Fic: The Camera Eye: Reality Bites [Kouki X Shou, NC-17]
Title: The Camera Eye: Reality Bites
Chapter: Twelfth 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, exhibition/voyeurism (since the characters work in the porn industry), rimming, teasing
Pairing: Kouki (D=OUT) X Shou (main), Kouki X Ryoga (BORN), Ruki X Shou
Disclaimer: Boys belong to PS Company (except the Alice Nine characters, who are now free agents), I own the story only.
Summary: Uruha’s idea for a reality series to find the next porn star attracts a photographer who looks like he should be in front of the camera - and who may have a secret past with one of PSC Productions’ biggest stars.
Comments: Two new bands are represented in The Camera Eye universe! Ryoga is someone I’ve been toying with the idea of bringing in for awhile, and if you’ve seen photos/videos of him and Kouki together, you know why I couldn’t bring one into the series without the other. The recent events involving Alice Nine will have no bearing on The Camera Eye, since it is an AU - the Alice Nine/Nine Films characters will continue to be part of PSC Productions.
The idea for the reality series was a natural, really.
Uruha had wanted to do something that would rehabilitate the image of adult film stars in the eyes of the general Japanese public. He was tired of hearing that they were all rent boys, or drug addicts, or both, that no “decent” people got into this of their own free will. He wanted to show the world what these actors were really like when the cameras were turned off.
Plus the fact that it would encourage more people to subscribe to PSC Productions’ streaming service didn’t hurt, either.
His first concept was a reality series about their own, existing actors - following them in their everyday lives, on and off the set. He’d actually started looking into the feasibility of such a thing.
But he got an even better idea after he got a memo from his boss following the rather expensive hiring of Byou - along with several other people from his old company, at the star’s insistence.
“No more divas,” the boss said. “They're getting too costly. We'll grow our own stars from now on, not bring in someone else's.”
That, Uruha knew, was easier said than done in an increasingly crowded field. He had to come up with the fastest possible route to creating instant superstars out of nobodies . . .
And then, it hit him. A reality competition show. It would kill two birds with one stone. It would rehabilitate the image of the industry and create new stars in one fell swoop. After each episode went live for streaming, they could have fans vote for who they wanted to make it to the next round via social media . . .
The concept was forming in his mind, rapidly. Start with a pool of 15 candidates. Reduce that to 10 after the first week, then pick them off one by one. Have them perform a different “star” task every episode - first, a general glamor photoshoot, then a personality interview, then a striptease, then centerfold modeling . . . working their way up to “real” porn star stuff.
The final three would each perform a “solo” (read, masturbation) scene for the cameras, and from there, the final two would be chosen. And those two would be put to the ultimate test - they'd film a full-blown sex scene with an existing PSC star. The fans would vote on which one they liked best, and the winner would be presented with a full PSC contract and a lead role.
It was perfect. It was win-win. They gained a new star, some lucky guy gained a new career. And it would cost a hell of a lot less than a diva contract.
He couldn't wait to run the idea past the higher-ups. He knew he had a winner. Hell, they didn't even have to have auditions - he had a big file in his computer of photos and video clips that had been sent to the company, unsolicited. He’d pull the lucky 15 from that.
And thus was born PSC Productions Presents: The Next Porn Star.
* * *
Right before the series started streaming, Uruha called Ruki and Shou into his office.
“I don't want either one of you to watch the show,” he said.
The two looked at each other, puzzled. “What the fuck kind of request is that?” said Ruki.
“Because you two are the ones I've chosen to do scenes with the final two,” Uruha said. “I don't know yet if they're going to be semes or ukes, so I want them paired with guys who can switch roles - and my best switches are the two of you.”
Shou wanted to say that he was more of an uke - he'd only done a couple of seme roles. He was open to the possibility, though. “Why can't we watch it, then?” Shou said. “Shouldn't we know who we'll be costarring with?”
“That's just it,” Uruha said. “I want you two to go into the scene with no preconceived notions about your co-star. I want all your reactions to him to be completely natural. And for that to happen . . . you need to be as unfamiliar with all the candidates as possible. So no watching the show, no adding any of the guys to your Twitters, nothing.”
“Going to be hard if they're splattered all over the porn blogs, isn't it?” Ruki said.
“And stay away from the porn blogs,” Uruha said. “I'll send the two of you any links to stuff I think you should see. Plus, I'll make sure none of the guys wander onto your sets.”
“So you're putting us in solitary?” Ruki said.
“I'm not saying you need to stay in solitary,” Uruha said. “Just avoid anything involving the show as much as possible.”
“We'll work on other stuff when the series is running,” Shou said. “Ruki can do his art. I can get a new modeling portfolio shot.”
“Hey!” Ruki said.
“You've been meaning to get back to the art, haven't you?” Shou said. “You haven't had time.”
Ruki sighed. “Fine,” he said.
“It'll be worth it,” Uruha said. “Trust me. If this works the way I think it's going to? We're going to crush the competition. Nobody else is doing anything like this. And this will reflect well on us - all of us - next awards season.”
Well, that hit home with Ruki. His loss in the “best oral scene” category at last year's Japan Adult Video Association Male Awards still stung. That was HIS fucking category, dammit. “All right,” he said. “But you'd better be right.”
“I know I'm right,” Uruha said.
And so, Shou and Ruki were to become industry hermits until the finale of the series. All in the name of creating new superstars - right?
But the possibility of awards wouldn't hurt, either.
* * *
There were two things that Kouki never thought he'd become. One was a reality TV guy. The other was a porn star.
Now, suddenly, he found himself as both.
Okay, he wasn't a porn star yet. They were five weeks into the show, halfway through. But whispers around the set were already calling him the odds-on favorite, the one to beat.
“I just like being around cameras, that's all,” he said during one of his onscreen interviews. “In front of them, behind them, you name it. Photography and I just naturally go together.”
“So you're a photographer?” the off-camera voice asked.
“That's what I've been doing most of my life. I got my first camera when I was a kid. Took pictures of anything and everything. Worked for the newspaper when I was in school. But I never quite made it, you know? Got freelance stuff here and there, but nothing steady. So I figured - who would know more about being a model than a photographer?”
The story was true. Photography was his “real” career, what he always thought of himself as. He just couldn't seem to make a living at it.
He shot a few catalogs, some magazine stuff, and a lot of modeling portfolios. Hell, he would have been able to sustain himself on portfolios alone - if he wasn't working with dirt-poor aspiring models who couldn't pay much more than the cost of shooting.
“You're really talented,” a friend said to him as he flipped through the gallery on Kouki's phone while the two sat in a bar. “Why the hell don't you have a show anywhere?”
“The right people don't know that yet,” Kouki said. “I shoot and shoot and shoot and no one sees it. And meanwhile, I have to keep taking part-time jobs just to survive. I'm about ready to start eating my camera equipment, but I don't think it would have any nutritional value. How is a guy supposed to build a photography career if he has to spend half his life working at part-time jobs? If there were some way to get fast and easy money that didn't involve anything illegal I'd take it.”
“You mean, something like being in porn?” his friend said.
“Porn?” Kouki laughed. “Are you kidding me?”
“Well, yes, I am. But hey, it's a fast way to make money - if you're gay. Straight porn pays nothing. Gay porn pays a lot.”
“I'm bi,” Kouki said. “Does that count?”
“Wait - you're really thinking of this?” His friend looked confused.
“You said they make a lot of money fast, right? That's what I need to do. I could do a couple of videos, make money, have more time to get photography work. Why not? It's pretty much just what the doctor ordered in this case, right? Besides, it's not going to wreck my career. I'm a photographer, I'm behind the camera. People don't see my face. They don’t have to know their picture is being taken by a porn star.”
So he got another photographer friend to shoot pictures of him in various stages of undress and E-mailed them through PSC Productions' web site. He shrugged his shoulders when he didn't get a response, thinking, well, I'm just not their type.
Until he got the call inviting him to be part of the reality show.
Now, here he was posing for pictures, answering questions, performing stripteases, flirting with the other contestants. (But it couldn't go beyond flirting, they were all told. Sleeping with another contestant would get you disqualified). Unbelievable.
“You're going to be in the final two,” another contestant, Ryoga, said to him during a break in filming.
“You think so?” Kouki said. The two of them were sitting together on the deck of the mansion that was a frequent PSC set. Around them, other contestants checked their phones, went to the makeup girl for touch-ups, and in one case, lay on a couch and dozed.
“Just take one look at Twitter,” Ryoga said. “They love you. Every other hashtag I see is your name.”
“I haven't gone on there much,” said Kouki. “I guess that means this is all worth it, right?”
“You don't regret doing this, do you?” said Ryoga.
“Do you?” said Kouki.
Ryoga shook his head. “This wasn't my first career choice, but I don't regret it. If it works out for me? It's money. I can eat another week.”
“Same here,” said Kouki. “And I don't regret it. Not at all. There's not much I regret in my life, really. Well, except for not making a move on one of the guys I shot a portfolio for.”
“That's what you regret?” Ryoga said. “Not hitting on a guy?”
“He was no ordinary guy,” Kouki said. “He was beautiful. Gorgeous, even. He was tall and had his hair dyed blond . . .”
“So you were going to hit on yourself,” Ryoga said.
“No! No, he didn't look like me,” Kouki said. “He wasn't like anyone else I'd ever seen. He was . . . sweet and innocent, but at the same time? Sexy as hell. He was born to be a model. I know I've seen him somewhere recently - I can't remember exactly where, though. He's probably all over half the magazine covers in Japan right now.”
And if he is, Kouki thought, I wish I could get the proper credit for being the guy who discovered him. I wouldn't be doing this show right now if I did
Where had he seen that guy recently, anyway? Now that was going to drive him nuts.
* * *
“How many fucking weeks until that show of theirs is over?” Ruki said, looking up from his computer.
“They're in the seventh week,” Shou said. “Still a couple of weeks until we know who the final two are.”
“I can't wait until I can go back on Twitter,” Ruki said. They'd tried to avoid talk of the show on their feeds - and found it was impossible. The Next Porn Star was the “buzz” item of the year in their circles - especially the three stars who were considered the frontrunners. So they had to avoid Twitter entirely.
“We'll be back soon enough,” said Shou, “Meanwhile, what do you think of my new photos?” He turned his computer around to face Ruki.
“Why did you need new pictures taken, anyway?” Ruki said.
“The old ones I had were, well, old,” said Shou. “They were mostly pre-PSC. I had my initial portfolio done when I wasn't that long out of school.” He set the gallery to “slideshow” so Ruki could see all the new pictures. “I was shy and awkward then.”
“Then?” said Ruki. Shou was always kind of shy and awkward - which was actually a big part of his charm.
“Well, more than I am now,” Shou said. “Really shy and awkward. The photographer was a guy about my own age, and he was, well . . . he was really attractive. He was really tall and had a gorgeous face and I . . . I couldn't do anything but smile and pose for him. I wanted to . . .”
“Hit on him?” said Ruki.
“I couldn't,” Shou said. “My mind wouldn't come up with the words. I mean, I didn't want to seem creepy, or do anything that was going to jeopardize my career, or anything like that.” He blushed a little. “You would have never known then that I'd end up a porn star.”
“A lot of people don't believe you now when you tell them you're a porn star,” Ruki said.
“Is that bad?” said Shou.
“Are you fucking kidding me? It’s why you're so popular. A sweet and shy guy who turns into a sex monster in front of the cameras? They eat that up.”
“I just hope whoever I get in the last round eats it up,” Shou said. “I wonder what the final two are going to think of us.”
“I wish we'd find out soon,” said Ruki, “so we can fucking get back on Twitter.”
Shou went back to going through his new portfolio, the old one still on his mind. He wasn't going to tell Ruki this, but he sometimes fantasized about running into that photographer again, and having him be a fan of his videos. And maybe he'd want to talk to him, and meet him for drinks, and . . .
And he should stop fantasizing like a schoolboy. He had a primary boyfriend in his life, Ruki. He had two secondaries, Kai and Byou. He had other costars. It wasn't like he lacked for companionship or sex. Thinking about things like this was, well, kind of dumb.
Of course, that wasn't going to stop him from doing it.
* * *
The weekly elimination shows - which streamed 24 hours after the regular episode - were always a bit silly.
They were about 30 seconds worth of legitimate content - the announcement of who survived the cut this time - surrounded by 29 minutes and 30 seconds of filler. An introduction by the series' on-camera host, Tora; a clip montage from that week's regular show; a couple of interviews with PSC performers about new release videos; some interviews with the remaining contestants; another new release plug . . .
