Vol 2 Chapter 5 (2/2)

“Are you finished with work now?” Shougo asked from behind, and Rei twisted in place to respond.

“Yeah, for the time being.” But when his gaze fell on Shougo, he found that despite the early hour of barely 7 AM, Shougo was already dressed and ready to head out, a large bag dangling from one hand. “…What are you doing this early in the mo—”

But before he could finish, Shougo s.n.a.t.c.hed up his hand. “Great! Let’s not waste our hard-earned free time, then! Let’s go!”

“Huh? Go where?” As he c.o.c.ked his head in confusion, though, Shougo jerked on the hand he held and dragged him outside. He’d been working in his slacks and dress s.h.i.+rt, so there was no problem in exiting the room in that respect, but he’d been about to go to bed and had no intention of going along quietly.

“Someplace nice!” Shougo rea.s.sured, continuing his march forward while dragging Rei behind him.

“Someplace nice—which is where? You’re not a child—if you want something to eat, then go find something yourself; I’m going to bed.”

“Not that—you’ll find out when we get there!” He then hailed a cab and practically threw Rei inside. Rei was pretty much helpless by this point, given that his j.a.panese wouldn’t get him far outside the room. Plus, he had no money to pay the cab fare.

The taxi dropped them off at the airport of all places. Rei held out a moment’s hope that they were going straight back to j.a.pan, right now, but then quickly realized that couldn’t be the case. He didn’t have any of his luggage on him, and while the bag Shougo held in his hand was rather large, it was no suitcase.

“Hey, seriously—where are we going?”

“It’s a secret! We’ll be in the air for a good two and a half hours, so you can just nap on the flight! Leave everything to me.”

Rei was hardly mollified by the rea.s.surance, but he still allowed himself to be directed to the gate and shuttled on board, having completely given up resistance.

And just as Shougo had promised, after a two and a half hour trip, they landed…in Miami, Florida, where they then boarded anotherplane for another hour-long flight, eventually finding themselves in Lynden Pindling International Airport on the island of New Providence, in the Bahamas.

“…It’s sweltering…” The moment they exited the airport, Rei had to squint his eyes at the onslaught of the sun’s burning rays.

“Hey, Rei—this way, c’mon!”

“Wha—we’re traveling even more?!” He gaped openly as Shougo hailed a taxi, but that didn’t prove to be the end of their journey. After a half-hour trip in the taxi, they boarded a small s.h.i.+p, eventually arriving on a small island with no sign of any human population. The s.h.i.+p allowed them to disembark, before slipping away from the sh.o.r.e. “O—oi, Shougo?!”

“Y’know, this place has a ton of desert islands, but it’s still a resort area!” It seemed they’d arrived on one of those very desert islands.

“Th—that’s not what I meant to ask!” As Shougo babbled on inanely, the s.h.i.+p grew smaller and smaller, leaving them behind as it departed the sh.o.r.e.

“Which means that right now, we’re the only two people on this whole island! Kind of like we’re the last living people on earth, see?”

“Only two people…but—how on earth do you propose we get back, then?!” The boat had disappeared from sight by now, but Shougo just turned a broad, easy smile on the fl.u.s.tered and panicked Rei.

“I’ve told them to come back for us just before sunset—so don’t worry, we’re fine!” At these words, Rei felt a wave of relief wash over him. He’d freaked out at the word ‘desert island’, his imagination bringing to mind thoughts of survivalists and being set adrift, but when he stopped to think about it rationally, they’d arrived here by s.h.i.+p, so this made perfect sense.

Perhaps the sun was starting to fry his brain, depriving him of his usual logical reasoning.

“Now, since we’ve got this whole island all to ourselves, why don’t we take it easy and enjoy it while we can?” Shougo unzipped his bag and tugged out a blanket and some sunscreen, along with a couple of water bottles, spreading them out on the beach before flopping down on top of the blanket. Rei gaped openly, astonished at how thoroughly prepared Shougo was, before reluctantly settling down beside him, with nothing else to do.

