Sold out: Chapter 1 (Matsumiya)
Title: Sold out Chapter 1/4
Pairing: Matsumiya, (plus an additional tiny surprise side-pairing, and guest appearances)
Rating: R
Beta: ryosukekoibito
Genre: romance, AU, bit suspense/mystery (?)
Plot: In a world in which it’s normal to educate poor boys and girls in all kind of subjects and later sell them as eloquent ‘partners’ (A/N: not necessarily sexual!) to rich and wealthy people once they are of age. Nino is one of those kids. Thanks to his abilities he has the highest price but fears that no one will ever buy him. One day though a rich guy named Matsumoto Jun buys him. When Nino leaves the facility he grew up in, he suddenly finds himself in a completely new life. And Jun is nothing he imagined. Why would a guy like him spend such a high sum to buy a partner when he could just find one anywhere? While Nino starts looking for answers, his heart goes its own way...
Note: This just had to turn into a Matsumiya fic :D It's not really all that angsty by the way, parts of it are pretty light.
One hundred million yen. That’s apparently his worth as a person. It’s been calculated wisely it seems, taking his looks and his talents and his charm in account. He is one of the kids with the highest prize on them because he is pretty, and talented, and lascivious enough to lure someone in. One hundred million yen. When Nino had first heard the sum, he believed he would stay in the headquarters forever. No one will ever spend that much money just to have a companion; no one HAS that much money. It’s been an unsettling thought. Because as scary as the thought is to be sold to some stranger, not knowing what kind of person he is and what he wants him to be and do, he isn’t sure if it’s much better to stay here where he is now. It’s always gloomy here, although there is a garden - carefully closed off - for them to go outside, there never seems to be sun shining. The headquarters and training halls are like a huge school; everything looks pretty, but there is no way to the outside, to the world.
Those people caught him and the other poor kids from the street and brought them to this organisation, just to sell him as… He hates the word slave, and it isn’t quite the right word for it. Because they are companions, not toys. Nino never met any of the guys that pull the strings, thankfully.
There are many kids like him around, saved from the streets and then brought here, receiving an education so that they would be interesting enough to sell and able to talk to their new owner. The organisation stands for luxury after all - so they have to be well educated and well spoken. Those with stronger bodies take sport classes, those with musical talent learn music. Some of them sell fast and disappear from the organisation. Once gone, they never come back, and sometimes Nino wonders what’s happening to them. Are they still alive? Are they well where they went to? Is their new prison at least a bit lighter than this here?
He also knows that some of them, the particularly promising ones are trained in all kinds of areas - looks, appearance, personality, talking, education - because they are supposed to be owned eventually by some super-rich person, a royal maybe. And maybe they will even have to show themselves outside sometimes, ready to keep other people entertained and not come off stupid, or embarrass their partner.
Still, the guys here have to be crazy. One hundred million. That is CRAZY. He believes that no one will ever spend that much money.
But then someone does.
A man named Matsumoto Jun pays exactly that sum to buy him. That bastard has to be rich to be able to spend so much money at once, in cash even, plus all the transferring fees, the taxes as the business isn’t illegal, the insurance, the goods he had to have prepared for his companion to ensure a good life, and everything else that adds to the original prize. Nino assumes that all in all this dude probably payed double the amount of what he alone costs.
~~~
A car with windows tinted black brings him to what Nino assumes is the take-over point. He doesn’t see much as the windows are dark and the area to the front seat is covered; only on occasion do the neon-light of the streets gets through, and he gets a small glimpse of how it has to feel to be outside.
His departure was a surprise for him, but not for the others. The guys that are like him only told him that they knew he would leave them soon. That the moment their trainers believed he was ready, he would go. He’s luxurious material, it seems. That’s what they say. Nino doesn’t get it all. Nothing about him is luxurious. He is small, and skinny, he has circles around his eyes, and even when he does sports, he doesn’t have an ideal body. What the hell is luxurious about him?
However, the feeling of leaving the basement and stepping out (okay, driving out) into the real world is breath-taking, and unnerving, and very scary. The basement was scary too sometimes, with the strict teachers, but despite that it was a tiny conclave for him and for the others. It’s better than being on the streets. It’s warm, and there is food, and as their utmost value is their virginity, no one was allowed to touch them in a suggestive way.
What awaits him now is uncertainty.
He doesn’t know how long they drive, but his thoughts don’t stop torturing him and swirling around in his mind. And with eveyr kilometre he gets more nervous, anxiety growing so much that each and every nerve of his body feels as if it will burst any second.
Then the curtain in front of him gets pulled back, and his main-teacher, a guy who goes by the name Ken and who was assigned to him as his mentor when he arrived at the headquarters, looks back at him. Over the years never Nino quite figured out if he liked the man or not. But now he is the closest thing Nino had to a male family figure...so he’s better than nothing.
“I wish you luck, Kazunari,” Ken says, to Nino’s utter surprise. “Be careful. And don’t forget you are still luxurious. Hold your chin up high and don’t forget that. This business might be dirty sometimes, but still… you don’t need to do everything. There is a contract that forbids him to force anything upon you.”
Nino feels a bit calmer all of a sudden. “I know, Ken-san.” He nods. He knows. “Do you know anything about the man that bought me?”
Ken shrugs. “Not more than you do. His name.”
The driver, Yi-Jen, a guy who sticks to being silent most of the time - in fact Nino thinks he has only heard him say ten sentences throughout his whole time knowing him - throws a glance into the rear mirror. “He sent a lot of questions and inquiries to headquarters.”
“Like about how I look, and what I know and studied?” Nino asks. Classical stuff. Everyone does that before spending money. He knows there was once some sort of prince who wanted to have a companion who was able to play several music instruments and sing.
Yi-Jen shrugs. “No. He did ask what you learned of course, but he sent us one million questions about what you like to do and what your favorite foods are. Those types of things.”
“Really?” Ken asks. “That rarely happens.”
“So what did you say?” Nino asks curiously.
“First, Chief-san lied and told him the standard perfect answers.” Yi-Jen grins. “The man didn’t buy it at all. In the end everyone was too scared that he would change his mind about wanting you if we lied to him. When he wants to know what he gets, we need to tell him. So I would say the things he knows are pretty accurate.”
Nino blinks in confusion. “He knows about my hamburger obsession? And that I learned weird magic tricks?”
“Yes.”
“He still bought me?”
“Yes.” Yi-Jen grins. “He also asked about your friends in the organisation.”
“Well, I’m not particularly social,” Nino mumbles.
“Yes, that’s what we told him. We told him you have a best friend though.”
“He wanted to know Aiba-chi’s name?”
Yi-Jen shrugs. “He did. And right before you left there seemed someone inquiring for Masaki,” he explains further. “Might be for one of Matsumoto-sama’s friends, if you ask me. The timing is too close to be a coincidence.”
Does that mean there is a tiny chance to see Aiba again? He doesn’t quite dare to hope that much. Nino leans back in his seat, frowning slightly. Didn’t make any sense at all. Why did that guy want to know so much? They are supposed to hide all of their personal quirks the moment they enter their new home. “Do you know anything else Yi-Jen?” Ken wants to know.
“No. Customer dates are top secret. As usual. But the background check showed that he has no criminal record, the people working with him respect and like him, and he is crazily rich!”
“Well, he has to be, if he paid one hundred million yen in cash,” Nino sneers, biting down on his tongue immediately afterwards. “Ah,” he sighs. “I slipped again.”
