Well…I ended up having a month break instead, but I finally wrote something on Archive of Our Own yesterday? That counts, right?

I'm only doing this for the money, I'm only doing this for the money, I'm only doing this for the money, Ritsu continued to repeat to himself as he stared up at the modern apartment building, feeling chills creep up his spine at the sheer magnitude of what he was about to embark in.

He clenched his hands together briefly, then loosened them when they began to sweat. Quite nervously, if he might have mentioned. Because he was very nervous. More nervous than when he'd applied for the university he was currently enrolled in and wondering if he'd made a mistake when he recalled all the hours and days and weeks of work put into the application. Well, he was studying there now, so maybe it wasn't completely a mistake. The other part of it actually possibly being a mistake was the tuition. And the distance.

Now his parents were pretty well-off, but when they'd caught wind of him attending a university nearly halfway across Japan, they cut his allowance. There was a whole argument about him apparently being independent enough to earn his own money since he was moving so far away and, yeah, it was bad. So he had to depend on the meal plan his tuition covered, which was…decent, but still. He needed money to buy other things, things to survive, for instance.

And here he was, standing in front of the apartment building in which the job he'd called about was situated in. A job for nude modeling. The ad hadn't said much, only sporting the usual "Do you need to earn money quick?" kind of thing, and though it seemed so obviously suspicious, the actual pay offered was too rewarding to pass up. Ritsu called the number, and there was only an answering machine that told him the address, time, and date. How weird… he'd thought at the time, and now he was so close to just turning around and going back to the university. He had some studying for his Biology class, anyways…

No, this money would really help him, so he sort of had to do this. For the money, he sternly reminded himself, steeling his resolve and striding through the glass front doors of the building, right to the elevator where he pressed the "up" button, and then into the elevator itself when the doors opened. Once inside, his conviction deflated a little, and as the lights on the floor levels increased, past 6, past 10, past 15, he found himself growing more and more anxious, wringing his hands and biting at his lower lip.

He was shaking in trepidation when the light stopped on floor 25, and he could barely bring himself to step forward into the hallway and in front of the door of one of two penthouses on that floor. You have to do this, he told himself when he couldn't lift a hand to knock on the door. For the money. You're doing it for the money. If you don't do it, you won't have laundry detergent, or soap, or toothpaste for the next month. So you have to do it, if you want any sense of hygiene. You don't want to smell like that guy on the third floor, like he hadn't taken a shower once in the time you've been there.

Bolstering his will with that little tidbit of information, he brought a weak hand up to the door; and the greatest part was that as soon as his bony knuckles touched the door, it opened with nary a sound. The sight made him startle a bit.

"H-hello?" Ritsu called timidly as he shuffled into the penthouse, bowing and standing awkwardly in the genkan.

Shit, this is a really nice place…

Everything was in varying shades of gray, dark gray, or marble white, with ceiling-to-floor windows on one end and a remodeled kitchen to the right. There was a living room in front of where he was standing with a long, dark gray sofa and a modest-sized television with a beautiful unlit fireplace underneath. An opening led off to the far left of the kitchen, and there was artwork everywhere. In paintings on the walls and 3D sculptures decorated tastefully around the living and dining rooms; there was even a huge self-portrait of what seemed to be the owner of the penthouse in greens, blues, and reds hanging close to the television in the living room.

Ritsu had to stare for an entire two minutes before he came back to his senses and gulped. This guy had money, whoever he was, and he seemed to spend a lot of it on artwork, or maybe he made a lot of it on artwork he did himself…whichever the case, he was going to make sure that he didn't screw this up so maybe he would get the pay he was promised.

…That made him sound selfish.

A noise to the right made his neck turn fast enough it almost gave him whiplash. The first thing he saw was the smoke from a cigarette, then his eyes traveled from pale, bare feet to long legs hidden under casual pants, to a seriously well-defined torso, Christ—stop being so gay, Ritsu—to broad shoulders up his neck and then…

Damn, that face is so…ok, don't salivate, Ritsu. You'll ruin his floors, and they probably cost more than you'd ever earn by yourself in an entire month.

Thin fingers delicately removed the cigarette from lips that—actually, they were just normal lips, nevertheless, lips that hadn't moved from their original position of completely straight and thin. The other male blew smoke out and asked in a deep, somewhat gravelly voice, "Who are you?"

Realizing that he'd been asked a question, Ritsu flushed in embarrassment and bowed deeply. "I'm here for the job offer for n-nude modeling! My name is Onodera Ritsu! It's nice to meet you!"

The guy just took another drag of his cigarette, seeming to glide from the doorway into the living room, before finally saying, so casually at that, "Strip."

His heart stopped as he tried to comprehend the order. S-strip? A slightly shaky breath escaped him, and he stood up straight again, clutching at his jacket sleeve. "P-pardon?"