And this week, the actual content was going to be even shorter - down to two seconds. That’s because theey were going to announce the final two, the ones who, over the next week, would be filming actual sex scenes with PSC stars.
Kouki had made it to the final three, of course. So had Shin, another tall, model-looking guy. Neither one was a surprise to anyone who had followed the show's Twitter feed. And the third, considered the show's dark horse, was Ryoga, who seemed kind of stunned to have made it this far.
“I always knew you were going to,” Kouki told him just before the start of the show. “You're the kind of guy people want to know better.”
“I was in the bottom two a few weeks ago,” Ryoga said.
“You were in jeopardy,” Kouki said. “That’s how Tora always phrases it, right? In jeopardy, but not necessarily in the bottom two. In other words, they're just drumming up suspense. You think anyone would really want to see you voted out? Hell, no! You've got a ton of Twitter followers.”
“So does Shin,” Ryoga reminded him.
“Yes, but you have the more devoted followers,” Kouki said. “They're more willing to stuff the ballot boxes for you!”
And so, the three candidates now stood in front of the cameras, smiles plastered on their faces, every time the camera cut away from the video previews and interviews. Backstage, Uruha watched the monitors nervously.
He'd heard rumors that PSC's competitors were watching the show tonight, ready to pounce on whoever was eliminated. A couple of fast-rising indies had already snapped up the early round castoffs. Adonis and Hard Candy were probably waiting for the second and third place finishers like spiders waiting for flies.
This was something he hadn’t planned on - the last thing in the world he wanted was for PSC's in-house diva factory to be a star farm for other companies.
Tora finally came out in front of the cameras with the all-important envelope in his hand. “I have here the names of the two performers who are going on to the next and final round,” he said. He ripped it open - slowly. Very, very slowly. The studio audience laughed. “Hey, I have to create suspense, okay?” he said.
The three candidates laughed, nervously. They didn't need any more suspense.
Tora pulled out the paper. “The first finalist is . . .” He waited. And waited. And waited. The candidates fidgeted. The studio audience fidgeted. Uruha fidgeted - even though he knew the outcome.
“Kouki,” Tora announced. Kouki let out a deep breath, bowed to the audience and went to stand beside Tora. He'd made it. He was going to the final round. He was one short step from the idea of him being a porn star going from joke to serious reality.
He had to perform sex on camera now with a real porn star. Unreal. Just unreal.
“And the second person going on to the finals is . . .” Tora paused again. The camera lingered on Shin, then Ryoga, then the audience, then Shin, then Ryoga, then Tora, then . . .
Tora suddenly yelled, “RYOGA!”
The room exploded, Ryoga jumped up in the air, screaming. So did Kouki. Then, the two men hugged each other and bounced up and down together, both screaming. Then Tora joined both of them, and the three of them bounced around like a Superball.
It was only then that Tora remembered that oh yes, he had to do an exit interview, he had to get Shin's final words to his supporters. He made his way over to the eliminated contestant as a stagehand brought out two more envelopes.
“What are those?” Kouki whispered.
“They have the names of your costars in them,” the stagehand whispered. “Whoever's name is in that envelope is who you're going to be doing the scene with for the final round.”
Finally, Tora came back over. “All right,” he said. “Now, as we all know, next week's show is very special. Each of our final two will be doing a scene with a PSC star, and you lucky people then get to watch them both and vote on the winner. In these envelopes, they have the names of their costars. Can you each open them up and read the names, beginning with Ryoga?”
Ryoga opened his envelope, pulled out the paper and read, “Ruki.” He held it up to the camera for everyone to see - and the audience exploded with screams at the prospect of watching the two together.
“All right,” Tora said. “Now, your turn, Kouki.”
He opened the envelope - and the paper inside said, “Shou.” He held it up like Ryoga's, getting an equally thunderous ovation.
“You got an uke,” said Tora.
“Good thing,” Kouki said. “I don't bottom all that often.” The audience laughed.
Kouki looked at the paper again as the cameras were switched off. Shou? He hadn't paid much attention to PSC's product before doing this show. He knew that he was a big star, but . . . he couldn't recall what he looked like.
Why was something telling him that he should?
* * *
The two finalists were set to shoot their big scenes on Monday. Editing crews would frantically work on putting both scenes into their final forms on Tuesday, and they would air as part of Wednesday’s final regular episode, which would also include live interviews with both finalists and their co-stars.
Thursday would bring the big reveal of the winner.
On Sunday night, Kouki and Ryoga went out drinking together. They both knew they couldn’t drink too much, or stay out too late. Tomorrow was of crucial importance.
“Did you think when we started out with this that we’d be competing against each other in the end?” Ryoga said.
Kouki shrugged. “I didn’t think too much about the end,” he said. “I was just trying to get through week to week, you know? Just trying to keep from being eliminated. If I got to the next week, fine. Then all of a sudden, we started running out of next weeks. But I’m happy I made it as far as I did, and I’m happy you did, too.”
“I’m still in shock,” Ryoga said, opening his Twitter feed and glancing at it.
“You didn’t know that you had what it takes?” said Kouki.
“Oh, I knew it,” Ryoga said. “I’m just surprised other people know it.” He held his phone up. “Well, that didn’t take long. Shin got snapped up by Adonis.”
“Really?” Kouki said. “Well, good for him. He’s a hot guy, he deserves a starring role of his own.”
“You know what this means, doesn’t it?” Ryoga pointed to the phone.
Kouki shrugged. “That being cut from our show isn’t the end of the world?”
“That we’re probably going to end up rivals after this,” Ryoga said, putting the phone down. “Shin got hired by Adonis. I’ve heard a couple of the ones who got cut earlier are going to Hard Candy.”
“Not Ran, I hope,” Kouki said. “He was annoying as hell. Good thing he was a seme, because he had a stick so far up his butt that I don’t think they’d be able to fit anything else in there.”
“No, not Ran,” said Ryoga. “But don’t you see? Whichever of us doesn’t get hired by PSC Productions will end up at Hard Candy or Adonis or one of the other companies.”
“Maybe,” said Kouki. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t still hang out. I don’t think they make you sign a contract that says you’re not allowed to hang out with anyone from any other company - that would be just dumb. We’ll just have to fit time we can meet up into our schedules, that’s all.”
“Good, because . . .” Ryoga picked up his drink.
“Because why?”
“Because I’ve gotten used to looking at your dumb face, that’s all,” said Ryoga.
“Oh, yeah? Maybe I’ve gotten used to your dumb face, too,” said Kouki.
And that brought up an important question, one that both of them had been avoiding until now - where their relationship was going from here. They’d been forbidden to take it beyond friendship while the series was shooting.
Maybe they’d stay friends when it was all over, when one of them had been officially anointed The Next Porn Star. Maybe . . . they’d become something more. It would have to be an open relationship, of course - the needs of the industry necessitated it.
That was okay. It meant Kouki would get something out of this, win or lose. He’d hate to have another regret. The one involving the hot model was enough, thank you.
(And why did he feel, again, like there was something he should know about Shou . . .)
* * *
Shou had to admit he was nervous about today’s shoot - more nervous than he’d ever been on a PSC shoot, really.
He wasn’t used to working with guys sight unseen. Maybe that was standard practice at other porn companies, but not here. Not when they were all family. A newbie was always taken out for drinks as soon as he arrived and got to know everyone, got to be part of the gang.
So Shou always knew who he was dealing with when he arrived on a set. He’d gotten to know this guy as a person before having sex with him on camera.
He was greeted at the door of the apartment they were using by a full crew, too, meaning his arrival was being filmed to be a part of the show. He played along, bowing low and saying “Good morning to you all. I hope we have a good day of shooting.” He glanced around - no sign of his new co-star.
I shouldn’t be the one who’s nervous, he thought. I’m not the one with a career on the line.
He went into the bathroom they used for wardrobe and quickly got changed into a yukata with nothing underneath - easy to remove once the action got going. Taking a deep breath, he headed out to the makeup chair - where he had another camera poked in his face.
An offscreen voice said, “What do you think about doing this scene?”
“Well, I’ll be glad to get back on Twitter again,” Shou joked as a makeup brush began to move across his face.
“Twitter?”
“Ruki and I have avoided anything having to do with the show - Twitter, porn blogs, and so on,” Shou said. “We knew we’d be doing the scenes with the final two, and we wanted to keep open minds about them.”
“That’s quite admirable,” the voice said. “So you don’t know anything about Kouki at all?”
“I know he’s tall,” Shou replied. “That’s all I’ve heard. It’s why Ruki was glad he didn’t get him. Too much of a height difference.” He heard voices behind the camera laughing. “Where is he, anyway?” he asked as he closed his eyes, allowing the stylist to work on his eyelids.
“Kouki? He’s getting made up in the next room,” the cameraman said. “Your first sight of each other is going to be caught on camera.”
“Of course,” Shou said. “But . . . won’t I get a chance to talk with him at all before . . . you know?”
“You’ll get a few minutes, sure,” said the cameraman. “Don’t worry about that. Uruha wants this to be spontaneous - but he doesn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
The makeup session finished, and Shou stood up. He headed for the door to the bedroom - which was where he assumed his co-star would be - with the camera crew following.
“This is it,’ one of them said to him as he put his hand on the knob. “You’re about to meet Kouki.”
“Here goes nothing, right?” Shou turned the knob, pushed in the door - and froze.
Of all the people he expected to see in that room, the very last one was the photographer who’d shot his very first portfolio.
* * *
Kouki couldn’t believe his eyes. Was he really and truly looking at . . . the one regret of his life? The model he didn’t make a move on?
But here he was - tall and ash-blond and gorgeous, just like he remembered him. And he was SHOU. Porn star Shou. Not exactly someone you expected to be a video box boy, given how sweet and shy he was back then.
They just started at each other for a long moment, each wondering if the other was a hallucination, if this was really happening. Then, Shou remembered his manners - and that he was on camera. He quickly bowed and said, “Nice to meet you, please treat me well.”
Kouki repeated what Shou had done, looking him up and down as he came out of the bow. It really was him. It wasn’t an illusion. And if anything, he was even MORE beautiful than he’d been when Kouki had taken his pictures.
He’d gone through episode after episode of reality TV, stripping contests, photo contests, blow job lessons, interview coaching, an on-camera solo scene - just to end up with someone from way back in his past.
Shou turned toward the camera. “Can we please have a few minutes to speak in private before we do the scene?” he said.
Uruha nodded. He was pretty much expecting this; it was in Shou’s nature to want to get to know a co-star before on-camera sex. But there’d been something . . . odd about their first meeting. There’d been a spark in their eyes, as if of recognition. Did they somehow know each other from somewhere else?
Shou grabbed Kouki’s arm and dragged him back toward the other room. “We’ll be back,” he said.
In the living room, Shou shut the door behind him. “It’s you,” he said. “I can’t believe it. It’s YOU. The photographer.”
“You can’t believe it? I took one look at you and almost fell on the floor,” Kouki said. “It’s like . . . like you were the reward for surviving every round of this damn competition.”
“Reward?” said Shou.
“Of course. I survive all the shows until now, I get to be reunited with you. Do you know how much impact that one photoshoot had for me? You’re the one regret of my life,” Kouki said. “Or at least you were.”
Shou suddenly looked shocked. “You regretted taking my pictures?”
“No, no,” Kouki said. “Those have been in my portfolio ever since. They’re some of my best work. I mean I regret not hitting on you during the photo session. You were gorgeous. You still are.”
“Oh,” Shou blushed. “Then . . . then you felt the same way I did . . .”
“You wanted to hit on me, too?”
“I really couldn’t find the words,” Shou said. “Plus, it seemed wrong, hitting on the photographer, you know? It felt like taking advantage.”
“It wouldn’t be wrong,” Kouki said. “Are you kidding? It would be so, so right for both of us.” He laughed. “Okay, so we see it as being right now. Back then, I thought it was as wrong as you do. And now, look at us. You’re a porn star. I’m trying to be one. So much for our dreams of being a supermodel and a top photographer, right? How did you get into porn, anyway?”
Shou shrugged. “Just kind of fell into it. The modeling jobs weren’t coming, I had a friend who was doing a shoestring indie porn company, the company got bought out by PSC Productions, and the rest is history. And you know what? I kind of surprised myself with how much I like it.”
“Same here,” said Kouki. “Just kind of fell into it, I mean. I wasn’t getting photography gigs, I sent a picture to your bosses, and I got picked by this show. And then, I kept getting picked by the viewers. Had some fun, met some nice people . . . well, I could only be nice to them to a certain extent, we couldn’t date during the show.”
“And after the show?” Shou said. “What if you don’t win?”
