . .
“So beautiful,” Junji said, his fingers fluttering on the shaft, tracing patterns on the hard flesh. “You have no idea how truly gorgeous you are.” He listened to the sounds his lover made as he brushed his fingertips over the head, caressing him. . .
He eased his hand away, reluctantly - because to take Mahiro further would wreck the scene, and they both knew what they really wanted from here.
Mahiro flipped over, taking the position he was in before, pulling his knees up and sticking his ass out, mutely begging to be fucked hard. What a sight he was, beautiful and wanton, the very incarnation of lust . . .
Junji reached for the little bottle beside the futon which, for story purposes, would contain the type of oil that men used as lube in earlier times. In reality, it was a very modern lube. He poured it on his fingers, pushing one in, feeling that lovely ass grip him, hearing the other man let out a moan.
“You like that?” he said, starting to move the finger in and out, gently. “You’re about to get more, you know.”
“Yes,” Mahiro gasped. “More, please . . .”
Junji slid the second finger in, pushing them in and out, feeling his cock throbbing hard - he was going to have to take deep breaths and concentrate once he was all the way in so he wouldn’t lose it.
He had never looked hotter, never felt better. Even the noises Mahiro was making were more erotic than anything ever before, low and husky and breathless.
The third finger slid in, and Junji had to resist the urge to grab himself and start pumping with the other hand - especially when Mahiro pushed his hips backward, trying to take more in, wanting to be opened up more so he could be fucked.
Finally, Junji slid his fingers out, wiped them on a cloth and lubed himself quickly - and then positioned himself, looking down at Mahiro, feeling the tension of anticipation in his lover . . .
He pushed in, slowly, and both of them moaned. The tight heat was encasing him, gradually drawing him into that hot, beautiful body. There was, as far as he was concerned, no cameras, no eyes of fangirls that would eventually be watching them. There was only the two of them.
When he started a gentle thrust, he closed his eyes, just losing himself entirely in the sensation, in the feel of Mahiro’s channel wrapped tightly around him. The moan he heard in response was the sweetest music imaginable.
Bit by bit, he sped up, thrusting deeper and harder into his lover, and Mahiro started to move against him in response, thrusting back against him, moaning, “More, harder . . .” And he couldn’t ignore a request like that. He pushed into him quicker, until he was pistoning into him, plunging deep within his lover, hearing the delicious sounds he made in response, which just made him thrust harder and faster and deeper.
He could feel his heart pounding, the droplets of sweat running down his skin, the way all his muscles tensed with every thrust. He was totally losing himself within this man, drowning in the passion . . .
One of his hands wrapped around Mahiro’s body, grasping his erection and stroking, and Mahiro’s moans became louder, his thrusts against Junji more erratic. “I’m . . .” he gasped. “I’m about to . . .”
Mahiro nearly screamed, thrusting back so hard against Junji that Junji felt like he was impaling him - and the motion was all it took for him to lose his own last bit of control. He let out a cry that bounced off the walls, feeling hot pleasure shoot through his veins to the point where he thought he was going to explode.
They both collapsed to the bed in a ragged heap and kissed, arms wrapped around one another tightly, as the camera panned away from them slowly and Kobe yelled, “Cut!” They continued to cling to each other, panting, not hearing the applause of the crew. Everyone else in this room could be on another continent as far as Junji was concerned.
I love you, he thought. I love you so much . . .
“Junji?” Mahiro said. “Did . . . did you just . . .”
And it was then that Junji realized he didn’t just think those words - they’d come out of him. He’d said them out loud. “Um, well . . .”
Mahiro cupped his face in his hand and whispered, “Let’s go in the bathroom together. We’ll talk.”
The crew was handing them yukatas - standard for the end of a sex scene. Junji grabbed his and said, quickly, for the benefit of those listening, “I really need a shower!”
“Me, too,” Mahiro said. “Mind if I share?”
“After this? Not at all,” Junji said.
“Good job, guys,” Kobe said. “You delivered a one in a million scene.”
The two of them rushed off to the bathroom adjourning the set, which had a tub big enough for two and a two-person washing area. Mahiro quickly turned on the taps to fill the tank - more to cover up their voices than anything else.
“After we finished the scene,” he said, “you said . . .”
“I said what I meant,” Junji said. “Mahiro, when we did that scene, when I spoke that dialogue, I realized the character I’ve been playing in this thing is me. I don’t know how they did it, but Takemasa and Mitsuki wrote what’s been inside me all along. You’ve been my friend, but . . . dammit, I don’t think I could recite that whole scene again!”
“You don’t have to,” Mahiro said, softly.
“Good. Because the holding my heart out to you part? That’s kind of icky. It sounds like something from your old horror videos.”
Mahiro laughed. “Well, the dialogue’s kind of over-the-top.”
“But it’s honest. Because it’s honestly how I feel. I love you, Mahiro.”
As he said it, Junji felt like a thousand-pound weight he didn’t know he’d been carrying all along had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt so light he thought he was going to go floating away.
“I love you, too,” Mahiro said. “I’ve been in denial - mostly because I didn’t know how to tell you. If I did, and you rejected me, well . . . it would make filming just a little awkward. Especially given that we’re a tight-knit group.”
Mahiro shut the taps off and sat down on one of the bathing stools, picking up the showerhead. “I was afraid that if I said something to you, and it backfired, that it would take Kiryu Video along with it. And I don't want anything to happen to this company. This is, well, a home to me now.”
“It’s a home to me, too.” Junji sat next to him, picking up his own showerhead. “But with you and I being together? It will be even more of a home.”
“It took a script to get us to confess to each other.” Mahiro started the water. “It seems kind of, well . . . ironic, doesn’t it?”