"You heard me the first time. Strip," was all he was given.

Ritsu swallowed and lay his bag to the side before unbuttoning his coat with trembling fingers. It was a struggle to reach the last button; and all he could see in his mind's eye was his temporary superior's piercing brown eyes, his severely unimpressed expression as he hung his jacket on the rack by the door. Now there was just…everything else. Well, his shoes could go, right? And…his socks. He had to suppress a shiver when the sensitive bottoms of his feet felt the cold tile of the genkan.

"U-um," he stammered, "may I make a request?"

"…what is it?"

"May I know your name?" Ritsu raised his eyes to meet those of the taller male, breath catching in his throat when those same sharp eyes were so focused only on him.

"…just call me Takano."

He nodded, understanding that that was basically all that he was going to get out of—Takano. Ritsu curled tense hands around the bottom of his shirt and lifted it, just a little. Come on, you can do this. It's just like…getting undressed to take a shower. That's it. It was a weak argument, but it was enough for him to yank his shirt up over his head and toss it to where his bag was sitting, not wanting to see it for fear of losing all his determination. It's…not cold in here…

Pushing away the overwhelming urge to cover up his chest—he wasn't a damn girl—Ritsu quickly undid his belt and slid his pants off, and then in another instant, he was standing in only his boxers, bare for a complete stranger to judge his appearance. He knew he was skinny. Maybe close to underweight. It was the same as when he was younger, and he never gained enough pounds to add a healthy layer of fat to his stomach and arms.

Ritsu felt like crying. Why did he agree to do this? It was humiliating, to his own self-worth, and with the way Takano had acted so far, he didn't think he'd come out of this experience without being traumatized in some way. He should just go back and beg his parents for money, even if it would force him to admit that he couldn't survive without them. His pride could take a hit as long as he didn't have to do this. Tears beaded up in the corners of his eyes, and his cheeks were burning in shame.

Before he could turn away to wipe them and maybe apologize that no, he couldn't do this, he was so very sorry but—a warm hand came up to hold his face, and a thumb flicked away the tears. Ritsu gave a surprised gasp, face heating up even more at the physical contact. He'd never…never been touched in such a gentle way, like a caress.

"Why are you crying? Idiot," Takano murmured, shifting his hand just a little. "If this was so difficult for you, then why did you call saying you would do it?"

"I…I…" Ritsu found he couldn't answer, too in shock at what was currently happening. What was happening? Here was a man he'd just met that day, and he was touching him as if he were a precious object, someone intimate with him.

Takano clicked his tongue and removed his hand only to cover Ritsu with the jacket he'd hung up a bit earlier. Feeling came back to Ritsu's limbs when the fabric engulfed his shoulders, and he took a shuddering breath. He stepped back involuntarily, hands stretched outwards like he was already regretting letting go. His entire being was shaking. This wasn't good. He was close to panicking.

Lifting his hands to his face, Ritsu was about to possibly scream into them when strong hands grabbed his wrists and stopped him in his downward spiral to internal chaos. "Stop it," came a stern voice. "You aren't helping yourself by doing this." Takano led Ritsu to the living room couch, and as soon as he felt solid material, tension began to slide out of his body.

He was suddenly so very exhausted. Releasing a long sigh, Ritsu slouched into the couch and felt his muscles relax into the soft material, closing his eyes. For a moment, he forgot that he was in a stranger's penthouse. For a moment, he forgot that he was going to do something so inherently shameful, something that would be branded all over his life until he died. It was so nice, not having to think about anything in particular, even if it was just for a moment.

That was, until Takano piped up, slightly exasperated with just the tiniest smidge of concern, "Are you ok now?"

"Yeah," Ritsu breathed. There was a beat of silence. In that beat of silence, Ritsu gained a new appreciation for how quiet things could be sometimes. Because they were so far above street level, there were no honking cars or people yelling or the regular bustle of city life in general. It was just…quiet.

"Good," Takano said, simply, plainly.

Ritsu breathed in deeply to fortify his mental strength, and stood up, his jacket still hanging loosely around his thin body. The older male looked up in slight surprise, clearly wondering what Ritsu was thinking. Honestly, Ritsu wasn't even sure himself. All he knew was that, in that moment of tranquility, his mind had cleared and he had the sudden and overwhelming urge to…actually do this job. He didn't know what had come over him; if he thought too much about it he knew that he'd lose the feeling, but right now he wanted to show Takano what he was…capable of, little as it was.

"What are you doing?" Takano inquired, removing the cancer stick from in between his lips and crushing it on the ashtray on the living room table.

"Let's do it," Ritsu answered, before he could think about what he was saying.

Takano was silent for a few seconds, then he gave an amused chuckle. "Aren't you moving a bit too quickly, considering we've only just met each other?"

