"Let's say I did start working for your company. What exactly what I be doing?"
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Well, you would continue what you're already very talented at; you would trace down any online threat to my company and bring them down. Simple enough, isn't it?"
"Your company gets online threats? Such as?"
"People try hacking into our system all the time. We're doing fairly well with most of the problems, but there's this one mysterious source who managed to delete some of the important information off the computers of my men, and it's getting harder and harder to get rid of them. If I have, I'm sure they wouldn't stand a chance."
Leo looked away awkwardly. It must have been him who had done it, but he couldn't remember what company it had been. Now that Nick brought it up, it was probably his. His clients often told their rival's name in initials, not by full name.
"What's the name of your company anyway?"
"Pines," he answered quickly and rubbed the nape of his neck. "You must be hungry, aren't you? I'll take you downstairs to get you some food."
"But my ass is on fire," Leo argued. "I'm going to walk weirdly, then your men are you going to assume certain things."
"I'll carry you, and I can reassure you that they won't think out of line. If they dare question anything I do, they will face my wrath," Nick told him as his fingers traced lazy circles on Leo's back.
"I don't want to be carried. I'm not a baby."
"Would you rather walk around like you have a limp then?"
Leo didn't answer for a moment and glared at the throw pillow in front of him. "No."
"Good. Now let's get dressed up. I can't have anything stare at such luxurous eye candy," he said and squeezed Leo's waist one last time before helping him sit up. The black-haired teen winced and bit his lip in pain.
Nick eyes traveled to Leo's abdomen, and his eyes windened. His fingers grazed the metal curved barbell pierced through his upper naval.
"Oh? You didn't strike me as the person who was interested in piercings too."
"I had it done while I was still in high school. Piercings aren't allowed at school, but I wanted one really bad, you see. I got it done there where I knew no one would see it. If I had to change for gym class, I'd chance in one of the stalls just in case someone had any ideas of ratting me out," Leo explained and shimmied into his underwear and pants after Nick handed them back to him.
"It suits you," Nick complimented. He reached forward to pull Leo's waist towards him and kissed the skin just above the piercing. The teen shivered and smacked the top of Nick's head. If he kept doing that, he would be sporting the most awkard and obvious boner. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself. You have no idea what you do to me."
Leo sighed but nodded. He understood what he meant. Being next to one's mate without touching them was almost impossible, and he knew because that was what was happening to him every time he was with Nick. He had the urge to do so, but he didn't want to encourage Nick. Touching and kissing was almost as automatic as breathing.
"Come on then." Nick went back up on his feet and then bent forward to tuck one arm under Leo's legs while the other braced his back.
---
Nick carried him to the dining room as if it were nothing. He didn't struggle or trip while they were going down the stairs and didn't seem fazed at all. He was a lot stronger than he looked, and telling by the way the dining room looked he was also richer than Leo had originally thought. Because Nick owned a bookstore, he thought he wouldn't be too wealthy, maybe a middle-class person.
"What is your company anyway?" Leo asked before Nick could leave the room.
"A publishing company. You see, someone has been erasing the manuscripts of those who've chosen Pines as their publishing company. It has angered many of them because although they have it saved on whatever device they have, it makes the process even longer because we have to reedit the missing manucripts. That's why I need you. I need you to find this fool who has been trashing the manucripts and take him down. You can do that, right?"
"How much would I be paid?" Leo questioned as he was set down at one head of the table.
"Any number you want, mon ange, and I'll give it to you."
"You can't make me fall for you by giving me money, you know. I'm not a prostitute."
"That wasn't what I meant. Because you're my most beloved, your wish is my command. I shall do anything you ask of me," Nick explained.
"How does forty-thousand yen per hour sound?"
"As long as it you're satisfied with it, sure."
"When would I start?"
"The next time we get a threat. You see, you would get irregular hours because these sort of things happen at any give time. One week you could have as little as four hours and the next week, thirty hours," Nick went on.
"I don't care about hours. I'll take it." Leo already had a plan brewing right under Nick's nose. He probably wouldn't realize it until it's too late. As long as Leo had money or a laptop or maybe a good combination of both, he was set.
"I love the enthusiasm."
"I look forward to it."
---
Much to Leo's surprise, there wasn't any maid to serve them dinner. He had thought because of his obvious wealth and the size of the house, he would have more than just body guards. It was Nick himself who brought out the dishes, which consisted of some sort of vegetable broth, fluffy white rice, pickled vegetables, and fish drizzled in dark sauce. Leo's mouth watered at the sight. The last he had eaten was the other night at Nick's bookstore. His stomach was gnawing at him, which was almost painful. Nick sat to his right.
