Fic: The Camera Eye: Trophy Boys [Byou X Ruki, Kai X Uruha, Aoi X Kazuki, NC-17]
Title: The Camera Eye: Trophy Boys
Chapter: Sixth in The Camera Eye series, preceded by The Camera Eye. The Camera Eye: Going Major, The Camera Eye: Hearts and Flowers, The Camera Eye: Star Grabbing and The Camera Eye: Superstar
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), deep throating, mild bondage
Pairing: Byou X Ruki (main), Kai X Uruha, Aoi X Kazuki, some Kai X Shou
Disclaimer: Boys belong to PS Company, I own the story only.
Summary: PSC Productions is up for some adult video awards for the first time in their history. Uruha is thrilled, Ruki is nonplussed - until he encounters someone who’s openly proclaimed himself to be Ruki’s rival at the awards ceremony.
Comments: Sixth in a planned porn star AU series that will bring in guys from GazettE, SCREW and Alice Nine. This fic isn’t intended to be a portrait of the actual JGV industry - if anything, the industry presented here is sort of a fusion of the Eastern and Western ones. By the way, the GazettE characters’ awards outfits are from the Burial Applicant PV, the Alice Nine characters’ from the 7th Theater live clips and Byou’s from the Gather Roses PV. (And if you think that certain aspects of this fic were inspired by the Yuna Kim Olympic judging controversy . . . you may be right. ~_^)
When word arrived at the PSC Productions offices that they had been nominated for several Japan Adult Video Association Male Video Awards, the reaction was, quite frankly, stunned shock.
Awards were something that the founders of the company thought wouldn’t happen to them, ever. They were a tiny little fly-by-night outfit in the backwoods of the industry. Awards were given to the big producers like Hard Candy and Adonis and Heavy Hitter Films, while PSC Productions was lucky if they got a seat in the back of the ceremony.
But that, of course, was before Uruha and Reita arrived and turned the company around. So here they were, clustered around Uruha’s computer as he read off their list of nominations.
“Best star vehicle, There’s Something About Aoi. Best sex scene, Kai and Shou, Corporate Affairs.”
“Which one?” Kai said, leaning over his lover’s shoulder. “The bent-over-the-desk scene or the bed scene?”
“Doesn’t say,” Uruha said. “Best oral sex scene, Ruki, Corporate Affairs.”
“Like they’d nominate anyone else?” Aoi said, leaning over Uruha’s other shoulder. “The other guys might as well not show up.”
“What makes you say that?” said Ruki, who was sitting on the couch across the room. He wasn’t interested in joining the mob scene clustered around the computer. He had the list up on his own phone - and besides, the couch where he was sitting had an ashtray, and he wanted a cigarette, thank you.
“I was on the receiving end of that blow job, remember?” Aoi lifted his head. “Besides, you won it last year.” Granted, Ruki was still working for Hard Candy then, but hey.
“So?” said Ruki. “How many guys win the same award two years in a row?”
“How many guys have the nickname Sultan of Suck?” Aoi retorted. “They may call me a superstar, but they call YOU the King of Oral, remember.”
Ruki just went back to his cigarette and his phone, and Uruha continued to read. “Best solo scene, wow, we have two nominated here! Kazuki for Sleeping Bishie and Shou for The Tale of SinningFella.”
Kazuki’s eyes snapped open, and he nearly knocked Aoi over trying to crowd in closer. “Me? Really?”
“Yes, you,” Aoi said, wrapping an arm around his favorite co-star. “I told you that you were award material. Now when someone tells you to go fuck yourself, you can tell them you got an award for that!”
“Get to the big ones!” Saga walked over to the computer and tried to peek around Kai, just sending the star topping over toward Uruha, who started frantically grabbing at his lover, nearly sending both of them crashing to the ground.
“You were nominated for screenplay, Saga,” Uruha said. “For Sleeping Bishie.”
“I mean, did we get Best Actor, Best Director or Best Video nominations?” Saga said. “Those are the ones that really count.”
Uruha looked again. “Aoi got a Best Actor nomination for Sleeping Bishie. Sleeping Bishie got nominated for Best Video. And . . .” He sat back. “Oh, holy shit.”
“You got nominated?” Kai said, excitedly, gripping Uruha’s arm.
“Best Director for Sleeping Bishie.” Uruha could hardly believe it. It had been his dream since he could barely hold a video camera to be nominated for a Best Director award. Granted, he didn’t think it would come for a porno, but hey.
“YES!” Kai grabbed Uruha in a huge hug, and nearly sent both of them tumbling to the ground again. “I knew you could do it!”
“Shit, we’re going to have to go all-out for this!” Aoi said. “We’re going to have to dress up and rent a limo! One of the really big ones we can all fit in!”
“They don’t make limos that big,” Ruki said.
“We’ll get two limos, then!” Aoi said.
“Aoi, haven’t you been nominated before?” Shou said, peeking around Kazuki.
“Well, yeah,” he said. “But it wasn’t, you know, like this. It wasn’t . . .”
“It wasn’t a family,” Kazuki said. “Working for Adonis, it was kind of every guy for himself. Not like here.”
“What he said,” Aoi said.
“I know what he means,” Shou said, quietly. “It’s kind of like . . . if one of us gets nominated, we all get nominated. And if one of us wins, we all celebrate.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Aoi said. “Ruki’s up for Best Oral. We’ve got that in the bag.”
Uruha just watched with a small smile. It was the contented smile of a man whose fondest dream had just come true - just not quite in the way that he expected.
* * *
As it happened, their friends at Nemesis - the punk and visual kei clothing line that liked to use porn stars as models - were about to come out with a new leather line, and they were only too glad to outfit the PSC Productions crew for the awards (with a promise to also use the clothes in an upcoming video). They even had a very special outfit for Uruha that involved leather shorts attached to boots with garters.
“I look like I should be in front of the camera, not behind it,” he said as he was getting ready for the big night.
“You’re right,” Kai said. “You do.” He walked over next to him. “When people see you, they’re going to ask if you’re ever going to star in one of your own films.”
“I don’t know about that,” Uruha said.
“You perform well enough.” Kai wrapped his arms around him.
“Well, yes,” Uruha said. “But I’d feel funny directing myself.”
“We’ll switch roles,” Kai said. “I’ll be the director.” He was leaning over to kiss Uruha when a knock came on the door.
There stood Ruki and Shou, both in head-to-toe leather - Ruki’s outfit even included a sharp little visor. “Are you almost ready?” Shou said. He was nearly jumping out of his skin and his tight jacket and pants in excitement - he’d never been nominated for an award before.
“Just about,” Kai said.“Reiko said she’d do our makeup, right?” - referring to the Loli girl who was their usual makeup artist for videos.
“Soon as we get to the office,” Shou said. “Uruha, she’s going to do it for you, too.”
“You’ll really look like a star,” Kai said. “Come on!”
The four of them went downstairs, where Aoi and Kazuki were already waiting for them. “Ruki, why do you seem so calm?” Shou said.
“That’s because he knows he has it in the bag,” Aoi replied.
“Shut up!” Ruki said. “I never said anything like that!”
“You don’t have to,” Aoi said. “You just KNOW it.”
Ruki made a small noise akin to a grunt as they headed for the office to get made up, then the limo to go to the awards. It was like being a real, mainstream star for a night - well, sort of.
* * *
The JAVA Awards, as they were known, were held in the ballroom of a swanky hotel that was usually used to hosting corporate functions and charity galas. The PSC Productions crew speculated heavily as to whether the staff actually knew what they were getting into when they took the booking.
Nevertheless, there was a bona fide red carpet rolled out on the entranceway to the building. “Well, look who’s here,” Aoi said to Kazuki. “Blasts from the past.”
“People you used to work with?” Shou said.
“So to speak,” Aoi said. “Oh, look, there’s the guy they hired to be the star after I left.” He pointed to a Western-looking man, with close-cropped blond hair and chiseled features, who was speaking into a video camera wielded by one of the several porn bloggers who were in attendance.
“He’s German, isn’t he?” Uruha said.
“Russian, actually,” said Aoi. “Alexei Ubanov. Called just Alexei. Or Sexy Alexei.”
“Or Lex Licker,” Saga pointed out. “His specialty is oral, remember. He’s nominated against Ruki.”
“Like he has a chance.” Aoi waved his hand.
“Who are the other nominees, again?” Shou said.
“Miki B, Taiko and Byou,” Uruha said, looking at his phone.
“Oh, that bastard,” Ruki said.
“Which one?” Aoi said as their group moved past Lex Licker, still talking into the blogger’s camera. “Define your bastards.”
“Byou,” Ruki said. “He thinks he’s a rival to me. He’s come out and said it. Several times.”
Uruha leaned over and whispered to Kai, “Wait until Ruki finds out Byou’s coming to us.” It was hush-hush at the moment, but Byou’s contract with Adonis was running out, and he was near-certain to be signing with PSC.
As they were approaching the front door, Tora leaned over and whispered to Saga, “Our director looks hotter tonight than most of the performers.”
“You would say that,” Saga hissed back.