“Whoa…!” As he relaxed, he finally took in the bright blue sky above him and the far-distant horizon separating sea from sky. This was the first time he’d ever seen the sky so huge, or that long line that really made him aware of how round the world was, and he felt his breath sapped for a moment as he took in the sight. It was a beautiful view that nearly brought tears to his eyes—the overwhelming grandness of nature which made humans utterly aware of their insignificance.

The scenery was enough to make Rei feel like a complete fool, whiling away his life on a tiny island and fussing over the minutiae of the day to day. He released a small sigh and sat there for a long moment, just watching and staring.

“…Wanna take a dip?”

“Huh?”

“Tada! I got you a swimsuit!” With this announcement, Shougo tugged out a pair of men’s swim trunks from his bag. “Though I mean, it is a desert island, so we could go without, too…”

“The h.e.l.l we could, idiot!”

“…Is what I thought you’d say, so here ya go!”

Rei stared at the suit Shougo offered him. He’d used their travel time to get some sleep in, so he was fairly well-rested, and they couldn’t exactly go anywhere until the boat returned, so it was futile protesting that he wanted to get back to work.

Plus…with such a beautiful ocean right before his very eyes, it would be a waste not to swim in it. “…All right, but just for today.”

“Yessir~!”

Rei fixed Shougo with a glare at his flippant response—but it didn’t last long.

Shockingly, Shougo had even brought along a snorkeling mask. While he didn’t have any fins with him, unfortunately, they still enjoyed floating on the water’s surface instead of diving down, taking in the sights of the seabed below them.

They saw fish in a veritable rainbow of color darting through the clear blue water, starfish hugging the sea floor, even tiny rays—and Rei couldn’t help but brim with excitement, swimming through the waters of the southern isles for the first time in his life.

Though truthfully, it wasn’t merely his first time swimming in thisocean—but his first time swimming in any ocean, as while he’d seen the ocean many times before, he’d never done anything that might const.i.tute ‘playing’ in it. His mother had never been the type to save up to send him on vacation to a seaside school, and his childhood had been far from a healthy one where he might have hoped to swim in the sea.

The pull of the waves, the sensation of sand between his toes—these were all brand new experiences for Rei. After swimming for a bit and floating on the surface, they tried building a sandcastle on the beach and even trotted off to explore their small island—and before they realized it, they were playing their hearts out as they relived their childhood.

Rei did have moments where he reflected on how strange the situation was, but then he’d just remind himself that it was only he and Shougo on the island, and a single glance at Shougo—who was having an even wilder time than Rei—washed those worries away.

Just as the sky was beginning to be washed over in the lovely tones of the setting sun, the pair flopped down to nap on the blanket they’d spread out on the sandy beach, and Rei let himself get lost in the beautiful oranges of the evening sky.

The sky and sea and island—and even Rei himself…they were all bathed in that color, leaving the strange sense that he was one with nature thudding in Rei’s chest with the rhythm of the waves.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Shougo remarked idly from where he sat beside Rei, glancing down at him.

“…That it is.” Much as he hated to admit it, he had to agree.

“Glad we came?”

“…I suppose.”

“Did you manage to get some rest in these last few days?”

This question caused Rei to start, his gaze jerking from the sunset to finally take in Shougo properly. Could the reason he’d been so adamant about this trip to New York have been because…? “So then…you planned to take me here from the very beginning?” His tone, while questioning, carried an air of conviction, and Shougo chuckled.

“Hehe, well—you’ve looked absolutely exhausted lately, soooo…”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“To me? Of course!” And on reflection, Rei realized that he often slipped into naps in Shougo’s presence, so he supposed Shougo naturally would have noticed—until Shougo added, “I’m always watching you, after all.”

At these words, Rei felt a slight clenching in his chest—only slight, mind you.

“Though well, and I’m only saying this to be fair: my dad noticed you were pretty beat, too, so when I brought up the suggestion for this trip, he agreed immediately.”

’So then, Seiya-san…’ And here, his chest clenched even tighter than before. The realization that Seiya had taken note of his state like this made Rei happy beyond belief. His urging to “get out for some fresh air” had been wholly out of consideration for Rei’s well-being, then—and this brought a smile blooming to his face.

“Tsk, look at you! Looking so happy, when I’m the one who brought you out here in the first place!” Shougo pouted, promptly rolling onto his side to place his back to Rei.

