Business as Usual, XXIV
by Laura Bryannan

Jin's day couldn't have been more strange. Fuu and all of her baggage arrived in Okinawa on time, which was a pleasant surprise, but her shock at his wounds threw him off center and he never quite recovered his balance.

“Oh my god, Jin!” she squealed. “What happened to you?”

It was ancient history at this point, and discomfiting to be the focus of such attention again, especially in public. “I was attacked, I'm all right,” he assured, hugging her close, grateful the bruises on his face were much receded.

She reached up to trace the knife wound along his neck, her eyes misty. “And your hair? Did they do that too?”

“It will grow, hime. Come, let's get you settled and go have lunch.” He bustled her along, hoping to forestall the threatening tears. “When do classes begin?”

Fuu answered and was soon off and running in her usual fashion, as Jin breathed a sigh of relief. She loved her room at the B&B and all was going well until he saw Mugen and a policewoman walking toward them, and a most stunning policewoman at that! Jin felt completely bewildered, lacking the wherewithal to do anything but gape as Fuu shared words with his lover, who was looking rather stunning himself.

Dying of curiosity by the time the four of them were seated at a local restaurant, Jin asked, “Yatsuha-san, are you by any chance related to Iga Jinpachi, the Chief of Police?”

“Yes, he's my father,” she beamed. “Are you Takeda Jin of Takeda Delivery?”

“Yes,” he admitted cautiously, unsure why she should know him.

“My father is a big fan of yours.” She smiled, reading his mind. My, she was pretty! “Enough so that I probably hate your guts.”

Mugen guffawed, Fuu gasped and Jin blinked, dumbfounded. “Hate me?”

Yatsuha was still grinning. “Let me explain. I hate you as in...” her voice dropped to a deep, growly register, “...why don't you quit running around with that punk and find a nice young man like Takeda-san?”

Mugen stared in shock and Jin chuckled. “The admiration is mutual—your father has always been supportive of my business—and, if it makes you feel any better, he's championed you to me as well.” A lot, he thought, as he kicked himself for turning down the many offers to meet Iga-san's eldest, mistakenly assuming the daughter would take after the sire when that was obviously not the case. Yatsuha's mother must be beautiful! His curiosity piqued, he asked, “How do you know Mugen?”

She gave her companion a undeniably fond glance. “I was one of the officers who found him on the scene after he got shot.”

“Shot?!?” Fuu squeaked.

“Don't worry, Fuu-san,” Mugen assured her. “It was a long time ago.”

Jin did a quick calculation, Mugen was sixteen when the gang attacked him, so he and Yatsuha had known each other for four years! He didn't know why that shocked him, why he felt so jealous, even as he acknowledged his own attraction to her and felt guilty about that.

As their luncheon continued, Jin studied them. Mugen and Yatsuha were not touching, not proprietary, he never groped her or laid a hand on her in any familiar way. It didn't appear they were lovers, so that was a relief, but they were clearly good friends, easy and playful with each other. Mugen was comfortable with Yatsuha in a way Jin had never felt with a woman himself, which made their interaction hard to witness.

“How do you know Jin, Ryu-san?” Fuu asked, startling him back to reality. Looking up, he caught Mugen watching, a knowing smirk on his face.

“Call me Mugen, K?” he insisted, turning to her. “I met Jin when he showed up at my company to pitch a contract.”

“Where do you work?”

“I'm a partner at Okinawa Development.”

“That's an investment firm, isn't it? Venture capital and stuff like that?”

“Yup.” Mugen cocked an eyebrow, obviously impressed, and Jin felt proud. Fuu was too cute to look smart and people were always underestimating her.

That Mugen was impressed with Fuu was not a surprise, however it was quite disconcerting to see how Fuu was impressed with him. He was wearing charcoal gray Armani just like the day they met and, as was typical of him, a predominantly red power tie. Whether striped, fleur de lis or diamond print, Mugen's ties were always flawless, and Jin wondered—yet again—who dressed him and whether he was fucking his tailor.