But there was no denying that Uruha, fully made up and in his leather shorts, minus the glasses he normally wore while at work, was absolutely stunning - to the point where some industry bigwigs turned around and looked at him with mouth agape. One of the directors for Hard Candy approached him. “I don't remember seeing you here,” he said.
“That’s because I haven’t been here before,” Uruha said. “It’s my first time being nominated.”
“Oh, really?” The man leaned in, a predatory look in his eyes. “Tell me, pretty, where are you working right now? I’ll bet I could give you a better contract. A really . . . BIG . . . contract.”
“I don’t need a contract, thank you,” Uruha said. “I’m happy where I am.”
“But are you their number one star?” the other director said. “Because I can do that for you.”
“Sorry.” Uruha waved his hand dismissively. “I’m happy with the job I have.”
Kai stood poised to step in if his lover got into further trouble with the man - but it looked like Uruha had the situation well in hand, since his opponent was starting to look flustered. “What are you, anyway?” the man said. “A supporting player? A second-string uke?”
“Try lead producer and director of PSC Productions.” Uruha started for the door, waving his hand over his head. “See you!”
Kai laughed and wrapped an arm around him. “That was brilliant,” he said. “You handled him like a champion.” He looked over his shoulder - the predator was standing there with his mouth hanging open.
“Do I really look like a second-string uke?” Uruha suddenly felt miffed.
“No,” Kai said, leaning his head toward his beloved’s. “You look like a superstar.”
“You’re just saying that,” Uruha said as they entered the lobby, making their way past crushed velvet carpet and sparkling chandeliers. What I could do with this setting, he thought, if it was just me, a couple of my actors and a camera . . . His eyes wandered over to an elaborate, old-fashioned couch.
“No,” Kai said. “I just mean it.”
Uruha reached down and squeezed Kai’s hand. Their partnership was the foundation that PSC Productions had been built on - the magic started the moment Uruha helped Kai realize his full potential and become a leading seme, then a star. And then, came the magic between them . . .
They might have an open relationship and have other lovers, but they were committed to each other, first and foremost. If anything, the trust required for an open relationship brought them even closer.
If I win Best Director tonight, Uruha thought, it’s as much his award as it is mine.
* * *
“Byou is looking at us,” Ruki announced as their drinks were delivered. The PSC Productions crew was seated at one of the room’s big, circular tables, although they were all sort of crammed around three-quarters of it - nobody wanted to have his back to the stage.
“Why do you say that?” Shou said, turning his head toward the Adonis table. The other company’s star was there, all right - dressed in a fur coat and leopard-print shirt over bright red pants. He certainly knew how to look the part of the porn superstar.
“He just is,” Ruki said. “He was staring right at me before.” He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“Maybe he likes you,” Aoi said, lighting a smoke of his own. Shou, one of the few nonsmokers on the crew, tried to discreetly wave away the fumes that were coming at him from both directions.
“The fuck with that,” Ruki said. “He ‘s probably trying to make me think he’s my rival again.”
“You’re up for the same award,” Reita reminded him. “Doesn’t that automatically make you rivals?”
“Not the way he thinks he is!” Ruki picked up his glass of Orangina - he was one of the few porn stars who stayed away from booze most of the time. “He thinks he’s my equal. Maybe when he’s been in the business as long as I have!”
“That sounds like something I’d say,” Aoi said - just as the lights went down. “Whoa, here we go!”
Uruha grabbed his drink and took a big swallow. Saga found himself crossing his fingers under the table - even though he usually wasn’t superstitious about anything. Kazuki reached for Aoi’s hand.
They didn’t know what to expect from here. They just knew this evening was going to be a wild ride.
* * *
Halfway through the show, Uruha decided he didn’t want to hear another dick joke as long as he lived.
Okay, so it was a porn awards show, and it wasn’t as if it was going out over regular television (even though it was being live-streamed through JAVA’s web site and a couple of adult entertainment cable/satellite channels).
But really, did they have to have CONSTANT raunchy humor? First came the host, a comic specializing in blue material, who demonstrated exactly where his reputation came from.
Then, the first presenters, a pair of veteran adult video actors, continued the trend. (“Wow, what a big crowd! My head is spinning being in a mob like this! I don’t know if I’m coming or going!” “Well, is it white, or is it yellow?”)
And on and on and on, with countless puns on “hard,” innumerable references to Viagra, and so many riffs on penises that Aoi whispered to Kazuki, “This is almost enough to turn me straight.”
Fortunately, between the raunch, PSC Productions managed to have a pretty good batting average. They lost out on both the solo scene awards to a guy from Hard Candy, but Shou and Kai did, indeed, win the Best Sex Scene award. When their names were called, they jumped up from the table and hugged each other, then went up to collect their trophy, with Kai calling Shou “the best costar and partner I could ever ask for” and Shou saying, “I smile whenever I know I’m going to do a scene with him.”
And then, they punctuated their remarks by making out with each other on stage a bit. There were cameras on them, you know.
Saga won his Best Screenplay award, and announced from the stage, “I want the world to know that adult video scripts do NOT have to suck! Okay, they have to contain sucking, but the scripts themselves don’t have to!”
Right after Saga got back to his seat, brandishing his piece of hardware - a stylized sculpture of two abstract male figures embracing each other - the announcement was made that the next award was for Best Oral Scene. “This is it!” Aoi whispered, slapping Ruki on the back. “You’re a shoo-in!”
The presenters were two female porn stars, who made the by-now-predictable jokes about the differences between men and women giving head (while Uruha groaned and put his head in his hands). Finally, they figured they should get down to reading the actual nominees. When they got to Ruki, a huge wave of applause spread through the room - apparently, they shared Aoi’s opinion that Ruki was the Sultan of Suck.
“And the award goes to . . .” The taller and more buxom of the two ripped open the envelope. “Alexei, for Hot in the City!”
There was a stunned gasp throughout the room. Had the king been dethroned? Had there been a changing of the guard? A voice in the back yelled, “Recount!”
And then, slow applause began in the corners, gradually spreading throughout the room, as the Russian actor bounded to the stage to collect his prize. The PSC crew just kind of stared at each other, mouths hanging open.
“I didn’t see that coming,” said Uruha.
“Neither did anyone,” Reita replied.
Ruki just sat there, as quiet as everyone else - and sure enough, he felt Byou’s eyes on him again.
Whatever, losing an award didn’t matter to him. Having a guy claim over and over to be his rival? THAT mattered.
* * *
They lost the Star Vehicle award as well, to a guy from Heavy Hitter. Their luck returned for the rest of the evening, though. Aoi got his Best Actor award, during which he made a characteristic opening statement - “You know a superstar when you see one!” - but then, he got unusually humble, saying his current standing in the industry wouldn’t be possible without the support of PSC Productions. “They’re more than my costars,” he said. “They’re my people, my tribe, my family.”
And finally, the big prizes. Fortunately, when it was time for Best Director to be called, Uuruha had a fresh drink in front of him, and he downed half of it in one gulp.
How long had he dreamt of this moment, of being on the verge of a Best Director trophy with his name on it? He glanced over at Reita, who had always shared that dream with him, and he gave him a smile. Kai squeezed his hand.
The nominees were read off. Himself, two directors who worked for Hard Candy, one with Adonis, one with an independent company . . .
The envelope was ripped open and unfolded, and the presenter announced, “Uruha for Sleeping Bishie!”
Their entire table leapt to their feet, roaring. He felt himself being pushed toward the stage - by Kai? Reita? Both? Somehow, he managed to find his way up there and grasped the trophy.
“Oh hell, I can’t believe this is real,” he said. “Thank you to the best performers and crew a director could hope for, thanks to PSC Productions for giving me a shot when I’d just arrived in town, thanks to my producing partner, Reita - we finally did it! - and . . .” He paused, a big smile spreading over his face. “Thanks to Kai. For everything.”
He sort of floated back down to his seat, the award held in his hands gingerly, as if he were afraid it would shatter into a million pieces and disappear. Kai wrapped his arms around him when he got back. “I knew you could do it,” he whispered.
Uruha glanced over at the Hard Candy table. There was the guy who had harassed him before, looking pretty damn sheepish.
Who’s a second-string uke now? Uruha thought, smiling broadly.
* * *
After that, it was a given that Sleeping Bishie would win Best Video - Best Video and Best Director were rarely separated. Reita and Uruha called their whole crew to the stage with them, even the ones that didn’t appear in that particular video.
“When we got there, PSC was a hole in the wall at the bottom of the industry,” Reita said. “All this talent is what turned it around. We wouldn’t be up here without all of these guys.”
It was a triumphant bunch that headed back to the limos. “Where’s the afterparty?” Kai asked Uruha.
“The big, white house,” he said. This was a Western-style mansion owned by the company’s wealthy benefactor, which had been used as a set in many of their videos.
“Really?” Kai said. “Everyone’s going there?”
“He volunteered it,” Uruha said. “He’s got the biggest house of anyone in the business - who’s going to argue?”
Of course, nobody wanted to say the obvious - that a bunch of porn stars plus a bunch of booze would probably lead to a lot of sex. Having that break out in the classy hotel would have assured they’d never get invited to make a repeat booking there.
