koifish psl.

[spendings]

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[koifish]

[ Today, the Nishikiyama Family finally receives recognition for its rapid growth and contributions to the Tojo Clan. Months and months later, and after having tediously weeded away at the bad apples, Nishikiyama's men have pulled their acts together.

His new path as a yakuza had done plenty in providing them an incentive to obey; first out of fear, then out of respect. Shindo and Kanda do plenty to keep their fellow members in line— not out of selflessness, but because the two of them are actively clamoring for the title of their patriarch's captain. Meanwhile, Mine's funding ensures their family's not doomed for the dirt. Strange, though, how Nishikiyama himself avoids spending any more of Mine's money than he has to. He's been extremely careful with the amounts that Mine's deposited and even leaned on him to stabilize the cash flow that's attained organically and independently.

After applause rises from the Tojo Clan congregation, Nishikiyama returns to his seat at the tail of giving a speech. He's been placed somewhere in the rows dedicated to the Tojo family patriarchs; separated from Mine by protocol, but certainly not by choice. The seat beside him frees up quickly, and Kazama soon replaces Nishikiyama in front of the gathering to speak in turn.

It's when Kazama is speaking that Nishikiyama locks gazes with Mine from where he sits. Far across the venue, over a sea of yakuza, Mine only one in hundreds of them. His patriarch's eyes are sharp like a cat's are. Shoulders back and poised. The corner of his mouth faintly pulls upwards, bizarrely derisive and pleased at the same time. Nishikiyama is in a position where he needn't explain or make much sense to his subordinates. He knows that. The smirk he spares him is for Mine to do what he will with, and as fleeting as it'd been, Nishikiyama turns to face the front, listening as the meeting comes to a gradual close. ]

[yakuzzy]

[ Yakiniku with the Nishikiyama Family. With Mine's patriarch now having deposited him near the front half of the dining space, there's a shift in atmosphere that's strong enough to make what intimacy had happened between them before feel as if it hadn't at all. The most human thing about Nishikiyama in front of the others is that he takes off his shoes alongside the rest of them. His men don't speak to him unless they're spoken to first. Things had eventually turned out that way after the incident with Matsushige— not that anyone has the nerve to take an issue with it. ]

Well, well, well, Mine!

[ By the time they've settled for the grills and Mine has taken his seat near the end of the table, he's no second left short until Kanda swings his hand to clap the man's shoulder. ]

You sneak off somewhere after the assembly? Why didn't you stick with us?

[ Kanda is gawking, obnoxious, and somewhat offended by the slight. Mine should stay with the group. He'd been fine enough before the assembly, in the right place at the right time, but something's off now. ]

You go get your baby from the daycare or something?

[spendings]

[ More than 24 hours later some blanks have filled back in. Mine hadn't been the one to drive them to Nishikiyama's place, he threw up at the restaurant– he forgot– then a second time at the apartment. No wonder, then, that he'd woken up with an ache. He'd worked a full day after.

Not coming in to the Nishikiyama Family office the same night ended up tactical as much as necessary. Mine takes his walk past cluttered workstations in the middle of the room. The place does much to look like a simple department. The lamborghini some of the men here saw their patriarch take off in is parked outside, again.

Nonetheless a reset; this is what Mine considers it as. Not all the way, only to where he remembers. Thinking back to their lunch, though, Mine remembers the want he'd carried into the night selfsame. Ultimately just going around and around, it's been like this since he woke up yesterday. His composure frays at the edges now—in reality something that can hardly be seen, his expression as strict as ever—but the suitcase shifts up some as he squeezes his grip around the handle. There'd just been the assembly to recognize what the Family has gained, but at the beginning of a new month, Mine brings in his investments without delay. It's a welcome excuse that he'll never admit to taking as such– he's here to see Nishikiyama. ]

[spendings]

[ Mine knows enough about extravagance and atmosphere. What a gaudy place– is the first thing he remarks about Kamurocho's underground upon gaining access; realistically he could never have guessed. There's a moment where Mine almost forgets he'll be in the ring, Nishikiyama's invitation would have let him into the audience alone.

Trying to get an overview of who else is participating, Mine looks around. Is Kanda here? He must be pissed off about losing his spot. Mine'd watched him, slow and large and bumbling about, then made his decision—fighting and winning against Kanda'd been more strategy than luck, even though Mine'd deferred to that explanation. For perhaps the first time, he relishes being underestimated, and is decidedly cruel to let Kanda think he'll have a chance next time.