“Ironic in the most delicious way,” Junji said. “We couldn’t say it to each other, so our characters said it for us.” He reached out and put a now-soap-covered hand over Mahiro’s. “We owe Takemasa and Mitsuki a thank-you.”
“Do you really think they intended to get us together?” Mahiro said, squeezing Junji’s hand.
“Does it matter?” Junji said. “Intent or not, we’ve confessed. We’re together.” He suddenly leaned over and hugged Mahiro. “Do you know how good it sounds? We’re together. You and me.”
“We should have done it sooner,” Mahiro said. “I should have told you I loved you that night . . .” He sighed. “That night of the JAVAs. The one that went horribly wrong. Because that’s when I knew.”
“We’ll make up for lost time now,” Junji said. “Come on - we’ll finish washing up, and then we’ll go back to my place, and we’ll have round two, and three, and four . . .”
“Just like that first night,” said Mahiro.
“Yes - but this time, it’s as a couple, not just friends-with-benefits,” said Junji. “There’s a difference - you’ll see.”
They kissed again, and laughed - and went back to washing. They had to be back at Junji’s as soon as possible - to find out if it really was different as a couple.
* * *
PRESENT DAY
“We just got a cryptic text message that night - me from Mahiro, Mitsuki from Junji,” Takemasa said. “They both just said, ‘Thank you so much.’”
“And then we didn’t hear from them for two days - until they had another shooting day,” said Mitsuki. “We figured we were successful.”
“Then, when we got to the shooting set for the tavern scene, they were all over each other,” said Takemasa. “We knew for sure then.”
“And we may have high-fived,” Mitsuki said. “Discreetly.”
“They told us the details later,” Takemasa said. “Bit by bit.”
“Usually when they’d been drinking,” said Mitsuki.
“So, yes, ever since then we’ve put a scene for the two of them into every Kiryu Video or My Dragon production,” Takemasa said. “Even if they’re not each other’s leading men.”
“That’s quite a story,” Uruha said. “They certainly do look happy together.”
“Happy? They’re ecstatic,” Mitsuki said. “Seriously, they’re meant to be together. And they’re perfectly fine with each other being with other guys, or for them to have threesomes onscreen or off.”
“It’s because they trust each other,” Takemasa said. “It’s basically the ideal relationship for this industry.”
“So, yeah, that’s why we have the Mahiro Requirement,” Mitsuki said. “And it’s the same for this video. We’re willing to rewrite your American film, and tailor the lead for Kouki - but we need to have a scene for the two of them.”
“By all means,” Uruha said. “Write your scene in for Mahiro and Junji. Like I said, we’re flexible here.” He smiled. “And I can’t wait to see the results. Both your screenplay, and the finished film with their performances.”
Especially Mahiro and Junji, he thought. Now that he knew their story, he was thinking about all kinds of possibilities for them. They were definitely in for his real-couples anthology, that was for sure.
“To be honest? Neither can we.” Takemasa stood up and bowed. “Thank you for the opportunity to do this, Uruha-san.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Uruha said.
As the two left his office, he opened up a Word document on his computer - the kind of thing he did while brainstorming. He typed the words “Ideas for Mahiro and Junji” at the top.
He imagined it was going to be a very long document before he was done.
* * *
In Mahiro and Junji’s apartment, Junji was laying on his back on their bed, naked except for the covers pulled up to his waist. He was looking at his phone as his lover finished up in the bathroom, reading a message from Takemasa.
“It’s going to be something about a time traveler,” Junji called. “They’re excited about writing it. And they said we’re not co-leads, but they’re making sure we have a scene together.”
“They’d better,” Mahiro said, walking out of the bathroom and climbing into bed beside the other man. “You’ve been my favorite co-star since we met.”
“Maybe we should write a movie,” Junji said. “One where we can co-star with each other.”
“I’ve never tried writing a screenplay.” Mahiro snuggled against him. “I just act in them.”
“I haven’t, either,” Junji said. “But it’s a porn script. How hard can it be?”
“According to Takemesa? Very hard,” Mahiro replied.
“We can make it about two guys who were friends with benefits,” Junji said, wrapping his arms around Mahiro. “Totally in denial about their feelings. And then, something happened that made them realize how much they love each other - and they’ve been happily ever after ever since.”
“We made that movie already,” Mahiro said.
“We LIVED that movie,” Junji said. “And that’s why it’ll be so real - because it will be real guys acting out real feelings. What do you think?”
“I think . . .” Mahiro leaned over so his lips were almost against Junji’s. “I’d rather act out those particular feelings in private.”
The two of them kissed gently and rolled over together, Junji reaching over quickly to put the phone on the nighttable. No need for it to get damaged in the wild passion of their lovemaking.
But later on, he was going to take that phone and thank Mitsuki and Takemasa again for writing that damn script that netted them a JAVA for their sex scene - but, more importantly, it netted them each other.
Being one another’s lover was, in many ways, the role of a lifetime.
Chapter: Forty-eigth overall in The Camera Eye series, and the second story in Season 3. 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, spanking
Pairing: Junji x Mahiro (Kiryu)
Disclaimer: Boys belong to BP Records (except Uruha, who is part of GazettE, property of PS Company), I own the story only.
Summary: When Uruha offers Kiryu Video writers Mistuki and Takemasa the opportunity to make a very special video, it brings back memories of another script they wrote - one designed to help two friends realize they were meant to be together.
Notes: No, the American porn video referenced here isn’t real - although its title was inspired by a certain J-rock album, which will also lend its title to Mitsuki and Takemasa’s verison of the script.
Uruha looked at the two young men sitting opposite him, who were unrecognizable as their “pornsona” selves without their usual traditional Japanese-style finery - and in one young man’s case, a mask across the lower half of his face.
