Addicted to Lust

by Amy Tasukada

  “Why do you think he’d call me?”

  “You’re in the friend section in my phone.”

  Masuo’s mouth probably hung open a little too long before he realized and closed it. Hayato thought they were friends? He’d said they were at the bar, but Masuo had figured he’d said that to make things easy. Masuo stood up a little straighter and flashed a smile, hoping it read as cool and collected.

  “And Subaru’s staying the night at his girlfriend’s place,” Hayato repeated. “He must be doing it so he can pull something off.”

  “Or maybe he wants to spend the night with her?”

  “He wouldn’t.”

  Masuo bit back another laugh. Hayato was serious, and it wouldn’t make him feel any better if Masuo laughed in his face. Though, it did boost Masuo’s pride to know when frightened, Hayato came to him. Masuo didn’t believe for one second that the housewarming party was the real reason Hayato was there.

  “Then maybe Subaru’s helping his girlfriend pack.” Masuo played along. “You said she was moving in on Friday.”

  “I know him. He wouldn’t leave me alone unless he was planning something.”

  Hayato rubbed his arms and let out a long sigh. It hung in the cold air a few seconds before evaporating.

  “What are you up to?” Hayato shuffled his feet. “Are you heading home?”

  “I’m working on some grand reopening strategies.”

  “I can help.”

  Bingo. Hayato wanted an excuse to see him, and inventing a surprise party plot had been the excuse he’d needed.

  “You don’t have to.”

  Hayato shrugged. “What else am I going to do?”

  He could’ve done a ton of other things, but Masuo thanked him, and they shuffled into the parlor together. Hayato needed him, and Masuo wasn’t going to turn him away.

  “What’s this about?” Hayato pointed to the plastic tubs of pachinko balls stacked on the office floor.

  “I had this awesome idea!” Masuo said. “I got together with a dance club manager, and they’re handing out coupons to get twenty balls free tomorrow to anyone who attends tonight. All I had to do was put in some drink tickets as prizes, and Friday I have to hang a poster about their disco night. Hopefully it results in more customers tomorrow.”

  Hayato nodded. “Not bad.”

  “Really?”

  “Maybe you are a real manager after all.”

  Hayato followed the narrow path between the tubs to the office sofa and lay down, one leg dangling off the side and the other resting on top. The man knew how to make everything a suggestion of sex. If they ever screwed on the sofa, Masuo would never be able to do any work in the room again.

  Masuo sat in the desk chair. “What color do you think I should get for the walls?”

  “You still haven’t decided? Get red. It’ll help people feel more energized.”

  “Red requires primer and, like, two coats of paint.”

  Hayato shrugged. “So.”

  “It’s expensive,” Masuo said.

  “Then get a different color.”

  “But you said red was good. I can get it, but I’ll have to budget more for it. If it’s too much, then I can’t replace the carpet.”

  “Then get blue. Maybe it will turn everyone into pachinko-playing zombies.”

  Masuo went back to his grand reopening spreadsheet. Maybe he could splurge on red paint if he put some of his own money into the remodel. He could pay himself once the profits bumped up his salary.

  Maybe the paint companies had better suggestions…

  Nearly an hour passed before Masuo noticed how much time had slipped by. Masuo tapped his pen against his notepad. What was he doing? He had time alone with Hayato, and he was asking his opinion on paint colors.

  Hayato looked bored—beyond sexy, sure, but bored.

  Masuo cleared his throat. “Sorry. I’m a bad host. I got into color behavior studies and lost track of time.”

  “It’s nice seeing a manager who takes everything so seriously.” Hayato stretched. His shirt rose, showing a sliver of stomach. “The others have their parlors tricked out, so all they do is change the payouts when the computer tells them.”

  “Have you finished packing?” Masuo asked, moving away from discussions of work. “I can help if you have any last-minute things.”

  “You already packed all my stuff when you got it from my ex.”

  “Do you want to go out?”

  Hayato suggestively ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “I can think of a lot of fun things we can do together.”

  Masuo swallowed his desire. “Let’s do something different.”