“If I don’t win, I move on,” Kouki said. “Maybe other offers will come my way. Maybe I’ll finally get some steady photo gigs. Who knows? In any event, it’s been an experience, and . . . “ He put a hand over Shou’s. “It’s letting me erase my one regret.”
Shou suddenly felt his heart pounding. Oh, he’d wanted this man when he was taking his picture. He even fantasized about him afterward. And now, the fantasy was going to be a reality. Okay, it was for reality TV. But still . . .
“Funny how things work out sometimes, isn’t it?” Shou said.
“Like, reality is stranger than fiction?”
“Exactly that.” He took Kouki’s hand and squeezed it. “Let’s go tell Uruha that we’re ready, okay?” He had the sudden urge to kiss him, but decided to save it for the camera.
* * *
It was a familiar ritual to Shou now. Uruha called “Action,” the cameras started rolling and his whole world became focused on the man (or men, if this was a group scene) who was next to him. Shou never faked emotions or sexual responses - which was one key reason for his popularity.
He most definitely wasn’t faking now as he sat on the bed with the man he’d wanted since he’d seen him behind the camera an eternity ago.
When their lips touched, he was into the kiss right away, parting his lips and pushing his tongue forward, feeling Kouki’s brush against his. Shou wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer, thinking that his kisses were just like he’d hoped they’d be - hot and sweet and passionate, with a lot of tongue action.
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, feeling those lips moving down his neck as hands slipped down the front of his garment, looking for the fastening of the yukata. Thank God they were wearing these easy-escape clothes, Shou didn’t want to deal with zippers and buttons and all kind of things in the way.
The cameras might as well not be there. In fact, he almost wished they weren’t.
He pulled back from the other man just long enough for them to undo each other’s ties, and push the fabric away, revealing to each other what they’d wanted to see all this time. Oh, God - he was even more beautiful than Shou had been dreaming of. He had a slender, wiry torso, a flat, muscled stomach . . .
Before Shou knew it, he was tossing aside his own yukata and then leaning over with a passionate gasp, spontaneously starting to lay kisses over that chest, tasting the salty musk of his skin as he licked at him, traced one nipple with the tip of his tongue, started to suck.
He heard his co-star moan and felt his fingers tangle in his hair. Oh, yes, he was pleasing this man just as he wanted, just as he’d dreamed of. He switched to the other nipple, keeping enough presence of mind to position his head so the camera could see what he was doing.
His hands were roaming all over Kouki’s body, exploring him, making him think that this man was some sort of wonder - every part of him was long and lean and wonderfully sculpted. His shoulders and arms were beautifully formed, his back a graceful curve, and . . .
And he’d better put the brakes on before he gave in to his impulse to move down and suck his cock. This scene was supposed to be about showing what Kouki could do in bed, not him. They already knew about him.
So he pulled away and lay on his back on the mattress, an open invitation for the other man to explore him. Kouki reacted by leaning over and kissing Shou’s lips passionately again, and their cocks brushed together as he did so, just for a moment. Shou felt a deep shudder pass through his body - Kouki felt so damn good, big and hard and delicious.
Kouki pulled back, and the two men just looked at each other for a long moment, feasting their eyes on each other’s beauty, breathing heavily.
When Kouki lowered his head again, it was to Shou’s chest, to do the same thing Shou had done to him, running his tongue in slow circles around a nipple. He pulled away, kissing further up his shoulder, around his collarbone.
Then, he looked up at Shou with a sultry expression that the camera most definitely caught, promising what was to come next without saying a word. Shou lifted his head, and their eyes locked.
The lips closed around Shou’s nipple and sucked, and Shou let out a little cry. He was absolutely devouring him, sucking him hard, then licking, then sucking again.
“Yes,” Shou moaned. “Oh, yes, more . . .”
Kouki moved to the other nipple, rubbing his tongue against it slowly, and Shou felt his cock absolutely throb in response. He was incredible. He was as good as any other man Shou had been with on camera . . .
And they hadn’t even gotten down to the real business yet.
When Shou felt that tongue slipping down his stomach, he knew that was coming. He parted his legs, arching his hips . . . giving the camera a nice shot of the all-important cock, of course, but also offering himself to this man, making himself a willing sacrifice to what was coming next.
The cameras zoomed in for closeups to catch their new star in a key piece of action. How well he performed this would go a long way toward determining if he won the competition.
Kouki didn’t disappoint. He paused just above Shou’s erection, licking his lips, slowly, building up audience anticipation - and his own.
Finally, he leaned over, taking the tip in his mouth and sucking on it, gently, getting a small groan from Shou.
He was going softly at first, a slow suck, working the tip in and out, making sure the camera caught the hard flesh slipping in and out of his lips. His fingers ran up and down the shaft, stroking him, getting him ready for what was going to follow.
And then, he started to speed up, getting more intense, sucking harder little by little, moving down a little more each time. He slipped Shou’s cock all the way out, running his tongue all over the shaft and murmuring, “Do you like this?”
“Ohh,” Shou moaned. “Oh, my God . . .”
“You look really sexy right now.” It wasn’t contrived, scripted dialogue - Kouki was speaking honestly. “Sexy and beautiful.” He wrapped his fingers around Shou’s erection, flicking his tongue over the tip again, and Shou cried out.
“Do you want me to fuck you?” Kouki murmured.
“Yes,” Shou moaned. “Yes!” The tongue caressed him again, and he gripped the sheets, panting, thinking he was going to have a hard time holding his climax back if Kouki kept that up.
“Say please?” And then that mouth was enveloping him again, sucking hard, moving down and down and DOWN, Shou thought for a moment he was going to deep-throat him, and if that happened, he WOULD come here and now.
“Please!” he cried out. “Please, please, fuck me . . .”
“Get on all fours,” Kouki said, and Shou obeyed, actually glad that Kouki had chosen the position well - it was the best one to put the seme on full display for the audience, give them the best view of his body and what he could do.
Kouki positioned himself behind Shou, reaching for the lube that the camera crew had put out, slicking his fingers . . .
But before he prepared Shou, he suddenly leaned over, rubbing his cock against his lower back, just above his ass - allowing the camera to lovingly capture every hard inch of Kouki’s erection. “This is what you want?”
“Yes,” Shou moaned. “I want that inside me.” The tease was drawing it out to the point where he thought he was going to explode. He was feeling that thing on his skin, rubbing on him, so close and yet so far . . .
And again, a smart move camera-wise, as it gave them a clear shot of his cock in all its glory. Kouki definitely knew what he was doing.
A finger pushed into Shou, and he pushed back against it, moaning . . . yes, even his fingers felt good, shaped perfectly for opening a man up, darting around inside him, caressing sensitive areas . . .
Shou wondered if this man as good in bed with everyone, or was this just a special case for him. If he really was the real deal, if he was like this with everyone, he was going to be a porn superstar.
The second finger entered, then the third, a sequence that would probably be edited down - this was the least visually interesting part of the sex. Shou felt himself opening more, and he gripped the sheets in anticipation, knowing what was coming.
He felt the fingers leave him, and heard the tube squish again as Kouki prepared his cock . . . and then, it was brought to his entrance.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” Shou gasped.
But instead of pushing in, Kouki pulled away. “Are you sure?” he said, teasingly.
“Please!” Shou cried. “Please, I want you in me.”
“All right - you’ve earned it.” And Kouki pushed against him again, and pushed, and kept pushing . . .
Oh, God. He was filling him nicely. Very nicely. Shou was used to a big cock from working with Kai so much (and having him as a part-time lover offscreen) - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be impressed by others. Every man was different, with his own shapes, textures, curves . . .
And Kouki had a magnificent one. Big and strong and with some lovely textured areas that would rub against a man nicely.
There was the usual little bit of pain as he was filled, but Shou took a deep breath, willing it to go away, because he wanted nothing but pleasure.
“Oh, you feel good.” Kouki paused, letting the camera get a good view of his sweat-soaked torso. “You have such a hot, tight ass.” He started a slow thrust, and Shou moaned at the feel of that cock moving through him, stroking and caressing nerve endings, sending a slow heat stealing through his body.
“More,” he murmured. “I need more . . .”
And that is what he got, as the other man started to speed up, grasping Shou’s hips, letting the camera get a good view of them both as he thrust rapidly into his body. The thrusting became closer to pounding, as both men started to moan loudly, Shou pushing back against him, wanting to feel that lovely thing deep, so deep . . .
Shou was in the zone now - that place and time during filming when he forgot all about the cameras, forgot everything but the pleasure and his partner, the cock that was filling him, the hands that stroked over his body. And Kouki was doing everything right, even lightly raking his nails over Shou’s back, spicing the pleasure with a little bit of pain.
He was getting closer, oh, yes, closer, but he bit his lip, forcing the orgasm back, needing it to last longer for the cameras, and not willing to let it end anyway, oh, yes, this was sex that could go on all day and all night as far as he was concerned.
Kouki heard his muffled sounds, knew that meant he was getting close, and remembered what he’d been told to do at this point - he pulled backwards on Shou’s shoulders, so that Shou would be upright, his cock visible to the camera for his orgasm.
“Do you want to come?” he asked his partner, breathlessly.
“Yes,” Shou gasped. “I need it . . .”
Kouki wrapped his fingers around Shou’s cock and stroked rapidly, and that was all he needed. He let out a huge cry, the orgasm exploding in him with fierce intensity, his come running over the other man’s fingers, down his hand.
Shou flopped on the bed face-forward, his ass still in the air, the firm curves about to serve as the stage for Kouki’s first professional, on-camera orgasm. He grabbed Shou’s hips again, thrusting hard a few more times . . .
Then he pulled out, come spilling onto the cheeks as he cried out, a long, sweet orgasm that was as intense as Shou’s own. He fell back to the bed beside his partner, and the two kissed on-camera, which panned slowly away from them - the traditional way to end such a scene.
Uruha yelled “Cut!” and the room exploded in applause. Shou wasn’t moving. He just stayed snuggled against his partner, eyes closed, breathing deeply.
“Was that as good as you hoped for?” Kouki said, wrapping an arm around Shou.
“It was better,” Shou replied.
Uruha came up to the bed. “That was fantastic,” he said. “You two have unbelievable chemistry. Just incredible.”
“We think so, too,” Kouki said, not letting go of Shou. “If I win, can I work with him again?”
“That’s the plan,” Uruha said. “Why don’t you two get cleaned up, I want to get interviews with both of you about the experience.”
Shou squeezed the other man’s hand as they got off the bed. “I’m all wobbly-kneed,” he said.
“So am I,” Kouki said. “That was easier than I thought it would be. Doing it on camera for the first time, I mean.”
“You forget the camera was there,” Shou said. “Especially if you’re into your co-star. And that . . .” He directed Kouki to pick up the yukata and head for the bathroom. “That goes without saying,”
“At least I know I can live the rest of my life without regrets now,” Kouki said, teasingly. “So . . . what happens now?”
“We get washed up in here, then do the interviews, and then we leave, since the other two are shooting their scene after us. And after that . . .”
“After that . . . what?” The two of them entered the washing room, which had two showerheads with stools, in the traditional Japanese style.
Shou sat down on one stool and turned a sly smile on his co-star. “That depends on what you’re doing later.”
“Why?” Kouki sat on the other stool, smiling back at Shou. “What did you have in mind?”
* * *
Late afternoon in Shou’s apartment, with shadows sliding over the walls, dappling the two naked bodies on the couch.
More accurately, Kouki was sitting on the couch, head tipped back, eyes closed, lips parted and moaning. Shou was kneeling on the floor, between his spread legs, sliding his tongue slowly up one side of the other man’s cock.
He was savoring it, every inch of it, every bit of musky scent and taste. He’d waited for this for so long . . .
Shou moved up to the head, flicking his tongue back and forth, running it around the very tip. When a drop of precome trickled out, he licked it up like the sweetest nectar.
He opened his lips, sliding down on it, fucking his mouth. Oh, yes, he was a mouthful, a delicious one. When he began to suck, Kouki let out a loud moan.
“Suck me . . . take it all, take as much as you can . . .”
That was quite a lot. Shou moved down on him further, and further, sucking all along as if he were the most luscious treat ever. He reached up with both hands, finding his lover’s nipples and rubbing them, hearing a low animal growl in response.
Shou responded in animalistic fashion himself, starting to move his head rapidly, bobbing up and down on the magnificent cock, feeling it slide over his lips and tongue. He had it as deep in his mouth as he could for a man of this size, feeling it brush the back of his throat on the hardest downthrusts.
Kouki was pulling his hair now, the bit of pain just fueling Shou’s excitement, making him suck harder, move faster, rub him with his tongue on outstrokes. He felt it throbbing, heard his lover’s breath coming in sharp little gasps . . .