In fact, your casual observer wouldn’t find anything unusual about them in their current state at all, except for the fact that one of them had bright red hair - and the other bright green.
“Mitsuki-san, Takemasa-san, thank you for coming,” Uruha told them. “Let me say again that I am delighted to be working with Kiryu Video, and I’ve heard nothing but the highest praise for your scripts.”
“Well, we try, at least,” Takemasa said. “We’re trying to create something unique - something that hasn’t been seen in the industry before. The idea was to take the Kabuki Porn concept one step beyond.”
“We like to think that we’ve accomplished that,” Mitsuki said. “Of course, when we’ve been writing long enough, we tend to think that there’s fairies under the floorboards, too.”
“Well, you won’t need to push yourselves quite as hard in the future,” Uruha said. “You’re going to have another team of writers to help you now. And around here, we emphasize quality over quantity - unlike Hard Candy.”
He fumbled with a folder on his desk. There was a set of printouts in here that could very well hold the key to the best script these two ever wrote. That was why he called them in here today - he wanted to give them a shot at this project before anyone else, and before the rest of the industry knew of its existence.
“We’re very grateful for the opportunity, Uruha-san,” Takemasa said, bowing in his seat. “And we do have a few scripts we had completed already for Hard Candy that we would like to film here.”
“For Kiryu Video, or My Dragon Productions?” Uruha said.
“Kiryu,” Mitsuki replied. “Our My Dragon video for this year is still in story development.”
“Or in re-development, I should say,” Takemasa said. “Hard Candy turned it down flat.”
“Turned it down?” Uruha said. “Why?”
“They thought people would find it offensive,” said Takemasa. “It’s called The Very, Very, Very Private Lives of the Shinsengumi.”
A historical parody, Uruha thought. Like anyone else in Japan, he’d been raised on stories of the Shinsengumi, the elite samurai corps of the 19th century who had been the subjects of so many films, TV shows and anime series. They were so much a part of the cultural landscape that a porn parody was, well, inevitable.
“Why would anyone find that offensive?” he said.
“They told us we were defaming beloved heroes of our country,” Mitsuki said.
More like they resented the fact that their own writers didn’t come up with it, Uruha thought. “Well, you’re going to hear no such thing here,” he said. “Move forward with it. But I want to ask you, how do you feel about doing a second My Dragon video?”
The two exchanged glances. “A second one?” Takemasa said. “You’ll let us do that?”
“Well, I’m going to make a proposal to you,” Uruha said. “I have a very special project here - one I’ve kept under wraps until now. As of today, we officially secured the foreign remake rights to Disco Cowboy - have you ever heard of it?”
The two writers for Kiryu video looked at each other quizzically. “No,” Takemasa said. “What is it?”
“It was an extremely popular American gay porn comedy video from around 2002,” Uruha said “Won every award they had over there. It’s about a gay man from the 1970s who finds himself time-traveling to the Old West and becoming involved with a group of cowboys.”
He pulled out the printout. “I had a translation of the original script done - but we’re definitely not going to follow it word-for-word. Now, as we all know, Hollywood has a thing for taking our samurai movies and remaking them as cowboy films. What we’re going to do with this is the reverse. We’re going to take this American cowboy time-travel porn and turn it into a very Japanese Kabuki Porn time-travel comedy. And you’re just the guys to do it.”
He handed the printout to the two writers. Takemasa flipped through it, Mitsuki looking over his shoulder. “You really mean we can rewrite this in our style?” Mitsuki said.
“Go nuts,” Uruha said. “All I ask is you follow the basic outline of the plot and keep the central concept of the time traveler from the ‘70s. I know a couple of older guys in my building who were disco dancers back then, so I can put you in touch with them if you need consultants about the period. You’ll want to consult with Kobe-san on the fine points of your script, because he’s going to be your director on this.”
“I’m so glad!” Takemasa said. “We wanted him to work on a My Dragon production for so long, but . . .”
“Let me guess,” Uruha said. “Hard Candy thought he was too important a director to throw away on silly fluff.”
“How’d you know?” Takemasa said.
“I know how guys like that operate.” Uruha typed into his computer. “I’m going to E-mail the translation to both of you. Talk with Kobe about your casting - but there’s one thing he and I agreed on. If it’s okay with you, we’d like to bring in someone who’s not part of your regular group to play the time traveler.”
“Um . . . we’ve never worked with outside people before,” Mitsuki said. “At least not in major roles.”
“But we’re open to it!” Takemasa said, quickly. He could see the opportunity to do the film of their lives ahead of him - and he wasn’t letting it slip away. “Who is it?”
“Kouki,” Uruha said. “We’ve been criminally underusing him as of late, and I think he has a real flair for comedy. The other lead - the samurai who becomes his love interest - you can cast as you like.”
“That’ll be Mahiro,” Takemasa said.
“Isn’t he a little short for Kouki, though?” said Mitsuki. “I mean, Kouki’s a giant!”
“They’ll make it work,” Takemasa said. “I have faith in Mahiro on all levels.”
“But we need to get in the Mahiro Requirement, too,” Mitsuki said.
“What’s the Mahiro Requirement?” said Uruha.
“A sex scene with Junji in every video he does,” said Mitsuki. “It’s not an official requirement from the producers, but we write one in anyway.”
“They love each other,” Takemasa said. “A lot. I mean, REALLY a lot. And it comes across onscreen.”
“He doesn’t have to be his primary love interest in the video,” said Mitsuki. “He can just play a fling of his. But the chemistry is there regardless.”
“Of course, if it wasn’t for us, those two wouldn’t be together,” said Takemasa.
“Oh?” said Uruha. “You two were their matchmakers?”