“Now now…” Rei was the one to sit up this time, gazing down at Shougo—his expression was petulant, like a child’s, and the sight was just a tiny bit cute, Rei had to admit. Plus… “I am grateful,” he murmured by way of admission. “It feels like, coming here, my mind’s been completely refreshed, no longer a muddled mess.”

He’d been so busy, day in and day out, that it had been all he could do just to take care of immediate problems… He hadn’t even realized how frazzled and stressed he’d been. To only recognize how far gone he’d been after coming to a place like this, so far removed from the ‘every day’…he must really have been myopic.

“Now once we get back, I can get a fresh start on my work. I think I finally understand what Seiya-san meant when he said that sometimes your mind really needs nourishment and stimulation.”

Shougo, likely unimpressed to hear Rei speaking once more about Seiya, kept his back turned and his lips sealed—and Rei couldn’t help giving a soft snort of amus.e.m.e.nt at this sight, reaching over to gently stroke his hair.

Shougo’s shoulders gave a sudden flinch—Rei hardly ever touched him, and it was clear now how attuned his nerves were to Rei’s movements. He probably shouldn’t say it—but he truly wasgrateful. He genuinely felt that Shougo was a good person.

Despite being as busy as he was himself, he’d taken time away from his creative work to consider how Rei was feeling, bringing him all the way to this out-of-the-way locale.

And yet…Rei’s feelings still swayed toward Seiya. Still, despite knowing the truth of his own emotions, Rei couldn’t help but want to do something for this man. Was that such a terrible thing…?

’…Probably…’

But despite such logic, he still wanted to give Shougo something in return, and while it might have been arrogant to a.s.sume this would placate Shougo… “…So? Are we just going to lie around and wait for the boat to come pick us up?” Shougo’s eyes snapped open at Rei’s words. “When we’ve got this whole beach all to ourselves…?”

He must have twigged to what Rei was suggesting, for he shot upright. “You don’t mind??” With the broad grin splitting his face practically in half, Rei realized Shougo was really easy to read at times.

“I’ve been so busy lately, we haven’t exactly had the time… Plus, there’s something about being surrounded by all this nature that just…brings out the animal instincts.”

At Rei’s words, Shougo leered, “Yup yup, you got that right!” He nodded enthusiastically and tugged Rei up by the arm, embracing him tightly and laying playful smacking kisses on his cheeks and lips. “Mmm, salty!”

“Of course I’m salty after swimming as much as we did,” Rei returned blandly, and Shougo smiled as if to say Oh yeah!. Seeing Shougo grinning so merrily at such close quarters sent the desire to do something nice for him welling up within Rei.

“Hmm…? Rei?”

“Just shut up,” he ordered sharply, extending a hand toward the hem of Shougo’s trunks. He tugged loose the tie at the waist, then smoothly slipped his fingers inside.

“…Ooh, feisty.”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?” His fingers brushed softly over Shougo’s length, and he could feel it hardening as he ran his touch along the shaft. While he didn’t often go on the offensive to touch Shougo like this himself, it was hardly anything new or imposing to Rei—and yet, for some reason, it set his pulse to racing just now. He couldn’t help but notice the never-ending sound of the waves lapping against the sh.o.r.e, reminding him that they’d only just finished exhausting themselves playing in the warm, clear waters along the beach.

“Rei…” He glanced up at his name—and found his lips gently covered with Shougo’s own.

“Nn…” Shougo nipped at his lips, pressing his tongue boldly between them and making a circuit of Rei’s mouth, drawing out a gentle moan. His arms slipped down to caress Rei’s hips, tugging him sharply close before drawing the both of them back down onto the mat together—leaving Rei straddling Shougo as he rode atop. To Rei, it almost felt as if he were the one initiating things with Shougo, like this, and he continued to gently stroke Shougo’s shaft.

“Ah…” Shougo’s fingers skittered over Rei’s body teasingly, one hand sliding along Rei’s side while the other brushed over his chest. “Your body’s really beautiful, Rei…”

“…Don’t say weird things like that.” Shougo was a celebrity, an entertainer—he ran into all manner of models and idols in his daily workings. Getting such a compliment from someone like that only sounded like lip service.