Flustered, Ritsu threw his arms out and waved his hands in an adamant "NO" motion. "I-I mean, the job thing! Not the…other thing."

"You mean sex."

"…"

"Well, alright," Takano said with a sigh as he stood up as well, immediately moving towards the open doorway by the kitchen. "Come on, then." He gestured impatiently, making a pleased 'hm' noise when Ritsu clambered across the kitchen to follow him like a little baby duckling following its mother.

Through the doorway was a hallway, painted an aesthetically-pleasing gray color; and through one of the doors in the hallway was a room, bright and full of more of those ceiling-to-floor windows. There were several tarps spread haphazardly all over the floor of the room, with canvases lying on their sides or against whatever wall space there was. Spare metal lights hung from the ceiling on strings, but it only made the room seem more open. And there was paint. Plenty of it. Dried on the tarps, as beautiful pieces on the canvases, buckets of them sitting around randomly—some half-opened or even empty, also lying around on the floor.

"Wow," Ritsu said to himself in awe, taking in the entirety of the room, the utter creative freedom he felt in here, even though he'd never been that creative in general. He felt as if he could write poems or sculpt clay in this room, which he supposed was the whole purpose of having such a room.

Takano had already seated himself on one of the stools in front of a canvas that had been set up—probably in preparation for him coming here, Ritsu thought—fingers skillfully holding a paintbrush. "Go sit down on that couch." He pointed to a black leather sofa at the end of the room, right in front of where the canvas was stationed.

Fidgeting with his jacket buttons, Ritsu dug his toe into the floor. "Fully naked?"

"Yes, what else do you think I wanted you here for? Fully naked."

"Ok," Ritsu said uncertainly at first, then more certain, "Ok." He didn't come this far just to back out now. He would see this until the very end, even if his dignity might be completely destroyed. Ritsu set his jacket on the floor—because somehow he knew that Takano would only make him move it if he placed it on the couch—and pinched the tops of his boxers, squeezing his eyes tightly as he yanked them off in one swoop, hearing the soft rustle it made as it fell to the ground. It sounded final like that of doors closing.

Takano didn't say anything, and Ritsu was grateful for that. He didn't think he'd be able to handle it if the guy said something that embarrassed him. He rushed over to the couch and delicately sat on it, flinching when the cool material met his bare ass. "Um…" Ritsu was fidgeting again. "Like this?" He twisted his hands in his lap, furtively covering his private parts.

"Hmm…no."

"W-what?" Ritsu opened his eyes, confused.

"…lean against the arm of the couch, and rest your chin on your palm as you stare out the window."

Ritsu listened to the instructions with rapt attention, and tried to do as the man told, feeling awkward as he was forced to feel the leather against the sensitive parts of his groin when he moved. As soon as he shifted into what he believed was the correct position, he instantly felt himself relax a little, seeing the sun begin its slow descent down into the horizon. The light curved in the room, bringing a more natural feel into the atmosphere.

Oh…this is nice. I like this part.

"Try to look more…wistful," Takano suddenly said, guiding Ritsu out of his hazy reverie.

He blinked slowly, somehow feeling his eyelashes push against the tops of his cheeks, languidly, like he was wading through syrup. "Wistful?"

"Mm."

So Ritsu thought about all those lost opportunities lost at high school, when he was too cowardly to talk to the one he loved, when he didn't want to hang out with his friends for fear of being too bothersome, when the one he loved moved away and he never saw the person again… He let out a deep sigh and his mind drifted, his chin weighing heavier on his hand, and he didn't move a single muscle. There was no noise save for the soft sounds of Takano's paintbrush against the canvas, dipped into the small pools of paint on his palette, and their quiet breaths.

After a while—though Ritsu wasn't quite sure, he lost track of mostly everything—there was the sound of a paintbrush that had stopped moving, and a voice that had lost its abrasive tone, "Ok."

"Ok?" Ritsu almost slurred, feeling his muscles protest when he tried to move them. He was so relaxed…he could have fallen asleep right on that couch, but that would be rude.

"I'm finished for today. The light is almost gone," Takano patiently replied, standing up and wiping his hands off on a dirty cloth hanging from a chair to the side. "The painting only works in soft, natural lighting."

His arm holding his chin was numb. He unraveled his limbs and stretched, feeling them crack pleasantly, and he made a satisfied, garbled noise. Does that mean he'd have to come back tomorrow, or…? He wasn't able to finish his thought, for there was something else currently taking up his entire mind. There were lips pressed against his, and a body pressing his against the arm of the couch.

"Wghar?" Ritsu mumbled when the lips separated from his long enough for him to say something. "What…are you doing?"

