Chapter Text
"Jackpot" by Vixenfur
Sawamura was oblivious. Maybe a little dense. He admitted that much, after all—he wasn’t the most intelligent person and he knew this—but…
...to not even notice that a goddamn sex shop was right next to the cafe he just started working in was a new record for even Sawamura.
Scratch that—the damn thing wasn’t even next door. It was practically part of the cafe. Indeed, to prevent innocent people from seeing the contents of the shop from the outside, or whatever their reason was… the entrance to the shop could only be accessed by going through the cafe. And since the entrance to the shop wasn’t facing the street, the only thing that separated it from the cafe was a low-hanging curtain… which was usually pulled aside by a silver-gilded rope.
“Ah… everyone usually has that reaction when they first start working here,” said Sawamura’s new boss and coworker from where he was standing beside him. Sawamura quickly turned his attention to his boss, who was named Chris.
Sawamura’s eyes were wide and mildly mortified, but he didn’t want to lose his job because of a little discomfort, so he cleared his throat and tried to focus down on the register. Right. He was being trained on how to use this thing.
“Is everyone used to it being right there?” Sawamura asked tentatively, trying not to appear too perturbed by the sex shop’s presence, but he couldn’t help glancing at it over and over.
“It will become normal after awhile,” Chris assured, a gentle smile on his face, and said nothing more about it. He nodded down to the cash register. “So, if the customer decides that they want to pay with a credit or debit card, you have to press this button…”
Sawamura tried to focus, really. He was doing a good job of it, nodding and grunting small sounds of acknowledgement, but the calm and comforting atmosphere of the cafe was abruptly ruined by the most ungodly sounds Sawamura had ever heard.
It sounded like a pair of hyenas had been let loose, and Sawamura flinched as he looked up, eyes immediately turning to the source of the chaos. The laughter—if one could even call it that—was coming from the sex shop, nonstop and shrill and as goddamn annoying as all hell.
Even stranger… Chris was still talking, like it was nothing to flinch over, and Sawamura had totally missed everything he just said. He was too distracted by the symphony of nasally chortling and the high-pitched ‘kyahahaha!’ echoing obnoxiously from the shop next door.
“S-Sorry…” Sawamura interrupted Chris, his eyebrows twitching with irritation. “Could you repeat what you just said…?”
This was… quite the first impression. Sawamura might have considered quitting and applying somewhere else, but he had no time to waste, especially not right now. It was the beginning of his first year at college, and university students everywhere were battling for the sparse jobs that were within reasonable walking distance from the dorms and campus.
Sawamura was one of the luckiest people on the planet to score a job in the cafe directly across the street from his new dorm, but now he was seeing why he might’ve got the job so quickly and without much hassle.
He could see why people quit and left this spot open all the damn time. If this shop next door was going to be as wild as Sawamura was imagining it to be… then he was going to be dealing with a lot more than he initially signed up for.
Though much to Sawamura’s surprise, despite the occasional annoying laughter, the shop was very quiet. Every time a customer walked through the doors, Sawamura greeted them, but occasionally they would only nod at him before ducking under the curtain to go into The Bull Pen.
Sometimes, Sawamura was surprised to see the array of faces that went into the shop next door—they looked so… mild and, well, normal. Now knowing what sorts of things they purchased with their spending money made Sawamura look at them differently.
Not her! Sawamura thought desperately as a kind-looking old lady hobbled into the sex shop with a big grin. No, not grandma!!
Oh god, he couldn’t look at anyone the same way again! Everyone was a pervert out there—everyone!
When his first day of work was drawing to an end, he realized he spent most of his time staring at the entrance of the shop, bewildered at its many different customers rather than focusing on the cafe itself.
This won’t do, Sawamura told himself as he wiped down the pistachio-green tabletops that made up the cafe’s furnishings. I need to stop letting them distract me so much. I’ll get fired at this rate...
Chris was lenient and patient, since it was Sawamura’s first day, but who knew how he would act later on. Sawamura couldn’t afford to make a bad first impression, either. He would be depending on these paychecks for the rest of his college years, after all, and to lose this job meant to eat instant noodles for many, many weeks as he searched for a new job and waited to hear back from them. And the reality of the situation was that there were no more job spots open—they had all been claimed by other nearly-broke university students.
He didn’t want to eat store-bought ramen forever…!
Determined to do well at this job no matter his unusual surroundings, Sawamura aggressively rubbed down the tables with wide, circular strokes. He huffed as he edged around the last empty table, scrubbing and reaching far across the surface to polish every single corner.