And then, Kouki let out a harsh cry, and Shou’s mouth was flooding with hot fluid. He pulled away so he caught a little on his face, swallowing the rest.
He moved up, and they kissed, come smearing over both their faces, then being shared more as Shou pushed his tongue into Kouki’s mouth, letting him taste it.
“Up on the couch,” Kouki told him. “Ass pointed at me.”
Shou climbed up on the furniture, on all fours, looking over his shoulder. “Like this?”
“Yes.” Kouki knelt on the floor, where Shou had been. “Now, relax . . .”
Shou looked over his shoulder and saw his new lover grab a couple of items off the table. He looked away, and felt the coolness of lube being poured into his cleft, the crinkle of plastic being stretched over it. Oh, yes, oh, yes, he knew what was coming, he was going to . . .
There was a feeling of heat as Kouki’s face was pressed into his ass, and then something soft and strong pushing into him, wriggling a little in his entrance, then pulling out, circling the little opening, then slipping in again . . .
And then, Kouki just buried his face in Shou and began to thoroughly tongue-fuck him, thrusting into the hole, wriggling back and forth, curving and curling and stroking, then pulling out, pausing, letting him recover from the sensation . . .
The tongue thrust into him, deep and hard and fast, and Shou was moaning hard, his cock feeling like it was going to burst, his whole body on fire. He pushed his ass back, trying to get the tongue in deeper, and deeper it went, curving around, the softness moving against every part of him . . .
He was damn near coming, sweating and moaning and even pounding the couch with his hands, because it was so good, so fucking good . . .
All it took was a light touch of Kouki’s hand on his shaft to make him let go, and when he did, it was with a cry more animal than human, coming even more intensely than he had on-camera, not caring that he was splattering the leather below him. (It was come-resistant. Shou and his lovers had splattered it many times before, it always wiped right up).
Kouki slid out that magnificent tongue and pulled the dental dam away. He sat on the couch beside Shou, and the two wrapped their arms around each other, kissing. They lingered for a long moment, Shou’s head on Kouki’s shoulder, Kouki’s fingers stroking his hair.
Then, finally Shou spoke, breaking the silence - and delivering the reality check. This was necessary after off-camera sex with an on-camera partner - which happened more often than not. Most guys were eager for an at-home round two after the on-camera action.
“I . . . I want you for my co-star again. You’re incredible. Better than my fantasies of you. I want you in my bed again, but . . .”
“Is there someone?” Kouki raised his head.
“I have a boyfriend,” Shou said. “He and I have an open relationship, of course. We both have other lovers. But, he’s my primary . . . it’s how it’s always been.” He turned his head toward his co-star. “What about you?”
“Same,” Kouki said. “Or . . . about to be the same. There’s someone I’d like to be a boyfriend, but I haven’t asked him. Not yet. But I will - after the finale. But, yes, same thing - we’re going to keep it an open relationship. We have to.”
“After the finale?” Shou said. “It’s someone from the show?”
“Of course,” Kouki said. “We didn’t really see very many other people when we were filming. And this guy and I just bonded.”
Shou raised his head. “Ryoga?” he said. “Is it Ryoga?”
“Can’t put anything past you, can I?” Kouki said. “Yes, it’s Ryoga.”
“Who’s been filming a scene with Ruki this afternoon,” Shou said. “Who’s my boyfriend.”
“Funny how things like that happen, isn’t it?” said Kouki. “Hey, if everything works out? We could have two-couple time together. We could even come over for dinner and a foursome.”
Shou laughed. “Are you serious?” he said.
“Well, no . . . but it could be fun, couldn’t it?”
Oh, yes - three lovers, no cameras to worry about? “It would be a lot of fun.”
“Then I guess I’m serious.” He kissed Shou again. “I’m so glad I signed up for this dumb show now.”
“So am I,” Shou said. “And . . . it’s not dumb, is it? Not if you met Ryoga through it. Not if you and I found each other again through it.”
And an uncomfortable thought was forming in the back of Shou’s mind. What if Kouki didn’t win? What if a competitor snapped him up - he’d heard rumors about Shin going to Adonis? How would it affect his relationship with Shou, with Ryoga, with everything?
* * *
Uruha looked out at the studio from his post in the control room. So far, everything was going well with the live finale. Tora had done a group interview with the eliminated contestants (and not a word was said on-camera about Shin signing with their competitor). There had been clip montages of Kouki and Ryoga throughout the competition - their various interviews, stripteases, photo sessions, clowning around behind the scenes (like, for instance, Kouki planting rubber cockroaches where co-stars could find them) . . .
And so far, there were no reports of any competitors making their way backstage. That had been Uruha’s explicit instructions to the security guards - no known entities from Adonis, Hard Candy or any other gay porn companies were to be allowed on the premises.
He’d seen the Twitter chatter. He knew there was going to be a bidding war for whichever man wasn’t selected tonight. Whoever wasn’t chosen, the fans said, might score a bigger payday than the man who was.
Uruha looked at the man sitting in the control room next to him and nodded. Their plan was in motion. That wasn’t going to happen.
The winner was going to be surprised tonight - but their competitors were going to be even more surprised.
* * *
The show was dragging on forever and a day - or so Kouki thought.
He watched the other interviews, the clips, the recap of his scene with Shou - which had aired as part of the previous night’s stream. He’d actually been shocked at how well it came out.
But then again, Ryoga’s scene with Ruki had been pretty damn good, too - and those two didn’t have a secret shared past. Ryoga had the goods - he was a true porn star.
The two of them were standing center stage now, awaiting the big announcement. When the camera was off them, when one of the clip montages was showing, Ryoga reached over and squeezed Kouki’s hand. “This is it,” he whispered.
“It all comes down to this, right?” Kouki whispered back. “Week after week of shooting and interviews and . . .”
“And your rubber bugs.”
“I had to liven things up when they got boring somehow, right?” Kouki squeezed Ryoga’s hand again. “No matter what happens . . .”
“Things are going to stay the same?” Ryoga whispered back.
But Kouki didn’t get a chance to answer. The lights were coming up. Tora was approaching them with the microphone. The moment of truth was here.
“All right, we’re going to cut to the chase,” he said. “We all know why we’re here. We all know what’s next. And I’m not going to be like other reality show hosts and draw . . .” Pause. “Out . . . .” Pause. “The . . .”
“You ARE drawing it out,” said Saga from his seat in the front row, where the PSC stars were sitting.
“Let me finish,” Tora said.
“If we wait for you to finish, we’ll be here until next Tuesday,” said Saga. “Just announce the winner! You’re torturing these guys!” He pointed to Kouki and Ryoga. The audience laughed.
“Okay, okay,” Tora said. He picked up the big envelope on the table next to him, closed with a wax seal as if it held the winner of an Academy Award. He ripped it open, saying, “The winner of The Next Porn Star, and recipient of a PSC Productions contract and the starring role in our next video is . . .”
Kouki squeezed Ryoga’s hand. In the audience, Shou held clasped hands up to his face. In the control room, the man who had been next to Uruha started to make his way down to the studio.
“KOUKI!” Tora shouted.
At first, Kouki didn’t realize his name had been called. Then, it hit him in the face like a bucket of ice water. It was him. He’d won. He was The Next Porn Star. A new career was his.
There were balloons and streamers cascading down from the ceiling. The existing PSC stars were running out into camera range to congratulate him. Tora was looking up where the balloons and streamers came from and saying, “We have the budget for all this?”
But Kouki’s glance fell on Ryoga, who was just standing there, clapping, a forced smile on his face. And his heart broke a little for him.
He’s come as far as I have, he thought. He wanted this as badly as I did. And tomorrow, some other company will make him an offer, and we’ll be competitors, and . . .
There was someone striding up to Tora, whispering something in his ear. Tora nodded, and went over to Ryoga with the microphone.
“Ryoga,” he said, “you did a fantastic job, you were a fantastic competitor . . . and this guy has something to say to you. This is Nao, the founder of Nine Films - where some of us got our start.”
Nao grabbed the mike. “Hi, there,” he said. “Ryoga, I have to tell you, I was impressed with you. Really impressed. I haven’t seen presence like yours in a long time. As you might know, I founded Nine Films on a shoestring when I was right out of college. We didn’t have a lot of money, so I had to develop an eye for talent - and let me tell you, you have talent.”
The audience applauded - but Nao put up a hand to silence them. He had more to say. “Some time ago, I got into talks with our bosses about reviving Nine Films as a separate label from PSC. Kind of an indie within the major. Make it a place for indie talent to come and work with the backing of a major studio. But to do that, they said I needed to have a recognizable star on board. Someone to be the face of the new Nine Films. And through this show, I’ve found that face.” He pointed at Ryoga. “Ryoga, I’d like to offer you a contract to be the star of my new line of films.”
Ryoga’s jaw dropped. “You mean . . . you mean, I’d still be with this company?”
“Absolutely,” Nao said.
Ryoga looked at Kouki. Kouki looked at Ryoga. They both had wide-open eyes and jaws. Somehow, they had both ended up the winners.
“Then I accept,” Ryoga said. “Oh, fuck YEAH, do I accept!” He threw his arms around Nao in a tackle-hug - which prompted Kouki to tackle-hug both of them from the other side. Then Shou, impulsively, tackle-hugged Kouki, Byou tackle-hugged Ryoga, a few more people piled on, and before they knew it, they were all on a heap on the floor - with Tora standing over the heap with the mike, yelling into the camera.
“Okay, that’s our show! Thanks for watching and voting, and look for the upcoming videos from . . . well, both Kouki and Ryoga! Good night!”
In the control room, Uruha had a sly smile on his face. The new Nine Films was something he and Nao had cooked up just prior to airtime. Hard Candy and Adonis didn’t need to know there was no long-gestating project. They’d been cut off at the pass. There would be no bidding war - both the winner and the runner-up would be under the PSC umbrella.
Of course, now that it had been announced on the air, they’d have to deliver an actual product. But that could be done. There were a couple of young indie directors Uruha wanted to give a shot to, and they could easily do videos with Ryoga and released with the old Nine Films logo.
There were times when Uruha was glad he chose this business over any other - and this moment of the sweet taste of victory was one of them.
* * *
The afterparty was being held at one of the regular cast’s favorite bars. The mood was definitely festive - they’d gained not one, but two new co-stars. There was a lot of drinking to the future of the company, drinking to Nao’s new venture (since none of the cast were aware it was basically a ruse), drinking to Uruha for coming up with such a great concept . . .
In the midst of all of it, Ruki just sat with his phone, “I have a lot of fucking Twitter to catch up on!”
Kouki dragged Ryoga off into a corner. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “I still can’t believe it!”
“YOU can’t believe it?” Ryoga said. “I think my heart’s still going to explode!”
“We’re going to be coworkers,” Kouki said. “Not competitors - working together. We might even be co-stars.”
“We’re both semes,” Ryoga said.
“You’re not flexible with that?” said Kouki.
“Well, I’ve done both,” Ryoga said, “but on-camera, I prefer to top.”
“We can work with that,” Kouki said.
“On-camera, or off?”
That caught Kouki a little off-guard. “That depends,” he said.
“On what?” Ryoga said. “On that guy you said was the biggest regret of your life? The one you did the scene with?”
“Shou?” Kouki said. “He’s not a regret anymore. Not now that we’ve been together. But I know what I’d regret more.”
“What?”
“Not asking you to be a part of my life from now on.”
There was a long pause as the two looked at each other. Then, Ryoga said, “You’ve got a smooth tongue to go with your stupid face, you know that?”
“You haven’t experienced my tongue yet.”
“So, will I?”
“That depends. You haven’t answered me yet.”
“You didn’t ask a question!”
“I seem to remember asking you to be part of my life from now on.”
There was a long pause. Ryoga put his hand on Kouki’s arm.
“You don’t have to ask that,” he said. “It’s an automatic yes.”
In every sense of the word, tonight, they were both winners - in every way possible.
* * *
The outcome of the reality show was positive for everyone involved.
PSC Productions gained a lot of new users for their streaming content service and not one, but two new stars. Uruha gained the satisfaction of rehabilitating the industry’s image in the eyes of the public - they’d even gotten some positive notices in the mainstream press. Shou gained closure to a long-standing regret - not to mention a new co-star to add to his list of favorites.
But nobody had a better outcome than the two new stars. It was very quickly whispered around the company that they were each other’s leading men when the cameras were turned off. When asked directly, Kouki just said a sly, “Maybe. Really, is anyone at this company in an exclusive relationship?”
He honestly didn’t care if people knew about their relationship. He now had no regrets in his life. None.