“It’s not weird! It’s true—I really do think your body is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

“……” Rei felt his cheeks heat at the sincerity in Shougo’s expression. If Shougo…if Rei’s body truly did look like that to him, then perhaps that was what they meant by ‘love is blind’. Which only served to embarra.s.s Rei further, actually.

“So…take everything off…and show it to me?”

“Show it to you…?” Shougo had seen his body countless times, yet he still hesitated. He should have had no qualms about stripping off his swimsuit now, but he was still uneasy at the thought of being nude, here in the outdoors. And yet…

“I want to see all of you… No?”

“……”

“—! Owowow!”

“Ah—s-sorry!” He’d unconsciously tightened his grip, apparently, and he quickly jerked his hand away from Shougo’s length.

“So mean, Rei!”

“W-well! It’s your own fault, for saying such shameless things!” he returned in a futile attempt to cover his discomfort, and he moved to stand and s.h.i.+mmy out of his swim trunks. However… “Oi, let go of me.”

Shougo still held Rei in a tight embrace about the hips, keeping him from standing up. “Take them off like this; I wanna see you strip while straddling me.”

“…Don’t you think your kinks are a little reminiscent of some old pervert?” he muttered sourly, but then sighed as he gave up the fight. “…Fine—but let go of me.” He reluctantly s.h.i.+fted up onto his knees, still straddling Shougo, and carefully began to pull down his trunks under Shougo’s gleeful gaze. But the action proved even more discomfiting than he’d antic.i.p.ated, so he clenched his eyes shut.

“…It’s really that embarra.s.sing, then?” Shougo mused softly with a chuckle, perhaps twigging to Rei’s discomfort. “It’s fine. It’s just like we always do it—I’m the only one watching.”

“I—never said it was embarra.s.sing…” he protested, but Shougo’s rea.s.surance still offered some measure of relief. He carefully lifted one knee at a time, pulling his legs through.

“…Did touching me get you off?” Shougo teased, and Rei felt his cheeks heat—as he’d clearly started to respond to the activity.

“Nn…” His hips gave a trembling jolt as Shougo reached for him, brus.h.i.+ng fingers along the hardening shaft.

“C’mon…be a little more vocal today. There’s no one else here but us,” Shougo urged as Rei tried to silence himself out of habit.

“Be that…as it, ngh—may…”

“Too embarra.s.sed?”

“Ahn…!” Shougo formed a ring with his fingers and encircled Rei’s tip, drawing out a mewl.

It was still embarra.s.sing, doing something like this outside—but at the same time, Rei reminded himself, they truly were alone, so he had no cause to feel shame. He could sense both body and soul being uplifted by the novelty of the setting.

“Nn—ah…!” With each stroke of Shougo’s fingers, his hips jerked forward, and it was swiftly becoming difficult to stay kneeling—but just as he felt himself about to collapse, Shougo jerked him forward by the arm until he was straddling Shougo bodily on hands and knees. His lips moved to Rei’s chest, dark from a day’s exposure to the sun. As he suckled teasingly at Rei’s hardening nipples, the shaft cradled in his fingers began to plump further.

“Hey Rei, are you maybe…a little more turned on than usual…?”

“Wha…?!”

“I feel like you’re more responsive today,” he remarked giddily, and Rei groped for a response.

“…I’ve just been really busy lately, that’s all.”

“Mm…? Well we’ll leave it at that, then!” Shougo made it sound like he was letting Rei have his little lie, but Rei couldn’t muster up the strength to refute the a.s.sumption.

“Aahn…ngh…” Shougo’s broad palm wrapped around his shaft, working him, and his nimble fingers played across the tip, setting Rei’s hips to jerking. Between the hiss of the waves cras.h.i.+ng against the sh.o.r.e came the slick, wet sounds of their lovemaking, and Rei’s cheeks heated with shame at the display. “Ah—”

Shougo’s free hand slid around to trail down Rei’s back, slipping between his crevice and probing gently. Trembling shudders rippled down Rei’s spine as Shougo dragged all the pleasure he could from Rei through his fingers along Rei’s shaft.