“Yeah, watch the sarcasm,” Ken mumbles slightly worried.
“I think it’s fine,” Yi-Jen says casually. “Don’t overthink it. After all that is part of your charm.”
“Do you know where I’m going to?” Nino asks carefully. “Am I staying in Japan?”
“From what I know,” Ken muses. “You will get into a private jet first. Then you’ll head to some sort of Caribbean island. Private island it seems. From there, I don’t know.”
“Matsumoto has estates all over the world.” Yi-Jen helps out once again. “You might change places quite often. He told us that you will head to London afterwards, as that’s where his main office is. He also seems to have a place in LA and New York he frequents often. And he is regularly in Middle-Europe.”
One hundred million yen in cash. Of course that dude has to be a rich bastard. But what kind of person is he going to be? Yi-Jen said they did a huge background check, so…
“What are you thinking now?” Ken wants to know.
“I’m wondering what kind of person he is going to be,” Nino mumbles. “I know, Yi-Jen said they did a background check to see if he has anything sly going on. But… how is his personality? Like…super-strict? A person that never laughs? Unfriendly? Or maybe quiet? Will he want me to accompany him to boring dinner parties, or will he want someone to make love with? Or… maybe he is very ugly? What if he is missing a limb? Or he could have been traumatized in his childhood, and now he is afraid of small rooms. And how am I going to react then? How should I find out what he likes? I don’t even know a thing about him…” His head starts spinning again, but before he can think any further, the car halts.
“Don’t overthink it.” Ken looks back again. “I’m certain you will stay well, Kazunari,” he says. “You are a great, intelligent young man and I hope for you that this Matsumoto is a good man too, you deserve only the best. Just remember your manners, and don’t be too snarky. As for the things you are wondering about… don’t overanalyze him; try to be natural and go with the flow, with your instincts. Oh, and remain positive, even though the beginning might be difficult. And try not to freak out when it’s awkward at the beginning. Watch out for your health! And remember to call the emergency number in case violence is used on you. Oh, and-“
“Ken,” Yi-Jen interrupts him. “I think this is really enough good advice.” He turns back and nods at Nino. “We’ll check on you in a month to see if you are healthy or not. But don’t freak out too much, the background checks we do before are normally pretty good. There have only been two unlucky cases we had to intervene with in the past twenty years.”
Nino blinks. It’s the very first time he had heard about that to be honest. He had thought that the moment they let him off into the world, they were free from any obligation to him. He didn’t know they actually cared enough to check on him. It makes him feel a tiny bit at ease - not for himself, but for all those kids he saw leaving over the years. It’s good to know that none of them came back.
~~~
When he gets out of the car and into the private jet, he looks around a bit. It’s a private airport, rather small, in the middle of a deserted, but quite beautiful area. So many fields. Nino’s heart begins to race all of a sudden. He is outside. Damn it, he is outside! Who cares what kind of person this Matsumoto-rich-dude is going to be or if he is missing an arm… he will be able to see the outside world.
The moment he gets into the jet, he turns around, seeing Ken wave at him, his face nervous and sad. Yi-Jen pats his shoulder. For a moment Nino’s heart clenches. It’s not like he always liked those two men, but by leaving them he leaves behind every constant in his life, and everything he knows.
When the door closes behind him and the jet sets off, he knows he is truly alone. From now on, he is alone. No conclave around him anymore - as scary and gloomy as it was sometimes, there was always someone around him, there were schedules and plans, and people he knew. There were even those he could talk to sometimes and share his problems with, like Aiba. Or those that helped him through difficult exams, like Ken. There had even been those who bought him gifts for his birthday, like Yi-Jen.
From now on it’s only him and the uncertainty ahead of him. When Ken and Yi-Jen’s figures get smaller and smaller on ground as the jet takes off, Nino allows himself to start crying like a baby.
He doesn’t know how long he cries, but at one point he is so exhausted, and drained that he feels like he no longer has any tears left to cry. He falls asleep then, a restless and dark sleep.
~~~
His eyelids are heavy, and his body still feels drained when he slowly wakes up. His eyelashes are sticking together from the tears he’d shed, and he rubs over them to be able to open his eyes. When he does, his eyes immediately catch one of the small windows of the jet. They are high above a whole landscape… of blue…
The ocean? Oh fuck! Nino drops all gloomy thoughts for a moment and presses his face against the window in amazement. That’s the ocean! He has never seen the ocean before. So that’s what it looks like. It’s so big; it’s scary and fascinating. And is it always that dark blue? Probably not, because they are so high above it, but still, the pictures in the books he has seen were so different.
“When you are done admiring the view, maybe you would like something to eat?” Kazu hears a calm, friendly voice speaking close to him.
He jumps a bit, turning around and looking into a tanned, slightly angular but friendly face. Nino’s throat feels dry all of a sudden. Had this person been around him all the time? He hadn’t seen anyone when he got into the jet; he had believed he was alone. Oh god, did this man see his breakdown?
“Are you Matsumoto-sama?” Nino mumbles, feeling uncharacteristically shy.
The guy grins. “Not even a little bit. I’m his friend and pilot, Oguri Shun. Don’t worry,” he climbs back to the front seat. “He didn’t see your awesome cinematic breakdown.”
Nino is glad that this dude can’t see how much he blushes at those words. He is still trying to come up with a good retort, a bit unsure just how much sarcasm he is allowed to let out, when Shun talks again. “But if you want to win Jun-kun over a crying breakdown might help. He just loves to pamper people.”
Nino has had it with the snarky comments of that Shun-guy. “So I assume you didn’t manage to win him over yourself then?” he teases.
Shun chuckles. He doesn’t seem to be offended at all. “Eat something, Kazunari-kun. Just eat something.”
Nino decides to give it a try and eyes the plate in front of him carefully. Apparently Shun put it on the table right before he woke up. Then his eyes widen in awe. Hamburger. He loves that shit. And the meat inside is actually still warm. He has really been out of it, it seems, because he hasn’t even realized there was a tiny kitchen and fridge in the jet. Now that he is actually awake, he turns to take a look. It’s how he imagined a typical private jet, with a few huge seats, a beautiful table, and a TV. There is also something that looks like a mini-bar.
Shun almost seemed to have read his thoughts. “If you want something to drink, don’t hold back. The mini-bar is yours.”
Nino blushes slightly, biting down on his lips, glad that this dude can’t see his expressions now. “I’d rather take water,” he finally stutters. “Or tea. Or soda.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’ve never drunk alcohol before,” Nino finally gets up the courage to explain. “So, I’d rather not get drunk here.”
Shun laughs, a soft and encouraging laugh. A bit like a kind older brother. “Then take something else. There’s more than just alcohol inside. And eat your food before it gets cold again.”
~~~
Nino has lost track of how long they are up in the air. He knows it can’t be that long, because a jet or airplane needs to stop to refuel, but still… he doesn’t know if it’s three hours or seven or more. Ken-san and Yi-Jen said something about a Caribbean island. How far away from Japan is that?
“Please fasten your seatbelt again,” he suddenly hears Shun’s voice over the intercom. “We are landing in a few minutes.”
Landing? Finally! He cannot wait to set his foot on whatever exciting place they are reaching now. He knows it’s crazy because overall he is scared to meet Matsumoto, but still he can only feel excitement right now to see this place in the middle of the ocean.