He had a reality that was far better than reality TV could ever be.
Chapter: Twelfth 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, exhibition/voyeurism (since the characters work in the porn industry), rimming, teasing
Pairing: Kouki (D=OUT) X Shou (main), Kouki X Ryoga (BORN), Ruki X Shou
Disclaimer: Boys belong to PS Company (except the Alice Nine characters, who are now free agents), I own the story only.
Summary: Uruha’s idea for a reality series to find the next porn star attracts a photographer who looks like he should be in front of the camera - and who may have a secret past with one of PSC Productions’ biggest stars.
Comments: Two new bands are represented in The Camera Eye universe! Ryoga is someone I’ve been toying with the idea of bringing in for awhile, and if you’ve seen photos/videos of him and Kouki together, you know why I couldn’t bring one into the series without the other. The recent events involving Alice Nine will have no bearing on The Camera Eye, since it is an AU - the Alice Nine/Nine Films characters will continue to be part of PSC Productions.
The idea for the reality series was a natural, really.
Uruha had wanted to do something that would rehabilitate the image of adult film stars in the eyes of the general Japanese public. He was tired of hearing that they were all rent boys, or drug addicts, or both, that no “decent” people got into this of their own free will. He wanted to show the world what these actors were really like when the cameras were turned off.
Plus the fact that it would encourage more people to subscribe to PSC Productions’ streaming service didn’t hurt, either.
His first concept was a reality series about their own, existing actors - following them in their everyday lives, on and off the set. He’d actually started looking into the feasibility of such a thing.
But he got an even better idea after he got a memo from his boss following the rather expensive hiring of Byou - along with several other people from his old company, at the star’s insistence.
“No more divas,” the boss said. “They're getting too costly. We'll grow our own stars from now on, not bring in someone else's.”
That, Uruha knew, was easier said than done in an increasingly crowded field. He had to come up with the fastest possible route to creating instant superstars out of nobodies . . .
And then, it hit him. A reality competition show. It would kill two birds with one stone. It would rehabilitate the image of the industry and create new stars in one fell swoop. After each episode went live for streaming, they could have fans vote for who they wanted to make it to the next round via social media . . .
The concept was forming in his mind, rapidly. Start with a pool of 15 candidates. Reduce that to 10 after the first week, then pick them off one by one. Have them perform a different “star” task every episode - first, a general glamor photoshoot, then a personality interview, then a striptease, then centerfold modeling . . . working their way up to “real” porn star stuff.
The final three would each perform a “solo” (read, masturbation) scene for the cameras, and from there, the final two would be chosen. And those two would be put to the ultimate test - they'd film a full-blown sex scene with an existing PSC star. The fans would vote on which one they liked best, and the winner would be presented with a full PSC contract and a lead role.
It was perfect. It was win-win. They gained a new star, some lucky guy gained a new career. And it would cost a hell of a lot less than a diva contract.
He couldn't wait to run the idea past the higher-ups. He knew he had a winner. Hell, they didn't even have to have auditions - he had a big file in his computer of photos and video clips that had been sent to the company, unsolicited. He’d pull the lucky 15 from that.
And thus was born PSC Productions Presents: The Next Porn Star.
* * *
Right before the series started streaming, Uruha called Ruki and Shou into his office.
“I don't want either one of you to watch the show,” he said.
The two looked at each other, puzzled. “What the fuck kind of request is that?” said Ruki.
“Because you two are the ones I've chosen to do scenes with the final two,” Uruha said. “I don't know yet if they're going to be semes or ukes, so I want them paired with guys who can switch roles - and my best switches are the two of you.”
Shou wanted to say that he was more of an uke - he'd only done a couple of seme roles. He was open to the possibility, though. “Why can't we watch it, then?” Shou said. “Shouldn't we know who we'll be costarring with?”
“That's just it,” Uruha said. “I want you two to go into the scene with no preconceived notions about your co-star. I want all your reactions to him to be completely natural. And for that to happen . . . you need to be as unfamiliar with all the candidates as possible. So no watching the show, no adding any of the guys to your Twitters, nothing.”
“Going to be hard if they're splattered all over the porn blogs, isn't it?” Ruki said.
“And stay away from the porn blogs,” Uruha said. “I'll send the two of you any links to stuff I think you should see. Plus, I'll make sure none of the guys wander onto your sets.”
“So you're putting us in solitary?” Ruki said.
“I'm not saying you need to stay in solitary,” Uruha said. “Just avoid anything involving the show as much as possible.”
“We'll work on other stuff when the series is running,” Shou said. “Ruki can do his art. I can get a new modeling portfolio shot.”
“Hey!” Ruki said.
“You've been meaning to get back to the art, haven't you?” Shou said. “You haven't had time.”
Ruki sighed. “Fine,” he said.
“It'll be worth it,” Uruha said. “Trust me. If this works the way I think it's going to? We're going to crush the competition. Nobody else is doing anything like this. And this will reflect well on us - all of us - next awards season.”
Well, that hit home with Ruki. His loss in the “best oral scene” category at last year's Japan Adult Video Association Male Awards still stung. That was HIS fucking category, dammit. “All right,” he said. “But you'd better be right.”
“I know I'm right,” Uruha said.
And so, Shou and Ruki were to become industry hermits until the finale of the series. All in the name of creating new superstars - right?
But the possibility of awards wouldn't hurt, either.
* * *
There were two things that Kouki never thought he'd become. One was a reality TV guy. The other was a porn star.
Now, suddenly, he found himself as both.
Okay, he wasn't a porn star yet. They were five weeks into the show, halfway through. But whispers around the set were already calling him the odds-on favorite, the one to beat.
“I just like being around cameras, that's all,” he said during one of his onscreen interviews. “In front of them, behind them, you name it. Photography and I just naturally go together.”
“So you're a photographer?” the off-camera voice asked.
“That's what I've been doing most of my life. I got my first camera when I was a kid. Took pictures of anything and everything. Worked for the newspaper when I was in school. But I never quite made it, you know? Got freelance stuff here and there, but nothing steady. So I figured - who would know more about being a model than a photographer?”
The story was true. Photography was his “real” career, what he always thought of himself as. He just couldn't seem to make a living at it.
He shot a few catalogs, some magazine stuff, and a lot of modeling portfolios. Hell, he would have been able to sustain himself on portfolios alone - if he wasn't working with dirt-poor aspiring models who couldn't pay much more than the cost of shooting.
“You're really talented,” a friend said to him as he flipped through the gallery on Kouki's phone while the two sat in a bar. “Why the hell don't you have a show anywhere?”
“The right people don't know that yet,” Kouki said. “I shoot and shoot and shoot and no one sees it. And meanwhile, I have to keep taking part-time jobs just to survive. I'm about ready to start eating my camera equipment, but I don't think it would have any nutritional value. How is a guy supposed to build a photography career if he has to spend half his life working at part-time jobs? If there were some way to get fast and easy money that didn't involve anything illegal I'd take it.”
“You mean, something like being in porn?” his friend said.
“Porn?” Kouki laughed. “Are you kidding me?”
“Well, yes, I am. But hey, it's a fast way to make money - if you're gay. Straight porn pays nothing. Gay porn pays a lot.”
“I'm bi,” Kouki said. “Does that count?”
“Wait - you're really thinking of this?” His friend looked confused.
“You said they make a lot of money fast, right? That's what I need to do. I could do a couple of videos, make money, have more time to get photography work. Why not? It's pretty much just what the doctor ordered in this case, right? Besides, it's not going to wreck my career. I'm a photographer, I'm behind the camera. People don't see my face. They don’t have to know their picture is being taken by a porn star.”
So he got another photographer friend to shoot pictures of him in various stages of undress and E-mailed them through PSC Productions' web site. He shrugged his shoulders when he didn't get a response, thinking, well, I'm just not their type.
Until he got the call inviting him to be part of the reality show.
Now, here he was posing for pictures, answering questions, performing stripteases, flirting with the other contestants. (But it couldn't go beyond flirting, they were all told. Sleeping with another contestant would get you disqualified). Unbelievable.
“You're going to be in the final two,” another contestant, Ryoga, said to him during a break in filming.
“You think so?” Kouki said. The two of them were sitting together on the deck of the mansion that was a frequent PSC set. Around them, other contestants checked their phones, went to the makeup girl for touch-ups, and in one case, lay on a couch and dozed.
“Just take one look at Twitter,” Ryoga said. “They love you. Every other hashtag I see is your name.”
“I haven't gone on there much,” said Kouki. “I guess that means this is all worth it, right?”
“You don't regret doing this, do you?” said Ryoga.
“Do you?” said Kouki.
Ryoga shook his head. “This wasn't my first career choice, but I don't regret it. If it works out for me? It's money. I can eat another week.”
“Same here,” said Kouki. “And I don't regret it. Not at all. There's not much I regret in my life, really. Well, except for not making a move on one of the guys I shot a portfolio for.”
“That's what you regret?” Ryoga said. “Not hitting on a guy?”
“He was no ordinary guy,” Kouki said. “He was beautiful. Gorgeous, even. He was tall and had his hair dyed blond . . .”
“So you were going to hit on yourself,” Ryoga said.
“No! No, he didn't look like me,” Kouki said. “He wasn't like anyone else I'd ever seen. He was . . . sweet and innocent, but at the same time? Sexy as hell. He was born to be a model. I know I've seen him somewhere recently - I can't remember exactly where, though. He's probably all over half the magazine covers in Japan right now.”
And if he is, Kouki thought, I wish I could get the proper credit for being the guy who discovered him. I wouldn't be doing this show right now if I did
Where had he seen that guy recently, anyway? Now that was going to drive him nuts.
* * *
“How many fucking weeks until that show of theirs is over?” Ruki said, looking up from his computer.
“They're in the seventh week,” Shou said. “Still a couple of weeks until we know who the final two are.”
“I can't wait until I can go back on Twitter,” Ruki said. They'd tried to avoid talk of the show on their feeds - and found it was impossible. The Next Porn Star was the “buzz” item of the year in their circles - especially the three stars who were considered the frontrunners. So they had to avoid Twitter entirely.
“We'll be back soon enough,” said Shou, “Meanwhile, what do you think of my new photos?” He turned his computer around to face Ruki.
“Why did you need new pictures taken, anyway?” Ruki said.
“The old ones I had were, well, old,” said Shou. “They were mostly pre-PSC. I had my initial portfolio done when I wasn't that long out of school.” He set the gallery to “slideshow” so Ruki could see all the new pictures. “I was shy and awkward then.”
“Then?” said Ruki. Shou was always kind of shy and awkward - which was actually a big part of his charm.
“Well, more than I am now,” Shou said. “Really shy and awkward. The photographer was a guy about my own age, and he was, well . . . he was really attractive. He was really tall and had a gorgeous face and I . . . I couldn't do anything but smile and pose for him. I wanted to . . .”
“Hit on him?” said Ruki.
“I couldn't,” Shou said. “My mind wouldn't come up with the words. I mean, I didn't want to seem creepy, or do anything that was going to jeopardize my career, or anything like that.” He blushed a little. “You would have never known then that I'd end up a porn star.”
“A lot of people don't believe you now when you tell them you're a porn star,” Ruki said.
“Is that bad?” said Shou.
“Are you fucking kidding me? It’s why you're so popular. A sweet and shy guy who turns into a sex monster in front of the cameras? They eat that up.”
“I just hope whoever I get in the last round eats it up,” Shou said. “I wonder what the final two are going to think of us.”
“I wish we'd find out soon,” said Ruki, “so we can fucking get back on Twitter.”
Shou went back to going through his new portfolio, the old one still on his mind. He wasn't going to tell Ruki this, but he sometimes fantasized about running into that photographer again, and having him be a fan of his videos. And maybe he'd want to talk to him, and meet him for drinks, and . . .
And he should stop fantasizing like a schoolboy. He had a primary boyfriend in his life, Ruki. He had two secondaries, Kai and Byou. He had other costars. It wasn't like he lacked for companionship or sex. Thinking about things like this was, well, kind of dumb.
Of course, that wasn't going to stop him from doing it.
* * *
The weekly elimination shows - which streamed 24 hours after the regular episode - were always a bit silly.
They were about 30 seconds worth of legitimate content - the announcement of who survived the cut this time - surrounded by 29 minutes and 30 seconds of filler. An introduction by the series' on-camera host, Tora; a clip montage from that week's regular show; a couple of interviews with PSC performers about new release videos; some interviews with the remaining contestants; another new release plug . . .
And this week, the actual content was going to be even shorter - down to two seconds. That’s because theey were going to announce the final two, the ones who, over the next week, would be filming actual sex scenes with PSC stars.