The juxtaposition between the perfect clothes and the crazy hair, stubbly face and blue earrings was always striking, but today it seemed particularly so. Once more, Jin found himself feeling jealous. The situation was most confusing and he didn't like it at all!

“If you'll excuse me,” Fuu announced, startling him out of his thoughts yet again. “I'd like to visit the ladies room.”

“I'll come with you,” said Yatsuha companionably, and the two women left the table.

“You ever notice that girls always piss in herds?” Mugen asked.

“No, I haven't.”

“Come over to my place later, after you drop off Miss Sweetcakes,” he demanded.

“No, Mugen, not tonight.”

“You're gonna be uptown, so what's the problem?”

“It's already been a stressful day and we still have dinner plans with my sensei. It will be late when I'm finally free.”

“So?”

“Why do I get the feeling you're only asking to make sure I don't spend the night with her?”

“Cuz I am...kinda.”

“I'm not going to sleep with Fuu.”

“Why not? She's yummy.”

Jin scrutinized his lover, wondering what he was getting at, when the words escaped before he realized it, “Mugen, are we exclusive?”

“Uhhh,” Mugen stammered before snapping his mouth shut, recovering quickly. “Seems like I remember you only promised me your ass, and the rest of you was still up for grabs. Maybe now I know why.”

Unfortunately the ladies chose that moment to return, leaving Jin unable to defend against Mugen's wounding parry.

“Fuu-san is starting university next week and she's only sixteen,” Yatsuha announced. “Isn't that amazing?”

“Sixteen, huh?” Mugen came close to leering, but managed to rein himself in. “Yeah, that's really something, you must be one smart cookie. Hey, that pinwheel looks antique. Is it?”

“Oh yes!” Fuu enthused. “I collect them, you know.”

“Is that right?”

“I've got hundreds of them, but I could only bring a few of my favorites to school.”

Jin marveled. Mugen was far from pretty, but he was handsome in his own way and still the most seductive creature Jin had ever known. Fuu was only human, after all, and an innocent at that. She dimpled under the expert handling and it took all of Jin's self-control to maintain a neutral face, unsure whether Mugen was doing it to piss him off or because he was truly interested in Fuu.

“It's been great meeting you both,” Yatsuha declared, ending the flirt fest, “but I need to get back to work. Catch you later, Mugen.” She mock-punched him in the shoulder, then got up from the table and bowed to Fuu and Jin.

“Want me to take you?” Mugen asked her.

“No, don't be silly,” she replied. “Your office is right around the corner and I can grab a cab downtown myself.”

Mugen turned to Jin. “Lemmie treat.”

“No, I will pay.”

Yatsuha rolled her eyes and grasped Fuu's hand, pulling her out of the booth. “Come on, Fuu-san. They can duke it out on their own.”

Jin got up and Mugen followed, standing too close behind, probably letting him pay only so he could grope his ass at the cash register.

“You gonna show tonight, pretty boy?” came a husky voice at his ear.

Jin sighed. “I'll be useless, but I'll be there.”

“Good, cuz we gotta talk.”

Jin turned to face the piercing gray eyes, looking so cold and accusing his heart froze. “Yes,” he agreed, “we certainly do.”

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Mugen felt hurt and he hated it. Yes, it was reasonable to expect that Yatsuha's father would always see him as a gangster—when you're a pain in a man's ass for close to a decade he's not going to just up and forget about it—but it had rankled to hear that Iga-san was still calling him a punk, especially after spending so many years towing the line. Yatsuha had tossed out the revelation so carelessly too, and in polite company no less, his heart was sorely bruised by her actions. And, to top it all off, there was Jin's shocking response. Learning that the old man had been trying to sell his girl to his lover was too much to take.

He felt pissed off and confused about where to place his anger. It had been Yatsuha's words that hurt so much, but she was unreachable, the pedestal he had her on so high he felt impotent in the face of its cold, pure facade.