And really when the jet lands on the private landing platform and a chauffeur picks them up with an open car, it’s everything and more than Nino expected. There is endless nature in front of him, palm trees and luscious greenery and he can see wild animals scattered about. They reach the ocean and it’s only a wide broad beach with white sand and turquoise coloured water. He feels like crying. It’s so beautiful it feels like a dream. Like someone is going to wake him up soon and tell him he has to go and attend etiquette class with Ken.
But no one wakes him up from this, no one tells him it’s just a dream. Instead the car halts in front of a huge bungalow and Shun leads him inside. He starts explaining the place to him, but Nino is so taken aback by all the wonders around him that he can’t quite grasp Shun’s words. Only when Shun leaves him alone to talk with the housekeeper about their dinner, can Nino finally try to wrap his mind around it. His room is right next to the veranda, and he can even open the door at night and sleep with the sound of the ocean’s waves right next to him. The room itself is pretty simple, but beautifully designed - well, the house in general is. Nino assumes it’s mainly because of the location, because it’s a beach house. Simple as that. The walls are white, the floor wooden, the bedframe in his room wood to match. There are fluffy, almost transparent curtains in soft blue drawn over the windows, and a net to keep the mosquitos out. It looks almost a bit romantic. Like a place a couple would go to on their honeymoon. For a while he sits at the edge of the bed, just staring out of the open veranda door and enjoying the sight of the wonderful ocean and beach.
He gets disrupted by a knock at the door. It’s Shun. “Kazunari-kun,” he smiles a bit. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable. Do you want to have your dinner at the veranda? The cook is going to make a barbecue for you.”
“Is it okay?” Nino asks carefully. “Aren’t I supposed to meet Matsumoto-sama?”
Shun chuckles. “Not yet. We just landed here to give you some time to adapt to everything. Matsumoto-san is still in London. We’ll rest here, check on the jet and in a few days we’ll take our leave from the island and travel to London.”
Nino blinks in surprise. “Are you for real?”
“Of course.” Shun laughs. “Matsumoto-san thought you might need a few days of break to just relax and do whatever you want.”
Whatever he wants? “Does that mean I can just have my breakfast outside, sleep when and how I want, and swim in the ocean?” Nino asks shyly.
“Of course. Just please don’t forget to use some sun crème though. Your skin is pretty white and you’ll get burned easily. Matsumoto-san will scold us if you are in pain.” He nods a bit. “I’m going to check on you later. For now, just have fun. I’m in the room at the other end of the corridor. Oh, and you might want to be careful with letting the door open.”
“Mosquitos?” Nino asks. He doesn’t mind them. They never seemed too eager to suck his blood. “Or poisonous snakes?”
Shun grins. “Well there are mosquitos, hardly any snakes though. But there is a racoon around - he basically is living here, so you might want to watch your stuff. And the monkeys can be pretty sneaky too.”
Nino laughs.
The next few hours Nino spends out on the veranda. He isn’t even much of an outside-person, but even he gets drawn to the white sand and the turquoise water. He puts sun block on though, so as to not to get burned.
After a while of bathing and just staring at the nature in awe, the door to the backyard opens, and a man comes through it, carrying a plate in his hands. Food! Finally. The cook who is also the housekeeper is a short, older guy, with wrinkles around his eyes, skin brown from the sun. Nino loves him immediately.
“I’ve made y’a barb’cue,” the man says, with a friendly smile. “Matsumoto-sama told me what y’a like, and I added a few things to it.” He twinkles. “Hope y’a don’t mind I put some vegetables up too. Health’n such.”
Nino isn’t particularly fond of greens added to his food, but a glance at the plate tells him that this kind man didn’t only barbecue a cutlet for him and some pieces of yakitori, but also some regional, colourful vegetables, and it looks so tasty that he can feel himself start to drool.
The cook leaves him alone after a while, and Nino wholeheartedly enjoys it. Just being by himself, with no one calling him for lessons, no one telling him to do something, is wonderful. He could just enjoy the moment, not thinking about tomorrow, or the fateful day when he will meet Matsumoto-san.
For now he eats his perfect dinner, enjoys the warm breeze of the wind, and listens to the rustling of the leaves. When the sun starts to setand it’s not that hot anymore he even goes for a walk, strolling around the beach. The sand feels warm beneath his feet and on his way he even collects some beautiful shells. He has never done that before, and in that moment he feels more alive than he ever had.
~~~
The time passes too fast, naturally, and it feels like the blink of an eye before Shun is standing in front of him again. He smiles. “We need to go.”
Nino nods and forces a smile on his lips. “I know.”
Apparently his nervousness is written all over his face, because Shun puts his hand on one of his shoulders and looks at him earnestly. “You don’t need to be afraid.”
Afraid of what? Nino wants to ask, but he doesn’t. He knows what Shun means. You don’t need to be afraid of Matsumoto-sama, of your new life. There is no hint of a lie in Shun’s eyes and he appreciates his gesture and his honest attempt to be nice, but he is still one of Matsumoto’s loyal subordinates.
“You’ll come back to this place,” Shun continues. “Jun-kun loves this place too.”
Well, that’s at least something. He follows Shun into the truck and says a silent goodbye to this idyllic place of peace. The cook whose name Nino learned is Bastian waves at him from the veranda and comes running to the car before they can drive away. “Brought da young Master some snacks.”
Nino smiles happily. “Thank you.” He is glad to see the face of his new-found friend before he drives away. It gives him a feeling of security. “I’ll hopefully come back soon.”
Bastian nods and grins brightly.
~~~
They arrive in London one day later. Shun had to make two stops on their way to refill their petrol and to give them both a moment to have steady ground beneath their feet. Once they land at the London City airport, Nino is glued to the window of the jet again. It’s evening when they land, and the lights of the city sparkle and shine. It’s so vibrant that it takes his breath away. There is a chauffeur picking them up, and it gives Nino the perfect chance to watch the many houses and shops they pass, to eye the historic buildings and the young people going to parties and clubs. He feels so out of place all of a sudden that he wonders if he actually can fit in anywhere. He is sure he will feel this same feeling of surprise and astonishment for every new place he sees, and it’s not necessarily a comfortable feeling.
Nino knows that they are at a more exclusive and expensive area when there are suddenly less people on the street but instead expensive cars parked everywhere. Also the houses get suddenly bigger and bigger. “Where are we?” he asks curiously.
“Holland Park,” Shun explains. “It’s one of the exclusive residential areas here with lot of Victorian mansions. Jun-kun tends to work a lot at this place that’s why it’s a lot bigger than his other properties.”
“What else does he own?” Nino wants to know.
“Well, a penthouse in Tokyo, New York and LA,” Shun muses. “He also co-owns a cottage in Scotland and one in England’s countryside with his friend Ohno-san. The beach house you know already. He also has a place somewhere in the Austrian Alps and in Florence. I think he and his business partner recently also got a flat somewhere in Cape Town. Not sure what else they own.”
That’s crazy. That dude has to be super-ugly, and be some sort of war-veteran or something like that, otherwise he wouldn’t need to buy a partner. He could just find one everywhere! Nino obviously needs to brace himself before meeting him, definitely.
~~~
They halt in front of a villa which is surrounded with a huge fence, obviously to keep prying eyes away as there are quite massive glass windows everywhere. “He likes light,” Shun explains. Nino’s head basically snaps up. That’s good, that’s something he can finally sympathize with. He likes light too.