Sawamura moved to stand on the other side of the table, just to make sure he scrubbed everything precisely, and it was then when he noticed that someone was watching him.
Instinctively, Sawamura looked up to see who was there when the cafe was closed and Chris was in the back washing dishes—only to be completely paralyzed and mortified upon realizing the person staring at him was sitting behind the counter of The Bull Pen.
Oh god, he works there.
Sawamura didn’t mean to make eye contact, but instead of turning away, the guy behind the counter just stared back at him like he meant to be caught.
Confused, Sawamura stood still and wearily looked at him, unsure if he should say anything, but words weren’t needed—not when the guy slowly started to smirk as he looked Sawamura up and down with a dildo in his hand.
Sawamura suddenly realized what just happened. He was wiping down the table just a moment ago, with his back to the shop…
“Oi, you!” Sawamura blurted out, cheeks flaming hot red as he pointed at the guy behind the counter without thinking much of it. “Were you staring at my ass just now!?”
The guy in question raised his eyebrows slowly, his smirk unwavering. “What ever made you think that?”
Sawamura’s eyebrow twitched. He wasn’t expecting such a smug response. Hotly, he stammered, “I-I felt it!”
“It’s a bit hard to feel someone from so far away, but if you want to be felt up so badly, you can just ask,” came his smooth response, and Sawamura was immediately flustered and annoyed by the other man’s snarky, overly-confident tone of voice. With a theatrical huff, Sawamura balled up his rag and made a scene of turning away from the man, then stomped off to his place behind the counter. He pretended not to hear the guy’s laughter—but he could only pretend.
Sawamura was glad to get out of there and stalk across the street, where he hid in his dorm and glared angrily out the window at the insulting shop for a few moments.
Stupid sex shop guy… Sawamura thought to himself begrudgingly. He thought back to his stupid smirk, his stupid glinting brown eyes and stupid sideways hat… who even wore their hat like that, anyways?
Douchebags, that’s who. Sawamura nodded affirmatively to himself.
By the time the following day rolled around, Sawamura had all but forgotten about the weird exchange between himself and The Bull Pen’s cocky employee. He was busy enjoying his new job, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as he greeted every tired face that walked inside seeking a strong cup of coffee.
“Welcome to the King’s Roar!” Sawamura greeted enthusiastically, but everyone that wandered in seemed to flinch with alarm when he welcomed them.
“Don’t yell at them,” scolded his coworker, Furuya, as he polished a set of coffee cups from off to the side.
“I’m not yelling!” Sawamura snapped loudly.
Furuya was just too quiet. People never heard him when he welcomed them, so Sawamura had to be the one to make sure they felt comfortable here. Who else was gonna do it?
Needless to say, he truthfully did focus on softening his voice a little more, especially to the ones who looked a little dazed or lost upon entering the cafe.
He was doing so well, already starting to ignore The Bull Pen’s presence… until the bastard from yesterday showed up right at the counter, hands in his pockets as he watched Sawamura set up the newest batch of muffins in the display case.
“Can I help you?” Sawamura said cheerfully, glancing at the new customer only for a second before he remembered just where he saw that familiar face. Gawking, Sawamura nearly dropped the muffin he was holding as he looked up with wide eyes. “Wait—it’s you!”
“Oh?” the man’s eyes widened as he blinked slowly. “I didn’t realize I was so popular around here.”
Sawamura squinted at him, then turned back to the display case and set down the blueberry muffin on a saucer plate. Now, with a much snippier voice, he asked, “Well? What do you want?”
“Aren’t you new here?” the man countered, avoiding Sawamura’s attempt to ask what he wanted. “That’s no way to treat your customers, is it?”
“You don’t even work here!” Sawamura defended, pointing an accusing finger across the counter at the jerk with the glasses and crooked cap. “Don’t tell me what to do, Bull Pen!”
“Bull Pen…?” He paused before breaking out into an obnoxious laugh, one that Sawamura had unwillingly been subjected to yesterday during his training. At least it wasn’t the shriller of the two laughs he heard, but it was still grating on his nerves, and he squinted at the offending person with a pout on his lips.
“Well, what else am I supposed to call you?” Sawamura muttered, a little embarrassed by the sudden nickname he used in the heat of the moment.
The man wiped a tear from the corner of his eye as he gathered himself. He fixed Sawamura with a clever grin, then winked as he answered with a prideful grin, “Miyuki Kazuya. Don’t wear it out.”
Sawamura huffed and stood tall. “Well, Miyuki Kazuya, either order something or go back to your own job. We’re busy over here!”