During the ride over, Aoi got out his phone and checked his Twitter - which was nothing unusual for him. Aoi spent more time tweeting than most birds. “Holy shit,” he said. “Ruki, you’ve got to see this.”
“See what?” Ruki, who was sitting on one side of him, leaned over.
“All this since the award was announced?” said Kazuki, who was on the other side of Aoi.
“They’re freaking the hell out,” Aoi said. “The fans are saying you were robbed and the vote was fixed.”
“What?” Ruki said. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He pulled out his own phone - and found out Aoi wasn’t kidding. Tweet after tweet after tweet from viewers expressing outrage over Ruki losing to the Russian actor.
“Holy shit,” Ruki said. “Just holy SHIT.”
“And you were wondering if this was a big deal?” Aoi said.
“All this over a Best Oral award?” Ruki looked at his phone again. “Shit, if I’d lost Best Actor, they would have burned that place down.”
He scrolled and scrolled and scrolled, reading, “You’re still the King, Ruki!” “You’re the ONE and ONLY Sultan of Suck!” “Ruki was robbed. Robbed, robbed, ROBBED. Someone get JAVA to investigate the voting!”
Of course, there were a few dissenting opinions. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Ruki’s videos sell more, that’s what matters.” “Who cares? It’s just a silly award!” And even, “You guys need to put this into perspective! Did you even see both videos?” And then, one tweet later, the same person said, “What I meant above is the Russian had a higher degree of difficulty. He also put all his fancy tricks at the end.”
“Higher degree of difficulty?” Ruki said. “What the FUCK?”
“Well, he was working with a bigger cock than you were,” Saga called from the seat in front of them.
“The hell he was!” Aoi said. “That was MY cock!”
The limos pulled up in front of the party. Ruki shoved his phone into his pocket and couldn’t exit the vehicle fast enough.
As soon as they were inside the mansion, the PSC crew found themselves surrounded by people high-fiving and congratulating them on the Best Video award - camera-wielding bloggers, other actors, even a few people Uruha recognized as working on the mainstream side of the industry, people he’d once wanted to work alongside. And they were all congratulating him. HIM.
He found himself holding his award in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other, having a serious discussion with a television producer and one of the top directors from Adonis. Across the room, he could see Shou and Kai being interviewed by bloggers, and Aoi proudly brandishing his Best Actor award to a group of industry newbies, soaking up their worshipful attention.
When things actually got quiet for a few minutes, Reita came up to Uruha, putting a hand on his shoulder. “This is what we used to dream about when we were kids, isn’t it?” he said. “Back when we used to make videos with our moms’ cameras and then pretend we were getting awards for them.”
Uruha remembered those days well. They used to film their friends acting out scenes based on their favorite anime and sentai shows - video fanfic, as it were. Little did he know this would lead to him filming a very different kind of boys at play.
“We used to practice our acceptance speeches in front of the mirror,” he said. “Using bottles of shampoo as awards.”
“Was it anything like you thought it would be?” Reita said. He was still carrying the Best Video trophy, making him and Uruha look like a pair of bookends.
Uruha shook his head. “No. Not even close. Because even though it was an award for porno . . .” He held it up and looked at it, top to bottom, as if memorizing every inch. “It’s still a filmmaking award.”
Across the room, Ruki had just finished talking to a reporter for an adult video magazine and was headed for the kitchen of this place - which he knew had a stash of Orangina - when a figure in leopard print and fur suddenly stepped in front of him. “Hi, there,” he said.
Fuck. Byou was all he needed right now. “Hi yourself,” he said. Maybe if he did a dodge-and-run, he’d still be able to get that Orangina . . .
“We’re even now,” Byou said. “Neither one of us got that award.”
“Fuck that,” Ruki said. “That’s not the kind of thing that matters to me.”
“No?” Byou said. “I’d think it would. You seem like a man who takes pride in his work.”
“Pride isn’t the same thing as awards,” Ruki said. “Though try telling the people on Twitter that.”
“I saw,” Byou said. “At least you’re getting attention!”
“I didn’t want that kind of attention.” And damn, why the fuck was Ruki unable to take his eyes off the other man? Byou was stunningly gorgeous. He could have been a mainstream model instead of going into porn. He had sculpted cheekbones, intense eyes, a really hot body and . . .
Oh, hell, why didn’t he just grab that Orangina when he had the chance?
“A hot guy like you doesn’t want attention?” Byou said. “You want me to believe that?”
“Well, you sure do,” Ruki said. “You go around calling yourself my rival.”
“Where did you see that?” Byou said.
“Oh, just all over the place,” Ruki said. “First on the Luxe Boy vlog. Then in a story on Velvet Viper. And then in about a billion tweets . . .”
“Oh . . . that.” Byou suddenly looked boyish, rubbing the back of his head and squeezing his eyes shut. “Um, that was a case of bad editing. What I really said to Miko” - the primary vlogger of Luxe Boy - “was, well, she asked me if I thought I had any rivals, and I said, ‘I’d like it to be Ruki. Definitely Ruki.’ And she cut off the ‘I’d like it to be’ part and made it sound like I just answered ‘Ruki.’ I don’t know if it was a mistake or she was looking to stir up drama, but everyone picked up on it and spread it all over the place.”
Ruki looked baffled. “You want me to believe that?” he said.
“Well, yes,” Byou said. “Because I don’t think of you as my rival. I think of you as my sempai. I look up to you more than anyone else in this business. Did you know it’s because of you that I got into this in the first place?”
Now Ruki was flat-out stunned. “Really?”
Byou nodded. “I was trying to be a real actor. Went to a billion auditions, got nowhere. A couple of people I knew were doing porn on the sly in addition to real acting, and they said I should do it as well. I’d never seen a porno before, I thought they were cheap and sleazy, but . . . then, one of my friends showed me Rent Boys.”
Ruki recognized the title well - it was one of his first starring roles. “That old thing?”
“That old thing blew me away - so to speak. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You had . . . presence. More than most mainstream actors. You were what I wanted to be on screen, and more. So . . . I let my friends drag me down to Adonis to audition, and . . .”
“They took one look at you and hired you?” Ruki said. Well, fuck. Nice way to slip and let him know you’re attracted to him, he thought.
“You think they’d do that?” Byou had a hint of a sly smile.
“Well, did they?” Ruki said, deflecting his previous statement.
“Not right away, but they did,” Byou said. “And I kept studying your videos. I didn’t imitate what you did exactly - I wanted to have my own style, but . . . I guess I wanted to capture your essence. Your aura. Plus . . . you’re goddamn hot to watch. I’ve never seen someone who seems to love what he does as much as you.”
Well, fuck. Byou saying that went straight to Ruki’s crotch. “You’re pretty goddamn hot to watch, too,” he said. “I’ve seen your videos.”
Byou looked flat-out delighted. “You have?”
“Well, yeah, when a guy calls himself my rival, I have to know what I’m dealing with, don’t I? Even if it’s accidental.”
The two men looked at each other and laughed. It occurred to Ruki that Byou’s laugh was, well, kind of adorable. It was a very sharp contrast to his sex god demeanor.
“You shoot videos here a lot, don’t you?” Byou said. “I recognize this place.”
Ruki just nodded in the affirmative.
“So, you know where the bedrooms are?” The invitation in Byou’s tone of voice was clear. It was a porn star party, those sort of things happened all the time.
“The bedrooms, and the lube and condom stashes,” Ruki said. And that was his way of saying, “I see your generous offer and accept it very kindly, thank you very much.”
“Well, then, want to show me one?” Byou said, holding his hand out to Ruki. Ruki took it, and led him through the crowds, toward the stairs.
He saw Aoi and Kazuki looking at them with gaping mouths as they passed. Let them see. It would give them something new to talk about on Twitter.
* * *
He automatically went to the first bedroom on the right, the one most commonly used as a video set. It had a king-sided bed on a platform, with a mahogany headboard just the right height to grab onto if you were having bent-over sex. The nighttable was broad enough to put several candles on. It was usually covered with a dark red comforter and black or white satin sheets.
In short, it was the perfect porn set.
Ruki wasn’t thinking about camera-readiness now. Not when he was already unfastening his jacket going up the stairs, and he dropped it and his little visor on the floor as soon as he kicked the door shut behind them.
“Oh, I recognize this,” Byou said. “This was in . . .”
Ruki suddenly pressed his body against the other man’s, reaching up to push his coat down and off, grabbing at his shirt buttons. “You didn’t come here to talk,” he said in a near-growl, right before pressing his lips to Byou’s.
Byou didn’t respond - except with a kiss that said, hell, no, he most definitely didn’t come here for conversation. He pushed his tongue into Ruki’s mouth as the smaller man unfastened that leopard-print shirt easily - but of course, he was practiced in doing this for the cameras.
“So goddamn hot,” Ruki nearly growled as he ran his tongue up and down Byou’s neck, pushing the shirt aside. The bastard was sexy as fuck and he knew it - Byou tipped his head back in a way that seemed to say, oh, yes, keep licking, because you want do, don’t you? You can’t get enough.