When the door to the house opens, they are greeted by some sort of Human hulk. He has a bright grin though. “Welcome,” he exclaims. “I’m Emmet, your personal butler and guy for almost everything.”
“You’re kidding,” Nino mumbles.
“Not at all.” Emmet takes all the bags out of Shun’s and Nino’s hands like they have no weight at all, and tugs them inside. “I’ve prepared something to eat for you. Pasta! Italian food is my speciality.”
“Ah,” Nino stutters. Hulk can cook?
“Is Matsumoto-san at home?” Shun asks.
“No.” Emmet leads them to the huge wardrobe in the entrance hall and waits for them to take off their shoes and jackets before he leads them upstairs over the huge staircase. “He had to go on a sudden business trip. He’ll be away for a few days. He told me to provide you with the warmest welcome though.” He pats Nino’s back with so much strength that he almost stumbles against the staircase. Shun grins slightly at that. “He said he can’t wait to meet you, and you should just make yourself comfortable here and feel at home.”
Nino blushes. In such a huge house? He is not sure what to say, but to his surprise Emmet seems to understand him nevertheless. “Wait before you judge.” He smiles and hands Nino a key. “To your room,” he adds and points at the door. “Matsumoto-san deliberately made it for you.”
Okay, this is getting interesting, Nino has to admit that much. His hands shake slightly when he opens the door and looks inside. His eyes go wide though - it’s beyond his imagination. There were several items of interest vying for his attention, like the cosy looking bed, the huge TV, and the video game consoles, but the thing that catches his eyes immediately is the huge glass windows. There are basically no shadows in his room. Nino’s throat feels dry all of a sudden. If Matsumoto truly designed this room for him, then he just showed quite some insight. It’s like he was standing outside and not in a room… Did Matsumoto know that a person who was basically locked up all the time would want to get a feeling of freedom?
“Okay,” Nino mumbles shyly. “I like it.”
“Yeah,” Emmet nods. “It’s so cool. Matsumoto-san said it’s supposed to look like you are outside and not behind walls.”
Nino feels something behind his eyelids burning. Damn it, he is not going to cry again in front of someone. Please no. Shun however seems to have a sixth sense as he pats Emmet’s shoulder and suggests drinking some coffee and letting Nino unpack his suitcase.
Once the door gets shut behind him, Nino allows himself to sit down at the floor, right next to the window and cry. He doesn’t cover his eyes though, because he doesn’t want to miss anything of the sight in front of him.
This Matsumoto… Who the hell is he?
It would be a lie to say that Nino isn’t anxious or nervous to meet Matsumoto, but as the days pass he gets impatient. Damn it, it’s been seven days and he still hasn’t seen this Matsumoto guy. Does he even exist!? He turns over in his bed, burying his head in his pillow. Is this some sort of weird game, a hidden camera - tricking the naïve kid that was bought from this human-partner organisation? He turns his head a bit, looking out the huge window next to him - he never pulls the curtains over them; nothing should block his sight. Even when it’s pitch-black, it’s a different kind of black… it still looks like freedom.
This can’t be a joke, he knows it.
The next morning a ringing wakes him up. It’s persistent and annoying and he wants to ignore it, but unfortunately Emmet basically drags him out of his bed, smiling brightly. “You have a visitor,” he tells him while he shoves Nino from the bathroom to the wardrobe to the door.
In front of him stands a man, quite attractive, a bit too smug looking maybe but with observant eyes and a weirdly cute chipmunk smile. “Sakurai Sho,” he introduces himself with a short bow.
Nino blinks. “Are you one of Matsumoto-sama’s subordinates?”
Sho grins. “He wished I was,” he jokes lamely. “But I’m rather his better half.”
Nino’s eyes widen. Does that mean…? Before he can voice his surprise though, Sho raises his hands. “Not like that,” he explains. “We are coworkers. Business partners. Jun-san does all the creative thinking, the organising; he gives interviews because he is damn charming and looks good on magazine covers. I’m responsible for meeting the most important business partners, for selling our stuff to new clients, and just looking damn serious.”
Ah, Nino nods. So this is Matsumoto-san’s business partner? Well… “You probably know he isn’t here, right?”
“Yes.” Sho grins brightly. “I’m here to meet you. Jun-san told me you would need something to wear. And since he is still on that business trip to find the perfectly aromatised tea, he asked me to take you shopping.” Sho grins. “Also he told me I should by no means interfere with your shopping wishes, as any advice from myself would make things worse.”
“You can’t be that bad?” Nino grins, peaking down a bit to check on Sho’s form. Only his shoes were weirdly out of order - too neon red for a black suit. But the suit itself was perfectly casual, yet sophisticated.
“Jun-kun chose the suit. The shoes are mine.” Sho explains, eyeing the red shoes proudly.
Ah, Nino nods. He can finally understand. “Well, thanks for your kind offer, but I’m not sure if I’m the perfect shopping partner.”
Sho chuckles slightly. “You’ll want to go shopping,” he says warmly. “Jun returns today. Don’t tell me you aren’t nervous? Clothes can help you to hide these feelings.”
Today? He’s coming today!? Nino swallows. “Please give me five minutes, Sakurai-san, to get my jacket and tell Emmet I’m going out.”
He actually needs only four minutes, not five, because the mere imagination thought of meeting Matsumoto today puts him in a frenzy. Going shopping is just the right distraction.
“So.” Nino tries to sound as casual as possible, while he roams through some jackets. The shop is a bit too fancy for his taste and he wonders what he should buy from here. But he doesn’t want to insult Sakurai or Matsumoto by declining their kind offer and going to a simpler shop. “You and Matsumoto-san are business partners?”
Sho grins. “Are you trying to get information about Jun out of me?”
Nino blushes madly. A glance into the mirror tells him that his face indeed looks like a tomato. Instead of responding to the question he grabs a blue shirt and red blazer and targets the changing area. “I’m going to try this on,” he stutters.
Sho laughs loudly. Jerk!
Nino takes his time changing into the new clothes and he gives himself a minute to cool down a bit. He doesn’t want his face to give away too much to Sho. Once he steps outside again, Sho seems to have calmed down as well though there is still amusement in his eyes. But to Nino’s surprise he doesn’t say anything, instead he looks at Nino in surprise, and nods. “We definitely need to buy this. You look great.”
They to for a few more shops and before long they wind up carrying so many bags that Nino wonders when the hell he is supposed to wear all this stuff. To his relief Sho has enough of shopping too and leads him to a nice café for a little lunch snack. Nino is supposed to have dinner with Matsumoto-san after all, he can’t eat too much before that.
It’s only when his coffee and cake arrive that Sho goes back to Nino’s question. “Yes, I’m his business partner.”
“What?” Who the hell needs two hours to answer such a simple question?
“Also Jun is very handsome and sweet. He can be a sadistic prick sometimes and has a bit of a temper, but he channels that side of himself rather towards me than anyone else. He is genuinely caring and won’t ever do anything against your will.” Sho takes a sip from his coffee. “That is all I’m going to tell you. The other things, such as why a guy like him bought a partner, and why he chose you, are all for you to find out yourself.”
Nino feels like he just received some very important information. Not only about Matsumoto-san’s look and character but also about his reasons for buying him. So it is an unexpected move? Matsumoto is not someone who needs to buy a partner not to be alone? He had specific reason? What could that reason be?
A/N This was originally meant to be a one-shot but it turned so long and huge that I had to seperate it into four parts ^^
I wonder how many Matsumiya readers are around? I hope you'll enjoy this!!