“Ah…” Miyuki raised his eyes to the menu, seeming to read the options. Sawamura stood there with crossed arms, watching impatiently as Miyuki read every single line, painfully slowly.
Sawamura tapped his fingers against his elbow, glancing briefly over to the front doors. At least no other customers were coming through, but Sawamura didn’t have all day to wait for Miyuki’s order. He had to do many things, like clean the tables and bring out food to the people who already ordered.
“What’s today’s special?” Miyuki suddenly asked, and Sawamura tensed up. He had no idea about that!
“Uh…” Sawamura stared back at him. “I… uh.” He turned around, searching for a clue somewhere. What was it? Did Chris even tell him?
“A cheese omelet with toast,” Miyuki said after a moment, and Sawamura blinked at him confusedly.
“Is that what you want?” Sawamura asked, but Miyuki looked somewhat unimpressed.
“No, that’s today’s special,” Miyuki said with a nod to the chalkboard behind Sawamura’s head. “It says so right there.”
“Huh?” Sawamura turned around, as if to make sure the chalkboard’s existence was indeed true, and then he whipped back to Miyuki with a scowl. “Then why did you ask me!?”
“I was testing you,” Miyuki shrugged. “You’re really new at this, aren’t you, Sawamura?”
“I just started yesterday, gimme a break—wait, how do you know my name?” Sawamura stammered, switching from defensive to bewildered in a matter of seconds.
Miyuki’s attention dropped down to Sawamura’s chest. “It’s written all over you.”
Shocked, Sawamura looked down, then caught sight of his nametag. Miyuki was snickering again, and now Sawamura felt an irritated blush burn on his cheeks as he glared up at Miyuki indignantly.
“Look, just tell me what you want to order so I can get back to work!” Sawamura hissed, and in that moment Chris stepped out from the kitchen.
“Ah, Chris, your new employee is harassing me,” Miyuki drawled, his thumb jutted out to point at Sawamura accusingly. “All I want is a chai tea latte, you know…”
“That’s not what’s happening at all! I didn’t even know you wanted that until now!” Sawamura protested, but Chris only sighed and shook his head.
“Well, now that you know, shouldn’t you serve our customer?” Chris chided, causing Sawamura to go rigid with fear and cold realization. Right, this was his boss, and he was at work, and no matter how irritating Miyuki was being, he was their customer.
“Yes, sir!” Sawamura barked out far too loudly, then turned and immediately began preparing the chai latte to make up for his previous incompetency, even if it wasn’t his fault. He missed the critical look Chris gave to Miyuki, who only grinned amusedly as he pulled out a few coins and slid them across the counter.
Determined to make amends, Sawamura turned around and practically slammed the latte down on the counter. “Here’s your tea!” He barked out far too loudly.
Miyuki looked like he was about to laugh again. “Is this your first job?”
“I’m not a high schooler!” Sawamura snapped, then cringed as he felt Chris’s stare on him again. “Enjoy your tea,” he added softly, a small frown on his lips once again.
Miyuki took the tea and turned around, though before he got to the entrance of The Bull Pen, he paused and looked over his shoulder.
“The soup of the day is butternut squash,” Miyuki called out, grinning widely, “and you can keep the change, Sawamura.”
Suddenly, Sawamura didn’t care if Miyuki was a customer or not. He secretly wished he had spilled that scalding hot tea down the asshole’s shirt and called it an accident. His face burned with humiliation. How dare Miyuki call him out like this on his second day on the job! Of course he wouldn’t have all that stuff memorized just yet!
“Don’t worry about Miyuki,” Chris said after he noticed Sawamura, still fuming and huffing like a steaming kettle behind the cash register. His voice captured Sawamura’s attention, and he turned with questioning eyes to his boss. Chris cast a glance over to the entrance of The Bull Pen and sighed. “He’s someone you’ll get used to eventually.”
***
Sawamura wondered when ‘eventually’ would finally come around.
Sure, it was only his fifth day on the job. He might have to work on his patience and have even more interactions with Miyuki, but he still felt his skin crawl and heat up every time he accidentally caught Miyuki’s eyes from where he often sat behind the counter.
Sawamura was a very energetic employee, to use Chris’s words, and that was very much needed when everyone else was sluggish and tired in the early morning hours and even in the haze of warm, sunny afternoons. Furuya said he was “too loud” and Sawamura always snapped back that he couldn’t help it. Sawamura was quickly learning that Furuya was his polar opposite—calm, quiet, and precise in everything he did.