  Jumping into bed again wouldn’t create a new story for their relationship. They were little more than friends who fucked once and continued to cocktease each other with flirting. Masuo wanted something more than sex with Hayato. They couldn’t play another round of love hotel fantasy night.

  Hayato cocked his head. “Different like what? I don’t like screwing in the park when it’s cold outside.”

  “I was thinking about getting a new piercing,” Masuo said. “Wanna get one too?”

  “Me?”

  “You’d look extra hot with one. Maybe we can get matching ones.”

  Hayato tapped his fingers on the sofa. “Only if I get to pick where they go.”

  “Deal.”

  A mural of a skull with a snake coming out of the eye sockets greeted Masuo and Hayato before the tattoo and piercing shop assistant could, but she popped out from the back a second later and checked them in. A few customers were ahead of them, so they waited on an ornately carved bench.

  Masuo flipped through the portfolio of the woman who was going to pierce them. She did impressive work, and Masuo had heard good things about her.

  “You ever thought of getting a piercing before?” Masuo asked.

  “They looked like they’d hurt too much.” Hayato turned the page and cringed at the photo of a nipple piercing.

  “Probably not as much as the huge dragon tattoo on your back.”

  “That’s different.”

  Masuo laughed. “Where should we get them? I think a sexy place would be nice.”

  “Sexy places sound the most painful.” Hayato pointed to the nipple picture. “It hurts looking at it, and wouldn’t people see it through your shirt?”

  “That’s what makes it sexy.”

  Hayato pulled out his rose-colored lip gloss and dabbed it on his lips. “I’d rather never wear lip gloss again than get my nipples pierced.”

  “What about a magic cross, then?”

  “I don’t even know what that is, and I can already tell you the answer is no.”

  “But I hear they make certain activities feel extra good, especially for the partner.” Masuo winked.

  “And it would probably take months to heal. Imagine if it got infected.” Hayato shivered. “No, thank you.”

  “Well, I think even an ear piercing would be sexy. It naturally draws attention to your neck.”

  “But people will see it.”

  Masuo narrowed his eyes. “You don’t want people to see it?”

  “That’s why my tattoo is on my back. And people can’t rip it out during a fight.”

  Masuo had never pegged Hayato, someone who wore makeup, as conservative enough not to want to show off an ear piercing, though maybe it had more to do with his latter point. Clearly, he still had a lot to learn about Hayato, but Masuo was ready for every exciting moment of it.

  Hayato took the books and flipped back to the beginning. He stopped at the navel piercings.

  “These don’t look too bad.” Hayato tapped the picture.

  Masuo grinned. “So you are going with a sexy location.”

  Hayato playfully shoved him, but he hadn’t expected it and fell off the bench. They both burst into laughter.

  “You two aren’t wasted, are you?” the receptionist asked.

  “No, I’m just really gay.” Hayato held up his hand
.

  It didn’t take much longer for their turn to come, probably because the shop employees didn’t want more hysterical laughter coming from the waiting area.

  Their piercer was a short woman with a panther tattooed on her arm. Ironically, while the mob suggested new recruits skip tattoos, they were getting more popular with the general public. Masuo liked them, since it automatically made it easier to identify people with an open mind.

  She pulled on her gloves. “Who’s going first?”

  Masuo offered himself up first in case after seeing it done, Hayato changed his mind.

  “Would it be easier if I take off my shirt?” he asked.

  Hayato rolled his eyes. “Don’t listen to him. He’s trying to impress me.”

  She laughed and had Masuo stand and hold up his shirt as she marked where the piercing would be as he stood. He checked it in the mirror and gave his okay, then lay down on the table as the piercer explained the process. Masuo wasn’t worried, so he only half listened, choosing to focus on Hayato instead. His eyes were wide, and his head nodded along with whatever the woman said.

  “Okay, deep breath and—”

  “Wait,” Hayato said. “Doesn’t he need to hold on to something for the pain or need, like, a stick to bite down on?”