Instead he focused on Jin, the way he couldn't take his eyes off her at lunch, the way he suddenly represented every fucking Good Boy Mugen competed with in his mind when it came to Yatsuha. A good boy he was not, but he'd worked hard and come far. Jin sat there smug and smirking with his fancyass samurai blood, inherited not earned, and it galled bitterly to know he could never, ever, measure up no matter how successful he became.

Mugen worried such thoughts like a hangnail all day, waiting for his lover to fulfill his social obligations, so by the time Jin arrived he was partly drunk, miserable and wicked horny. Waiting in the doorway as Jin came up the stairs, he saw the pinched, gray face and his heart sank, knowing Jin was going to be as useless as he said he'd be.

“You asked me to come. Here I am,” he announced, voice weary. Mugen motioned him to the couch and poured a shot of whiskey for the both of them.

Jin took a sip then tossed back the rest, closed his eyes and heaved a great sigh. “Thank you,” he murmured.

Mugen knelt on the floor before him, laying his head in his lap. “Wanna fuck me?”

“I'm sorry Mugen, I've no energy left for anything.”

“Can I fuck you?”

“No, I'm not up for such an ordeal tonight.”

“Ordeal?”

“Don't play innocent with me. You know what you're packing.”

Jin was stroking his head, though, nails gently scratching his scalp in a way that always turned him on, so Mugen tried a different tack. When nuzzling and mouthing the crotch of Jin's jeans elicited no protest, he pulled them off, needing to consume some part of the addictive body before the night was over.

“You gonna let me suck you off?” he asked, taking a long friendly lap from base to tip.

“Perhaps,” came the haughty reply, “if you do it well.”

Never one to turn down a challenge, Mugen rose to the occasion. And when the work caused his own cock to lengthen and lubricate in sympathy, it seemed only natural to get it out and pump it a few times just to feel how good and hard it was. The hand slick with pre-cum wandered to his lover's ass all by itself, sliding one finger inside, then two, emboldened by how the entrance welcomed him and its owner's breathy sighs and moans.

“I know what you like, don't I, pretty boy?”

He chuckled as Jin's only reply was to push his head down again. Stroking an almost-rhythm, he could feel the pattern resonating as the cock in his mouth pulsed the same beat. Keeping his tongue quiet, simply holding, Mugen focused on Jin's insides, wanting to give him the finger fucking of his life. He stroked and teased as Jin sang him inspiring songs that spurred him ever onward. It was always hot to make Jin yell.

The devil whispered in his ear as he was insinuating a third finger into Jin's sweet ass, noticing how said ass was rocking into his hand wantonly. The idea tickled and licked and scratched and bit until he finally gave in. Adding a splash of lube to his aching erection, he knelt up and replaced his fingers with himself, hoping the switch would go unnoticed by his panting lover. It did not.

“Mugen, no!”

“Ummm,” he replied. He'd been working Jin so well, he pretty much slid right in, and holy fucking shit did it feel good! The body underneath him bucked and writhed, trying to push him off, but he aimed his thrusts too well and the resistance soon weakened.

“Stop, you shit,” Jin protested, shuddering from the onslaught yet eyes flashing in outrage.

Mugen ducked, avoiding the daggers, choosing to ignore. He grabbed Jin and stroked a mean rhythm, getting off on his struggles and frustrated groans. Orgasm impending, Jin started cursing, calling Mugen unknown names, some in English—he knew twat, shithead and fuckwad from the Tarantino films he'd seen—finally returning to Japanese, declaring him the lowest cocksucking bitch who ever fucked his own mother before the explosion that set off Mugen's deep inside him.

Unfortunately there was no time to bask in it for Jin's kick sent him flying off the couch onto the floor. He landed on his new cutting and hollered before he could stop himself, then stumbled to his feet rubbing his smarting ass. “OK, I deserved that,” he conceded. “Come to bed.”

“Fuck off!”