Sawamura was leaning against the counter, glaring daggers at The Bull Pen’s entrance, trying not to focus too intensely on the few things he could see from his angle. There seemed to be a row of glass dildos above the counter, and inside the display case was… was that supposed to be a vibrator…?
“Sawamura.”
He flinched when he heard his name spoken so close to him, and with a start he stood upright, saluting the man beside him. “Boss!”
Chris laughed awkwardly. “You can just call me Chris, it’s fine…”
“Yes, boss!” Sawamura promptly responded, eyes bright and attentive as he dropped his saluting hand.
“Well…” Chris reached up and scratched at his temple. “You’ve been doing well during your first week here. Is there anything you’re unhappy with that I should know about?”
Sawamura blinked at him slowly, slightly taken aback by the sudden question. Then, he shook his head and said, “No, boss! Everything is great here!”
“Ah.” Chris smiled, but he didn’t seem entirely pleased by his answer. “I’m glad nothing is particularly upsetting you.” He paused, and the silence was heavy before he continued on with a suspicious glint in his eyes. “You’re not bothered by the presence of The Bull Pen?”
Sawamura tensed immediately. His true feelings must have been written all over his face, for Chris laughed and added, “I thought so.”
“It’s really, uhm, how do I say it…” Sawamura mumbled, looking hesitantly off to the side. “Unusual… for a… a shop like that to be connected to a cafe. I guess I’d expect like… a stationery shop, or something…”
Chris nodded thoughtfully. “We definitely questioned it when they approached us with a request to own the space, but… well. It’s actually a fantastic thing for them to be there.”
Sawamura gawked as he stared at Chris. Chris was someone who wore turtleneck sweaters and cardigans, someone who looked like he enjoyed reading poetry and going apple-picking. To think of Chris, someone so humble and kind, enjoying a sex shop…! It tainted Sawamura’s entire image of his boss in seconds.
“I know it may seem uncomfortable at first,” Chris went on, likely noticing Sawamura’s openly appalled expression, “but it’s really nothing to fret about. The shop brings in a lot of revenue to our cafe, for their customers usually stop on the way out to take something to go.”
That made enough sense to Sawamura, and now his pure image of Chris returned, but still… he frowned to himself as Chris went on.
“You have been doing well, Sawamura, but I have noticed you become rather distracted with the shop’s presence a few times.”
Sawamura’s face flushed hot with embarrassment. He immediately bowed his head with shame. “Sorry, sir! It won’t happen again!”
“No, it’s alright, you don’t have to bow,” Chris assured quickly. “But I do think that in order for you to get used to The Bull Pen, you need to go inside and have a thorough look around.”
Sawamura was now standing upright again, eyes wide with shock and horror.
Wait… did he just hear that correctly?
Sawamura practically squeaked, “C-Come again!?”
As if to mock his current predicament, rambunctious laughter came blaring from the shop’s entrance once again. There it was—that painful, ear-piercing ‘kyahahaha’ cackle alongside what Sawamura recognized as Miyuki’s… off-putting sniggering. Sawamura stared at The Bull Pen feeling nothing but dread sinking all the way down to his feet. He felt like a Roman gladiator being forced to enter the Colosseum, and he wasn’t sure if he would ever make it out alive again.
Chris smiled encouragingly and placed a hand on Sawamura’s shoulder. “I’m asking you—as your boss and as part of your job—to go inside The Bull Pen and familiarize yourself with its workers and its contents. Introduce yourself to the employees. You know Miyuki already, so that’s already half of them, more or less… sometimes others come to help out, but most of the time it’s just Miyuki and Kuramochi in there.”
Sawamura swallowed deeply. “U-Um… is this required?”
“Yes,” Chris said, glancing briefly behind Sawamura. “Furuya had to do it.”
“Furuya did…!?” Sawamura turned around in disbelief, locking eyes with his usually-stoic co-worker. Briefly, Sawamura had a mental image of Furuya holding a butt plug while surrounded by the freaks that worked inside, and Sawamura inwardly cringed at the mere thought of being in his place. Furuya looked back at him and simply nodded once, like he was someone who knew the turmoil that Sawamura was about to endure. He looked somewhat disturbed, which did absolutely nothing to calm Sawamura’s nerves.
“It’s only fair that you do it as well,” Chris went on, and suddenly Sawamura no longer saw his smile as one of benevolence, but one of sadistic amusement. “Seeing the things they sell and getting acquainted with their community will help you get used to their presence, and therefore you will be less distracted in the future. They’re practically coworkers so it is important that you get along with them and do not feel so unsettled by what’s in the shop. So please, take as much time as you need in there, Sawamura.”