Pairing: Matsumiya, (plus an additional tiny surprise side-pairing, and guest appearances)
Rating: R
Beta: ryosukekoibito
Genre: romance, AU, bit suspense/mystery (?)
Plot: In a world in which it’s normal to educate poor boys and girls in all kind of subjects and later sell them as eloquent ‘partners’ (A/N: not necessarily sexual!) to rich and wealthy people once they are of age. Nino is one of those kids. Thanks to his abilities he has the highest price but fears that no one will ever buy him. One day though a rich guy named Matsumoto Jun buys him. When Nino leaves the facility he grew up in, he suddenly finds himself in a completely new life. And Jun is nothing he imagined. Why would a guy like him spend such a high sum to buy a partner when he could just find one anywhere? While Nino starts looking for answers, his heart goes its own way...
Note: This just had to turn into a Matsumiya fic :D It's not really all that angsty by the way, parts of it are pretty light.
One hundred million yen. That’s apparently his worth as a person. It’s been calculated wisely it seems, taking his looks and his talents and his charm in account. He is one of the kids with the highest prize on them because he is pretty, and talented, and lascivious enough to lure someone in. One hundred million yen. When Nino had first heard the sum, he believed he would stay in the headquarters forever. No one will ever spend that much money just to have a companion; no one HAS that much money. It’s been an unsettling thought. Because as scary as the thought is to be sold to some stranger, not knowing what kind of person he is and what he wants him to be and do, he isn’t sure if it’s much better to stay here where he is now. It’s always gloomy here, although there is a garden - carefully closed off - for them to go outside, there never seems to be sun shining. The headquarters and training halls are like a huge school; everything looks pretty, but there is no way to the outside, to the world.
Those people caught him and the other poor kids from the street and brought them to this organisation, just to sell him as… He hates the word slave, and it isn’t quite the right word for it. Because they are companions, not toys. Nino never met any of the guys that pull the strings, thankfully.
There are many kids like him around, saved from the streets and then brought here, receiving an education so that they would be interesting enough to sell and able to talk to their new owner. The organisation stands for luxury after all - so they have to be well educated and well spoken. Those with stronger bodies take sport classes, those with musical talent learn music. Some of them sell fast and disappear from the organisation. Once gone, they never come back, and sometimes Nino wonders what’s happening to them. Are they still alive? Are they well where they went to? Is their new prison at least a bit lighter than this here?
He also knows that some of them, the particularly promising ones are trained in all kinds of areas - looks, appearance, personality, talking, education - because they are supposed to be owned eventually by some super-rich person, a royal maybe. And maybe they will even have to show themselves outside sometimes, ready to keep other people entertained and not come off stupid, or embarrass their partner.
Still, the guys here have to be crazy. One hundred million. That is CRAZY. He believes that no one will ever spend that much money.
But then someone does.
A man named Matsumoto Jun pays exactly that sum to buy him. That bastard has to be rich to be able to spend so much money at once, in cash even, plus all the transferring fees, the taxes as the business isn’t illegal, the insurance, the goods he had to have prepared for his companion to ensure a good life, and everything else that adds to the original prize. Nino assumes that all in all this dude probably payed double the amount of what he alone costs.
~~~
A car with windows tinted black brings him to what Nino assumes is the take-over point. He doesn’t see much as the windows are dark and the area to the front seat is covered; only on occasion do the neon-light of the streets gets through, and he gets a small glimpse of how it has to feel to be outside.
His departure was a surprise for him, but not for the others. The guys that are like him only told him that they knew he would leave them soon. That the moment their trainers believed he was ready, he would go. He’s luxurious material, it seems. That’s what they say. Nino doesn’t get it all. Nothing about him is luxurious. He is small, and skinny, he has circles around his eyes, and even when he does sports, he doesn’t have an ideal body. What the hell is luxurious about him?
However, the feeling of leaving the basement and stepping out (okay, driving out) into the real world is breath-taking, and unnerving, and very scary. The basement was scary too sometimes, with the strict teachers, but despite that it was a tiny conclave for him and for the others. It’s better than being on the streets. It’s warm, and there is food, and as their utmost value is their virginity, no one was allowed to touch them in a suggestive way.
What awaits him now is uncertainty.
He doesn’t know how long they drive, but his thoughts don’t stop torturing him and swirling around in his mind. And with eveyr kilometre he gets more nervous, anxiety growing so much that each and every nerve of his body feels as if it will burst any second.
Then the curtain in front of him gets pulled back, and his main-teacher, a guy who goes by the name Ken and who was assigned to him as his mentor when he arrived at the headquarters, looks back at him. Over the years never Nino quite figured out if he liked the man or not. But now he is the closest thing Nino had to a male family figure...so he’s better than nothing.
“I wish you luck, Kazunari,” Ken says, to Nino’s utter surprise. “Be careful. And don’t forget you are still luxurious. Hold your chin up high and don’t forget that. This business might be dirty sometimes, but still… you don’t need to do everything. There is a contract that forbids him to force anything upon you.”
Nino feels a bit calmer all of a sudden. “I know, Ken-san.” He nods. He knows. “Do you know anything about the man that bought me?”
Ken shrugs. “Not more than you do. His name.”
The driver, Yi-Jen, a guy who sticks to being silent most of the time - in fact Nino thinks he has only heard him say ten sentences throughout his whole time knowing him - throws a glance into the rear mirror. “He sent a lot of questions and inquiries to headquarters.”
“Like about how I look, and what I know and studied?” Nino asks. Classical stuff. Everyone does that before spending money. He knows there was once some sort of prince who wanted to have a companion who was able to play several music instruments and sing.
Yi-Jen shrugs. “No. He did ask what you learned of course, but he sent us one million questions about what you like to do and what your favorite foods are. Those types of things.”
“Really?” Ken asks. “That rarely happens.”
“So what did you say?” Nino asks curiously.
“First, Chief-san lied and told him the standard perfect answers.” Yi-Jen grins. “The man didn’t buy it at all. In the end everyone was too scared that he would change his mind about wanting you if we lied to him. When he wants to know what he gets, we need to tell him. So I would say the things he knows are pretty accurate.”
Nino blinks in confusion. “He knows about my hamburger obsession? And that I learned weird magic tricks?”
“Yes.”
“He still bought me?”
“Yes.” Yi-Jen grins. “He also asked about your friends in the organisation.”
“Well, I’m not particularly social,” Nino mumbles.
“Yes, that’s what we told him. We told him you have a best friend though.”
“He wanted to know Aiba-chi’s name?”
Yi-Jen shrugs. “He did. And right before you left there seemed someone inquiring for Masaki,” he explains further. “Might be for one of Matsumoto-sama’s friends, if you ask me. The timing is too close to be a coincidence.”
Does that mean there is a tiny chance to see Aiba again? He doesn’t quite dare to hope that much. Nino leans back in his seat, frowning slightly. Didn’t make any sense at all. Why did that guy want to know so much? They are supposed to hide all of their personal quirks the moment they enter their new home. “Do you know anything else Yi-Jen?” Ken wants to know.
“No. Customer dates are top secret. As usual. But the background check showed that he has no criminal record, the people working with him respect and like him, and he is crazily rich!”
“Well, he has to be, if he paid one hundred million yen in cash,” Nino sneers, biting down on his tongue immediately afterwards. “Ah,” he sighs. “I slipped again.”