“Can you feel how slick and wet you’ve gotten now?”

“Stop…saying stupid…stuff…Nnah—” But just as Shougo said, only the gentlest of tugs had him leaking messily. “Aah…haangh…”

“Feels good?” he asked, before pressing his lips to Rei’s nipple again, sucking softly with a light smack and sending a numb jolt rippling down his spine. He very nearly peaked right then and there from the stimulation—but he desperately reined in the urge to climax at the last moment. “Aww, you don’t have to hold back—go ahead and c.u.m.”

“Ah—ahn…!” Shougo teased a nipple with his tongue, sending numbing pleasure jolting to his hips.

“Hmm…I wonder if I can get a finger in now…”

“Y—idiot, don’t do th…” Rei protested with a shake of his head; he couldn’t hold back under any further stimulation. That would be his undoing. “Nnn…—!”

“Ooh, it went in.”

“I…t-told you…not to…ngh…” It didn’t hurt—which meant it probably wasn’t in that deep. But he was still quite dry, and having something shoved inside made it feel even tighter than usual.

“Well, you’re really doing a number on me, so I couldn’t help myself!” He gave a twist to his finger, digging a bit deeper, and unconsciously brushed over that spot—and Rei’s thighs shuddered reflexively at the sharp stimulation.

“Hya—angh…!!” Before he could stop himself, he’d spilled his release over Shougo’s fingers and stomach, and with no more strength to hold himself up, he collapsed atop Shougo.

“…Mmm, I’d really like to wait for you, but…” Shougo began as Rei huffed laboriously on top of him, and Rei began to harbor a very bad feeling of impending doom.

“Ah—ahn…!” Shougo swiped his fingers through Rei’s spend, slicking them up and sliding them into Rei’s body. “Nngh…ah…!” Shougo probed mercilessly with two fingers, stretching Rei. He’d just climaxed and his body was already overly sensitized, so all he could do was bear the a.s.sault with trembling jolts.

“…Nngh—!” Shougo’s fingers slipped in and out, wet sounds filling the air between them. But before Rei could find any relief, he added another finger and rubbed them over Rei’s entrance. “Ahh…nnah…!” Shougo’s movements were slow and methodical, but the stretching sensation and being filled so full was still somewhat painful. The discomfort, however, quickly gave way to pleasure.

“…You’re twitching here…”

“…S…sto… Don’t…” But indeed, just as Shougo teased, his entrance was clenching tight around Shougo’s fingers, only to relax and release them a moment later. “That’s…not…” he tried to protest, shaking his head to refute the accusation.

Shougo only chuckled softly, stretching his fingers further. “I wanna hurry up and get inside you…” he whispered low and promising, voice tinged with l.u.s.t, and Rei felt himself clench tight around Shougo’s fingers. More than anything, now, he wanted Shougo to pound into him mercilessly with that length of his—his mind could tolerate no other thoughts. “…You ready?” At the question, Rei buried his face in the crook of Shougo’s shoulder, nodding weakly. “…Put it in yourself, then?”

“Wha…” Rei fell speechless at the request.

“C’mon, please…?” Under any other circ.u.mstances, he would have refused flat out, but…today… He formed his lips into a thin, tight line and steeled himself, bracing his arms on the mat beneath them and slowly lifting himself up. “Wha—whoa, seriously?? You’re gonna do it?” Shougo’s eyes flashed wide with shock as Rei lifted onto his knees as he’d done moments before to remove his swim trunks.

“…You’re the one who told me to…” Rei bit out, fixing Shougo with a glare, and reached around behind himself to palm Shougo’s shaft. It felt warm and thick in his grip, and he swallowed his nerves as he placed the blunt tip flush against his entrance, newly stretched and waiting.

He began to settle his hips, releasing a sharp cry as he felt himself filled with something utterly unlike Shougo’s fingers, hard and throbbing and feverishly hot inside himself. “Gghn…nnm…” Slowly, he felt himself being forced apart, and while he struggled to rationalize why on earth he was doing this, he still genuinely wanted to make Shougo feel good.