He doesn't know if Nishikiyama is impressed yet. Thinking his atonement had been in having the patriarch sit with him for the colors of his tattoo, he'd run up criticism after. What made him think he could take any time away from getting prepared? Given the cold shoulder after the only time Mine could remember, he'd found the circumstances of the tournament were Nishikiyama's only objection though. A single-minded thought of what the end of the event should mean got planted. Obsession with the idea grows silently behind the absent glare Mine places on the ring—he could watch a few fights, first. Drifting over to Nishikiyama's side, it gains focus. ]

Boss, [ He's found reason to be less careful about sitting close. ] I'll be going in soon.

[ His turn, before Arase and Shindo as his seniors. Mine's tailored ensemble does a lot to slim him down. He doesn't need to show muscle when he sits behind a desk all day. Announcing his absence, Mine waits for an answer. ]

[spendings]

[ Mine, because of an expectation that hadn't been surely promised, has held his focus elsewhere for two weeks. Diligent and wanting. Now, briefly, he wonders if it’ll bring back anything from the night they were too drunk to remember, when he and Nishikiyama enter the room. The hotel has a purpose this time, deceiving only with its facade out onto the street. No dinner and no wine.

He feels skin stretch tenderly everywhere, now that he undresses again. The short drive'd been enough to flush out the last of the rush he'd felt fighting, then numbing him comfortably. It makes movements look brusk, not smooth enough but hurried anyway. Nishikiyama'll finally stand close enough to observe his tattoo. The kirin's scales in full color ripple down Mine's back. Smoke cascades in the backdrop and settles at the back of his hips—details that'd been too faint to show in the linework. Mine's clothes pile on one of the chairs.

Is it that easy to keep going where they'd left off? Mine's decision to leave that morning (after–) threatens to haunt his desire. Again, he lets Nishikiyama herd him to the edge of the bed. ]

I want this. [ You. The thought intrudes, almost disorienting. It'll be the same, Mine comforts himself. ]

[yakuzzy]

[ It is 2:30 pm. Kiryu is allowed to make two phone calls a week. Always at the same time. On the same days of each week. For each call, he may only speak for thirty minutes. He calls the same number every time. He's called the same number for two years now without hearing from the person on the other end. Still, he cannot forget the sound of his oath brother's voice. His heart and mind are heavy. Loneliness is bearable, but what's worse is his worry. Kiryu doesn't know if Nishikiyama is okay without him. Years later now, without both Yumi and without Yuko... he doesn't know.

He wants to hear it from Nishikiyama himself. As the phone rings, he expects another day of reaching the Nishikiyama Family's voicemail. Of leaving a brief message for Nishikiyama to listen to, if he even does, and probably delete. Rrrring... Rrrring...

Kiryu's index finger tangles idly in the phone cord when someone on the other side picks up. There's no voice. He thinks he hears someone breathing. His heart stutters in his throat, and there's a sinking feeling in his stomach when the ringing's usual rhythm is disrupted. ]

Nishiki?

[spendings]

Sign here.

[ Mine waits for Nishikiyama to put down his stamp where he indicates. Paperwork to complete the purchase of the properties he'd sought to buy out. After finding no further issues, Mine'd informed him of the go-ahead. Everything is laid out on the desk in order. He's put a white-collar shine on it. ]

Here, as well.

[ His times are regular, but Mine defers to a busy schedule—not untrue, when he's looking for Yumi and Hiyoshi still—and business matters outside the yakuza to go back to his office. When Nishikiyama calls, he comes, but goes again soon. Lunches that could have been three or four between them are just one time in almost two weeks. Etcetera. They're physical. Mine's confessed something that seems one-sided but is true even so. He's devoted. It doesn't match how he acts at the moment. He thinks that staying too long will make him blurt out a question he keeps on his mind. Whether it's even appropriate or not. However, what Mine does to guard himself makes him seem distant rather than sensible. ]

It's good that you decided to buy when you did. [ Business small talk. ] That should be all.