“Yeah, watch the sarcasm,” Ken mumbles slightly worried.
“I think it’s fine,” Yi-Jen says casually. “Don’t overthink it. After all that is part of your charm.”
“Do you know where I’m going to?” Nino asks carefully. “Am I staying in Japan?”
“From what I know,” Ken muses. “You will get into a private jet first. Then you’ll head to some sort of Caribbean island. Private island it seems. From there, I don’t know.”
“Matsumoto has estates all over the world.” Yi-Jen helps out once again. “You might change places quite often. He told us that you will head to London afterwards, as that’s where his main office is. He also seems to have a place in LA and New York he frequents often. And he is regularly in Middle-Europe.”
One hundred million yen in cash. Of course that dude has to be a rich bastard. But what kind of person is he going to be? Yi-Jen said they did a huge background check, so…
“What are you thinking now?” Ken wants to know.
“I’m wondering what kind of person he is going to be,” Nino mumbles. “I know, Yi-Jen said they did a background check to see if he has anything sly going on. But… how is his personality? Like…super-strict? A person that never laughs? Unfriendly? Or maybe quiet? Will he want me to accompany him to boring dinner parties, or will he want someone to make love with? Or… maybe he is very ugly? What if he is missing a limb? Or he could have been traumatized in his childhood, and now he is afraid of small rooms. And how am I going to react then? How should I find out what he likes? I don’t even know a thing about him…” His head starts spinning again, but before he can think any further, the car halts.
“Don’t overthink it.” Ken looks back again. “I’m certain you will stay well, Kazunari,” he says. “You are a great, intelligent young man and I hope for you that this Matsumoto is a good man too, you deserve only the best. Just remember your manners, and don’t be too snarky. As for the things you are wondering about… don’t overanalyze him; try to be natural and go with the flow, with your instincts. Oh, and remain positive, even though the beginning might be difficult. And try not to freak out when it’s awkward at the beginning. Watch out for your health! And remember to call the emergency number in case violence is used on you. Oh, and-“
“Ken,” Yi-Jen interrupts him. “I think this is really enough good advice.” He turns back and nods at Nino. “We’ll check on you in a month to see if you are healthy or not. But don’t freak out too much, the background checks we do before are normally pretty good. There have only been two unlucky cases we had to intervene with in the past twenty years.”
Nino blinks. It’s the very first time he had heard about that to be honest. He had thought that the moment they let him off into the world, they were free from any obligation to him. He didn’t know they actually cared enough to check on him. It makes him feel a tiny bit at ease - not for himself, but for all those kids he saw leaving over the years. It’s good to know that none of them came back.
~~~
When he gets out of the car and into the private jet, he looks around a bit. It’s a private airport, rather small, in the middle of a deserted, but quite beautiful area. So many fields. Nino’s heart begins to race all of a sudden. He is outside. Damn it, he is outside! Who cares what kind of person this Matsumoto-rich-dude is going to be or if he is missing an arm… he will be able to see the outside world.
The moment he gets into the jet, he turns around, seeing Ken wave at him, his face nervous and sad. Yi-Jen pats his shoulder. For a moment Nino’s heart clenches. It’s not like he always liked those two men, but by leaving them he leaves behind every constant in his life, and everything he knows.
When the door closes behind him and the jet sets off, he knows he is truly alone. From now on, he is alone. No conclave around him anymore - as scary and gloomy as it was sometimes, there was always someone around him, there were schedules and plans, and people he knew. There were even those he could talk to sometimes and share his problems with, like Aiba. Or those that helped him through difficult exams, like Ken. There had even been those who bought him gifts for his birthday, like Yi-Jen.
From now on it’s only him and the uncertainty ahead of him. When Ken and Yi-Jen’s figures get smaller and smaller on ground as the jet takes off, Nino allows himself to start crying like a baby.
He doesn’t know how long he cries, but at one point he is so exhausted, and drained that he feels like he no longer has any tears left to cry. He falls asleep then, a restless and dark sleep.
~~~
His eyelids are heavy, and his body still feels drained when he slowly wakes up. His eyelashes are sticking together from the tears he’d shed, and he rubs over them to be able to open his eyes. When he does, his eyes immediately catch one of the small windows of the jet. They are high above a whole landscape… of blue…
The ocean? Oh fuck! Nino drops all gloomy thoughts for a moment and presses his face against the window in amazement. That’s the ocean! He has never seen the ocean before. So that’s what it looks like. It’s so big; it’s scary and fascinating. And is it always that dark blue? Probably not, because they are so high above it, but still, the pictures in the books he has seen were so different.
“When you are done admiring the view, maybe you would like something to eat?” Kazu hears a calm, friendly voice speaking close to him.
He jumps a bit, turning around and looking into a tanned, slightly angular but friendly face. Nino’s throat feels dry all of a sudden. Had this person been around him all the time? He hadn’t seen anyone when he got into the jet; he had believed he was alone. Oh god, did this man see his breakdown?
“Are you Matsumoto-sama?” Nino mumbles, feeling uncharacteristically shy.
The guy grins. “Not even a little bit. I’m his friend and pilot, Oguri Shun. Don’t worry,” he climbs back to the front seat. “He didn’t see your awesome cinematic breakdown.”
Nino is glad that this dude can’t see how much he blushes at those words. He is still trying to come up with a good retort, a bit unsure just how much sarcasm he is allowed to let out, when Shun talks again. “But if you want to win Jun-kun over a crying breakdown might help. He just loves to pamper people.”
Nino has had it with the snarky comments of that Shun-guy. “So I assume you didn’t manage to win him over yourself then?” he teases.
Shun chuckles. He doesn’t seem to be offended at all. “Eat something, Kazunari-kun. Just eat something.”
Nino decides to give it a try and eyes the plate in front of him carefully. Apparently Shun put it on the table right before he woke up. Then his eyes widen in awe. Hamburger. He loves that shit. And the meat inside is actually still warm. He has really been out of it, it seems, because he hasn’t even realized there was a tiny kitchen and fridge in the jet. Now that he is actually awake, he turns to take a look. It’s how he imagined a typical private jet, with a few huge seats, a beautiful table, and a TV. There is also something that looks like a mini-bar.
Shun almost seemed to have read his thoughts. “If you want something to drink, don’t hold back. The mini-bar is yours.”
Nino blushes slightly, biting down on his lips, glad that this dude can’t see his expressions now. “I’d rather take water,” he finally stutters. “Or tea. Or soda.”
“Why’s that?”
“I’ve never drunk alcohol before,” Nino finally gets up the courage to explain. “So, I’d rather not get drunk here.”
Shun laughs, a soft and encouraging laugh. A bit like a kind older brother. “Then take something else. There’s more than just alcohol inside. And eat your food before it gets cold again.”
~~~
Nino has lost track of how long they are up in the air. He knows it can’t be that long, because a jet or airplane needs to stop to refuel, but still… he doesn’t know if it’s three hours or seven or more. Ken-san and Yi-Jen said something about a Caribbean island. How far away from Japan is that?
“Please fasten your seatbelt again,” he suddenly hears Shun’s voice over the intercom. “We are landing in a few minutes.”
Landing? Finally! He cannot wait to set his foot on whatever exciting place they are reaching now. He knows it’s crazy because overall he is scared to meet Matsumoto, but still he can only feel excitement right now to see this place in the middle of the ocean.