“Well . . . sort of,” said Takemasa. “It was like this. We’d been doing Kiryu Video for awhile. Those two were always together. They always swore up and down they were nothing but friends with benefits. They both dated other guys to prove that. But we’d see them together, and . . .”
“It would be a room full of sparks,” Mitsuki said. “It’s a miracle everything didn’t catch on fire.”
“And we were starting to get frustrated,” Takemasa said. “Everyone knew they needed to be together but them. And so . . .”
* * *
ONE YEAR EARLIER
Mitsuki walked into the ramen shop around the corner from where they’d been filming. It was kind of a pain in the butt to have to get out of their elaborate costumes and back into street clothes to go out - but it beat just sitting around and ordering takeout.
Besides, he didn’t want to talk to Takemasa about this in front of everyone - especially Those Two.
Takemasa saw him enter and waved to him from the corner table where he was sitting. “What’s going on?” he said.
“I’m going to knock their heads together, that’s what’s going on!” Mitsuki said. “They sit close to each other all the time. They find any excuse to touch each other. When they look at each other, they stare into each other’s eyes like they could see entire galaxies in there. And they still insist they’re just friends with benefits!”
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know,” Takemasa said. “Life on other planets knows they’re in love.”
“They don’t!” said Mitsuki. “And it’s getting frustrating!”
“Because they’re your friends?” The server came to their table, and the two men quickly gave their orders.
When the man had gone, Mitsuki said, “Yes, because they’re my friends! And also, it’s just plain annoying that they’re so dense!”
“Maybe they need a nudge,” Takemasa said. “Some sort of a push.”
“How are you going to nudge them?” said Mitsuki.
“What if we wrote a script?” said Takemasa. “A script about two guys who are in denial about being in love - and then cast them in the leads?”
Mitsuki frowned. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m serious! Look - you don’t think that would work?”
“If I wrote that into a script - two screenwriters giving a couple of actors a script designed to help them realize they’re in love - the producer would tell me it was corny, clichéd and unrealistic,” said Mitsuki.
“Exactly. It’s so ridiculous that it’s bound to work. Look - just try it, okay? If it doesn’t work, we can at least say we put some effort into it.”
“If we do this and it doesn’t work, you’re buying me lunch,” Mitsuki sighed.
“Fine,” said Takemasa. (He was confident he wouldn’t be buying lunch, though. He’d seen them together too much.)
* * *
Junji sat on his couch in his microscopic apartment - so microscopic that his couch was his bed most nights, because he didn’t feel like dragging out his futon and trying to cram it in the remaining space.
He read through the script again, shaking his head. It was the biggest part he’d been given yet - a romantic lead. He was usually the best buddy of the hero (who got a sex scene in), and the final pairing was usually Mahiro and Hiyori, or Mahiro and Mitsuki.
“Damn,” he said. “Wonder what possessed them to do this?” He lay back, fumbling for his phone, and looked for the familiar speed-dial - the most used one on his phone.
“Hello?” said Mahiro after less than a full ring.
“Well, hi there, co-star,” said Junji. “Did you read the script?”
“I did,” Mahiro said. “You’re my leading man, it seems.”
“I’m thrilled,” Junji said. “I’ve never been a lead before. But you and I don’t get together until the end. What’s up with that?”
“That’s the plot,” Mahiro said. “Our characters are with other guys - while we’re really longing for each other. And in the end . . .”
“I get my head out of my ass . . and get my cock in YOUR ass?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way, but yes.”
“Kind of not the type of plot we usually do, is it?” Junji said. “I mean, it’s straightforward, not the Tales and Tails fantasy stuff.”
“Maybe they need to do something less complex every once in awhile,” Mahiro said. “You know, let the audience breathe. Something different.”
“Speaking of something different, how was your date last night?” Junji said.
“He was nice,” Mahiro said. “Kind of a dull conversationalist, but he was a good listener, and he liked to dance.”
“And it ended there?” Junji said. “Dancing?”
“Your last date didn’t exactly end in a love hotel,” said Mahiro.
“That’s because he said he doesn’t do that on the first date,” Junji replied.
“And is there going to be a second one?”
“Maybe,” Junji said. “Haven’t decided yet.”
The thing was that none of Junji’s dates got followups nowadays. They were perfectly nice guys, all of them. A couple of them had even sampled his porn star skills to one extent or another. But there was no, well, spark. No fire.
Maybe my standards have gotten too high since I’ve been in porn, he thought.
“Well, I’ll see you on the set tomorrow,” Mahiro said.
“Yep,” Junji said. “I’m looking forward to it, Leading Man.”
He hung up and started looking at the script again. A guy with a string of unsatisfying relationships, who suddenly finds that the guy of his dreams has been in front of him all along . . .
“I should be so lucky as my character in this thing,” he said to himself.
* * *
As filming progressed over the next two weeks, Junji decided that being a leading man was pretty damn tiring.
He was on camera more than he’d ever been - in scene after scene, interacting with his best friend (played by Mahiro, of course), flirting with a pretty young thing (played by Hiyori), going to bed with said pretty young thing, having a solo scene in which his character realized he was thinking about his best friend . . .
Junji was beginning to wonder how the hell Mahiro did it all the time. Then again, he packed a lot of energy into that tiny body.
That tiny, gorgeous body. Fuck, maybe that was the reason his standards had gotten so high. He was comparing every guy he met to Mahiro and finding them wanting. Well, how could they NOT be found wanting? Mahiro was a complete package - sweet, sexy, smart . . . whoever ended up with him was one lucky guy.
And he shouldn’t be thinking about his friend like this. Well, in a sexual way, of course - they were friends with benefits, after all, and the benefits had been damn good. He had to admit that he was looking forward to the scene with Mahiro more than anything else in the video. He found himself fantasizing about it, in fact.