[ Mine's gaze finally strays over to Nishikiyama. Is he sitting more slumped in his chair? Mine speculates whether he looks paler today, too. Ultimately, he means to leave right away, but nebulous guesses like that make him slow down, gathering the finished documents into his briefcase. ]

[koifish]

[ Mine seems to have reached home before 8pm, because when Nishikiyama arrives, there's someone there to greet him at the door. He lets himself into the vaguely familiar space, removing his shoes and his coat, and then making his way to the mansion suite. Mine has the sort of view that Nishikiywama wants— a clear view of Aoyama-ku and its lights. He accepts a white wine glass, but rather than going to the living room, he wanders into Mine's living quarters, where he hadn't ventured before. ]

Your bed's too big for one person.

[ He says. With heated carpet under his socks, he realizes that he really is somewhere expensive. He doesn't see a single wrinkle in the sheets, and the air smells clean too. Doesn't Mine smoke? Nishikiyama wonders how it's even possible to minimize the scent like that.

He sits on the end of the bed. ]

[spendings]

[ Mine wakes up to the typical view of the ceiling, but the fact that he shares his bed isn't usual. He senses the weight next to him and knows that they must be lingering somewhere past midnight. Rather than find a clock, though, he turns his head over to Nishikiyama's side. When they're having sex there's not a lot of time for it, so long before getting up—he does, after a while—is when Mine concludes that it's alright to stare while Nishikiyama is sleeping.

Eventually, he thinks to gather the items of clothing scattered about. At the foot of the bed is where Mine picks up his own shirt, pants and socks off the floor, and layers them in the crook of his elbow. Nishikiyama had left his strewn about the same. Mine looks down, the pieces divided apart from his and not suggestive of how tangled up they'd become mere minutes later. The shirt is laid with one of its sleeves folded out from the rest, like Nishikiyama'd merely let it slip off his shoulder this way, as things got hot and heavy. Mine's eyes flicker to and from. Nishikiyama's body shapes the duvet he sleeps underneath. Mine picks up the shirt, fingers tucked underneath the stiffer crescent of the collar. He knows it to fit Nishikiyama's shoulders more tightly, lacking the padding of his suit jacket. He doesn't even think as he raises the handful of fabric up to his nose. With an inhale that's no deeper than normal breathing, he still draws up the smell of Nishikiyama's cologne mixed with the cold smoke of his cigarettes into his lungs. Mine's shoulders sag in response. He'd closed his eyes to hone in on the scent, realizing that when he opens them again. His own clothes hang as a fig leaf off of his arm. His gaze stays, settled as he wallows in the conclusion. He can imagine Nishikiyama's body close to his own as he smells him, even though the man himself lies with his head at the other end of the bed.

He drops his hand down, suddenly noticing what he is doing. Mine pulls away from the view in saccades, searching the rest of his bedroom. There's the thinner sheet Nishikiyama'd wrapped himself up in to go smoke, on the corner of the mattress. Briefly, Mine wonders if he'd had it on him long enough to take up anything. He leaves it, though, figuring it just smells like his own Cabins, of the little bit of smoke that'd slipped back inside past the window. Nishikiyama's shirt is folded up onto the pile on his arm. Mine finds Nishikiyama's briefs still tucked into his pants. He makes his decision while upright, and only bends down to pick up one of the pieces. Without starched rigidity, he can just crumple it within his fist. Mine raises it up to his face.

What's possessing him? His eyes widen, impossible to tell in the unlit room, but this time Mine understands, as he pushes his nose into Nishikiyama's underwear and takes a deeper breath, that he's doing something bizarre. Still, his gaze doesn't dart away. ]

[koifish]

[ A familiar jingle of a bell chimes when Nishikiyama enters the bar Serena. With the barmaid's attention caught, Reina can be seen leaning forward over the counter, ready for him to have a seat. She starts making her way to one end before seeing that a guest is there behind him— another man in a suit, with a Nishikiyama Family pin on the lapel— he's new. Maybe the only other yakuza Nishikiyama has brought here since Kiryu. ]



A friend? [ She suggests. Nishikiyama's face, colder nowadays, flickers with some kind of reaction to the word. Almost like a cringe. Maybe the guest will introduce himself. As Mine lets himself in behind Nishikiyama, Reina is eager to take a good look at his face. ]

This is the first time in a really long time you've brought a guest along with you.

[ Nishikiyama lowers into his seat. ]

Just don't bother him too much.

He's so handsome, Nishikiyama-kun! Who is he?