And really when the jet lands on the private landing platform and a chauffeur picks them up with an open car, it’s everything and more than Nino expected. There is endless nature in front of him, palm trees and luscious greenery and he can see wild animals scattered about. They reach the ocean and it’s only a wide broad beach with white sand and turquoise coloured water. He feels like crying. It’s so beautiful it feels like a dream. Like someone is going to wake him up soon and tell him he has to go and attend etiquette class with Ken.
But no one wakes him up from this, no one tells him it’s just a dream. Instead the car halts in front of a huge bungalow and Shun leads him inside. He starts explaining the place to him, but Nino is so taken aback by all the wonders around him that he can’t quite grasp Shun’s words. Only when Shun leaves him alone to talk with the housekeeper about their dinner, can Nino finally try to wrap his mind around it. His room is right next to the veranda, and he can even open the door at night and sleep with the sound of the ocean’s waves right next to him. The room itself is pretty simple, but beautifully designed - well, the house in general is. Nino assumes it’s mainly because of the location, because it’s a beach house. Simple as that. The walls are white, the floor wooden, the bedframe in his room wood to match. There are fluffy, almost transparent curtains in soft blue drawn over the windows, and a net to keep the mosquitos out. It looks almost a bit romantic. Like a place a couple would go to on their honeymoon. For a while he sits at the edge of the bed, just staring out of the open veranda door and enjoying the sight of the wonderful ocean and beach.
He gets disrupted by a knock at the door. It’s Shun. “Kazunari-kun,” he smiles a bit. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable. Do you want to have your dinner at the veranda? The cook is going to make a barbecue for you.”
“Is it okay?” Nino asks carefully. “Aren’t I supposed to meet Matsumoto-sama?”
Shun chuckles. “Not yet. We just landed here to give you some time to adapt to everything. Matsumoto-san is still in London. We’ll rest here, check on the jet and in a few days we’ll take our leave from the island and travel to London.”
Nino blinks in surprise. “Are you for real?”
“Of course.” Shun laughs. “Matsumoto-san thought you might need a few days of break to just relax and do whatever you want.”
Whatever he wants? “Does that mean I can just have my breakfast outside, sleep when and how I want, and swim in the ocean?” Nino asks shyly.
“Of course. Just please don’t forget to use some sun crème though. Your skin is pretty white and you’ll get burned easily. Matsumoto-san will scold us if you are in pain.” He nods a bit. “I’m going to check on you later. For now, just have fun. I’m in the room at the other end of the corridor. Oh, and you might want to be careful with letting the door open.”
“Mosquitos?” Nino asks. He doesn’t mind them. They never seemed too eager to suck his blood. “Or poisonous snakes?”
Shun grins. “Well there are mosquitos, hardly any snakes though. But there is a racoon around - he basically is living here, so you might want to watch your stuff. And the monkeys can be pretty sneaky too.”
Nino laughs.
The next few hours Nino spends out on the veranda. He isn’t even much of an outside-person, but even he gets drawn to the white sand and the turquoise water. He puts sun block on though, so as to not to get burned.
After a while of bathing and just staring at the nature in awe, the door to the backyard opens, and a man comes through it, carrying a plate in his hands. Food! Finally. The cook who is also the housekeeper is a short, older guy, with wrinkles around his eyes, skin brown from the sun. Nino loves him immediately.
“I’ve made y’a barb’cue,” the man says, with a friendly smile. “Matsumoto-sama told me what y’a like, and I added a few things to it.” He twinkles. “Hope y’a don’t mind I put some vegetables up too. Health’n such.”
Nino isn’t particularly fond of greens added to his food, but a glance at the plate tells him that this kind man didn’t only barbecue a cutlet for him and some pieces of yakitori, but also some regional, colourful vegetables, and it looks so tasty that he can feel himself start to drool.
The cook leaves him alone after a while, and Nino wholeheartedly enjoys it. Just being by himself, with no one calling him for lessons, no one telling him to do something, is wonderful. He could just enjoy the moment, not thinking about tomorrow, or the fateful day when he will meet Matsumoto-san.
For now he eats his perfect dinner, enjoys the warm breeze of the wind, and listens to the rustling of the leaves. When the sun starts to setand it’s not that hot anymore he even goes for a walk, strolling around the beach. The sand feels warm beneath his feet and on his way he even collects some beautiful shells. He has never done that before, and in that moment he feels more alive than he ever had.
~~~
The time passes too fast, naturally, and it feels like the blink of an eye before Shun is standing in front of him again. He smiles. “We need to go.”
Nino nods and forces a smile on his lips. “I know.”
Apparently his nervousness is written all over his face, because Shun puts his hand on one of his shoulders and looks at him earnestly. “You don’t need to be afraid.”
Afraid of what? Nino wants to ask, but he doesn’t. He knows what Shun means. You don’t need to be afraid of Matsumoto-sama, of your new life. There is no hint of a lie in Shun’s eyes and he appreciates his gesture and his honest attempt to be nice, but he is still one of Matsumoto’s loyal subordinates.
“You’ll come back to this place,” Shun continues. “Jun-kun loves this place too.”
Well, that’s at least something. He follows Shun into the truck and says a silent goodbye to this idyllic place of peace. The cook whose name Nino learned is Bastian waves at him from the veranda and comes running to the car before they can drive away. “Brought da young Master some snacks.”
Nino smiles happily. “Thank you.” He is glad to see the face of his new-found friend before he drives away. It gives him a feeling of security. “I’ll hopefully come back soon.”
Bastian nods and grins brightly.
~~~
They arrive in London one day later. Shun had to make two stops on their way to refill their petrol and to give them both a moment to have steady ground beneath their feet. Once they land at the London City airport, Nino is glued to the window of the jet again. It’s evening when they land, and the lights of the city sparkle and shine. It’s so vibrant that it takes his breath away. There is a chauffeur picking them up, and it gives Nino the perfect chance to watch the many houses and shops they pass, to eye the historic buildings and the young people going to parties and clubs. He feels so out of place all of a sudden that he wonders if he actually can fit in anywhere. He is sure he will feel this same feeling of surprise and astonishment for every new place he sees, and it’s not necessarily a comfortable feeling.
Nino knows that they are at a more exclusive and expensive area when there are suddenly less people on the street but instead expensive cars parked everywhere. Also the houses get suddenly bigger and bigger. “Where are we?” he asks curiously.
“Holland Park,” Shun explains. “It’s one of the exclusive residential areas here with lot of Victorian mansions. Jun-kun tends to work a lot at this place that’s why it’s a lot bigger than his other properties.”
“What else does he own?” Nino wants to know.
“Well, a penthouse in Tokyo, New York and LA,” Shun muses. “He also co-owns a cottage in Scotland and one in England’s countryside with his friend Ohno-san. The beach house you know already. He also has a place somewhere in the Austrian Alps and in Florence. I think he and his business partner recently also got a flat somewhere in Cape Town. Not sure what else they own.”
That’s crazy. That dude has to be super-ugly, and be some sort of war-veteran or something like that, otherwise he wouldn’t need to buy a partner. He could just find one everywhere! Nino obviously needs to brace himself before meeting him, definitely.
~~~
They halt in front of a villa which is surrounded with a huge fence, obviously to keep prying eyes away as there are quite massive glass windows everywhere. “He likes light,” Shun explains. Nino’s head basically snaps up. That’s good, that’s something he can finally sympathize with. He likes light too.
When the door to the house opens, they are greeted by some sort of Human hulk. He has a bright grin though. “Welcome,” he exclaims. “I’m Emmet, your personal butler and guy for almost everything.”