He sighed and headed down the hall to the linen closet. Grabbing a towel and a spare blanket, he girded his loins and returned to the livingroom to face his fuming lover. Jin had still not moved from the semi-fetal position he'd curled up in after kicking him off. Throwing the towel on the coffee table and the blanket over his body, Mugen asked, “You still gonna be here when I wake up?”

“Go away.”

“You'll be more comfy in bed,” he tried again.

“Shut up and leave me alone.”

Mugen shuffled from one foot to the other, trying to decide what to do, concluding that further attempts to suck up would probably just make things worse. “OK. Well, g'night then.” He wandered off to bed, correctly figuring he'd have it all to himself.

The next thing he knew someone was shaking him. “Wake up, Mugen,” came a commanding voice.

He opened his eyes, groaning at the dim early morning light, yawned and scratched. “What the fuck?”

“Did you rape me last night?”

Mugen's heart clenched. Had he? “Uhhh...if you have to ask I think the answer is no.”

“I believe I said no, more than once.”

“Well, I just got carried away, I guess.”

“Why would you do something like that? I don't understand.”

Mugen groaned again, rubbing his eyes. It was too early to think. “Maybe I'd rather feel guilty than pissed off.”

“There is no fucking reason for you to be pissed at me,” Jin insisted.

“Is too. You were flirting with my girl.”

“I was not!”

“You sure as hell were.”

“And you weren't with mine?”

“What's that got to do with anything?”

“Yatsuha-san's not your girl anyway. You're not lovers.”

“I could say the same to you.”

“So why aren't you? She's beautiful.”

“None of your goddamn business! Maybe she's not a slut like yours.”

Jin's eyes widened in shock and Mugen freaked, regretting his words. “Aw, fuck! I mean, at least your girl wants you, so who's the bigger fool?”

Amazingly enough, Jin's face softened. “Maybe Yatsuha-san is hoping for a better proposition from you than 'Wanna fuck?'”

Mugen gulped, heart racing. “You think I should ask her to marry me?”

“No.” Jin was smiling now, almost tenderly, and the churning in his guts eased up a notch. “I don't want you to marry Yatsuha-san, but I do believe she's the type who would settle for nothing less.”

The conversation was heading in a dangerous direction. “Why aren't you all over Fuu-san?” Mugen asked to change the subject. “I look at her and start dreaming about ripe, juicy peaches.”

Jin's eyes warned, Enough! But he said, “I desire someone else, so it wouldn't be right.”

Mugen snorted, his heart doing flip flops, praying he wouldn't blush. “Don't try to flatter your way outta this one,” he blustered. Noting Jin's hopeful change of mood, he decided to take a chance. “You wanna fuck me now?”

“Yes,” his lover decided. “After I spank you.”

“Chea, right.” Mugen was still chuckling at the funny when, to his indignant horror, Jin yanked him unceremoniously over his lap by the hair and proceeded to do just that.

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The rhythmic rise and fall of his hand, Mugen's satisfying grunts and gasps, the sight of the luscious ass getting redder and redder...it all added up to something good. It was working, he felt better.

Mugen took his punishment like a man and didn't try to escape, although the curse per swat ratio was increasing and Jin knew he wouldn't put up with much more. “Do you know why I'm doing this, Mugen?” he asked, aiming for the very top of his thighs.

“Fuck! Yeah, yeah, I know. DAMN! Lighten up already!”

“Do I look like a virgin playing coy no means yes games?” He lay some heavyhanded wallops on the cushiest parts.

“OW! Shit! NO! You're not a virgin. OW! Dammit, Jin, stop!”

“You will never do such a thing again, correct?” It was his last shot, so he made it count.

“Ahhh! You fucker! OW! Lemmie answer. OW! Shit!” Jin finally stayed his hand and let his lover collect himself. “I won't do it again, I promise.” Mugen paused for a moment, panting, then turned in his lap to face him. “I'm sorry, Jin.”

He looked so sincerely contrite, Jin was touched, and he did feel better. His hand was smarting but he wasn't pissed off anymore. Considering he couldn't remember when he'd felt so angry—and he hated feeling angry—that was saying a lot. “I don't want any more sorries, Mugen,” he warned.