Well, Ruki could be like that, too. He reached for the buttons of his own shirt, unfastening them quickly and pushing the fabric on the floor, grabbing Byou’s hands and bringing them to his own nipples, encouraging him to touch, stroke, rub.
“Are you as good as you seem in videos?” Byou murmured, fingers running along the buds, squeezing them gently.
Ruki let out a small moan, and then did the same thing to Byou’s nipples, making him let out an answering groan of passion. “Why don’t you find out?” he said.
“Oh, I will.” Byou leaned over, mouth replacing his hands, bringing a little peak to his mouth and sucking. His tongue danced over it, flicking, moving around, darting here and there. Ruki groaned, grabbing at the back of the frosted blond head, pulling it closer.
Byou looked up, flicking out his tongue again. “You like it so far?” he said.
“You haven’t given me a chance to do what I do best yet,” Ruki said, reaching down to unzip his own pants, then Byou’s. Both garments landed on the floor, along with their underwear.
Ruki grabbed Byou by the hand, guiding him toward the bed, where he gave the other man a small shove so he’d tumble to the mattress. The smaller man seized Byou’s arms and pulled them over his head, holding the wrists together. “You look really gorgeous right now, you know that?”
“I didn’t know you were into bondage,” Byou said with a slight smile.
“You’re going to find out a lot of interesting things about me,” Ruki said. He leaned over so he could nip at the other man’s neck lightly, still holding his hands in place.
Byou arched forward and groaned. “What else am I going to find out you’re into?”
“Think I’d ruin the surprise?” Ruki said. He turned himself around so he was straddling Byou’s head, and then he leaned over, opening his mouth, starting to lightly lick around the top of the lovely erection in front of him.
This was a cock worthy of attention. It was big, nicely shaped, and even more gorgeous than it looked on video. Ruki enveloped the tip with his lips, running his tongue back and forth, hearing the other man’s long groan.
He slid down, letting his mouth take him in, memorizing every little bit as he did. Oh, wow. He had to open wide, but he was used to doing that - you didn’t get into porn not intending to take in large cocks.
There was just something about how this one was, well, so lickable and suckable. Maybe it was the texture, maybe the shape, but this didn’t feel quite like any he’d ever experienced - and he’d sucked an awful lot of cocks. He moved down faster, deeper, until he felt it touching his throat.
“Oh!” Byou cried, thrusting forward a little. “Oh, fuck, Ruki!”
Ruki just smiled around the cock as he sucked, moving down even further on the next stroke, fully deep-throating the other man. Byou was in an erotic frenzy by this point, head tipped back, face wearing an expression of bliss, one hand gripping the back of Ruki’s hair, the other playing with his own nipple. His legs were drawn up, feet planted on the mattress, as if he were bracing himself, keeping himself grounded.
Ruki moved back, then plunged back down again, taking him all as expertly as a sword swallower, sucking and savoring him the whole while. Fuck, he was delicious. If he worked for PSC, Ruki would be asking for him as a co-star all the time.
“I . . . oh, oh, yes . . .” Byou groaned, so lost in passion he couldn’t articulate his words anymore, his whole body writhing now, hips thrusting, trying to keep up with Ruki’s expert oral pleasuring . . .
And then, Ruki was sitting up, kissing Byou’s face, noticing with pride the flushed cheeks, the fact that he was still panting hard when he opened his eyes.
“Do you want to come like that?” he said. “Or do you want to fuck me?”
Byou paused a moment, just looking up at him . . . and then, suddenly, he grabbed Ruki and flipped him over on his back. “Does that answer your question?” he said. He reached over for the nighttable, opened it up and found the supplies Ruki said were in there. He opened the bottle of lube, pouring some of it on his fingers.
Ruki lifted his hips, waiting for the invasion . . . and just as the digit pressed in, he also felt a tongue start to sweep from the bottom of his erection to the top, slow, wet and hot. At the tip, Byou swirled it around, making small and fast little circles, darting here and there, finding little spots that made him moan intensely - then pulling away before the pleasure got to be too much.
He started a full-blown sucking as the finger moved in and out, and Ruki was moaning loudly now - oh, yes, THIS is why this man was up for the award, he was an artist, a blow job technician in every sense of the word, knowing when to suck and when to just let the hard flesh glide over his lips and tongue; when to pull it all the way out and when to slide back just enough, so the head was still within his lips.
Ruki just surrendered to the sensation, to the heat enveloping him and the fingers within him, yes, there were two now, pumping in and out of him, moving apart gently to open him up, any pain there might be completely drowned out by the floods and floods of pleasure.
“Fuck,” he moaned. “Fuck, Byou, you’re amazing . . .”
Byou raised his head, delivering another slow lick as he pushed in the third finger. “What do you want?” he said.
“Fuck me,” Ruki said, without a moment’s hesitation. “Fuck me hard and fast and deep . . .”
“You want all of my cock that you can take?”
“Yes!” Ruki said. “Please . . . please . . .”
“Ask again,” Byou pulled the fingers out and tore the condom package.
“Please!” Ruki said. “Fuck me!”
Byou rolled the condom on, slicked himself, and then Ruki felt it push in, so big and hard, filling him up so well, and he found himself saying aloud, “Oh, yes, what a cock, what a cock . . .”
There was a pause, both men panting, both getting used to the sensation, looking in each other’s eyes. Each was thinking about how the other was just about the fucking hottest thing in the world right now.
And then, Byou started to move - a slow, gentle thrust, just enough so Ruki could feel it, experience that cock caressing him from within. “More,” he moaned, and Byou gave him what he wanted, speeding up little by little, pushing into him harder, faster . . .
Even his thrusts were expert. He slowed down a little, then sped up, thrust shallow and fast, then deep and hard, thoroughly taking and possessing the man who writhed under him, moaning like crazy.
Amazing when you found someone who made the thing you did for a living seem new, and fresh, and incredible.
Ruki was thrusting along with him, raising his hips, reaching up to touch Byou every way he could, running his hands over his chest and arms, then his back, the touches becoming scratches when the thrusts got fast and intense, making the pleasure inside him swell like the waves of the ocean.
He could hear Byou moaning almost as much as he was, murmuring that he was hot and sexy and he felt so damn good, and it made him moan all the more as the two men moved together in rhythm now . . .
“Close,” Ruki gasped. “I’m . . .”
And then, there was a hard thrust against the sweetest spot inside him, the most sensitive bundle of nerve endings. He arched forward, letting out an animal cry, and he was coming so hard, so goddamn hard, the sticky whiteness seeming to shoot from his body all over both of them.
He felt a few more hard thrusts, then Byou let out a cry of his own, collapsing atop Ruki, shuddering intensely. The two clung to each other, kissing one another’s faces lightly, still panting heavily.
“You’re right,” Byou said in a shaky voice. “You’re as good as you are on video. Hell, you’re even better.”
“Mmmph,” Ruki said, which would have been “So are you” if he were capable of forming the words.
“When the deal’s finished and I’m working with you guys, the first thing I’m asking is that you be my first co-star,” Byou said, wrapping his arms tighter around the other man.
Ruki lifted his head, blinking. “WHAT?”
“Oh, you didn’t hear? My contract’s coming up and I’ve been talking to your company about joining them. It’s almost a done deal now. They just need to work out the final details.” He kissed Ruki’s forehead. “I can’t tell you how excited I am.”
“You’re coming to work with us . . .” Well, fuck. That changed everything. And to think he was under the impression that Byou was out to deep-six him and PSC.
“Plus I’m bringing some people with me,” Byou said. “I’m going to ask if they’ll also hire one of our directors and another one of my co-stars - their contracts are up, too.” He nuzzled Ruki. “But that’s it. We’re going to be working together, and I can’t wait.”
And this was the same guy that Ruki had told Aoi was a “bastard.” The one who he thought was going around loudly bragging to the whole industry that he was his rival. And he’d fucking been Ruki’s fanboy the whole time . . .
Plus, when he was working with them, he’d get more of sex like this. He knew he’d be asking Uruha if Byou could be his co-star, too. “Neither can I,” he said.
* * *
By the time the two went back down to the party, the Twitter outrage over Ruki’s perceived slighting had grown considerably. “A petition?” he said, looking at his phone. “They’re getting up a fucking PETITION?”
“At least you know your performance was appreciated,” Byou said, wrapping his arm around Ruki.
“I can’t believe they’re petitioning JAVA over a fucking piece of metal and wood,” Ruki said. “Especially since I already have one.” And if they started calling his rival names, he’d take to Twitter himself to gently but firmly remind them of why a gay male performer would have to leave Russia and work in Japan in the first place.
“Come on,” Byou said. “Don’t tell me you’re not a LITTLE disappointed at not getting that award.”
“Why should I be?” he said.
“You looked pretty happy when you got it last year,” Byou reminded him.
Oh, yes, he remembered. At the time, he thought it was something that couldn’t happen to him. He was something of an industry outsider, he wasn’t “in with the in crowd” at Hard Candy . . .
That all changed when he switched companies, and found a family. Which Byou was now going to be a part of.
Ruki shrugged. “My priorities have changed,” he said.