Kouki had made it to the final three, of course. So had Shin, another tall, model-looking guy. Neither one was a surprise to anyone who had followed the show's Twitter feed. And the third, considered the show's dark horse, was Ryoga, who seemed kind of stunned to have made it this far.
“I always knew you were going to,” Kouki told him just before the start of the show. “You're the kind of guy people want to know better.”
“I was in the bottom two a few weeks ago,” Ryoga said.
“You were in jeopardy,” Kouki said. “That’s how Tora always phrases it, right? In jeopardy, but not necessarily in the bottom two. In other words, they're just drumming up suspense. You think anyone would really want to see you voted out? Hell, no! You've got a ton of Twitter followers.”
“So does Shin,” Ryoga reminded him.
“Yes, but you have the more devoted followers,” Kouki said. “They're more willing to stuff the ballot boxes for you!”
And so, the three candidates now stood in front of the cameras, smiles plastered on their faces, every time the camera cut away from the video previews and interviews. Backstage, Uruha watched the monitors nervously.
He'd heard rumors that PSC's competitors were watching the show tonight, ready to pounce on whoever was eliminated. A couple of fast-rising indies had already snapped up the early round castoffs. Adonis and Hard Candy were probably waiting for the second and third place finishers like spiders waiting for flies.
This was something he hadn’t planned on - the last thing in the world he wanted was for PSC's in-house diva factory to be a star farm for other companies.
Tora finally came out in front of the cameras with the all-important envelope in his hand. “I have here the names of the two performers who are going on to the next and final round,” he said. He ripped it open - slowly. Very, very slowly. The studio audience laughed. “Hey, I have to create suspense, okay?” he said.
The three candidates laughed, nervously. They didn't need any more suspense.
Tora pulled out the paper. “The first finalist is . . .” He waited. And waited. And waited. The candidates fidgeted. The studio audience fidgeted. Uruha fidgeted - even though he knew the outcome.
“Kouki,” Tora announced. Kouki let out a deep breath, bowed to the audience and went to stand beside Tora. He'd made it. He was going to the final round. He was one short step from the idea of him being a porn star going from joke to serious reality.
He had to perform sex on camera now with a real porn star. Unreal. Just unreal.
“And the second person going on to the finals is . . .” Tora paused again. The camera lingered on Shin, then Ryoga, then the audience, then Shin, then Ryoga, then Tora, then . . .
Tora suddenly yelled, “RYOGA!”
The room exploded, Ryoga jumped up in the air, screaming. So did Kouki. Then, the two men hugged each other and bounced up and down together, both screaming. Then Tora joined both of them, and the three of them bounced around like a Superball.
It was only then that Tora remembered that oh yes, he had to do an exit interview, he had to get Shin's final words to his supporters. He made his way over to the eliminated contestant as a stagehand brought out two more envelopes.
“What are those?” Kouki whispered.
“They have the names of your costars in them,” the stagehand whispered. “Whoever's name is in that envelope is who you're going to be doing the scene with for the final round.”
Finally, Tora came back over. “All right,” he said. “Now, as we all know, next week's show is very special. Each of our final two will be doing a scene with a PSC star, and you lucky people then get to watch them both and vote on the winner. In these envelopes, they have the names of their costars. Can you each open them up and read the names, beginning with Ryoga?”
Ryoga opened his envelope, pulled out the paper and read, “Ruki.” He held it up to the camera for everyone to see - and the audience exploded with screams at the prospect of watching the two together.
“All right,” Tora said. “Now, your turn, Kouki.”
He opened the envelope - and the paper inside said, “Shou.” He held it up like Ryoga's, getting an equally thunderous ovation.
“You got an uke,” said Tora.
“Good thing,” Kouki said. “I don't bottom all that often.” The audience laughed.
Kouki looked at the paper again as the cameras were switched off. Shou? He hadn't paid much attention to PSC's product before doing this show. He knew that he was a big star, but . . . he couldn't recall what he looked like.
Why was something telling him that he should?
* * *
The two finalists were set to shoot their big scenes on Monday. Editing crews would frantically work on putting both scenes into their final forms on Tuesday, and they would air as part of Wednesday’s final regular episode, which would also include live interviews with both finalists and their co-stars.
Thursday would bring the big reveal of the winner.
On Sunday night, Kouki and Ryoga went out drinking together. They both knew they couldn’t drink too much, or stay out too late. Tomorrow was of crucial importance.
“Did you think when we started out with this that we’d be competing against each other in the end?” Ryoga said.
Kouki shrugged. “I didn’t think too much about the end,” he said. “I was just trying to get through week to week, you know? Just trying to keep from being eliminated. If I got to the next week, fine. Then all of a sudden, we started running out of next weeks. But I’m happy I made it as far as I did, and I’m happy you did, too.”
“I’m still in shock,” Ryoga said, opening his Twitter feed and glancing at it.
“You didn’t know that you had what it takes?” said Kouki.
“Oh, I knew it,” Ryoga said. “I’m just surprised other people know it.” He held his phone up. “Well, that didn’t take long. Shin got snapped up by Adonis.”
“Really?” Kouki said. “Well, good for him. He’s a hot guy, he deserves a starring role of his own.”
“You know what this means, doesn’t it?” Ryoga pointed to the phone.
Kouki shrugged. “That being cut from our show isn’t the end of the world?”
“That we’re probably going to end up rivals after this,” Ryoga said, putting the phone down. “Shin got hired by Adonis. I’ve heard a couple of the ones who got cut earlier are going to Hard Candy.”
“Not Ran, I hope,” Kouki said. “He was annoying as hell. Good thing he was a seme, because he had a stick so far up his butt that I don’t think they’d be able to fit anything else in there.”
“No, not Ran,” said Ryoga. “But don’t you see? Whichever of us doesn’t get hired by PSC Productions will end up at Hard Candy or Adonis or one of the other companies.”
“Maybe,” said Kouki. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t still hang out. I don’t think they make you sign a contract that says you’re not allowed to hang out with anyone from any other company - that would be just dumb. We’ll just have to fit time we can meet up into our schedules, that’s all.”
“Good, because . . .” Ryoga picked up his drink.
“Because why?”
“Because I’ve gotten used to looking at your dumb face, that’s all,” said Ryoga.
“Oh, yeah? Maybe I’ve gotten used to your dumb face, too,” said Kouki.
And that brought up an important question, one that both of them had been avoiding until now - where their relationship was going from here. They’d been forbidden to take it beyond friendship while the series was shooting.
Maybe they’d stay friends when it was all over, when one of them had been officially anointed The Next Porn Star. Maybe . . . they’d become something more. It would have to be an open relationship, of course - the needs of the industry necessitated it.
That was okay. It meant Kouki would get something out of this, win or lose. He’d hate to have another regret. The one involving the hot model was enough, thank you.
(And why did he feel, again, like there was something he should know about Shou . . .)
* * *
Shou had to admit he was nervous about today’s shoot - more nervous than he’d ever been on a PSC shoot, really.
He wasn’t used to working with guys sight unseen. Maybe that was standard practice at other porn companies, but not here. Not when they were all family. A newbie was always taken out for drinks as soon as he arrived and got to know everyone, got to be part of the gang.
So Shou always knew who he was dealing with when he arrived on a set. He’d gotten to know this guy as a person before having sex with him on camera.
He was greeted at the door of the apartment they were using by a full crew, too, meaning his arrival was being filmed to be a part of the show. He played along, bowing low and saying “Good morning to you all. I hope we have a good day of shooting.” He glanced around - no sign of his new co-star.
I shouldn’t be the one who’s nervous, he thought. I’m not the one with a career on the line.
He went into the bathroom they used for wardrobe and quickly got changed into a yukata with nothing underneath - easy to remove once the action got going. Taking a deep breath, he headed out to the makeup chair - where he had another camera poked in his face.
An offscreen voice said, “What do you think about doing this scene?”
“Well, I’ll be glad to get back on Twitter again,” Shou joked as a makeup brush began to move across his face.
“Twitter?”
“Ruki and I have avoided anything having to do with the show - Twitter, porn blogs, and so on,” Shou said. “We knew we’d be doing the scenes with the final two, and we wanted to keep open minds about them.”
“That’s quite admirable,” the voice said. “So you don’t know anything about Kouki at all?”
“I know he’s tall,” Shou replied. “That’s all I’ve heard. It’s why Ruki was glad he didn’t get him. Too much of a height difference.” He heard voices behind the camera laughing. “Where is he, anyway?” he asked as he closed his eyes, allowing the stylist to work on his eyelids.
“Kouki? He’s getting made up in the next room,” the cameraman said. “Your first sight of each other is going to be caught on camera.”
“Of course,” Shou said. “But . . . won’t I get a chance to talk with him at all before . . . you know?”
“You’ll get a few minutes, sure,” said the cameraman. “Don’t worry about that. Uruha wants this to be spontaneous - but he doesn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”
The makeup session finished, and Shou stood up. He headed for the door to the bedroom - which was where he assumed his co-star would be - with the camera crew following.
“This is it,’ one of them said to him as he put his hand on the knob. “You’re about to meet Kouki.”
“Here goes nothing, right?” Shou turned the knob, pushed in the door - and froze.
Of all the people he expected to see in that room, the very last one was the photographer who’d shot his very first portfolio.
* * *
Kouki couldn’t believe his eyes. Was he really and truly looking at . . . the one regret of his life? The model he didn’t make a move on?
But here he was - tall and ash-blond and gorgeous, just like he remembered him. And he was SHOU. Porn star Shou. Not exactly someone you expected to be a video box boy, given how sweet and shy he was back then.
They just started at each other for a long moment, each wondering if the other was a hallucination, if this was really happening. Then, Shou remembered his manners - and that he was on camera. He quickly bowed and said, “Nice to meet you, please treat me well.”
Kouki repeated what Shou had done, looking him up and down as he came out of the bow. It really was him. It wasn’t an illusion. And if anything, he was even MORE beautiful than he’d been when Kouki had taken his pictures.
He’d gone through episode after episode of reality TV, stripping contests, photo contests, blow job lessons, interview coaching, an on-camera solo scene - just to end up with someone from way back in his past.
Shou turned toward the camera. “Can we please have a few minutes to speak in private before we do the scene?” he said.
Uruha nodded. He was pretty much expecting this; it was in Shou’s nature to want to get to know a co-star before on-camera sex. But there’d been something . . . odd about their first meeting. There’d been a spark in their eyes, as if of recognition. Did they somehow know each other from somewhere else?
Shou grabbed Kouki’s arm and dragged him back toward the other room. “We’ll be back,” he said.
In the living room, Shou shut the door behind him. “It’s you,” he said. “I can’t believe it. It’s YOU. The photographer.”
“You can’t believe it? I took one look at you and almost fell on the floor,” Kouki said. “It’s like . . . like you were the reward for surviving every round of this damn competition.”
“Reward?” said Shou.
“Of course. I survive all the shows until now, I get to be reunited with you. Do you know how much impact that one photoshoot had for me? You’re the one regret of my life,” Kouki said. “Or at least you were.”
Shou suddenly looked shocked. “You regretted taking my pictures?”
“No, no,” Kouki said. “Those have been in my portfolio ever since. They’re some of my best work. I mean I regret not hitting on you during the photo session. You were gorgeous. You still are.”
“Oh,” Shou blushed. “Then . . . then you felt the same way I did . . .”
“You wanted to hit on me, too?”
“I really couldn’t find the words,” Shou said. “Plus, it seemed wrong, hitting on the photographer, you know? It felt like taking advantage.”
“It wouldn’t be wrong,” Kouki said. “Are you kidding? It would be so, so right for both of us.” He laughed. “Okay, so we see it as being right now. Back then, I thought it was as wrong as you do. And now, look at us. You’re a porn star. I’m trying to be one. So much for our dreams of being a supermodel and a top photographer, right? How did you get into porn, anyway?”
Shou shrugged. “Just kind of fell into it. The modeling jobs weren’t coming, I had a friend who was doing a shoestring indie porn company, the company got bought out by PSC Productions, and the rest is history. And you know what? I kind of surprised myself with how much I like it.”
“Same here,” said Kouki. “Just kind of fell into it, I mean. I wasn’t getting photography gigs, I sent a picture to your bosses, and I got picked by this show. And then, I kept getting picked by the viewers. Had some fun, met some nice people . . . well, I could only be nice to them to a certain extent, we couldn’t date during the show.”
“And after the show?” Shou said. “What if you don’t win?”
“If I don’t win, I move on,” Kouki said. “Maybe other offers will come my way. Maybe I’ll finally get some steady photo gigs. Who knows? In any event, it’s been an experience, and . . . “ He put a hand over Shou’s. “It’s letting me erase my one regret.”