There were so many things he couldn’t offer Shougo—and yet despite understanding this, Shougo still tried to give Rei everything. He didn’t think doing something like this in any way made up for that, didn’t fool himself into thinking this was a sufficient response to those feelings of Shougo’s, but…still.

“Ha—ahn…” When he’d finally taken in the full length of Shougo’s shaft, as deep as it could possibly go, his thighs gave out, trembling pathetically, and he couldn’t move another muscle.

Still, this seemed more than sufficient to satisfy Shougo. “…Thank you, Rei,” he spoke, slowly pumping his hips upward.

“Aa—ah! Ahhn…!” Filled slowly and gently, he threw his head back in the face of the mounting pleasure. Perhaps it was the position—but it felt like Shougo was penetrating even deeper than usual, and bliss began building from his groin, bubbling upward. With each strengthening, punching thrust from below, Rei released a keening groan, and as he felt Shougo meet his climax, his release filling Rei from the inside out, he met his own peak for the second time before collapsing, spent, atop Shougo.

“Look, Rei—the boat’s coming.”

Beneath a sky quickly bleeding over from orange to a deep violet, Shougo smiled as he extended a hand toward Rei—and as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Rei took it. He felt a momentary flash of shame, but quickly reminded himself that no one was watching, and the pair wandered down the sh.o.r.eline to meet the small skiff that had come to fetch them.

“That was a ton of fun! I’d love to come back some day~”

“…Indeed.” At Rei’s nod, Shougo gave his hand a gentle squeeze to express his joy in the gesture. He’d wanted to return to j.a.pan so fiercely before, but now…he was actually going to miss this place a bit.

Still, he did feel the rising impatience to get back to j.a.pan and throw himself back into his work, and he understood that neither his time on this island nor his work in j.a.pan would be possible without Shougo by his side—and he dared a furtive sidelong glance at Shougo next to him, thinking that he might have gotten a glimpse into Shougo’s rather das.h.i.+ng side on this trip.

The next day had their group back in JFK Airport for their planned return to j.a.pan.

“Oh—c.r.a.p! I forgot to get souvenirs for Izumi!” Shougo groaned just as they’d made it through security. “I’m gonna run to the duty-free shop real quick!” Rei watched with a fond smile as he dashed off. Rei himself had already finished his shopping—not only for the promised souvenirs for Izumi, but also for Seiya of course, and Nagisa and Satou, the accounting staff member who’d watched the offices while he was gone, along with the Sena family’s housekeeper.

“Mm, looks like Shougo-kun’s perked up again!” Rei gave a jolt at Haru’s offhanded comment. “Seems his Overseas Escape Plan was a big success!”

“Eh…? ‘Overseas Escape Plan’?” The word plan in particular sent an uneasy shudder down his spine, and he c.o.c.ked his head in confusion.

Rinpei clarified, “Well, you’ve been so busy lately, Shougo’s been whining and moaning about how ’We don’t get to cuddle any!’ and’I’m not getting enough Rei!’ And that’s stopped him from making any progress on penning lyrics, so we just told him to spirit you out of the country, get away from it all for a little bit. Getting the recording in was two birds with one stone, then.”

The pair grinned broadly at Rei as he groped for words. Shougo hadn’t been able to cuddle with him? And because of that he couldn’t get any lyrics penned? So he should spirit Rei out of the country and get away from it all?

“Shougo-kun sure is one of a kind, though! He really gets the job done when he needs to! He must really have wanted to spend time with you, Rei-kun!”

“He was really stoked about it too, going on about how ’I’m totally gonna get some alone time with Rei!’”

Haru and Rinpei seemed to be laboring under the a.s.sumption that Rei and Shougo were some fawning, lovey-dovey couple, as they chatted adoringly about the pair. For his part, though, Rei’s smile was only skin-deep, and he only barely kept the anger bubbling beneath the surface from blowing up in their faces.

So the whole reason they’d come to New York in the first place, the reason he’d dragged Rei away from his daily grind, the reason he’d marooned them on a desert island had been…

“I see, yes… So it was all for his own peace of mind…” he ground out in a softly threatening voice, unable to keep it bottled up inside any longer. He’d been an utter fool to rethink how he fel

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