He had loyal fans (scarily loyal, in fact), a group of coworkers that he loved and now, Byou as a costar. That was what really made him a winner.
Chapter: Sixth in The Camera Eye series, preceded by The Camera Eye. The Camera Eye: Going Major, The Camera Eye: Hearts and Flowers, The Camera Eye: Star Grabbing and The Camera Eye: Superstar
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), deep throating, mild bondage
Pairing: Byou X Ruki (main), Kai X Uruha, Aoi X Kazuki, some Kai X Shou
Disclaimer: Boys belong to PS Company, I own the story only.
Summary: PSC Productions is up for some adult video awards for the first time in their history. Uruha is thrilled, Ruki is nonplussed - until he encounters someone who’s openly proclaimed himself to be Ruki’s rival at the awards ceremony.
Comments: Sixth in a planned porn star AU series that will bring in guys from GazettE, SCREW and Alice Nine. This fic isn’t intended to be a portrait of the actual JGV industry - if anything, the industry presented here is sort of a fusion of the Eastern and Western ones. By the way, the GazettE characters’ awards outfits are from the Burial Applicant PV, the Alice Nine characters’ from the 7th Theater live clips and Byou’s from the Gather Roses PV. (And if you think that certain aspects of this fic were inspired by the Yuna Kim Olympic judging controversy . . . you may be right. ~_^)
When word arrived at the PSC Productions offices that they had been nominated for several Japan Adult Video Association Male Video Awards, the reaction was, quite frankly, stunned shock.
Awards were something that the founders of the company thought wouldn’t happen to them, ever. They were a tiny little fly-by-night outfit in the backwoods of the industry. Awards were given to the big producers like Hard Candy and Adonis and Heavy Hitter Films, while PSC Productions was lucky if they got a seat in the back of the ceremony.
But that, of course, was before Uruha and Reita arrived and turned the company around. So here they were, clustered around Uruha’s computer as he read off their list of nominations.
“Best star vehicle, There’s Something About Aoi. Best sex scene, Kai and Shou, Corporate Affairs.”
“Which one?” Kai said, leaning over his lover’s shoulder. “The bent-over-the-desk scene or the bed scene?”
“Doesn’t say,” Uruha said. “Best oral sex scene, Ruki, Corporate Affairs.”
“Like they’d nominate anyone else?” Aoi said, leaning over Uruha’s other shoulder. “The other guys might as well not show up.”
“What makes you say that?” said Ruki, who was sitting on the couch across the room. He wasn’t interested in joining the mob scene clustered around the computer. He had the list up on his own phone - and besides, the couch where he was sitting had an ashtray, and he wanted a cigarette, thank you.
“I was on the receiving end of that blow job, remember?” Aoi lifted his head. “Besides, you won it last year.” Granted, Ruki was still working for Hard Candy then, but hey.
“So?” said Ruki. “How many guys win the same award two years in a row?”
“How many guys have the nickname Sultan of Suck?” Aoi retorted. “They may call me a superstar, but they call YOU the King of Oral, remember.”
Ruki just went back to his cigarette and his phone, and Uruha continued to read. “Best solo scene, wow, we have two nominated here! Kazuki for Sleeping Bishie and Shou for The Tale of SinningFella.”
Kazuki’s eyes snapped open, and he nearly knocked Aoi over trying to crowd in closer. “Me? Really?”
“Yes, you,” Aoi said, wrapping an arm around his favorite co-star. “I told you that you were award material. Now when someone tells you to go fuck yourself, you can tell them you got an award for that!”
“Get to the big ones!” Saga walked over to the computer and tried to peek around Kai, just sending the star topping over toward Uruha, who started frantically grabbing at his lover, nearly sending both of them crashing to the ground.
“You were nominated for screenplay, Saga,” Uruha said. “For Sleeping Bishie.”
“I mean, did we get Best Actor, Best Director or Best Video nominations?” Saga said. “Those are the ones that really count.”
Uruha looked again. “Aoi got a Best Actor nomination for Sleeping Bishie. Sleeping Bishie got nominated for Best Video. And . . .” He sat back. “Oh, holy shit.”
“You got nominated?” Kai said, excitedly, gripping Uruha’s arm.
“Best Director for Sleeping Bishie.” Uruha could hardly believe it. It had been his dream since he could barely hold a video camera to be nominated for a Best Director award. Granted, he didn’t think it would come for a porno, but hey.
“YES!” Kai grabbed Uruha in a huge hug, and nearly sent both of them tumbling to the ground again. “I knew you could do it!”
“Shit, we’re going to have to go all-out for this!” Aoi said. “We’re going to have to dress up and rent a limo! One of the really big ones we can all fit in!”
“They don’t make limos that big,” Ruki said.
“We’ll get two limos, then!” Aoi said.
“Aoi, haven’t you been nominated before?” Shou said, peeking around Kazuki.
“Well, yeah,” he said. “But it wasn’t, you know, like this. It wasn’t . . .”
“It wasn’t a family,” Kazuki said. “Working for Adonis, it was kind of every guy for himself. Not like here.”
“What he said,” Aoi said.
“I know what he means,” Shou said, quietly. “It’s kind of like . . . if one of us gets nominated, we all get nominated. And if one of us wins, we all celebrate.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Aoi said. “Ruki’s up for Best Oral. We’ve got that in the bag.”
Uruha just watched with a small smile. It was the contented smile of a man whose fondest dream had just come true - just not quite in the way that he expected.
* * *
As it happened, their friends at Nemesis - the punk and visual kei clothing line that liked to use porn stars as models - were about to come out with a new leather line, and they were only too glad to outfit the PSC Productions crew for the awards (with a promise to also use the clothes in an upcoming video). They even had a very special outfit for Uruha that involved leather shorts attached to boots with garters.
“I look like I should be in front of the camera, not behind it,” he said as he was getting ready for the big night.
“You’re right,” Kai said. “You do.” He walked over next to him. “When people see you, they’re going to ask if you’re ever going to star in one of your own films.”
“I don’t know about that,” Uruha said.
“You perform well enough.” Kai wrapped his arms around him.
“Well, yes,” Uruha said. “But I’d feel funny directing myself.”
“We’ll switch roles,” Kai said. “I’ll be the director.” He was leaning over to kiss Uruha when a knock came on the door.
There stood Ruki and Shou, both in head-to-toe leather - Ruki’s outfit even included a sharp little visor. “Are you almost ready?” Shou said. He was nearly jumping out of his skin and his tight jacket and pants in excitement - he’d never been nominated for an award before.
“Just about,” Kai said.“Reiko said she’d do our makeup, right?” - referring to the Loli girl who was their usual makeup artist for videos.
“Soon as we get to the office,” Shou said. “Uruha, she’s going to do it for you, too.”
“You’ll really look like a star,” Kai said. “Come on!”
The four of them went downstairs, where Aoi and Kazuki were already waiting for them. “Ruki, why do you seem so calm?” Shou said.
“That’s because he knows he has it in the bag,” Aoi replied.
“Shut up!” Ruki said. “I never said anything like that!”
“You don’t have to,” Aoi said. “You just KNOW it.”
Ruki made a small noise akin to a grunt as they headed for the office to get made up, then the limo to go to the awards. It was like being a real, mainstream star for a night - well, sort of.
* * *
The JAVA Awards, as they were known, were held in the ballroom of a swanky hotel that was usually used to hosting corporate functions and charity galas. The PSC Productions crew speculated heavily as to whether the staff actually knew what they were getting into when they took the booking.
Nevertheless, there was a bona fide red carpet rolled out on the entranceway to the building. “Well, look who’s here,” Aoi said to Kazuki. “Blasts from the past.”
“People you used to work with?” Shou said.
“So to speak,” Aoi said. “Oh, look, there’s the guy they hired to be the star after I left.” He pointed to a Western-looking man, with close-cropped blond hair and chiseled features, who was speaking into a video camera wielded by one of the several porn bloggers who were in attendance.
“He’s German, isn’t he?” Uruha said.
“Russian, actually,” said Aoi. “Alexei Ubanov. Called just Alexei. Or Sexy Alexei.”
“Or Lex Licker,” Saga pointed out. “His specialty is oral, remember. He’s nominated against Ruki.”
“Like he has a chance.” Aoi waved his hand.
“Who are the other nominees, again?” Shou said.
“Miki B, Taiko and Byou,” Uruha said, looking at his phone.
“Oh, that bastard,” Ruki said.
“Which one?” Aoi said as their group moved past Lex Licker, still talking into the blogger’s camera. “Define your bastards.”
“Byou,” Ruki said. “He thinks he’s a rival to me. He’s come out and said it. Several times.”
Uruha leaned over and whispered to Kai, “Wait until Ruki finds out Byou’s coming to us.” It was hush-hush at the moment, but Byou’s contract with Adonis was running out, and he was near-certain to be signing with PSC.
As they were approaching the front door, Tora leaned over and whispered to Saga, “Our director looks hotter tonight than most of the performers.”
“You would say that,” Saga hissed back.
But there was no denying that Uruha, fully made up and in his leather shorts, minus the glasses he normally wore while at work, was absolutely stunning - to the point where some industry bigwigs turned around and looked at him with mouth agape. One of the directors for Hard Candy approached him. “I don't remember seeing you here,” he said.