“I got it.” Mugen squirmed around, yanking Jin's sweats out of the way so he could get his mouth on the part that had enjoyed his spanking as much as Jin had. “Lemmie make it up to you.”

Jin assented, with one caveat, “No funny stuff this time.” Mugen grumbled but tackled the task with his usual skill and aplomb as Jin sighed happily and let his mind wander.

He'd been so shocked to see Mugen with a respectable girl, and such a beautiful one too, his fear and jealousy had been overwhelming. It had never occurred to him that Mugen might be capable of such a relationship, Kohza-types always coming to mind when he thought of Mugen with women. Fuu had gone on and on after lunch about what a nice couple they were and how happy they seemed together, and it had been galling to agree with her.

“Yatsuha's so nice! She gave me her number and said I could call her any time I needed some girltalk,” Fuu informed him. “She's got a sister my age, too, although she's still in high school, of course. And isn't Ryu-san the sexiest thing? She's a lucky lady!” Yes, and Yatsuha's quite a catch too, Jin agreed to himself, Mugen would be a fool not to pursue her.

And then there was the astounding dinner at Sensei's home. The three Niwa men were all enthralled with Fuu, as was to be expected, the twins rising to hilariously dizzying new heights of oneupsmanship to win a smile or giggle from her. The shock had come afterward, on their way back to the B&B, when Fuu was full of questions about Sensei, not his sons.

“What a lovely man! I can see why you admire him so. How long has he been alone, Jin?”

“His wife died two years ago.”

“And who takes care of him?”

“I believe there's a housekeeper who comes in to clean but otherwise they fend for themselves.”

“That's so sad.”

“There's an entire dojo of students to fuss over him, Fuu. Sensei is well-loved, don't worry.”

"Oh, but it's not the same. He must still miss her terribly."

Something about the exchange had made him uneasy but he had no idea why, for it seemed innocent enough, especially in light of Sensei's own observations about her. “If this charming lady is the possible finance you've always spoken of, I heartily approve,” Master Niwa had said, taking him aside after dinner. “You'd be foolish to let such a gem slip through your fingers, my boy.”

“I'm sure you're right, Sensei,” he agreed, trying to hide his discomfort.

Jin looked down fondly at the head bobbing sensuously in his lap, finally feeling calm and at peace with himself—a sharp contrast from yesterday evening, when Mugen had made him so livid he'd forgotten how miserable he was after his confusing day. The catharsis of the spanking and the pleasures of Mugen's expert attention cleared his head, and he knew what was necessary. Carding his fingers into his lover's hair, Jin pulled him upward, unable to resist kissing the bee-stung lips all sweet and swollen from his activities. Thus satiated, he shared his decision.

“You've told me your ass is mine and I've said the same to you. But your cock...I've come to realize there are places I don't want you to put it. Yuki doesn't bother me, I don't know why, but he doesn't. And if there are other mouths or asses you're sticking it into, that doesn't bother me either, so long as they're male.

"But here's the deal, Mugen: if you ever put it into a female body, I will not be pleased. It will be the end for me if you do.”

“You gonna give me the same consideration?”

“Yes, I will.”

Mugen didn't think about it too long, thankfully, cocking a brow and leaking a little smile. “OK, no pussy.”

It felt so wonderful to hear those three little words, Jin's icy heart melted just a bit. Trying to look gruff but probably failing, he demanded, “On your knees so I can survey my handiwork.”

Mugen smirked and turned, thrusting his ass into the air. Still pink and glowing, it was the ass Jin loved, and he was stunned at how right it felt to admit it. Laying his cheek on the warm skin, he was glad he'd formally staked a claim on the territory and felt quite willing to fight for it if necessary.

“I know I'm hot and all, but how much longer are you gonna drool on me before you do something useful?”

One itchy palm and one outraged yelp later, Jin was ready to answer Mugen's question.

to be continued