But being jealous of the guy that Mahiro would inevitably end up with? That was just-don’t-go-there territory. Man, he thought, I have to start dating more once we’re done with this video if I keep thinking about my best friend like this. This just isn’t right!
* * *
The night before their big scene - when the characters confessed to each other, then made love for the first time - Junji found himself reading over the script again. He didn’t know why he was doing it, when he’d read it over it a billion times over at this point.
“You’re the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep,” Junji recited. “You’re the reason I get up and put on my clothes and strap on this sword and go about my business. You’re . . you’re what I’ve wanted all along.”
He tossed the iPad aside and closed his eyes. Should he call Mahiro? he thought. No, it was probably past the time he went to bed. He should be sleeping, too, since they had a big scene tomorrow - except he felt restless.
“Call Mahiro” was always the first thought in his head every evening, wasn’t it? Every time he wanted or needed to talk, it was Mahiro he went to. Advice? Mahiro. Want to go out for quick ramen? Mahiro. Whenever someone gave him two tickets to the movies that they weren’t using, the second one went to Mahiro.
He’d spent so much time with him in the past that it was pretty amazing that this was the first time they were co-leads in a video.
Yawning, he stretching his arm out, dropping the iPad on his table. Well, they were going to do a good scene tomorrow, to be sure. They were best buddies - and best buddies always did the best scenes together, right? Sure, because there was real affection there . . .
As he drifted off on the couch, he found himself murmuring the dialogue from the script again. “You’re what I wanted all along . . .”
* * *
Takemasa saw Mitsuki across the set the next morning. Neither one of them was technically supposed to be there, of course. Kobe-san always ran closed sets when they did sex scenes.
But Takemasa wanted to check out what the mood of Mahiro and Junji was when the two of them were in makeup. So he came in, on the pretense of talking to the director about a possible script change.
He walked over to Mitsuki and whispered, “And why are you allegedly here?”
“Left my phone charger behind when I left Starbucks this morning, accidentally on purpose,” Mitsuki whispered. “And Junji was at the table with me.”
“Clever. Did Junji say anything interesting?”
“No - but I can tell you that he looked happy. Really, really happy. Like, he couldn’t wait to do this scene.”
“I just overheard Mahiro talking to the makeup lady,” Takemasa whispered. “Accidentally on purpose. And he was saying he was looking forward to today’s shoot more than any other in the video.”
“This is all good - right?”
“It just means they really, really want to have sex,” Takemasa whispered. “It doesn’t say anything about deeper feelings.”
Kobe-san walked over to them. “You two DO know what we’re filming today, right?” he said. “Given that you wrote it?”
“Yes, sir.” Takemasa bowed. “I just came to ask if you made up your mind on the script change for the tavern scene, since I was in the neighborhood . . . .”
“We’re keeping the scene as you originally wrote it,” Kobe said. “And Mitsuki?”
“Phone charger.” He held it up. “Left it with Junji.”
“All right, then. Now, will you gentlemen please let us get on with today’s filming?” In other words - scram.
“Yes, sir.” Both the writers/actors bowed in unison and headed back down the hall.
“That wasn’t as productive as I thought it would be,” Takemasa said.
“That wasn’t productive at ALL,” said Mitsuki. “We don’t know anything!”
“We’ll just have to call them tonight,” Takemasa said. “And be subtle about it. Meanwhile, nothing to do but go work on the next script and wait it out.”
It was going to be a tense wait, that much was certain.
* * *
Junji was done with makeup. He was sitting there watching Mahiro get into his.
He had butterflies in his stomach, for God’s sake. Like a teenager about to have sex for the first time. He was a porn star! He’d been filmed having sex with Hiyori just the other day!
Maybe it’s the fact that it’s our first time as co-leads, he thought. But I didn't feel like this for any other part of the video.
Mahiro finished and stood up, adjusting his kimono. Kobe came over to them. “How are you doing?” he said.
“I’m ready for this,” Mahiro said.
“So am I,” Junji replied. “Really, really ready.”
“All right - we’re going to run through the dialogue, and then go right into the sex scene . . .
And there went those damn butterflies again. Junji was only half-listening to what the director was saying. It isn’t as if we’ve never had sex, he thought. We fool around all the time. That’s the benefits part of being friends-with-benefits.
Mahiro seemed to be listening, his face bearing a look of deep concentration, nodding every few moments. At least one of us is paying attention, Junji thought.
“All right,” the director said. “Places, and let’s run through the dialogue . . .”
Mahiro’s character was supposed to be writing a letter when Junji’s came into the room, wanting to apologize for something said in the tavern - a scene that took place before this, but which still needed to be filmed.
When the director called “Action!” Mahiro was seated, quill in hand, and Junji made his entrance. The dialogue he’d memorized and memorized leapt into his mind. “Hello,” he said. “There is something I need to say to you . . .”
“It can wait,” Mahiro said in a cold voice, his character turning icy eyes on Junji’s.
“No, it can’t,” Junji said. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what I said back there.” He bowed low. “I never would have said that if I hadn’t been drinking.”
“Perhaps you shouldn’t drink, then,” Mahiro said. “Now, is that all?”
“Yes,” Junji said, and turned to go - then suddenly stopped, glanced at Mahiro and turned around. “No,” he said. “No, that’s not all. There’s something else I need to say to you - something I’ve needed to for a long time.”
And there were the butterflies again - almost enough to make Junji lose his concentration. Stay in character, he told himself. Just get through this . . .
“You’ve been on my mind,” he said. “A lot. More than a lot. I know you’re supposed to be my friend, and you’ve been a very good one to me, but . . . “
He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair as Mahiro turned toward him, a surprised look on his face. He spoke the name of Junji’s character in a puzzled tone of voice.