“That’s because I haven’t been here before,” Uruha said. “It’s my first time being nominated.”
“Oh, really?” The man leaned in, a predatory look in his eyes. “Tell me, pretty, where are you working right now? I’ll bet I could give you a better contract. A really . . . BIG . . . contract.”
“I don’t need a contract, thank you,” Uruha said. “I’m happy where I am.”
“But are you their number one star?” the other director said. “Because I can do that for you.”
“Sorry.” Uruha waved his hand dismissively. “I’m happy with the job I have.”
Kai stood poised to step in if his lover got into further trouble with the man - but it looked like Uruha had the situation well in hand, since his opponent was starting to look flustered. “What are you, anyway?” the man said. “A supporting player? A second-string uke?”
“Try lead producer and director of PSC Productions.” Uruha started for the door, waving his hand over his head. “See you!”
Kai laughed and wrapped an arm around him. “That was brilliant,” he said. “You handled him like a champion.” He looked over his shoulder - the predator was standing there with his mouth hanging open.
“Do I really look like a second-string uke?” Uruha suddenly felt miffed.
“No,” Kai said, leaning his head toward his beloved’s. “You look like a superstar.”
“You’re just saying that,” Uruha said as they entered the lobby, making their way past crushed velvet carpet and sparkling chandeliers. What I could do with this setting, he thought, if it was just me, a couple of my actors and a camera . . . His eyes wandered over to an elaborate, old-fashioned couch.
“No,” Kai said. “I just mean it.”
Uruha reached down and squeezed Kai’s hand. Their partnership was the foundation that PSC Productions had been built on - the magic started the moment Uruha helped Kai realize his full potential and become a leading seme, then a star. And then, came the magic between them . . .
They might have an open relationship and have other lovers, but they were committed to each other, first and foremost. If anything, the trust required for an open relationship brought them even closer.
If I win Best Director tonight, Uruha thought, it’s as much his award as it is mine.
* * *
“Byou is looking at us,” Ruki announced as their drinks were delivered. The PSC Productions crew was seated at one of the room’s big, circular tables, although they were all sort of crammed around three-quarters of it - nobody wanted to have his back to the stage.
“Why do you say that?” Shou said, turning his head toward the Adonis table. The other company’s star was there, all right - dressed in a fur coat and leopard-print shirt over bright red pants. He certainly knew how to look the part of the porn superstar.
“He just is,” Ruki said. “He was staring right at me before.” He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
“Maybe he likes you,” Aoi said, lighting a smoke of his own. Shou, one of the few nonsmokers on the crew, tried to discreetly wave away the fumes that were coming at him from both directions.
“The fuck with that,” Ruki said. “He ‘s probably trying to make me think he’s my rival again.”
“You’re up for the same award,” Reita reminded him. “Doesn’t that automatically make you rivals?”
“Not the way he thinks he is!” Ruki picked up his glass of Orangina - he was one of the few porn stars who stayed away from booze most of the time. “He thinks he’s my equal. Maybe when he’s been in the business as long as I have!”
“That sounds like something I’d say,” Aoi said - just as the lights went down. “Whoa, here we go!”
Uruha grabbed his drink and took a big swallow. Saga found himself crossing his fingers under the table - even though he usually wasn’t superstitious about anything. Kazuki reached for Aoi’s hand.
They didn’t know what to expect from here. They just knew this evening was going to be a wild ride.
* * *
Halfway through the show, Uruha decided he didn’t want to hear another dick joke as long as he lived.
Okay, so it was a porn awards show, and it wasn’t as if it was going out over regular television (even though it was being live-streamed through JAVA’s web site and a couple of adult entertainment cable/satellite channels).
But really, did they have to have CONSTANT raunchy humor? First came the host, a comic specializing in blue material, who demonstrated exactly where his reputation came from.
Then, the first presenters, a pair of veteran adult video actors, continued the trend. (“Wow, what a big crowd! My head is spinning being in a mob like this! I don’t know if I’m coming or going!” “Well, is it white, or is it yellow?”)
And on and on and on, with countless puns on “hard,” innumerable references to Viagra, and so many riffs on penises that Aoi whispered to Kazuki, “This is almost enough to turn me straight.”
Fortunately, between the raunch, PSC Productions managed to have a pretty good batting average. They lost out on both the solo scene awards to a guy from Hard Candy, but Shou and Kai did, indeed, win the Best Sex Scene award. When their names were called, they jumped up from the table and hugged each other, then went up to collect their trophy, with Kai calling Shou “the best costar and partner I could ever ask for” and Shou saying, “I smile whenever I know I’m going to do a scene with him.”
And then, they punctuated their remarks by making out with each other on stage a bit. There were cameras on them, you know.
Saga won his Best Screenplay award, and announced from the stage, “I want the world to know that adult video scripts do NOT have to suck! Okay, they have to contain sucking, but the scripts themselves don’t have to!”
Right after Saga got back to his seat, brandishing his piece of hardware - a stylized sculpture of two abstract male figures embracing each other - the announcement was made that the next award was for Best Oral Scene. “This is it!” Aoi whispered, slapping Ruki on the back. “You’re a shoo-in!”
The presenters were two female porn stars, who made the by-now-predictable jokes about the differences between men and women giving head (while Uruha groaned and put his head in his hands). Finally, they figured they should get down to reading the actual nominees. When they got to Ruki, a huge wave of applause spread through the room - apparently, they shared Aoi’s opinion that Ruki was the Sultan of Suck.
“And the award goes to . . .” The taller and more buxom of the two ripped open the envelope. “Alexei, for Hot in the City!”
There was a stunned gasp throughout the room. Had the king been dethroned? Had there been a changing of the guard? A voice in the back yelled, “Recount!”
And then, slow applause began in the corners, gradually spreading throughout the room, as the Russian actor bounded to the stage to collect his prize. The PSC crew just kind of stared at each other, mouths hanging open.
“I didn’t see that coming,” said Uruha.
“Neither did anyone,” Reita replied.
Ruki just sat there, as quiet as everyone else - and sure enough, he felt Byou’s eyes on him again.
Whatever, losing an award didn’t matter to him. Having a guy claim over and over to be his rival? THAT mattered.
* * *
They lost the Star Vehicle award as well, to a guy from Heavy Hitter. Their luck returned for the rest of the evening, though. Aoi got his Best Actor award, during which he made a characteristic opening statement - “You know a superstar when you see one!” - but then, he got unusually humble, saying his current standing in the industry wouldn’t be possible without the support of PSC Productions. “They’re more than my costars,” he said. “They’re my people, my tribe, my family.”
And finally, the big prizes. Fortunately, when it was time for Best Director to be called, Uuruha had a fresh drink in front of him, and he downed half of it in one gulp.
How long had he dreamt of this moment, of being on the verge of a Best Director trophy with his name on it? He glanced over at Reita, who had always shared that dream with him, and he gave him a smile. Kai squeezed his hand.
The nominees were read off. Himself, two directors who worked for Hard Candy, one with Adonis, one with an independent company . . .
The envelope was ripped open and unfolded, and the presenter announced, “Uruha for Sleeping Bishie!”
Their entire table leapt to their feet, roaring. He felt himself being pushed toward the stage - by Kai? Reita? Both? Somehow, he managed to find his way up there and grasped the trophy.
“Oh hell, I can’t believe this is real,” he said. “Thank you to the best performers and crew a director could hope for, thanks to PSC Productions for giving me a shot when I’d just arrived in town, thanks to my producing partner, Reita - we finally did it! - and . . .” He paused, a big smile spreading over his face. “Thanks to Kai. For everything.”
He sort of floated back down to his seat, the award held in his hands gingerly, as if he were afraid it would shatter into a million pieces and disappear. Kai wrapped his arms around him when he got back. “I knew you could do it,” he whispered.
Uruha glanced over at the Hard Candy table. There was the guy who had harassed him before, looking pretty damn sheepish.
Who’s a second-string uke now? Uruha thought, smiling broadly.
* * *
After that, it was a given that Sleeping Bishie would win Best Video - Best Video and Best Director were rarely separated. Reita and Uruha called their whole crew to the stage with them, even the ones that didn’t appear in that particular video.
“When we got there, PSC was a hole in the wall at the bottom of the industry,” Reita said. “All this talent is what turned it around. We wouldn’t be up here without all of these guys.”
It was a triumphant bunch that headed back to the limos. “Where’s the afterparty?” Kai asked Uruha.
“The big, white house,” he said. This was a Western-style mansion owned by the company’s wealthy benefactor, which had been used as a set in many of their videos.
“Really?” Kai said. “Everyone’s going there?”
“He volunteered it,” Uruha said. “He’s got the biggest house of anyone in the business - who’s going to argue?”
Of course, nobody wanted to say the obvious - that a bunch of porn stars plus a bunch of booze would probably lead to a lot of sex. Having that break out in the classy hotel would have assured they’d never get invited to make a repeat booking there.