  The woman blinked. “It shouldn’t—”

  “Ah, thanks. You saved me there,” Masuo said and held out his hand to Hayato. “You don’t mind?”

  Hayato cupped his hand around Masuo’s. Hayato’s grip was so tight it would probably hurt more than the piercing, but Masuo let him squeeze. It wasn’t for him anyway.

  “Are we good?” she asked.

  “I’m ready now.” He smiled at Hayato.

  The cleanup took longer than the piercing, and in a few minutes, Masuo had a new hole in his body.

  “It’s okay if you change your mind,” Masuo said.

  “No, I want to do it.”

  Hayato lifted up his shirt. His dark jeans hung so low the top of the scar on his stomach showed. It didn’t look more than a few months old. Whatever it was from, it must’ve hurt.

  The woman explained all the steps like she’d done with Masuo, perhaps going a little slower for Hayato’s sake, and he held Masuo’s hand from the very start.

  Warm fuzzies were an understatement. Holding Hayato’s hand was like snuggling under warm blankets on a snowy day when he knew he wouldn’t have to leave the house. Like waking up from one night of amazing sex and knowing it was going to turn into something more.

  Maybe the latter could still be true.

  “Okay, all done,” the woman said.

  Hayato blinked. “Really?”

  “Yup.”

  “That wasn’t bad at all.”

  “It’s because you were holding hands,” the woman said, giving Masuo a little nod. “It’s the best method to drive back the pain.”

  Masuo was going to leave the shop the best review ever.

  “Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you,” Hayato said.

  Hayato’s eyes sparkled, and Masuo’s lips tingled. His heart took over. He leaned over and kissed Hayato. His lips soft and moist. Masuo could’ve kissed him until the night turned to day, but then his brain kicked in, and he pulled back.

  “I’m sorry,” Masuo said.

  Hayato pulled Masuo back and dominated the kiss. His tongue traced Masuo’s lips until they parted, and he dove inside. Masuo’s tongue met Hayato’s like they were making love and melting into one.

  Hayato pulled back this time.

  “Never apologize for kissing me.” Hayato spoke so sternly Masuo wouldn’t dare do it again.

  The piercer didn’t bat an eye at the display of affection and finished up telling Hayato the finer points of taking care of his sexy new hole.

  They left the piercing studio, and Hayato jumped up and down.

  “I feel like I could fly,” he said. “I can see why you get them done.”

  “It’s a rush, isn’t it?”

  “Want to go to a love hotel? I feel like I could go all night.”

  Masuo nibbled on his lip piercing. Everything inside him was screaming yes, but what was stopping it from turning into New Year’s all over again? Sure, they weren’t drunk, but it felt too fast for the meaningful relationship Masuo wanted. The week they’d spent as friends had been so nice. Would one night of passion be worth spoiling what they were working toward?

  “I gotta get to the parlor early tomorrow,” Masuo said.

  “Set your alarm.”

  “I think if I end up in bed with you again, I’ll never want to leave.” Masuo spoke from the heart.

  Hayato laughed, and it crushed Masuo.

  “And you said you were moving in to your apartment first thing tomorrow morning,” Masuo said. “You don’t want to miss it, do you?”

  Hayato smiled. At least he wasn’t laughing.

  “Why don’t you help me move in?” Hayato asked.

  “You mean it?”

  Knowing where Hayato lived had to mean he was ready to take their relationship to the next step.

  “Get there at eight. You’ll have plenty of time before work. I’ll text you the address in the morning.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Hayato gave him another scorching kiss and pulled back with a wink. “Something to remember me by. See you tomorrow, and you’d better wear something hot. I’ll help you change into your work suit when you leave.”

  14

  Hayato blew into his gloved hands. Even inside the lobby of his new apartment, the bitter January cold found him.

  The doors opened, and another chilling breeze followed Masuo inside. Hayato hoped his lip gloss hadn’t frozen his mouth shut so he could smile.

  “Thanks for helping me move,” Hayato said.

  Masuo looked around. “When we came here, I thought we were doing it for fun.”

  “You didn’t have fun?”