“You’re the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep,” Junji recited. “You’re the reason I get up and put on my clothes and strap on this sword and go about my business. You’re . . you’re what I’ve wanted all along.”
And then, suddenly, Junji realized he wasn’t just reciting dialogue. He was repeating words that Mitsuki and Takemasa had written, to be sure, but . . . in his mouth, they suddenly became his own. They were expressing HIS feelings. What his character felt for Mahiro’s character was the same thing he was feeling for Mahiro.
No wonder I’m having the damn butterflies, he thought. It’s not because of the sex. It’s because of this dialogue!
“You’re the one that I love,” Junji said. “You’re the one I’ve always loved. And I know that men like me normally aren’t your type, but I would just like to consider my words.” He bowed low. “I’m holding my heart out to you, my lord. It’s up to you what you’re going to do with it.”
I’m holding my heart out to you, he repeated in his head. Is that what he wanted all along? Is that why his relationships with other men never could get going? Was his heart just a thing that he wanted to hold out to Mahiro?
Mahiro got up and walked toward Junji, slowly. Junji thought he was going to explode from the inside out watching him.
“I never thought I’d hear those words,” Mahiro said. “And you cannot believe how long I’ve waited to hear them.”
Junji felt his breath quicken - if only he was hearing Mahiro say those words for real, not just as part of dialogue . . .
“I’ve loved you from the day you walked into my life,” Mahiro said, reaching out and taking Junji’s hand. “I’ve denied it, of course, because it took me by surprise - to the extent that it scared me. I don’t think I’ve felt anything so, well, so intense.”
“My lord . . . I am yours from this day forward if you will have me.” And this really wasn’t just reciting dialogue anymore. It was from his heart. He really was offering himself to Mahiro. He was . . .
When Mahiro approached him and kissed him hard, it caught him off-guard at first - until he realized it was in the script, it was what they were supposed to be doing. He kissed back, passionately, fiercely, pushing his tongue forward almost at once, feeling Mahiro’s equally passionate response.
He reached for the other man’s kimono, pulling a bit at it, trying to get it open . . .
“Cut!” Kobe-san shouted. “Get out of your clothes and on the futon!”
“Damn this having to film in traditional outfits,” Junji said in a shaky voice.
Mahiro just nodded. He was already half out of his kimono - and Junji followed suit. The faster they got naked, the faster they could get on the futon together and . . .
They tumbled to the bedding, laughing and wrapping their arms around each other. God, his body felt good, so warm and smooth and . . .
Junji suddenly bent over and kissed Mahiro again. “The cameras aren’t running,” Mahiro whispered when Junji eased away.
“Do I need cameras to kiss a man I want to kiss?” Junji replied.
“Okay, it’s great so far,” Kobe-san called. “Let’s see if we can keep it going for the actual sex! And . . . action!”
The word wasn’t even all the way out of the director’ mouth when Junji fairly pounced on Mahiro, yanking him close and kissing him fiercely, pushing his tongue forward aggressively. Mahiro actually seemed a bit shocked by the sudden assault, stiffening a little - but then he quickly responded with equal ardor, raising his head a bit so he could press against Junji harder, the two of them wrapping their arms around each other, rubbing their bodies against one another, both of them forgetting the camera for a moment.
They split apart, breathing heavily, and Junji pushed Mahiro down to the futon, leaning over and pressing his tongue to the other man’s flat belly, licking his way upward until he reached his neck, which he scraped with his teeth before sucking on a sensitive spot at the side of his throat.
Mahiro arched upward, grabbing at the back of Junji’s head, moaning, “Oh, yes, ohhhh . . .” The moan just served to make Junji feel all the hotter, of course.
He leaned back, making sure the camera got a good view of his whole torso, and took one of Mahiro’s hands, pressing it against his chest and guiding it downward over his body, from his chest to his stomach, letting Mahiro feel the shape of his muscles, the texture of his skin.
When he guided the hand upward so the fingers brushed his nipple, Mahiro suddenly sat up, bringing his mouth to the bud so he could lick it, making sure the camera could catch his actions. He paused, looking up at Junji, both of them breathing heavily.
“Go on,” Junji said in a husky voice. “Suck it.”
Mahiro wrapped his lips around the bud, sucking it hard, and Junji leaned back, moaning. “Oh, yes,” he moaned. “So good . . .”
He pulled away just far enough so the camera could catch him starting to lick down Junji’s torso, the wet trail his tongue was leaving on the heated flesh, the eager expression on his face. And then, it moved in for a closeup as he got closer to his goal . . .
When Mahiro wrapped his lips around the hard cock and started sucking, Junji let out a loud moan - maybe it was the cameras, maybe it was just the moment, but Mahiro was sucking him like never before, firm and wet and hot, sliding down hard and fast, then pulling back, glancing upward at Junji while he still held the very tip in his mouth.
Fuck, if he keeps going like this, I’m not going to last, Junji thought, and then felt that mouth envelop him again, the hot pleasure running over every inch of his body as he slid in and out of wet heat.
“Yes,” he moaned. “Oh, yes . . . “
Mahiro gently slid away from him - probably sensing that if he kept going, he’d take Junji past the point of no return - and he moved upward, kissing Junji’s lips, and Junji responded, rubbing his tongue against Mahiro’s, making sure they kept their mouths wide enough open so that the camera could catch it.
When the kiss broke, Junji suddenly pushed Mahiro down to the futon, on his stomach this time. Mahiro pulled his knees up, putting that lovely bottom on full display to both Junji and the camera.
Junji’s reaction was to pull back his hand and deliver a firm smack - not hard enough to really hurt, but just enough so Mahiro would really feel it. The smaller man let out a loud cry that indicated he liked what was being done - so Junji repeated the spank on the other cheek, drawing another yelp.