And with that, he gave Sawamura a light push to send him to the other side of the counter. Sawamura nearly stumbled, and he froze like a deer in the headlights, staring at the very thing that was about to cause his death.
No one was behind the counter of The Bull Pen at the moment, so no one saw him hovering just outside the entrance… but Sawamura was still terrified to step inside. He felt like once he ducked under that curtain there was no going back. He would forever be a changed man, scarred by whatever horrors he had seen within, and life would never be the same.
Sawamura swallowed slowly. His heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest, but as he was suddenly filled with a strange surge of bravery, he held his chin up high. What was he doing, freaking out over seeing a few sex toys? He was stronger than that! Sawamura Eijun was a cool, badass guy that everyone admired, and he could handle some adult content, sure, no problem! He was far from being a scrawny high schooler—now he was in college and it was about time he faced his irrational fears.
Now determined—perhaps a little too determined—Sawamura stomped inside and immediately belted out, “Show me the biggest dildo you have! I’m not afraid!!”
Standing there in the middle of the shop was Miyuki and the other employee, a man with scruffy, greenish hair who must be the Kuramochi that Chris mentioned earlier. They were both frozen in place, staring wide-eyed at Sawamura before Miyuki snorted, and suddenly Sawamura could hear nothing but downright hysterical cackling echoing rather painfully in his ears.
“Kyahahaha! So this is the new employee at King’s Roar!?” Kuramochi snickered with a glance at Miyuki, who was trying to catch his breath as he wiped a few tears from the corners of his eyes. “I like his attitude already!”
Sawamura was now beet-red as he realized just what he said as he burst into the shop screaming at the top of his lungs. He immediately wanted to take it back, but he didn’t want to appear like some sort of coward. He had to own up to it!
“Y-You heard me!” Sawamura hotly and shakily responded. He balled his hands into fists. “Show it to me!”
“Most people that make such a theatrical entrance ask for the money, but this is by far the most interesting demand I’ve heard to date,” Miyuki responded, amusement glittering in his eyes. “Well, since you’re so enthusiastic, we can show you.”
Sawamura swallowed slowly, trying not to look around at the contents shop quite yet. He nodded curtly, reminding himself that this was for the sake of keeping his job. “Y-Yes, please!”
“But under one condition,” Miyuki added on, holding up his index finger. Sawamura felt his heart slam his chest with immediate fear, especially when Miyuki’s grin only widened. “We will give you a tour of the entire shop first and leave the best for last.”
Sawamura bit back a dreadful groan and gathered himself. This was for the avoidance of instant-ramen, for the sake of making a living, for the purpose of not starving to death during college. While keeping these things in the forefront of his mind, Sawamura stood tall and with dark, grave eyes, nodded once and said, “I’m ready.”
“Oi, oi!” Kuramochi walked over to Sawamura, a sly smile stretching across his face. “No need to look so tense. Lighten up!” He paused in front of him and held out his hand in greeting. “Welcome to The Bull Pen, newbie. I’m Kuramochi Youichi.”
Sawamura took his hand and shook it aggressively. Loudly, he introduced himself. “I’m Sawamura Eijun!”
“Kyaha! You’ve got lots of energy!” Kuramochi noted with a big grin. “You’re like the total opposite of Furuya!”
“Furuya’s got energy too,” Miyuki added, “but he shows it differently.”
Kuramochi nodded his head over to his coworker. “And I heard you already met Miyuki.”
Sawamura squinted at the other man, a small scowl on his face as Miyuki regarded him with a cool smile. “Yeah, I know him… Miyuki Kazuya.”
“Down, boy,” Miyuki said, his smile only widening as he defensively lifted his hands, like Sawamura was a growling dog. The gesture had Sawamura gritting his teeth as his cheeks tinged pink with mild embarrassment, but before anything else could be said, Kuramochi clapped his hands together decisively.
“Alright, let’s get this tour started!”
Sawamura snapped back to reality, and for a moment he felt like he was doused in ice-cold water. He watched, mortified as Kuramochi approached him and nodded to the shelving unit just behind Sawamura.
Oh god, it had begun. Sawamura never so fiercely wanted to run away from anything in his life. He tensely turned around, watching as Miyuki leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets as Kuramochi gestured at the bookcase closest to the door. It wasn’t visible from the cafe, however.
“Here we have a selection of erotic books,” Kuramochi explained. “At the top here are informative guides to help newbies and essentially teach people about anything sexual. From how to spice up an aging love-life to an introduction to the kink community, we’ve got it all.”