Shou suddenly felt his heart pounding. Oh, he’d wanted this man when he was taking his picture. He even fantasized about him afterward. And now, the fantasy was going to be a reality. Okay, it was for reality TV. But still . . .
“Funny how things work out sometimes, isn’t it?” Shou said.
“Like, reality is stranger than fiction?”
“Exactly that.” He took Kouki’s hand and squeezed it. “Let’s go tell Uruha that we’re ready, okay?” He had the sudden urge to kiss him, but decided to save it for the camera.
* * *
It was a familiar ritual to Shou now. Uruha called “Action,” the cameras started rolling and his whole world became focused on the man (or men, if this was a group scene) who was next to him. Shou never faked emotions or sexual responses - which was one key reason for his popularity.
He most definitely wasn’t faking now as he sat on the bed with the man he’d wanted since he’d seen him behind the camera an eternity ago.
When their lips touched, he was into the kiss right away, parting his lips and pushing his tongue forward, feeling Kouki’s brush against his. Shou wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer, thinking that his kisses were just like he’d hoped they’d be - hot and sweet and passionate, with a lot of tongue action.
He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, feeling those lips moving down his neck as hands slipped down the front of his garment, looking for the fastening of the yukata. Thank God they were wearing these easy-escape clothes, Shou didn’t want to deal with zippers and buttons and all kind of things in the way.
The cameras might as well not be there. In fact, he almost wished they weren’t.
He pulled back from the other man just long enough for them to undo each other’s ties, and push the fabric away, revealing to each other what they’d wanted to see all this time. Oh, God - he was even more beautiful than Shou had been dreaming of. He had a slender, wiry torso, a flat, muscled stomach . . .
Before Shou knew it, he was tossing aside his own yukata and then leaning over with a passionate gasp, spontaneously starting to lay kisses over that chest, tasting the salty musk of his skin as he licked at him, traced one nipple with the tip of his tongue, started to suck.
He heard his co-star moan and felt his fingers tangle in his hair. Oh, yes, he was pleasing this man just as he wanted, just as he’d dreamed of. He switched to the other nipple, keeping enough presence of mind to position his head so the camera could see what he was doing.
His hands were roaming all over Kouki’s body, exploring him, making him think that this man was some sort of wonder - every part of him was long and lean and wonderfully sculpted. His shoulders and arms were beautifully formed, his back a graceful curve, and . . .
And he’d better put the brakes on before he gave in to his impulse to move down and suck his cock. This scene was supposed to be about showing what Kouki could do in bed, not him. They already knew about him.
So he pulled away and lay on his back on the mattress, an open invitation for the other man to explore him. Kouki reacted by leaning over and kissing Shou’s lips passionately again, and their cocks brushed together as he did so, just for a moment. Shou felt a deep shudder pass through his body - Kouki felt so damn good, big and hard and delicious.
Kouki pulled back, and the two men just looked at each other for a long moment, feasting their eyes on each other’s beauty, breathing heavily.
When Kouki lowered his head again, it was to Shou’s chest, to do the same thing Shou had done to him, running his tongue in slow circles around a nipple. He pulled away, kissing further up his shoulder, around his collarbone.
Then, he looked up at Shou with a sultry expression that the camera most definitely caught, promising what was to come next without saying a word. Shou lifted his head, and their eyes locked.
The lips closed around Shou’s nipple and sucked, and Shou let out a little cry. He was absolutely devouring him, sucking him hard, then licking, then sucking again.
“Yes,” Shou moaned. “Oh, yes, more . . .”
Kouki moved to the other nipple, rubbing his tongue against it slowly, and Shou felt his cock absolutely throb in response. He was incredible. He was as good as any other man Shou had been with on camera . . .
And they hadn’t even gotten down to the real business yet.
When Shou felt that tongue slipping down his stomach, he knew that was coming. He parted his legs, arching his hips . . . giving the camera a nice shot of the all-important cock, of course, but also offering himself to this man, making himself a willing sacrifice to what was coming next.
The cameras zoomed in for closeups to catch their new star in a key piece of action. How well he performed this would go a long way toward determining if he won the competition.
Kouki didn’t disappoint. He paused just above Shou’s erection, licking his lips, slowly, building up audience anticipation - and his own.
Finally, he leaned over, taking the tip in his mouth and sucking on it, gently, getting a small groan from Shou.
He was going softly at first, a slow suck, working the tip in and out, making sure the camera caught the hard flesh slipping in and out of his lips. His fingers ran up and down the shaft, stroking him, getting him ready for what was going to follow.
And then, he started to speed up, getting more intense, sucking harder little by little, moving down a little more each time. He slipped Shou’s cock all the way out, running his tongue all over the shaft and murmuring, “Do you like this?”
“Ohh,” Shou moaned. “Oh, my God . . .”
“You look really sexy right now.” It wasn’t contrived, scripted dialogue - Kouki was speaking honestly. “Sexy and beautiful.” He wrapped his fingers around Shou’s erection, flicking his tongue over the tip again, and Shou cried out.
“Do you want me to fuck you?” Kouki murmured.
“Yes,” Shou moaned. “Yes!” The tongue caressed him again, and he gripped the sheets, panting, thinking he was going to have a hard time holding his climax back if Kouki kept that up.
“Say please?” And then that mouth was enveloping him again, sucking hard, moving down and down and DOWN, Shou thought for a moment he was going to deep-throat him, and if that happened, he WOULD come here and now.
“Please!” he cried out. “Please, please, fuck me . . .”
“Get on all fours,” Kouki said, and Shou obeyed, actually glad that Kouki had chosen the position well - it was the best one to put the seme on full display for the audience, give them the best view of his body and what he could do.
Kouki positioned himself behind Shou, reaching for the lube that the camera crew had put out, slicking his fingers . . .
But before he prepared Shou, he suddenly leaned over, rubbing his cock against his lower back, just above his ass - allowing the camera to lovingly capture every hard inch of Kouki’s erection. “This is what you want?”
“Yes,” Shou moaned. “I want that inside me.” The tease was drawing it out to the point where he thought he was going to explode. He was feeling that thing on his skin, rubbing on him, so close and yet so far . . .
And again, a smart move camera-wise, as it gave them a clear shot of his cock in all its glory. Kouki definitely knew what he was doing.
A finger pushed into Shou, and he pushed back against it, moaning . . . yes, even his fingers felt good, shaped perfectly for opening a man up, darting around inside him, caressing sensitive areas . . .
Shou wondered if this man as good in bed with everyone, or was this just a special case for him. If he really was the real deal, if he was like this with everyone, he was going to be a porn superstar.
The second finger entered, then the third, a sequence that would probably be edited down - this was the least visually interesting part of the sex. Shou felt himself opening more, and he gripped the sheets in anticipation, knowing what was coming.
He felt the fingers leave him, and heard the tube squish again as Kouki prepared his cock . . . and then, it was brought to his entrance.
“Ready?”
“Yes,” Shou gasped.
But instead of pushing in, Kouki pulled away. “Are you sure?” he said, teasingly.
“Please!” Shou cried. “Please, I want you in me.”
“All right - you’ve earned it.” And Kouki pushed against him again, and pushed, and kept pushing . . .
Oh, God. He was filling him nicely. Very nicely. Shou was used to a big cock from working with Kai so much (and having him as a part-time lover offscreen) - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be impressed by others. Every man was different, with his own shapes, textures, curves . . .
And Kouki had a magnificent one. Big and strong and with some lovely textured areas that would rub against a man nicely.
There was the usual little bit of pain as he was filled, but Shou took a deep breath, willing it to go away, because he wanted nothing but pleasure.
“Oh, you feel good.” Kouki paused, letting the camera get a good view of his sweat-soaked torso. “You have such a hot, tight ass.” He started a slow thrust, and Shou moaned at the feel of that cock moving through him, stroking and caressing nerve endings, sending a slow heat stealing through his body.
“More,” he murmured. “I need more . . .”
And that is what he got, as the other man started to speed up, grasping Shou’s hips, letting the camera get a good view of them both as he thrust rapidly into his body. The thrusting became closer to pounding, as both men started to moan loudly, Shou pushing back against him, wanting to feel that lovely thing deep, so deep . . .
Shou was in the zone now - that place and time during filming when he forgot all about the cameras, forgot everything but the pleasure and his partner, the cock that was filling him, the hands that stroked over his body. And Kouki was doing everything right, even lightly raking his nails over Shou’s back, spicing the pleasure with a little bit of pain.
He was getting closer, oh, yes, closer, but he bit his lip, forcing the orgasm back, needing it to last longer for the cameras, and not willing to let it end anyway, oh, yes, this was sex that could go on all day and all night as far as he was concerned.
Kouki heard his muffled sounds, knew that meant he was getting close, and remembered what he’d been told to do at this point - he pulled backwards on Shou’s shoulders, so that Shou would be upright, his cock visible to the camera for his orgasm.
“Do you want to come?” he asked his partner, breathlessly.
“Yes,” Shou gasped. “I need it . . .”
Kouki wrapped his fingers around Shou’s cock and stroked rapidly, and that was all he needed. He let out a huge cry, the orgasm exploding in him with fierce intensity, his come running over the other man’s fingers, down his hand.
Shou flopped on the bed face-forward, his ass still in the air, the firm curves about to serve as the stage for Kouki’s first professional, on-camera orgasm. He grabbed Shou’s hips again, thrusting hard a few more times . . .
Then he pulled out, come spilling onto the cheeks as he cried out, a long, sweet orgasm that was as intense as Shou’s own. He fell back to the bed beside his partner, and the two kissed on-camera, which panned slowly away from them - the traditional way to end such a scene.
Uruha yelled “Cut!” and the room exploded in applause. Shou wasn’t moving. He just stayed snuggled against his partner, eyes closed, breathing deeply.
“Was that as good as you hoped for?” Kouki said, wrapping an arm around Shou.
“It was better,” Shou replied.
Uruha came up to the bed. “That was fantastic,” he said. “You two have unbelievable chemistry. Just incredible.”
“We think so, too,” Kouki said, not letting go of Shou. “If I win, can I work with him again?”
“That’s the plan,” Uruha said. “Why don’t you two get cleaned up, I want to get interviews with both of you about the experience.”
Shou squeezed the other man’s hand as they got off the bed. “I’m all wobbly-kneed,” he said.
“So am I,” Kouki said. “That was easier than I thought it would be. Doing it on camera for the first time, I mean.”
“You forget the camera was there,” Shou said. “Especially if you’re into your co-star. And that . . .” He directed Kouki to pick up the yukata and head for the bathroom. “That goes without saying,”
“At least I know I can live the rest of my life without regrets now,” Kouki said, teasingly. “So . . . what happens now?”
“We get washed up in here, then do the interviews, and then we leave, since the other two are shooting their scene after us. And after that . . .”
“After that . . . what?” The two of them entered the washing room, which had two showerheads with stools, in the traditional Japanese style.
Shou sat down on one stool and turned a sly smile on his co-star. “That depends on what you’re doing later.”
“Why?” Kouki sat on the other stool, smiling back at Shou. “What did you have in mind?”
* * *
Late afternoon in Shou’s apartment, with shadows sliding over the walls, dappling the two naked bodies on the couch.
More accurately, Kouki was sitting on the couch, head tipped back, eyes closed, lips parted and moaning. Shou was kneeling on the floor, between his spread legs, sliding his tongue slowly up one side of the other man’s cock.
He was savoring it, every inch of it, every bit of musky scent and taste. He’d waited for this for so long . . .
Shou moved up to the head, flicking his tongue back and forth, running it around the very tip. When a drop of precome trickled out, he licked it up like the sweetest nectar.
He opened his lips, sliding down on it, fucking his mouth. Oh, yes, he was a mouthful, a delicious one. When he began to suck, Kouki let out a loud moan.
“Suck me . . . take it all, take as much as you can . . .”
That was quite a lot. Shou moved down on him further, and further, sucking all along as if he were the most luscious treat ever. He reached up with both hands, finding his lover’s nipples and rubbing them, hearing a low animal growl in response.
Shou responded in animalistic fashion himself, starting to move his head rapidly, bobbing up and down on the magnificent cock, feeling it slide over his lips and tongue. He had it as deep in his mouth as he could for a man of this size, feeling it brush the back of his throat on the hardest downthrusts.
Kouki was pulling his hair now, the bit of pain just fueling Shou’s excitement, making him suck harder, move faster, rub him with his tongue on outstrokes. He felt it throbbing, heard his lover’s breath coming in sharp little gasps . . .