During the ride over, Aoi got out his phone and checked his Twitter - which was nothing unusual for him. Aoi spent more time tweeting than most birds. “Holy shit,” he said. “Ruki, you’ve got to see this.”
“See what?” Ruki, who was sitting on one side of him, leaned over.
“All this since the award was announced?” said Kazuki, who was on the other side of Aoi.
“They’re freaking the hell out,” Aoi said. “The fans are saying you were robbed and the vote was fixed.”
“What?” Ruki said. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He pulled out his own phone - and found out Aoi wasn’t kidding. Tweet after tweet after tweet from viewers expressing outrage over Ruki losing to the Russian actor.
“Holy shit,” Ruki said. “Just holy SHIT.”
“And you were wondering if this was a big deal?” Aoi said.
“All this over a Best Oral award?” Ruki looked at his phone again. “Shit, if I’d lost Best Actor, they would have burned that place down.”
He scrolled and scrolled and scrolled, reading, “You’re still the King, Ruki!” “You’re the ONE and ONLY Sultan of Suck!” “Ruki was robbed. Robbed, robbed, ROBBED. Someone get JAVA to investigate the voting!”
Of course, there were a few dissenting opinions. “I don’t see what the big deal is. Ruki’s videos sell more, that’s what matters.” “Who cares? It’s just a silly award!” And even, “You guys need to put this into perspective! Did you even see both videos?” And then, one tweet later, the same person said, “What I meant above is the Russian had a higher degree of difficulty. He also put all his fancy tricks at the end.”
“Higher degree of difficulty?” Ruki said. “What the FUCK?”
“Well, he was working with a bigger cock than you were,” Saga called from the seat in front of them.
“The hell he was!” Aoi said. “That was MY cock!”
The limos pulled up in front of the party. Ruki shoved his phone into his pocket and couldn’t exit the vehicle fast enough.
As soon as they were inside the mansion, the PSC crew found themselves surrounded by people high-fiving and congratulating them on the Best Video award - camera-wielding bloggers, other actors, even a few people Uruha recognized as working on the mainstream side of the industry, people he’d once wanted to work alongside. And they were all congratulating him. HIM.
He found himself holding his award in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other, having a serious discussion with a television producer and one of the top directors from Adonis. Across the room, he could see Shou and Kai being interviewed by bloggers, and Aoi proudly brandishing his Best Actor award to a group of industry newbies, soaking up their worshipful attention.
When things actually got quiet for a few minutes, Reita came up to Uruha, putting a hand on his shoulder. “This is what we used to dream about when we were kids, isn’t it?” he said. “Back when we used to make videos with our moms’ cameras and then pretend we were getting awards for them.”
Uruha remembered those days well. They used to film their friends acting out scenes based on their favorite anime and sentai shows - video fanfic, as it were. Little did he know this would lead to him filming a very different kind of boys at play.
“We used to practice our acceptance speeches in front of the mirror,” he said. “Using bottles of shampoo as awards.”
“Was it anything like you thought it would be?” Reita said. He was still carrying the Best Video trophy, making him and Uruha look like a pair of bookends.
Uruha shook his head. “No. Not even close. Because even though it was an award for porno . . .” He held it up and looked at it, top to bottom, as if memorizing every inch. “It’s still a filmmaking award.”
Across the room, Ruki had just finished talking to a reporter for an adult video magazine and was headed for the kitchen of this place - which he knew had a stash of Orangina - when a figure in leopard print and fur suddenly stepped in front of him. “Hi, there,” he said.
Fuck. Byou was all he needed right now. “Hi yourself,” he said. Maybe if he did a dodge-and-run, he’d still be able to get that Orangina . . .
“We’re even now,” Byou said. “Neither one of us got that award.”
“Fuck that,” Ruki said. “That’s not the kind of thing that matters to me.”
“No?” Byou said. “I’d think it would. You seem like a man who takes pride in his work.”
“Pride isn’t the same thing as awards,” Ruki said. “Though try telling the people on Twitter that.”
“I saw,” Byou said. “At least you’re getting attention!”
“I didn’t want that kind of attention.” And damn, why the fuck was Ruki unable to take his eyes off the other man? Byou was stunningly gorgeous. He could have been a mainstream model instead of going into porn. He had sculpted cheekbones, intense eyes, a really hot body and . . .
Oh, hell, why didn’t he just grab that Orangina when he had the chance?
“A hot guy like you doesn’t want attention?” Byou said. “You want me to believe that?”
“Well, you sure do,” Ruki said. “You go around calling yourself my rival.”
“Where did you see that?” Byou said.
“Oh, just all over the place,” Ruki said. “First on the Luxe Boy vlog. Then in a story on Velvet Viper. And then in about a billion tweets . . .”
“Oh . . . that.” Byou suddenly looked boyish, rubbing the back of his head and squeezing his eyes shut. “Um, that was a case of bad editing. What I really said to Miko” - the primary vlogger of Luxe Boy - “was, well, she asked me if I thought I had any rivals, and I said, ‘I’d like it to be Ruki. Definitely Ruki.’ And she cut off the ‘I’d like it to be’ part and made it sound like I just answered ‘Ruki.’ I don’t know if it was a mistake or she was looking to stir up drama, but everyone picked up on it and spread it all over the place.”
Ruki looked baffled. “You want me to believe that?” he said.
“Well, yes,” Byou said. “Because I don’t think of you as my rival. I think of you as my sempai. I look up to you more than anyone else in this business. Did you know it’s because of you that I got into this in the first place?”
Now Ruki was flat-out stunned. “Really?”
Byou nodded. “I was trying to be a real actor. Went to a billion auditions, got nowhere. A couple of people I knew were doing porn on the sly in addition to real acting, and they said I should do it as well. I’d never seen a porno before, I thought they were cheap and sleazy, but . . . then, one of my friends showed me Rent Boys.”
Ruki recognized the title well - it was one of his first starring roles. “That old thing?”
“That old thing blew me away - so to speak. I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You had . . . presence. More than most mainstream actors. You were what I wanted to be on screen, and more. So . . . I let my friends drag me down to Adonis to audition, and . . .”
“They took one look at you and hired you?” Ruki said. Well, fuck. Nice way to slip and let him know you’re attracted to him, he thought.
“You think they’d do that?” Byou had a hint of a sly smile.
“Well, did they?” Ruki said, deflecting his previous statement.
“Not right away, but they did,” Byou said. “And I kept studying your videos. I didn’t imitate what you did exactly - I wanted to have my own style, but . . . I guess I wanted to capture your essence. Your aura. Plus . . . you’re goddamn hot to watch. I’ve never seen someone who seems to love what he does as much as you.”
Well, fuck. Byou saying that went straight to Ruki’s crotch. “You’re pretty goddamn hot to watch, too,” he said. “I’ve seen your videos.”
Byou looked flat-out delighted. “You have?”
“Well, yeah, when a guy calls himself my rival, I have to know what I’m dealing with, don’t I? Even if it’s accidental.”
The two men looked at each other and laughed. It occurred to Ruki that Byou’s laugh was, well, kind of adorable. It was a very sharp contrast to his sex god demeanor.
“You shoot videos here a lot, don’t you?” Byou said. “I recognize this place.”
Ruki just nodded in the affirmative.
“So, you know where the bedrooms are?” The invitation in Byou’s tone of voice was clear. It was a porn star party, those sort of things happened all the time.
“The bedrooms, and the lube and condom stashes,” Ruki said. And that was his way of saying, “I see your generous offer and accept it very kindly, thank you very much.”
“Well, then, want to show me one?” Byou said, holding his hand out to Ruki. Ruki took it, and led him through the crowds, toward the stairs.
He saw Aoi and Kazuki looking at them with gaping mouths as they passed. Let them see. It would give them something new to talk about on Twitter.
* * *
He automatically went to the first bedroom on the right, the one most commonly used as a video set. It had a king-sided bed on a platform, with a mahogany headboard just the right height to grab onto if you were having bent-over sex. The nighttable was broad enough to put several candles on. It was usually covered with a dark red comforter and black or white satin sheets.
In short, it was the perfect porn set.
Ruki wasn’t thinking about camera-readiness now. Not when he was already unfastening his jacket going up the stairs, and he dropped it and his little visor on the floor as soon as he kicked the door shut behind them.
“Oh, I recognize this,” Byou said. “This was in . . .”
Ruki suddenly pressed his body against the other man’s, reaching up to push his coat down and off, grabbing at his shirt buttons. “You didn’t come here to talk,” he said in a near-growl, right before pressing his lips to Byou’s.
Byou didn’t respond - except with a kiss that said, hell, no, he most definitely didn’t come here for conversation. He pushed his tongue into Ruki’s mouth as the smaller man unfastened that leopard-print shirt easily - but of course, he was practiced in doing this for the cameras.
“So goddamn hot,” Ruki nearly growled as he ran his tongue up and down Byou’s neck, pushing the shirt aside. The bastard was sexy as fuck and he knew it - Byou tipped his head back in a way that seemed to say, oh, yes, keep licking, because you want do, don’t you? You can’t get enough.
Well, Ruki could be like that, too. He reached for the buttons of his own shirt, unfastening them quickly and pushing the fabric on the floor, grabbing Byou’s hands and bringing them to his own nipples, encouraging him to touch, stroke, rub.