“You’re kidding,” Nino mumbles.
“Not at all.” Emmet takes all the bags out of Shun’s and Nino’s hands like they have no weight at all, and tugs them inside. “I’ve prepared something to eat for you. Pasta! Italian food is my speciality.”
“Ah,” Nino stutters. Hulk can cook?
“Is Matsumoto-san at home?” Shun asks.
“No.” Emmet leads them to the huge wardrobe in the entrance hall and waits for them to take off their shoes and jackets before he leads them upstairs over the huge staircase. “He had to go on a sudden business trip. He’ll be away for a few days. He told me to provide you with the warmest welcome though.” He pats Nino’s back with so much strength that he almost stumbles against the staircase. Shun grins slightly at that. “He said he can’t wait to meet you, and you should just make yourself comfortable here and feel at home.”
Nino blushes. In such a huge house? He is not sure what to say, but to his surprise Emmet seems to understand him nevertheless. “Wait before you judge.” He smiles and hands Nino a key. “To your room,” he adds and points at the door. “Matsumoto-san deliberately made it for you.”
Okay, this is getting interesting, Nino has to admit that much. His hands shake slightly when he opens the door and looks inside. His eyes go wide though - it’s beyond his imagination. There were several items of interest vying for his attention, like the cosy looking bed, the huge TV, and the video game consoles, but the thing that catches his eyes immediately is the huge glass windows. There are basically no shadows in his room. Nino’s throat feels dry all of a sudden. If Matsumoto truly designed this room for him, then he just showed quite some insight. It’s like he was standing outside and not in a room… Did Matsumoto know that a person who was basically locked up all the time would want to get a feeling of freedom?
“Okay,” Nino mumbles shyly. “I like it.”
“Yeah,” Emmet nods. “It’s so cool. Matsumoto-san said it’s supposed to look like you are outside and not behind walls.”
Nino feels something behind his eyelids burning. Damn it, he is not going to cry again in front of someone. Please no. Shun however seems to have a sixth sense as he pats Emmet’s shoulder and suggests drinking some coffee and letting Nino unpack his suitcase.
Once the door gets shut behind him, Nino allows himself to sit down at the floor, right next to the window and cry. He doesn’t cover his eyes though, because he doesn’t want to miss anything of the sight in front of him.
This Matsumoto… Who the hell is he?
It would be a lie to say that Nino isn’t anxious or nervous to meet Matsumoto, but as the days pass he gets impatient. Damn it, it’s been seven days and he still hasn’t seen this Matsumoto guy. Does he even exist!? He turns over in his bed, burying his head in his pillow. Is this some sort of weird game, a hidden camera - tricking the naïve kid that was bought from this human-partner organisation? He turns his head a bit, looking out the huge window next to him - he never pulls the curtains over them; nothing should block his sight. Even when it’s pitch-black, it’s a different kind of black… it still looks like freedom.
This can’t be a joke, he knows it.
The next morning a ringing wakes him up. It’s persistent and annoying and he wants to ignore it, but unfortunately Emmet basically drags him out of his bed, smiling brightly. “You have a visitor,” he tells him while he shoves Nino from the bathroom to the wardrobe to the door.
In front of him stands a man, quite attractive, a bit too smug looking maybe but with observant eyes and a weirdly cute chipmunk smile. “Sakurai Sho,” he introduces himself with a short bow.
Nino blinks. “Are you one of Matsumoto-sama’s subordinates?”
Sho grins. “He wished I was,” he jokes lamely. “But I’m rather his better half.”
Nino’s eyes widen. Does that mean…? Before he can voice his surprise though, Sho raises his hands. “Not like that,” he explains. “We are coworkers. Business partners. Jun-san does all the creative thinking, the organising; he gives interviews because he is damn charming and looks good on magazine covers. I’m responsible for meeting the most important business partners, for selling our stuff to new clients, and just looking damn serious.”
Ah, Nino nods. So this is Matsumoto-san’s business partner? Well… “You probably know he isn’t here, right?”
“Yes.” Sho grins brightly. “I’m here to meet you. Jun-san told me you would need something to wear. And since he is still on that business trip to find the perfectly aromatised tea, he asked me to take you shopping.” Sho grins. “Also he told me I should by no means interfere with your shopping wishes, as any advice from myself would make things worse.”
“You can’t be that bad?” Nino grins, peaking down a bit to check on Sho’s form. Only his shoes were weirdly out of order - too neon red for a black suit. But the suit itself was perfectly casual, yet sophisticated.
“Jun-kun chose the suit. The shoes are mine.” Sho explains, eyeing the red shoes proudly.
Ah, Nino nods. He can finally understand. “Well, thanks for your kind offer, but I’m not sure if I’m the perfect shopping partner.”
Sho chuckles slightly. “You’ll want to go shopping,” he says warmly. “Jun returns today. Don’t tell me you aren’t nervous? Clothes can help you to hide these feelings.”
Today? He’s coming today!? Nino swallows. “Please give me five minutes, Sakurai-san, to get my jacket and tell Emmet I’m going out.”
He actually needs only four minutes, not five, because the mere imagination thought of meeting Matsumoto today puts him in a frenzy. Going shopping is just the right distraction.
“So.” Nino tries to sound as casual as possible, while he roams through some jackets. The shop is a bit too fancy for his taste and he wonders what he should buy from here. But he doesn’t want to insult Sakurai or Matsumoto by declining their kind offer and going to a simpler shop. “You and Matsumoto-san are business partners?”
Sho grins. “Are you trying to get information about Jun out of me?”
Nino blushes madly. A glance into the mirror tells him that his face indeed looks like a tomato. Instead of responding to the question he grabs a blue shirt and red blazer and targets the changing area. “I’m going to try this on,” he stutters.
Sho laughs loudly. Jerk!
Nino takes his time changing into the new clothes and he gives himself a minute to cool down a bit. He doesn’t want his face to give away too much to Sho. Once he steps outside again, Sho seems to have calmed down as well though there is still amusement in his eyes. But to Nino’s surprise he doesn’t say anything, instead he looks at Nino in surprise, and nods. “We definitely need to buy this. You look great.”
They to for a few more shops and before long they wind up carrying so many bags that Nino wonders when the hell he is supposed to wear all this stuff. To his relief Sho has enough of shopping too and leads him to a nice café for a little lunch snack. Nino is supposed to have dinner with Matsumoto-san after all, he can’t eat too much before that.
It’s only when his coffee and cake arrive that Sho goes back to Nino’s question. “Yes, I’m his business partner.”
“What?” Who the hell needs two hours to answer such a simple question?
“Also Jun is very handsome and sweet. He can be a sadistic prick sometimes and has a bit of a temper, but he channels that side of himself rather towards me than anyone else. He is genuinely caring and won’t ever do anything against your will.” Sho takes a sip from his coffee. “That is all I’m going to tell you. The other things, such as why a guy like him bought a partner, and why he chose you, are all for you to find out yourself.”
Nino feels like he just received some very important information. Not only about Matsumoto-san’s look and character but also about his reasons for buying him. So it is an unexpected move? Matsumoto is not someone who needs to buy a partner not to be alone? He had specific reason? What could that reason be?
A/N This was originally meant to be a one-shot but it turned so long and huge that I had to seperate it into four parts ^^
I wonder how many Matsumiya readers are around? I hope you'll enjoy this!!