“How… helpful,” Sawamura commented awkwardly. Miyuki smiled a little from off to the side, clearly trying to contain his laughter.
“On the next shelf is straight erotica, and the next is lesbian erotica, and then gay erotica.” Kuramochi pointed to each shelf as he went down the list. “The books vary from bestsellers to things published by local authors… like this guy right here!”
Sawamura turned bewildered eyes to the person Kuramochi was pointing at. That very person was wearing a shit-eating grin, leaning casually against the wall like nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Y-You w-write… p-...por-...!?” Sawamura stammered, his face heating up exponentially. He couldn’t even get the words out.
Miyuki tilted his head to the side, eyebrows arching in question. After watching Sawamura struggle to speak for a moment, he shot a smirk in Sawamura’s direction and said, “Yeah, I write porn. It sells and it’s fun.” With a wink, he added, “I’ll even sign your copy if you buy one.”
“I-I’ll pass!” Sawamura blurted out, already wanting to curl up and hide after learning something so… raunchy about the man standing right next to him.
Kuramochi went on to show Sawamura the gag gifts they had, such as gummy penises and various candies in similar phallic shapes. There were postcards and balloons and all sorts of goofy things, all clearly not meant to be taken seriously. Amongst it all was some genuine pride paraphernalia, with various flags depicting many identities across the spectrums of sexuality and gender.
“And now for the fun stuff!” Kuramochi narrated excitedly, guiding Sawamura deeper into the shop, to the places that Sawamura couldn’t see from the outside. He swallowed slowly as he followed Kuramochi’s lead, feeling far too aware of Miyuki’s presence right behind him.
“Here is all the different kinds of lubricant we own!” Kuramochi presented the display case with a big grin, like he was proud of their vast collection. At least looking at bottles of liquid wasn’t so embarrassing, but Sawamura still felt fidgety knowing exactly what that stuff was used for. Plus, the different flavors and scents on the bottles had his face turning slightly red as his mind imagined what they would smell and taste like in the bedroom.
No, no, no! Sawamura tried to clear those thoughts immediately. Stop thinking that way, Eijun! It’s weird!
“And over in this case, we have—” Kuramochi was about to continue when he suddenly paused and pulled his phone out of his pocket, which had begun buzzing loudly. He looked up at Miyuki apologetically. “Sorry, I need to take this.”
“That’s fine,” Miyuki assured. “I can take over from here. You explained half the shop already.”
“Thanks!” Kuramochi darted out of the shop, likely to go stand outside and talk to whoever had called.
… which left Sawamura alone with Miyuki.
“Now, where were we?” Miyuki said, taking a few steps closer to Sawamura, who considered edging away until he caught a whiff of a rather enticing, earthy-smelling cologne.
Is that coming from Miyuki…? Sawamura tensed his eyebrows and glanced over his shoulder, wondering if it was the other man that smelled that damn good, but his thoughts came to a screeching halt as soon as he felt a gentle touch at the base of his spine.
Whoa—when did he get so close?
“Here, we have a collection of vibrators,” Miyuki had started speaking about what they were looking at, but Sawamura could hardly concentrate. Miyuki was standing so close to him, with a warm, sturdy hand resting right in the small of his back as he talked with the smoothest… most irritating voice Sawamura had ever heard.
It had to be irritating if his heart was racing like this. That was surely why his spine tingled and heat seemed to pool out from where his hand was touching. He felt like he was holding his breath as Miyuki spoke right beside him, pointing at the various models with a casual smile on his lips, like he was telling Sawamura about the weather rather than the wide array of things he could shove up his ass.
“This one in particular has a more powerful setting than the others,” Miyuki explained, pausing to look at Sawamura, who was certain the flush on his face was darker than ever before. Miyuki tilted his head, hovering somewhat close to Sawamura’s ear as he continued to speak in that smooth tone of voice. “It’s got a special curve and flexibility to it so that the head can easily reach the prostate from nearly every position.”
Sawamura swallowed slowly. “T-That’s… uh. Impressive?” He offered with a brief, shy glance in Miyuki’s direction.
That was a mistake, for he felt like the space between them just shortened tremendously—like if he took the wrong step, their noses might touch.
Miyuki stared at him for a moment, his eyes glinting with intrigue. Sawamura was close enough to see the way his pupils dilated ever-so-slightly. “Mmhm… it is.”
Then, Miyuki turned away and his hand pushed firmly on Sawamura’s back to guide him to the next section of the shop. Sawamura almost stumbled from the push, still a bit dazed from whatever had just happened, but he just barely managed to move his feet, which suddenly felt heavier than usual.