“Are you as good as you seem in videos?” Byou murmured, fingers running along the buds, squeezing them gently.
Ruki let out a small moan, and then did the same thing to Byou’s nipples, making him let out an answering groan of passion. “Why don’t you find out?” he said.
“Oh, I will.” Byou leaned over, mouth replacing his hands, bringing a little peak to his mouth and sucking. His tongue danced over it, flicking, moving around, darting here and there. Ruki groaned, grabbing at the back of the frosted blond head, pulling it closer.
Byou looked up, flicking out his tongue again. “You like it so far?” he said.
“You haven’t given me a chance to do what I do best yet,” Ruki said, reaching down to unzip his own pants, then Byou’s. Both garments landed on the floor, along with their underwear.
Ruki grabbed Byou by the hand, guiding him toward the bed, where he gave the other man a small shove so he’d tumble to the mattress. The smaller man seized Byou’s arms and pulled them over his head, holding the wrists together. “You look really gorgeous right now, you know that?”
“I didn’t know you were into bondage,” Byou said with a slight smile.
“You’re going to find out a lot of interesting things about me,” Ruki said. He leaned over so he could nip at the other man’s neck lightly, still holding his hands in place.
Byou arched forward and groaned. “What else am I going to find out you’re into?”
“Think I’d ruin the surprise?” Ruki said. He turned himself around so he was straddling Byou’s head, and then he leaned over, opening his mouth, starting to lightly lick around the top of the lovely erection in front of him.
This was a cock worthy of attention. It was big, nicely shaped, and even more gorgeous than it looked on video. Ruki enveloped the tip with his lips, running his tongue back and forth, hearing the other man’s long groan.
He slid down, letting his mouth take him in, memorizing every little bit as he did. Oh, wow. He had to open wide, but he was used to doing that - you didn’t get into porn not intending to take in large cocks.
There was just something about how this one was, well, so lickable and suckable. Maybe it was the texture, maybe the shape, but this didn’t feel quite like any he’d ever experienced - and he’d sucked an awful lot of cocks. He moved down faster, deeper, until he felt it touching his throat.
“Oh!” Byou cried, thrusting forward a little. “Oh, fuck, Ruki!”
Ruki just smiled around the cock as he sucked, moving down even further on the next stroke, fully deep-throating the other man. Byou was in an erotic frenzy by this point, head tipped back, face wearing an expression of bliss, one hand gripping the back of Ruki’s hair, the other playing with his own nipple. His legs were drawn up, feet planted on the mattress, as if he were bracing himself, keeping himself grounded.
Ruki moved back, then plunged back down again, taking him all as expertly as a sword swallower, sucking and savoring him the whole while. Fuck, he was delicious. If he worked for PSC, Ruki would be asking for him as a co-star all the time.
“I . . . oh, oh, yes . . .” Byou groaned, so lost in passion he couldn’t articulate his words anymore, his whole body writhing now, hips thrusting, trying to keep up with Ruki’s expert oral pleasuring . . .
And then, Ruki was sitting up, kissing Byou’s face, noticing with pride the flushed cheeks, the fact that he was still panting hard when he opened his eyes.
“Do you want to come like that?” he said. “Or do you want to fuck me?”
Byou paused a moment, just looking up at him . . . and then, suddenly, he grabbed Ruki and flipped him over on his back. “Does that answer your question?” he said. He reached over for the nighttable, opened it up and found the supplies Ruki said were in there. He opened the bottle of lube, pouring some of it on his fingers.
Ruki lifted his hips, waiting for the invasion . . . and just as the digit pressed in, he also felt a tongue start to sweep from the bottom of his erection to the top, slow, wet and hot. At the tip, Byou swirled it around, making small and fast little circles, darting here and there, finding little spots that made him moan intensely - then pulling away before the pleasure got to be too much.
He started a full-blown sucking as the finger moved in and out, and Ruki was moaning loudly now - oh, yes, THIS is why this man was up for the award, he was an artist, a blow job technician in every sense of the word, knowing when to suck and when to just let the hard flesh glide over his lips and tongue; when to pull it all the way out and when to slide back just enough, so the head was still within his lips.
Ruki just surrendered to the sensation, to the heat enveloping him and the fingers within him, yes, there were two now, pumping in and out of him, moving apart gently to open him up, any pain there might be completely drowned out by the floods and floods of pleasure.
“Fuck,” he moaned. “Fuck, Byou, you’re amazing . . .”
Byou raised his head, delivering another slow lick as he pushed in the third finger. “What do you want?” he said.
“Fuck me,” Ruki said, without a moment’s hesitation. “Fuck me hard and fast and deep . . .”
“You want all of my cock that you can take?”
“Yes!” Ruki said. “Please . . . please . . .”
“Ask again,” Byou pulled the fingers out and tore the condom package.
“Please!” Ruki said. “Fuck me!”
Byou rolled the condom on, slicked himself, and then Ruki felt it push in, so big and hard, filling him up so well, and he found himself saying aloud, “Oh, yes, what a cock, what a cock . . .”
There was a pause, both men panting, both getting used to the sensation, looking in each other’s eyes. Each was thinking about how the other was just about the fucking hottest thing in the world right now.
And then, Byou started to move - a slow, gentle thrust, just enough so Ruki could feel it, experience that cock caressing him from within. “More,” he moaned, and Byou gave him what he wanted, speeding up little by little, pushing into him harder, faster . . .
Even his thrusts were expert. He slowed down a little, then sped up, thrust shallow and fast, then deep and hard, thoroughly taking and possessing the man who writhed under him, moaning like crazy.
Amazing when you found someone who made the thing you did for a living seem new, and fresh, and incredible.
Ruki was thrusting along with him, raising his hips, reaching up to touch Byou every way he could, running his hands over his chest and arms, then his back, the touches becoming scratches when the thrusts got fast and intense, making the pleasure inside him swell like the waves of the ocean.
He could hear Byou moaning almost as much as he was, murmuring that he was hot and sexy and he felt so damn good, and it made him moan all the more as the two men moved together in rhythm now . . .
“Close,” Ruki gasped. “I’m . . .”
And then, there was a hard thrust against the sweetest spot inside him, the most sensitive bundle of nerve endings. He arched forward, letting out an animal cry, and he was coming so hard, so goddamn hard, the sticky whiteness seeming to shoot from his body all over both of them.
He felt a few more hard thrusts, then Byou let out a cry of his own, collapsing atop Ruki, shuddering intensely. The two clung to each other, kissing one another’s faces lightly, still panting heavily.
“You’re right,” Byou said in a shaky voice. “You’re as good as you are on video. Hell, you’re even better.”
“Mmmph,” Ruki said, which would have been “So are you” if he were capable of forming the words.
“When the deal’s finished and I’m working with you guys, the first thing I’m asking is that you be my first co-star,” Byou said, wrapping his arms tighter around the other man.
Ruki lifted his head, blinking. “WHAT?”
“Oh, you didn’t hear? My contract’s coming up and I’ve been talking to your company about joining them. It’s almost a done deal now. They just need to work out the final details.” He kissed Ruki’s forehead. “I can’t tell you how excited I am.”
“You’re coming to work with us . . .” Well, fuck. That changed everything. And to think he was under the impression that Byou was out to deep-six him and PSC.
“Plus I’m bringing some people with me,” Byou said. “I’m going to ask if they’ll also hire one of our directors and another one of my co-stars - their contracts are up, too.” He nuzzled Ruki. “But that’s it. We’re going to be working together, and I can’t wait.”
And this was the same guy that Ruki had told Aoi was a “bastard.” The one who he thought was going around loudly bragging to the whole industry that he was his rival. And he’d fucking been Ruki’s fanboy the whole time . . .
Plus, when he was working with them, he’d get more of sex like this. He knew he’d be asking Uruha if Byou could be his co-star, too. “Neither can I,” he said.
* * *
By the time the two went back down to the party, the Twitter outrage over Ruki’s perceived slighting had grown considerably. “A petition?” he said, looking at his phone. “They’re getting up a fucking PETITION?”
“At least you know your performance was appreciated,” Byou said, wrapping his arm around Ruki.
“I can’t believe they’re petitioning JAVA over a fucking piece of metal and wood,” Ruki said. “Especially since I already have one.” And if they started calling his rival names, he’d take to Twitter himself to gently but firmly remind them of why a gay male performer would have to leave Russia and work in Japan in the first place.
“Come on,” Byou said. “Don’t tell me you’re not a LITTLE disappointed at not getting that award.”
“Why should I be?” he said.
“You looked pretty happy when you got it last year,” Byou reminded him.
Oh, yes, he remembered. At the time, he thought it was something that couldn’t happen to him. He was something of an industry outsider, he wasn’t “in with the in crowd” at Hard Candy . . .
That all changed when he switched companies, and found a family. Which Byou was now going to be a part of.
Ruki shrugged. “My priorities have changed,” he said.
He had loyal fans (scarily loyal, in fact), a group of coworkers that he loved and now, Byou as a costar. That was what really made him a winner.