The lips didn't answer; they only swooped in again to take his for a deeper kiss, and he was forced to lean back more, his head being tilted back as hands came up to curve around his cheeks. For an entire minute, he was so confused. What exactly was happening? And then he realized, oh I'm being kissed…wait I'm being kissed?!

"Nng," he garbled as he mustered enough strength to lift his arms up to hold Takano away from him. Panting—no he wasn't panting because of the kiss, he was panting because…because of…oh whatever—Ritsu gave a weak glare in the direction of the older male. "What are you doing? Kissing me like it's any business of yours."

"It's all of my business," Takano merely said before he swooped in to steal another kiss, more insistent this time, one arm tight around Ritsu's waist, the other behind his head so he wouldn't try to escape from it.

Faintly, Ritsu could feel his heart beating in tandem with that of the male on top of him, strong and quick, as if there were hoof beats running from some unknown enemy clanging against his chest. His eyes drooped closed, and he opened his mouth only for Takano to swiftly unravel his tongue in, much like that of a flower when it'd just started blooming.

"Ah…hah!" Ritsu gasped when Takano moved the arm around his waist down to cup in between his legs, arching his back and inadvertently rubbing himself more against the older male's palm.

He moved his hands to clutch at Takano's biceps, sharp gasps and moans escaping his red-kissed lips. Takano breathed against Ritsu's lips before licking a stripe down his neck, causing the younger male to shiver at the wet feeling of that tongue against his skin and then the air hitting that spot when Takano moved to bite at the shell of his ear. His hips seemed to thrust of their own accord, the friction burning him from the inside out.

There was the sound of a button being opened, and then Ritsu could only see white, feel pleasure coursing down his spine. Takano had shifted so their erections brushed up against each other, and the feeling was unbelievable, even if Takano's was still underneath boxers. Ritsu's eyes snapped open when Takano began to thrust against him, and the couch scraped against the floor as Ritsu let himself fall victim to only sensation. Takano's breath was hot against his cheek, and Ritsu moaned when one particular thrust sent feeling so strongly through his body, he was left shuddering from the aftershocks even when Takano continued. Lips captured his as Takano's thrusts grew less coordinated, and then there was more tongue than mouth and they were breathing against each other and Ritsu came, so hard he thought he must have blacked out for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes again, he could see Takano reaching forward to clean both of them up with some cloth he must have found in the room.

The room…! Painting room…modeling… Ritsu suddenly sat up, causing his forehead to bump into Takano's and both of them groaned in pain. Head throbbing, Ritsu squinted one eye open and sat up again, more slowly this time. Takano was still rubbing his head, a distinctly disgruntled expression on his face.

"What the hell was that for?" Takano barked, scowling.

Ritsu could only splutter nonsense before deciding on a, "You're the one who kissed me first!"

Takano let out an exasperated sigh. "You're saying that now of all times, right after we'd just both orgasmed after frotting against each other?"

Flushing, Ritsu had absolutely no words for the swarm of emotions he wanted to express, so he only hmph'ed, straightened his legs from underneath him, and began to look around for his jacket and boxers, which were…somewhere in the room, he knew. It was as if as soon as he decided to leave, they magically disappeared. He narrowed his eyes with this line of reasoning.

Well, whatever. He still had his other clothes out in the genkan. He would just forget about his boxers, since he had plenty of them, and his jacket, which…cost no small amount of money and was rather beneficial in especially cold weather… Damn. Ritsu frowned, but he forced himself to stand up and start walking towards the door anyways. He made it to the genkan and was hastily pulling his clothes on when there was an arm that acted like a bar against his chest and brought him back into a warm chest.

"So you'll have to come back tomorrow to finish up," Takano stated casually, and Ritsu could feel the overwhelming sense of self-satisfaction and pride oozing out of the man's voice.

He huffed, not letting this little intermission obstruct him in any way as he put his other leg through his pants. God, that was chafing against his privates. "Who said I was?"

"I said it, as the artist."

"What if I don't want to?"

Takano merely pondered a moment before answering, "Then I'll find you."

"That's stalking and I could have you arrested for it."

"Would you really go to all that trouble?"

"…" Ritsu thought about his personality. And he thought about that one time he was too lazy to walk to the dining hall closest to his dorm so he ended up eating snacks he'd stolen from his roommate. And so he came to his decision. "…no…"

"See? Plus you're a university student. I'm a working adult. Who would they believe more?"

"…I already hate you."

Smirking, Takano lowered his lips to press a chaste kiss to Ritsu's cheek, making him turn pink. "Oh, I think we're going to have a lot of fun together."

A/N: I'm thinking about whether to continue this or not. I'm not sure I will in the end, though. There's too much I could do with plot, and I'll just end up coming up with some long, elaborate story that'll never get written.

I do that a lot.

Welp. I liked this anyways?

-ChemicallyEnhanced