Chapter 1
"Kanpai!" Misaki held his sake glass in the air, clinking with the silver-headed man across the table. It was a rare night out for the young man, but a welcome relief after an extensive afternoon spent working on an economics project at M University with his classmates.
Sumi-sempai is so cool, Misaki thought, letting me hang out while my landlord is gone. Otherwise, I'd be pretty lonely. A frown passed over Misaki's face. But if Usagi-san found out, he'd be jealous.
The man across the table chatted happily between bites of bar food about his first two years as an economics major at the university. Slowly he appraised Misaki's ever-changing facial expressions, trying hard to ignore the fact that his conversation partner was obviously off in his own little world filled with stuffed bears, rubber ducks, and one overbearing landlord slash award winning author named Akihiko Usami.
Yes, Misaki was too busy wrangling his own emotions to pay attention to Sumi-sempai. What was Usagi-san's problem anyways? He should know I wouldn't do that with just anyone. Although, Misaki noted, I only do that with Usagi-san because he forces me to!
"So, how are things going with Usami-sensei?" Sumi smirked, knowing that asking about Misaki's personal life would set the young man into a frenzy of cheerful babble. Misaki blinked his green eyes and shook his head, trying to register back into his sempai's conversation.
"Usagi-san? Oh." He reached over and speared a piece of fruit with his fork, chewing slowly, feeling the crimson blush slowly creep onto his cheeks. Tucking a hand under his chin, Sumi tilted his head to the side with an expression of rapt attention.
"He's out of town with his editor reviewing a movie deal for one of his books." Misaki smiled, his eyes looking past Sumi. "I don't imagine he's enjoying the negotiations; he always tries to get out of them." Misaki rambled onward, "We haven't talked since he left! I hope he doesn't plan on bringing home another weird collection; the apartment is already crammed with his crazy obsessions. First teddy bears, then marimo when we went to Hokkaido for my birthday, and for some reason a scale model of the Great Wall too!"
"Hokkaido?"
"Y-yeah, like I said, we went there for my birthday. It was the first time Usagi-san had been on a trip that wasn't business-related. His family never did things like that together. He seemed pretty happy the whole trip but tried to do really embarrassing things to me like hold my haaa—ah, I mean, um, ah, well…" Sumi smiled indulgently.
"Yes?" With a panicked look on his face, Misaki continued to sputter, grabbing his drink. "It's so cute," Sumi started, leaning forward in his chair, "to see your continued denial with regard to that person. It's quite obvious; maybe you should stop fighting it." He winked as Misaki went bottoms up with his sake cup. Sumi reached over and filled the glass again, along with his own.
"I-I-I um don't know what you're talking about." Misaki looked into his sake cup squeamishly.
"You're caught, so just admit it. You're lovers with Akihiko Usami, your landlord." Sumi leaned in even closer to whisper, "How did you—a naïve little brat—land such a well-off guy? Tell me how you seduced him into keeping you like a pampered pet in his apartment?"
"Ah, he's my landlord, that's all, I swear! I do the dishes, wash his clothes, cook, and clean. It's an arrangement that my brother worked out with him so that I could go to M University."
"Do those services include," Sumi batted his eyelashes, "Being Usami-sensei's personal fuck toy?"
Misaki stood, knocking over his sake glass with a nervous laugh. "I just remembered something I've got to do. See you around, sempai." His eyes darted to the exit, and his feet began moving to flee the scene. Sumi grabbed Misaki's wrist and pulled him down onto his lap. Hot breath laced with alcohol circled around Misaki's ear as he struggled to stand up.
"Now Misaki, why are you running away? We're having a nice little chat. There's nothing to be afraid of." Sumi winced as Misaki's free hand raked across his exposed wrist, angry red lines forming on pale skin.
"I think you've misunderstood. Let me go; I'm leaving!" Misaki's flush of embarrassment was quickly replaced with boiling anger tempered slightly by fear. The fight or flight response had begun to kick into full effect. "I'm not kidding, sempai! Let GO!"
The hand keeping Misaki in place loosened its grip, and he slipped free. "Let's go then. I'll walk you home. You're slurring your words," Sumi said as he shrugged his coat on, threw some money down on the table and followed behind Misaki, each step measured and deliberate, a predator stalking its prey.
Misaki took a sidelong glance at his sempai. He made another mental note to decline future invitations from Sumi-sempai to go drinking. How was he going to manage to get rid of Sumi before arriving at Akihiko's apartment? An arm slid across his narrow shoulders, alarm bells rattling off in his head. Misaki shrugged the arm off.
"Sempai, stop playing around." Misaki's nervous laugher echoed in the near-dead street. Again, hot, stale-smelling breath found its way to his ear.
"You're a whore, Misaki. Tricking and tangling your way into Usami-sensei's head. You don't care about him at all, do you? It could be anyone, so long as they protect you, provide for you, care for you. Why don't you go back to your brother?" Sumi's hand snaked out more persistently this time, forcefully thrusting Misaki into the side of a building. "It's disgusting that you refuse to accept yourself for what you are. A homo-for-sale!"
"That's not true!" Misaki snarled, as he stood pinned against the wall. "Usagi-san and I don't do those things! It's none of your business."
Sumi's fist slammed into the wall next to his head, and Misaki jumped. "How can that be true, Misaki-kun? Are you naïve enough to think no one notices the marks on your body? Here's one above your collar," he said, touching the place. "All this time you've been under Usami-sensei's thumb, and his attentions have turned you into a lewdly sexy uke."
A clumsy fist connected with flesh. Misaki stood his ground, glare fixed on Sumi. "Stop fucking around! I told you, it's none of your business!"
Lips parted and a tongue darted out tasting blood. Sumi smirked. "That was uncalled for, Misaki-kun. Why don't we reach a little agreement?" His leg rubbed between Misaki's thighs. "How about you take me back to Usami-sensei's place. I'll help you pack up, then you can permanently dislodge yourself from sensei's life."
"No! I…what? What's wrong with you, sempai?" Misaki pressed his hands against Sumi's broad chest in an unsuccessful attempt to push him away.
Something snapped inside Sumi and a wild gleam flashed in his leaden eyes. Unconsciously he let loose a low growl, his fists pounding through Misaki's dumbfounded face. As he wordlessly crumpled onto the ground, Sumi's stylish brown loafers were added to the mix; the loud crunch of breaking bones barely recognized by his ears.
"Don't get up!" he snarled.
With a final kick, a slight groan came from the broken pile of flesh lying in the street; Sumi bent down and reached into his victim's pockets to remove all signs of his identity.