  “I did, but I thought it was for the list.”

  “We did both at the same time. What’s wrong with that?” Hayato hoped the answer satisfied, since he couldn’t remember what list Masuo was talking about.

  Masuo motioned to the single suitcase. “You barely need my help.”

  “Still, I wanted to say thanks.” Hayato reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped gift.

  “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  “It’s not for you. It’s for Mochi. You know, as a thanks for letting me take her cat dad in the morning. She likes catnip mice, right?”

  “Loves them.” Masuo laughed. “I’ll be sure to make sure she writes a proper thank-you note.”

  “That’s being a good cat dad.”

  Hayato hadn’t been sure Masuo would like it, since Hayato had thought up the idea at five in the morning.

  Last night, after Masuo had rejected Hayato’s love hotel invite, he’d accidentally fallen asleep at the manga café, since he wasn’t going to spend the night at Subaru’s apartment alone. It had showers, and foreigners used it as a cheap hotel all the time, so the staff was used to it, but the uncomfortable beanbag had woken him up too early to move. So he’d sashayed around any random store open. One happened to be a pet store.

  “Ready to get going?” Masuo asked. “I can meet you up there.”

  “Oh, honey, we need to go together or else we’ll ruin it for Subaru.”

  Masuo blinked. “What?”

  “I told you yesterday. Subaru’s obviously planning some kind of party.”

  “Or he wanted to spend the night with his girlfriend.”

  Hayato rolled his eyes. “Sure, maybe that too.”

  Masuo laughed. “Here. Let me take your bag, since I’m the reason we’re taking the stairs.”

  Hayato allowed Masuo to carry the suitcase. He took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves to lug the thing up, and while he might not have taken Hayato’s suggestion of wearing street clothes, the man did look hot in his suit, especially with the way his muscles co
ntracted around his rolled sleeve. Hayato craved reenacting their New Year’s evening so he could remember.

  They arrived at the door.

  “Now, you gotta act surprised,” Hayato said.

  “I can do that.” Masuo looked at the electronic panel on the door. “Wait, this place is so fancy they don’t have keys?”

  “It’s another excuse to charge more in rent.”

  Hayato typed in the apartment code. The device made a happy chime, and they entered. The large windows made it impossible to hide in the dark, but Fumiko and Subaru still jumped out.

  “Surprise!” they cheered.

  Hayato faked surprise, and Masuo mustered up a better act than the last time they’d been at the apartment. Subaru held up a small cake with glazed fruit and Welcome Home written in the center. Fumiko held up the real treat, a cocktail glass. The drink was bright red, which matched the cherries on her dress.

  “How long have you two been planning this?” Hayato asked. “I had no idea.”

  “My little brother’s first home all by himself? Of course I had to make it special,” Subaru said.

  Hayato playfully punched Subaru’s arm. “Thanks.”

  “I even came up with a new cocktail.” Fumiko handed Hayato and Masuo each a glass.

  “Yes, please.”

  Subaru had ended up buying real dishes and silverware. He must’ve thought Hayato wouldn’t be responsible enough to buy them himself. It was probably true. Takeout seemed so much easier than dealing with dishes.

  Hayato introduced Masuo to everyone, and Subaru sliced up the cake. They sat on the floor, since there weren’t any chairs.

  “I can’t believe you actually moved here. This place looks so expensive,” Masuo said.

  Hayato shook his head. “We got a nice bump in salary after the war or else this wouldn’t be anywhere near my budget.”

  Fumiko passed another cake slice to Masuo. “I can’t wait to see how you’ll decorate it.”

  “I don’t even know where to start.”

  Subaru grinned. “Start with a table. That way, we don’t have to hold our plates when you invite us over for dinner next week.”

  He’d clearly already made plans, probably so he could still keep an eye on him.

  Moving in hadn’t fully sunken in for Hayato. What did it mean to live alone? Coming home to an empty apartment. No one there to greet him. Knowing no one, ready to tell Hayato about his day. Hayato would have to enjoy his solitude, but the thought turned his breathing shallow.