And then, Junji leaned over, pressing his lips to the ass he’d just spanked, leaving a line of tender kisses up the curve. His hands ran up Mahiro’s back, caressing it as the kisses continued all the way up to the small of his back.
He leaned back, fingers teasing the cleft of Mahiro’s ass. “Do you want me inside you?” he said.
“Yes,” Mahiro gasped.
“Turn over first,” Junji said. “Let me look at you.”
Mahiro rolled over on his back, breathing heavily as Junji ran his eyes up and down, from his shoulders to his cock, reaching out to wrap his fingers around the hard organ, stroking it softly, making sure the camera could see everything he was doing.
It didn't matter what the viewers were seeing, though. What mattered was the feel of this lovely thing in his hand, so gorgeously shaped and hard, and the way Mahiro writhed beneath him, moaning loudly . . .
“So beautiful,” Junji said, his fingers fluttering on the shaft, tracing patterns on the hard flesh. “You have no idea how truly gorgeous you are.” He listened to the sounds his lover made as he brushed his fingertips over the head, caressing him. . .
He eased his hand away, reluctantly - because to take Mahiro further would wreck the scene, and they both knew what they really wanted from here.
Mahiro flipped over, taking the position he was in before, pulling his knees up and sticking his ass out, mutely begging to be fucked hard. What a sight he was, beautiful and wanton, the very incarnation of lust . . .
Junji reached for the little bottle beside the futon which, for story purposes, would contain the type of oil that men used as lube in earlier times. In reality, it was a very modern lube. He poured it on his fingers, pushing one in, feeling that lovely ass grip him, hearing the other man let out a moan.
“You like that?” he said, starting to move the finger in and out, gently. “You’re about to get more, you know.”
“Yes,” Mahiro gasped. “More, please . . .”
Junji slid the second finger in, pushing them in and out, feeling his cock throbbing hard - he was going to have to take deep breaths and concentrate once he was all the way in so he wouldn’t lose it.
He had never looked hotter, never felt better. Even the noises Mahiro was making were more erotic than anything ever before, low and husky and breathless.
The third finger slid in, and Junji had to resist the urge to grab himself and start pumping with the other hand - especially when Mahiro pushed his hips backward, trying to take more in, wanting to be opened up more so he could be fucked.
Finally, Junji slid his fingers out, wiped them on a cloth and lubed himself quickly - and then positioned himself, looking down at Mahiro, feeling the tension of anticipation in his lover . . .
He pushed in, slowly, and both of them moaned. The tight heat was encasing him, gradually drawing him into that hot, beautiful body. There was, as far as he was concerned, no cameras, no eyes of fangirls that would eventually be watching them. There was only the two of them.
When he started a gentle thrust, he closed his eyes, just losing himself entirely in the sensation, in the feel of Mahiro’s channel wrapped tightly around him. The moan he heard in response was the sweetest music imaginable.
Bit by bit, he sped up, thrusting deeper and harder into his lover, and Mahiro started to move against him in response, thrusting back against him, moaning, “More, harder . . .” And he couldn’t ignore a request like that. He pushed into him quicker, until he was pistoning into him, plunging deep within his lover, hearing the delicious sounds he made in response, which just made him thrust harder and faster and deeper.
He could feel his heart pounding, the droplets of sweat running down his skin, the way all his muscles tensed with every thrust. He was totally losing himself within this man, drowning in the passion . . .
One of his hands wrapped around Mahiro’s body, grasping his erection and stroking, and Mahiro’s moans became louder, his thrusts against Junji more erratic. “I’m . . .” he gasped. “I’m about to . . .”
Mahiro nearly screamed, thrusting back so hard against Junji that Junji felt like he was impaling him - and the motion was all it took for him to lose his own last bit of control. He let out a cry that bounced off the walls, feeling hot pleasure shoot through his veins to the point where he thought he was going to explode.
They both collapsed to the bed in a ragged heap and kissed, arms wrapped around one another tightly, as the camera panned away from them slowly and Kobe yelled, “Cut!” They continued to cling to each other, panting, not hearing the applause of the crew. Everyone else in this room could be on another continent as far as Junji was concerned.
I love you, he thought. I love you so much . . .
“Junji?” Mahiro said. “Did . . . did you just . . .”
And it was then that Junji realized he didn’t just think those words - they’d come out of him. He’d said them out loud. “Um, well . . .”
Mahiro cupped his face in his hand and whispered, “Let’s go in the bathroom together. We’ll talk.”
The crew was handing them yukatas - standard for the end of a sex scene. Junji grabbed his and said, quickly, for the benefit of those listening, “I really need a shower!”
“Me, too,” Mahiro said. “Mind if I share?”
“After this? Not at all,” Junji said.
“Good job, guys,” Kobe said. “You delivered a one in a million scene.”
The two of them rushed off to the bathroom adjourning the set, which had a tub big enough for two and a two-person washing area. Mahiro quickly turned on the taps to fill the tank - more to cover up their voices than anything else.
“After we finished the scene,” he said, “you said . . .”
“I said what I meant,” Junji said. “Mahiro, when we did that scene, when I spoke that dialogue, I realized the character I’ve been playing in this thing is me. I don’t know how they did it, but Takemasa and Mitsuki wrote what’s been inside me all along. You’ve been my friend, but . . . dammit, I don’t think I could recite that whole scene again!”
“You don’t have to,” Mahiro said, softly.
“Good. Because the holding my heart out to you part? That’s kind of icky. It sounds like something from your old horror videos.”
Mahiro laughed. “Well, the dialogue’s kind of over-the-top.”
“But it’s honest. Because it’s honestly how I feel. I love you, Mahiro.”