Sawamura had half the mind to tell him off—he could walk on his own, after all—but he was too stunned and flustered to speak up. The touch was somewhat of a distraction from whatever terribly awkward things Miyuki was saying about the goods in the shop.
It only got worse from there. The area they were in now was terribly cramped—so much that Sawamura was almost totally pressed up against Miyuki. Their sides were brushing every few seconds and making Sawamura feel stuffy and significantly hotter than before. Dammit, why did Miyuki make him feel like his skin was on fire? And why did his infuriating smirk make Sawamura feel a little more breathless than before?
“Here’s our display of handcuffs, collars, and leashes,” Miyuki said, voice far too velvety and enticing for Sawamura’s already-confused head. For some strange reason, the way he was speaking just got under Sawamura’s skin and made him ancy. He felt hot all over and fidgety, and although he had been telling himself it was because of the things he was looking at, he was slowly starting to realize it was because of Miyuki himself.
“These handcuffs are each lined with faux fur and made of animal-friendly leather, and they’re adjustable to fit any pair of wrists,” Miyuki explained, reaching up to take a pair of the handcuffs off the hook they were hanging on. “Here, try them.”
“W-What?” Sawamura stammered, staring wide-eyed at the black leather handcuffs being presented to him. Miyuki didn’t say anything as he loosened them with swift movements and waited for Sawamura to extend his hands.
Swallowing thickly, Sawamura lifted his arms and held out his wrists, though he wasn’t sure why he was agreeing to this in the first place. His heart felt like it was beating like crazy, slamming against his chest over and over as Miyuki slipped the handcuffs on and tightened them.
“Does it hurt?” Miyuki asked, voice low enough to send a small shiver down Sawamura’s spine.
What the hell is this bastard doing to me!? Sawamura thought bewilderedly, feeling his face heat up tremendously at the question. He flexed his wrists, realizing that they were too tight for him to get out of, but they were surprisingly comfortable. The fur was soft and pleasant against his skin and Sawamura swallowed gradually, trying to avoid eye contact with Miyuki at all costs. God forbid he realized that Sawamura was secretly enjoying this—Sawamura felt like if Miyuki knew this, he would carve a teasing remark about it onto his gravestone.
“No, it’s comfortable,” Sawamura admitted nervously, praying that his voice wasn’t shaking too much.
Miyuki fixed him with a satisfied smirk, and Sawamura felt paralyzed in place as a darker, hungrier look flashed through his eyes for the briefest of moments. Then, he reached out and brushed his fingers along the edge of the leather cuffs as he said, “Good. They should never hurt.”
Sawamura held his breath, feeling his skin heat as their eyes met again. It was intense for just a second, and Sawamura felt like Miyuki was going to say something, to suggest something—but in that moment the tense air between them was almost instantly cleared by laughter.
“Kyaha! Miyuki, I didn’t realize you would start putting the newbie in restraints already! Are you really that pent up?” Kuramochi was walking towards them, a big, stupid grin on his face. He must have finished up his phone call, and Miyuki turned to him with a twisted smile.
“No, I’m just doing my job,” Miyuki bit out, and Sawamura swore he saw his eyebrow twitch with irritation. Though after hearing Kuramochi’s comment, he reached out and removed Sawamura’s handcuffs with what looked like just the faintest blush on his cheeks. Sawamura rubbed his lips together, not sure what to make of the situation and Kuramochi’s comment about Miyuki being “pent up.”
He rubbed his wrists once the handcuffs were off. Although they didn’t ache in the slightest, now that they were gone, he kinda… missed them.
“Well, I can take over for a bit,” Kuramochi offered, and with that Miyuki stepped aside. Suddenly Sawamura didn’t feel as heated as before. He took advantage of their distance, inhaling a deep breath and trying to cool off if just for a moment.
Even when Kuramochi slung his arm over Sawamura’s shoulders and started talking about their lingerie, Sawamura didn’t feel flustered at all. Well, he totally was embarrassed to be looking at lacy panties and stockings and the like, but Kuramochi’s presence did nothing to stir him up like Miyuki’s just had.
Is it just because Miyuki is a better salesperson? Sawamura wondered momentarily. Or perhaps, since he was an author, he was good at picking his words… whatever the reason, Sawamura didn’t understand it, and he pushed it to the back of his mind as they moved on to the accessories area, where there were things like kitten ears, masquerade masks and all sorts of things that could be used to roleplay in the bedroom.