"You seem to like Japanese food," Leo pointed out as he picked up his chopsticks in one hand.
"It's not my top favourite to be honest, but I didn't know what you wanted so I just assumed you' like Japanese cuisine."
"I like it, but my favourites are ramen and street food." He began to shovel rice into his mouth eagerly.
"Really? You seem so thin though."
"I never said I ate a lot of it. When I get money, food isn't really my main concern. You see, I only get paid if my task is successful, and it ranges from a thousand to four-thousand. I have to pay for rent and new equipment. It's not cheap living in Akihabara, but it's home."
"You're with me now," Nick said and looked over at him. "So you don't have to worry about any financial issues."
"What are you, my sugar daddy?" Leo asked and took a small bite of the fish. He nodded in approval. It was delicious.
"No. Whatever is mine is yours now."
"If you're going to kidnap me, I think we should at least establish a few rules."
"I didn't kidnap you. I had to force you into my home because of your stubborn nature because if your heat hits you out of nowhere again, you will be very troubled."
"I don't want to sleep with you," Leo said boldly.
Out of nowhere, Nick stood from his seat at lightening speed, the cutlery and plates clanging against the table. Leo flinched and dropped his chopsticks before slowly looking up at Nick, who had his eyebrows strewn together and his eyes formed in a glare.
"Don't lie to me. We're mates, so it's only natural that we'll have sex. You don't realize it now, but you want it as much as I do. You don't get to choose whether or not you want to do it with me because before you realize it, your body will cry out for me." Nick sat back down. "You will crave me every single second before I can fuck you. You can try running away or locking yourself up, but it will be fruitless. You can also try jacking off, but I promise you will still ache for me." Leo could feel Nick's foot caress his ankle from under the table. He flinched once more.
"But I don't love you," Leo protested.
"At the moment you may not," Nick said without skipping a beat. "But eventually you will. You have to."
"You're forcing all of this upon me. Nothing will bloom from this," Leo argued.
"Look," Nick said, his voice cold and impatient. "You told me you were going to give me one chance, can't you at least act like it?"
"I said I would give you a chance but I don't ever recall saying that I would making this easy for you. If you want me, you should prove it. I'm not some whore that anyone can get so easily. I don't have much experience, but I know enough to know that love isn't forced or rushed, mates or not," Leo explained without looking up from his meal.
Nick was too stunned from his response to speak back. He already adored the way Leo spoke back, even if it did piss him off most of the time. He loved how untamed he was, and couldn't wait to see what it would be like if he were less stubborn. It was odd to think that just a few days ago, Nick was eager to kill him. Now that they've met, he couldn't ever imagine doing something so sinful. Perhaps he was thinking this way because of the mere fact that they're mates, but Nick was sure that he would soon genuinely fall in love with him.
"I'm taking you out tonight," Nick declared.
This finally made Leo look up. His mouth was stuffed with food as he said, "what?"
"To the club. I know a good place in Kabukicho. It's only a twenty-five minute drive there."
"Isn't that a red light district? I just told you that you need to make an effort to win me over and the first thing you suggest is going to such a lewd district? You're crazy," Leo said with mild disgust.
"Crazy for you," Nick corrected. "I'm not suggesting we go to a love hotel or anything of the sort, just a club."
"No thanks. That's not my type of scene." Leo took a long slip from his tea and focused his attention back to his food.
"You won't know unless you try. If you're scared because there's about a thousand yakuza members there-"
"What?" Leo said again and choked on his tea. The warm drink spilled onto his shirt and lap.
"But I promise I won't let anything happen to you. I won't allow anyone to get too close and you don't need to drink if you don't want to. I just want to show you a good time, and I've been going to this bar for years now.
Leo pondered the offer for a moment. He didn't like any event that had to do with large crowds and loud music, or events that contained any form of social interaction in general. Back when he was in high school, he could proudly say he had a group of friends, but they all started talking less and less after graduation. When they did hang out, it was mainly study and gaming sessions and occasionally they would go out to Mos burger if they were feeling adventurous. It wasn't that he was anti-social, he just thought that having to make an effort in going to such events was draining. He was glad that most of his friends were introverts; they had felt the same way. He considered himself introverted by not by choice. After what happened to his sister, he built more walls around himself and often times refused to go out unless it was to go to the store to buy ramen or new computer parts.
"I'm scared," Leo told him, his mouth acting on its own before he could even process the thought.
"That's what I'm here for. To protect you."