As he said it, Junji felt like a thousand-pound weight he didn’t know he’d been carrying all along had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt so light he thought he was going to go floating away.
“I love you, too,” Mahiro said. “I’ve been in denial - mostly because I didn’t know how to tell you. If I did, and you rejected me, well . . . it would make filming just a little awkward. Especially given that we’re a tight-knit group.”
Mahiro shut the taps off and sat down on one of the bathing stools, picking up the showerhead. “I was afraid that if I said something to you, and it backfired, that it would take Kiryu Video along with it. And I don't want anything to happen to this company. This is, well, a home to me now.”
“It’s a home to me, too.” Junji sat next to him, picking up his own showerhead. “But with you and I being together? It will be even more of a home.”
“It took a script to get us to confess to each other.” Mahiro started the water. “It seems kind of, well . . . ironic, doesn’t it?”
“Ironic in the most delicious way,” Junji said. “We couldn’t say it to each other, so our characters said it for us.” He reached out and put a now-soap-covered hand over Mahiro’s. “We owe Takemasa and Mitsuki a thank-you.”
“Do you really think they intended to get us together?” Mahiro said, squeezing Junji’s hand.
“Does it matter?” Junji said. “Intent or not, we’ve confessed. We’re together.” He suddenly leaned over and hugged Mahiro. “Do you know how good it sounds? We’re together. You and me.”
“We should have done it sooner,” Mahiro said. “I should have told you I loved you that night . . .” He sighed. “That night of the JAVAs. The one that went horribly wrong. Because that’s when I knew.”
“We’ll make up for lost time now,” Junji said. “Come on - we’ll finish washing up, and then we’ll go back to my place, and we’ll have round two, and three, and four . . .”
“Just like that first night,” said Mahiro.
“Yes - but this time, it’s as a couple, not just friends-with-benefits,” said Junji. “There’s a difference - you’ll see.”
They kissed again, and laughed - and went back to washing. They had to be back at Junji’s as soon as possible - to find out if it really was different as a couple.
* * *
PRESENT DAY
“We just got a cryptic text message that night - me from Mahiro, Mitsuki from Junji,” Takemasa said. “They both just said, ‘Thank you so much.’”
“And then we didn’t hear from them for two days - until they had another shooting day,” said Mitsuki. “We figured we were successful.”
“Then, when we got to the shooting set for the tavern scene, they were all over each other,” said Takemasa. “We knew for sure then.”
“And we may have high-fived,” Mitsuki said. “Discreetly.”
“They told us the details later,” Takemasa said. “Bit by bit.”
“Usually when they’d been drinking,” said Mitsuki.
“So, yes, ever since then we’ve put a scene for the two of them into every Kiryu Video or My Dragon production,” Takemasa said. “Even if they’re not each other’s leading men.”
“That’s quite a story,” Uruha said. “They certainly do look happy together.”
“Happy? They’re ecstatic,” Mitsuki said. “Seriously, they’re meant to be together. And they’re perfectly fine with each other being with other guys, or for them to have threesomes onscreen or off.”
“It’s because they trust each other,” Takemasa said. “It’s basically the ideal relationship for this industry.”
“So, yeah, that’s why we have the Mahiro Requirement,” Mitsuki said. “And it’s the same for this video. We’re willing to rewrite your American film, and tailor the lead for Kouki - but we need to have a scene for the two of them.”
“By all means,” Uruha said. “Write your scene in for Mahiro and Junji. Like I said, we’re flexible here.” He smiled. “And I can’t wait to see the results. Both your screenplay, and the finished film with their performances.”
Especially Mahiro and Junji, he thought. Now that he knew their story, he was thinking about all kinds of possibilities for them. They were definitely in for his real-couples anthology, that was for sure.
“To be honest? Neither can we.” Takemasa stood up and bowed. “Thank you for the opportunity to do this, Uruha-san.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Uruha said.
As the two left his office, he opened up a Word document on his computer - the kind of thing he did while brainstorming. He typed the words “Ideas for Mahiro and Junji” at the top.
He imagined it was going to be a very long document before he was done.
* * *
In Mahiro and Junji’s apartment, Junji was laying on his back on their bed, naked except for the covers pulled up to his waist. He was looking at his phone as his lover finished up in the bathroom, reading a message from Takemasa.
“It’s going to be something about a time traveler,” Junji called. “They’re excited about writing it. And they said we’re not co-leads, but they’re making sure we have a scene together.”
“They’d better,” Mahiro said, walking out of the bathroom and climbing into bed beside the other man. “You’ve been my favorite co-star since we met.”
“Maybe we should write a movie,” Junji said. “One where we can co-star with each other.”
“I’ve never tried writing a screenplay.” Mahiro snuggled against him. “I just act in them.”
“I haven’t, either,” Junji said. “But it’s a porn script. How hard can it be?”
“According to Takemesa? Very hard,” Mahiro replied.
“We can make it about two guys who were friends with benefits,” Junji said, wrapping his arms around Mahiro. “Totally in denial about their feelings. And then, something happened that made them realize how much they love each other - and they’ve been happily ever after ever since.”
“We made that movie already,” Mahiro said.
“We LIVED that movie,” Junji said. “And that’s why it’ll be so real - because it will be real guys acting out real feelings. What do you think?”
“I think . . .” Mahiro leaned over so his lips were almost against Junji’s. “I’d rather act out those particular feelings in private.”
The two of them kissed gently and rolled over together, Junji reaching over quickly to put the phone on the nighttable. No need for it to get damaged in the wild passion of their lovemaking.
But later on, he was going to take that phone and thank Mitsuki and Takemasa again for writing that damn script that netted them a JAVA for their sex scene - but, more importantly, it netted them each other.
Being one another’s lover was, in many ways, the role of a lifetime.