“Up there is an example of some of the corsets we carry,” Kuramochi explained, nodding up to the mannequin sitting on a rather high ledge. Sawamura followed the direction of his eyes, looking curiously at the constrictive, sleek black garment that was fastened around the mannequin’s waist. “We carry brands made for male and female bodies, so we are guaranteed to find the best fit for all of our customers.”
Sawamura couldn’t help but to be intrigued by the corset. Something so form-fitting was sorta attractive…
He shook his head quickly. What was he thinking!? Only a short time in the sex shop and he was already becoming some sort of pervert! An embarrassed flush settled on his cheeks and Kuramochi dropped his arm from where it was resting around Sawamura’s shoulders before, no longer clinging to instead lead him over to a case of dildos.
Oh, great. Sawamura sighed deeply as he stepped over, trying not to stare too intensely at the vast variety of sizes, shapes, lengths and colors. The display was set up with care, with silks and furs laid out around the dildos to make them more appealing. Tiny labels with names and prices rested beside each dildo, and Sawamura was doing his best not to cringe at some of their titles.
The Meat Stick… Sawamura crinkled his nose with disapproval. Who the hell would want to shove something with the name of ‘meat stick’ into their body? He didn’t understand the appeal, but he stayed silent and brave as Kuramochi began describing the benefits of each dildo.
Halfway through, Kuramochi stepped aside and Miyuki picked off where he left off, much to Sawamura’s misfortune. Now he was once again subjected to Miyuki’s smooth, invasive voice that seemed to unveil Sawamura from the inside out. Why must Miyuki talk like he somehow knew all of Sawamura’s deepest, darkest secrets? It wasn’t fair and it didn’t make any sense—Sawamura had never met anyone that got to him this way before. He had no clue how to handle his strange mixture of emotions and the strange physical reactions he experienced every time Miyuki was standing too close, when his eyes lingered on Sawamura, when his words seem to encircle Sawamura like a python around its prey.
And dammit, they had only interacted a few times! This didn’t make any sense!
“Here’s what you’ve been waiting for,” Miyuki said after a lengthy description of the ‘Maximus 3000.’ He nodded up to something displayed on a higher shelf, and Sawamura looked up with a slight twinge of fear in his chest. “That’s the biggest didlo we have. It’s called Big Ben.”
Well, it wasn’t shaped like a clock tower, but Sawamura gulped when his eyes settled on the massive toy standing tall and proud upon its own special shelf. That thing looked as long and as thick as his goddamn arm. He had no idea how anyone could fit it into their body without breaking it. Why anyone would want to subject themself to their sort of pain, Sawamura had no idea.
He cast a momentary glance around the shop, trying to determine if the torture was almost over. Luckily they seemed to be near the counter, almost done surveying a majority of what the shop offered. As soon as he could get out of there, he would practically sprint out if it meant putting distance between himself, the painfully awkward contents of the shop, and most of all, the insufferable Miyuki Kazuya.
That’s exactly what Miyuki was—insufferable. He was absolutely not charming, attractive or anything of the sort. Sawamura was convinced of that (for now).
“That’s what you asked to see, and we did say it would be at the end…” Miyuki tapped his chin and looked over to the few cases left that were around the counter. “But we still have more to go, so we might as well finish, yeah?”
Sawamura frowned deeply. This is for work, he reminded himself grumpily. “Uh… yeah, I guess.”
He wasn’t thrilled about it, to say the least. He fidgeted uncomfortably as Miyuki gestured to a display case of plugs, gleaming silver in the lights that shone above them. One in particular caught Sawamura’s attention, for it had a black, tear-drop shaped tuft of fur at the end of it. Sawamura looked at the label. As he suspected, it was labeled as a bunny tail.
“Ohhh, I see you eyeing the cute bunny plug,” Miyuki teased, immediately causing Sawamura to go rigid and look away.
“It’s different than the others!” Sawamura defended, his cheeks flaming red almost instantly. “Of course I’d look at it!”
“We do take reservations and hold items if you want to make a decision later,” Kuramochi unhelpfully added, and Sawamura gave him a sharp glare before huffing.
After he was made aware of the various gags, blindfolds and ropes that the shop offered, he had reached the end of the tour. Sawamura was never more eager to leave a place before—the moment he was out the door he ran to hide behind the safety of the cafe’s counter at the speed of a bullet, nearly barreling into Furuya in the process.
“Did it help?” Furuya asked skeptically.
Sawamura was hiding his face in his hands. He groaned loudly as he recalled Miyuki’s stupidly attractive smile and admitted, “I think it only made everything worse.”