And then, Kouki let out a harsh cry, and Shou’s mouth was flooding with hot fluid. He pulled away so he caught a little on his face, swallowing the rest.
He moved up, and they kissed, come smearing over both their faces, then being shared more as Shou pushed his tongue into Kouki’s mouth, letting him taste it.
“Up on the couch,” Kouki told him. “Ass pointed at me.”
Shou climbed up on the furniture, on all fours, looking over his shoulder. “Like this?”
“Yes.” Kouki knelt on the floor, where Shou had been. “Now, relax . . .”
Shou looked over his shoulder and saw his new lover grab a couple of items off the table. He looked away, and felt the coolness of lube being poured into his cleft, the crinkle of plastic being stretched over it. Oh, yes, oh, yes, he knew what was coming, he was going to . . .
There was a feeling of heat as Kouki’s face was pressed into his ass, and then something soft and strong pushing into him, wriggling a little in his entrance, then pulling out, circling the little opening, then slipping in again . . .
And then, Kouki just buried his face in Shou and began to thoroughly tongue-fuck him, thrusting into the hole, wriggling back and forth, curving and curling and stroking, then pulling out, pausing, letting him recover from the sensation . . .
The tongue thrust into him, deep and hard and fast, and Shou was moaning hard, his cock feeling like it was going to burst, his whole body on fire. He pushed his ass back, trying to get the tongue in deeper, and deeper it went, curving around, the softness moving against every part of him . . .
He was damn near coming, sweating and moaning and even pounding the couch with his hands, because it was so good, so fucking good . . .
All it took was a light touch of Kouki’s hand on his shaft to make him let go, and when he did, it was with a cry more animal than human, coming even more intensely than he had on-camera, not caring that he was splattering the leather below him. (It was come-resistant. Shou and his lovers had splattered it many times before, it always wiped right up).
Kouki slid out that magnificent tongue and pulled the dental dam away. He sat on the couch beside Shou, and the two wrapped their arms around each other, kissing. They lingered for a long moment, Shou’s head on Kouki’s shoulder, Kouki’s fingers stroking his hair.
Then, finally Shou spoke, breaking the silence - and delivering the reality check. This was necessary after off-camera sex with an on-camera partner - which happened more often than not. Most guys were eager for an at-home round two after the on-camera action.
“I . . . I want you for my co-star again. You’re incredible. Better than my fantasies of you. I want you in my bed again, but . . .”
“Is there someone?” Kouki raised his head.
“I have a boyfriend,” Shou said. “He and I have an open relationship, of course. We both have other lovers. But, he’s my primary . . . it’s how it’s always been.” He turned his head toward his co-star. “What about you?”
“Same,” Kouki said. “Or . . . about to be the same. There’s someone I’d like to be a boyfriend, but I haven’t asked him. Not yet. But I will - after the finale. But, yes, same thing - we’re going to keep it an open relationship. We have to.”
“After the finale?” Shou said. “It’s someone from the show?”
“Of course,” Kouki said. “We didn’t really see very many other people when we were filming. And this guy and I just bonded.”
Shou raised his head. “Ryoga?” he said. “Is it Ryoga?”
“Can’t put anything past you, can I?” Kouki said. “Yes, it’s Ryoga.”
“Who’s been filming a scene with Ruki this afternoon,” Shou said. “Who’s my boyfriend.”
“Funny how things like that happen, isn’t it?” said Kouki. “Hey, if everything works out? We could have two-couple time together. We could even come over for dinner and a foursome.”
Shou laughed. “Are you serious?” he said.
“Well, no . . . but it could be fun, couldn’t it?”
Oh, yes - three lovers, no cameras to worry about? “It would be a lot of fun.”
“Then I guess I’m serious.” He kissed Shou again. “I’m so glad I signed up for this dumb show now.”
“So am I,” Shou said. “And . . . it’s not dumb, is it? Not if you met Ryoga through it. Not if you and I found each other again through it.”
And an uncomfortable thought was forming in the back of Shou’s mind. What if Kouki didn’t win? What if a competitor snapped him up - he’d heard rumors about Shin going to Adonis? How would it affect his relationship with Shou, with Ryoga, with everything?
* * *
Uruha looked out at the studio from his post in the control room. So far, everything was going well with the live finale. Tora had done a group interview with the eliminated contestants (and not a word was said on-camera about Shin signing with their competitor). There had been clip montages of Kouki and Ryoga throughout the competition - their various interviews, stripteases, photo sessions, clowning around behind the scenes (like, for instance, Kouki planting rubber cockroaches where co-stars could find them) . . .
And so far, there were no reports of any competitors making their way backstage. That had been Uruha’s explicit instructions to the security guards - no known entities from Adonis, Hard Candy or any other gay porn companies were to be allowed on the premises.
He’d seen the Twitter chatter. He knew there was going to be a bidding war for whichever man wasn’t selected tonight. Whoever wasn’t chosen, the fans said, might score a bigger payday than the man who was.
Uruha looked at the man sitting in the control room next to him and nodded. Their plan was in motion. That wasn’t going to happen.
The winner was going to be surprised tonight - but their competitors were going to be even more surprised.
* * *
The show was dragging on forever and a day - or so Kouki thought.
He watched the other interviews, the clips, the recap of his scene with Shou - which had aired as part of the previous night’s stream. He’d actually been shocked at how well it came out.
But then again, Ryoga’s scene with Ruki had been pretty damn good, too - and those two didn’t have a secret shared past. Ryoga had the goods - he was a true porn star.
The two of them were standing center stage now, awaiting the big announcement. When the camera was off them, when one of the clip montages was showing, Ryoga reached over and squeezed Kouki’s hand. “This is it,” he whispered.
“It all comes down to this, right?” Kouki whispered back. “Week after week of shooting and interviews and . . .”
“And your rubber bugs.”
“I had to liven things up when they got boring somehow, right?” Kouki squeezed Ryoga’s hand again. “No matter what happens . . .”
“Things are going to stay the same?” Ryoga whispered back.
But Kouki didn’t get a chance to answer. The lights were coming up. Tora was approaching them with the microphone. The moment of truth was here.
“All right, we’re going to cut to the chase,” he said. “We all know why we’re here. We all know what’s next. And I’m not going to be like other reality show hosts and draw . . .” Pause. “Out . . . .” Pause. “The . . .”
“You ARE drawing it out,” said Saga from his seat in the front row, where the PSC stars were sitting.
“Let me finish,” Tora said.
“If we wait for you to finish, we’ll be here until next Tuesday,” said Saga. “Just announce the winner! You’re torturing these guys!” He pointed to Kouki and Ryoga. The audience laughed.
“Okay, okay,” Tora said. He picked up the big envelope on the table next to him, closed with a wax seal as if it held the winner of an Academy Award. He ripped it open, saying, “The winner of The Next Porn Star, and recipient of a PSC Productions contract and the starring role in our next video is . . .”
Kouki squeezed Ryoga’s hand. In the audience, Shou held clasped hands up to his face. In the control room, the man who had been next to Uruha started to make his way down to the studio.
“KOUKI!” Tora shouted.
At first, Kouki didn’t realize his name had been called. Then, it hit him in the face like a bucket of ice water. It was him. He’d won. He was The Next Porn Star. A new career was his.
There were balloons and streamers cascading down from the ceiling. The existing PSC stars were running out into camera range to congratulate him. Tora was looking up where the balloons and streamers came from and saying, “We have the budget for all this?”
But Kouki’s glance fell on Ryoga, who was just standing there, clapping, a forced smile on his face. And his heart broke a little for him.
He’s come as far as I have, he thought. He wanted this as badly as I did. And tomorrow, some other company will make him an offer, and we’ll be competitors, and . . .
There was someone striding up to Tora, whispering something in his ear. Tora nodded, and went over to Ryoga with the microphone.
“Ryoga,” he said, “you did a fantastic job, you were a fantastic competitor . . . and this guy has something to say to you. This is Nao, the founder of Nine Films - where some of us got our start.”
Nao grabbed the mike. “Hi, there,” he said. “Ryoga, I have to tell you, I was impressed with you. Really impressed. I haven’t seen presence like yours in a long time. As you might know, I founded Nine Films on a shoestring when I was right out of college. We didn’t have a lot of money, so I had to develop an eye for talent - and let me tell you, you have talent.”
The audience applauded - but Nao put up a hand to silence them. He had more to say. “Some time ago, I got into talks with our bosses about reviving Nine Films as a separate label from PSC. Kind of an indie within the major. Make it a place for indie talent to come and work with the backing of a major studio. But to do that, they said I needed to have a recognizable star on board. Someone to be the face of the new Nine Films. And through this show, I’ve found that face.” He pointed at Ryoga. “Ryoga, I’d like to offer you a contract to be the star of my new line of films.”
Ryoga’s jaw dropped. “You mean . . . you mean, I’d still be with this company?”
“Absolutely,” Nao said.
Ryoga looked at Kouki. Kouki looked at Ryoga. They both had wide-open eyes and jaws. Somehow, they had both ended up the winners.
“Then I accept,” Ryoga said. “Oh, fuck YEAH, do I accept!” He threw his arms around Nao in a tackle-hug - which prompted Kouki to tackle-hug both of them from the other side. Then Shou, impulsively, tackle-hugged Kouki, Byou tackle-hugged Ryoga, a few more people piled on, and before they knew it, they were all on a heap on the floor - with Tora standing over the heap with the mike, yelling into the camera.
“Okay, that’s our show! Thanks for watching and voting, and look for the upcoming videos from . . . well, both Kouki and Ryoga! Good night!”
In the control room, Uruha had a sly smile on his face. The new Nine Films was something he and Nao had cooked up just prior to airtime. Hard Candy and Adonis didn’t need to know there was no long-gestating project. They’d been cut off at the pass. There would be no bidding war - both the winner and the runner-up would be under the PSC umbrella.
Of course, now that it had been announced on the air, they’d have to deliver an actual product. But that could be done. There were a couple of young indie directors Uruha wanted to give a shot to, and they could easily do videos with Ryoga and released with the old Nine Films logo.
There were times when Uruha was glad he chose this business over any other - and this moment of the sweet taste of victory was one of them.
* * *
The afterparty was being held at one of the regular cast’s favorite bars. The mood was definitely festive - they’d gained not one, but two new co-stars. There was a lot of drinking to the future of the company, drinking to Nao’s new venture (since none of the cast were aware it was basically a ruse), drinking to Uruha for coming up with such a great concept . . .
In the midst of all of it, Ruki just sat with his phone, “I have a lot of fucking Twitter to catch up on!”
Kouki dragged Ryoga off into a corner. “I can’t believe it,” he said. “I still can’t believe it!”
“YOU can’t believe it?” Ryoga said. “I think my heart’s still going to explode!”
“We’re going to be coworkers,” Kouki said. “Not competitors - working together. We might even be co-stars.”
“We’re both semes,” Ryoga said.
“You’re not flexible with that?” said Kouki.
“Well, I’ve done both,” Ryoga said, “but on-camera, I prefer to top.”
“We can work with that,” Kouki said.
“On-camera, or off?”
That caught Kouki a little off-guard. “That depends,” he said.
“On what?” Ryoga said. “On that guy you said was the biggest regret of your life? The one you did the scene with?”
“Shou?” Kouki said. “He’s not a regret anymore. Not now that we’ve been together. But I know what I’d regret more.”
“What?”
“Not asking you to be a part of my life from now on.”
There was a long pause as the two looked at each other. Then, Ryoga said, “You’ve got a smooth tongue to go with your stupid face, you know that?”
“You haven’t experienced my tongue yet.”
“So, will I?”
“That depends. You haven’t answered me yet.”
“You didn’t ask a question!”
“I seem to remember asking you to be part of my life from now on.”
There was a long pause. Ryoga put his hand on Kouki’s arm.
“You don’t have to ask that,” he said. “It’s an automatic yes.”
In every sense of the word, tonight, they were both winners - in every way possible.
* * *
The outcome of the reality show was positive for everyone involved.
PSC Productions gained a lot of new users for their streaming content service and not one, but two new stars. Uruha gained the satisfaction of rehabilitating the industry’s image in the eyes of the public - they’d even gotten some positive notices in the mainstream press. Shou gained closure to a long-standing regret - not to mention a new co-star to add to his list of favorites.
But nobody had a better outcome than the two new stars. It was very quickly whispered around the company that they were each other’s leading men when the cameras were turned off. When asked directly, Kouki just said a sly, “Maybe. Really, is anyone at this company in an exclusive relationship?”
He honestly didn’t care if people knew about their relationship. He now had no regrets in his life. None.
He had a reality that was far better than reality TV could ever be.