How Low [Sho and Michi]
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Human Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Sho on 13-12-2009, 22:18:58</h2>
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				Title: <strong>How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>13-12-2009, 22:18:58</strong>
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				He sortof felt like he'd given blood, or drunk too much. That fuzzy, light-headed feeling was coming back, and he waved his hand as the cameraman sat back to change lenses, beckoning to his assistant for a protein bar. He only took two bites - he wasn't supposed to be eating one in the first place - but it helped ground him a bit. He'd just gotten off tour and was already recording a new album, most of the songs written by himself, though not all. The set around him was ornate, intricate. He was lounging on a cognac-colored leather couch, a glass of wine in hand - not that he was going to drink it, it was for the shot - running his fingers back through his hair.<br><br>He was one of the first men of Asian descent - Japanese specifically - to ever make it internationally. He had been molded from highschool into an international superstar, groomed, shaped, perfected. He was just tall enough, slim, with a pleasingly sculpted face. He had a perfectly shaped jaw, full lips, a delicate but straight nose. His skin was a pale, pale white, utterly flawless. The faint circle's under his eyes would be photoshopped out. His father was Japanese, his mother Swedish, though he hadn't seen either in years. He was just now twenty one, just a few days ago, though he hadn't really celebrated much. He had his mother's cold, removed eyes, a lovely grey-blue that was ringed in a darker shade that could have been slate.<br><br>He had a slightly crooked smile that made him look removed, a bit arrogant, and it drove girls and boys alike wild.<br><br>With cheek-bone length jet-black hair pushed back in a delightfully dishevelled style, this photoshoot would be all over the most popular magazines within a few days.<br><br>At least the photoshoot was in the hotel.<br><br>The flashbulb started again and Akira - his moniker, of course, but then again he never revealed his true name - draped obscenely long legs over the couch, swirling the wine, cold eyes focusing straight on the camera - piercing through it. He rarely smiled, but maybe that was what drew girls to him, their desires pushing them to want to make him happy.<br><br>Not that it would make much of a difference.<br><br>He rarely smiled, even off-set, and was known for his perfectionism. He rarely slept, played his instruments all hours of the night, and spent hours perfecting his songs and acts. His assistant was forced to follow him around and carry his things, arrange everything he wanted, as well as manage his schedule and diet.<br><br>"Perfect. We got it. Good work, Akira. Good work, you all." The staff nodded, and Akira got up, stretching, rubbing his hands over his face to try and wake up a bit.<br><br>He turned to his assistant, then, wanting a few minutes to relax. His hip tilted slightly to the side, still sore from his performance just two days earlier. It had been a long concert. "Is my guitar in the room, with the amp?" Akira began walking ahead of the other man, pulling sunglasses out of the case he gestured for, sliding them on as they slipped through the corridor and into the elevator. When they got off at the penthouse suite, he looked around, face cold, unreadable, as always. He rarely spoke his approval - or disapproval, for that matter. "Also, I want to relax. Is there a hot-tub? If there's not one in the room, ask the hotel to shut down the pool from the other guests. I need time to think on my own."<br><br>He was exhausted, hungry, and sore. Not that he could complain about it. This was what being famous was, afterall.
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>14-12-2009, 19:41:39</strong>
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				As usual the day had been frantic. The hotel became over booked the moment word got out that a photoshoot was going on there, the limo would of been late if he hadn't of spent an hour on the phone yelling at some poor receptionist, the room was just barely going to be ready by the time the shoot was scheduled to be finished, and he was once again unthanked for getting everything done that needed to be. That didn't bother him much though. After all, it was his job and not the first time he'd been through it. He'd only recently become Akira's assistant after being replaced by some bimbo at his last assistant job. It was only the fact that he came so highly recommended that Akira's manager had hired him, that, and they needed someone quickly.<br><br>He was quite different, physically, from the one he was 'serving' and that was probably what left him usually unnoticed. While Akira was the good looking half-Asian with flawless features, he was more common looking. Not ugly or anything, but nothing about him really stood out. His light brown hair was cut short and his bangs refused to stay back and instead constantly fell into his face and covered his green eyes up. He was rather tall as well and his build was thicker than the superstar he serviced. His muscle build was easily noticed if he removed his work shirt and he gave thanks to his hectic life for it. If he didn't do what he did for work then he would probably weigh more and would probably be rather lazy. Luckily, a teacher in high school realized how good at organizing things and getting things done he was and recommended him for his first assistant job while he was still in school.<br><br>The slightly tanned man stood not far from the couch that the younger male was laying out on in front of the camera. He had a cell phone to his ear and seemed a bit stressed. There was a name badge hanging off a lanyard that showed his picture and said 'Jean' on it. If it was a rarity for Akira to sleep, then Jean never slept. If Akira was expected to know the name of every person in a room ahead of time, so was he. If Akira owned sixteen pairs of sunglasses he was expected to know the brand of each of them and where they were at all times.<br><br>Across his chest was the strap to a messenger bag that held various things. One of which was the protein bar. Without even looking up he pulled it from the bag and walked it over to the young male, taking it back and putting it back into the bag after it had been bitten only twice. Jean walked towards the back of the room as the shoot started, "Listen, the shoot will be over in a few minutes and I want that room ready. Understand?" he waited a few moments, "Good," the phone flipped shut and he shoved it into one of the many pouches of his bag before leaning back against the nearby wall. The end of photoshoots were sometimes the only time he got to rest. Jean was not only at the beck and call of Akira, but the boy's manager and family as well. <br><br>It was impossible to look at Akira and not find him attractive, but for what it was worth Jean was slightly immune to it. He could look at the boy's slender body and full lips and still see him as just another person. Or worse, just a paycheck. Jean got to do what nearly every young girl and some boys wanted to do, he got to be around Akira nearly 24/7. Even see him changing clothes and swimming at times, yet he never seemed phased by it. He'd been asked by his own friends and family members if the two of them were good friends and what they talked about. Honestly, Jean couldn't think of a moment where they had spoke about anything other than Akira's wants, needs, or work. Small talk and a real conversation had never passed between them even though Jean had been around for nearly five months.<br><br>When the last camera flashed he pulled away from the wall and headed over to the couch, pulling a sunglasses case from his bag as he did so. Jean noticed the other tilting his hip and made sure to remember to get a cold pack and a heating pad for it later, "Yes. Everything is in the room," he followed the other towards the elevator, handing over the sunglasses and putting the case back into his bag. They had managed to keep the hotel guests and outsiders from butting in on the shoot and from 'accidentally' roaming into the area thus far and once they were in the elevator Jean knew he could relax about that for a bit. <br><br>The room was much larger than any one person needed, but that was what was expected. When Akira requested alone time he nodded and pulled his cell phone out again to contact the hotel manager. The brunette already knew there was no hot-tub in the room, but there was one in the pool area. 'Time to think' meant that Jean would be sitting in the back of the room with a towel ready and playing Tetris on his phone. Meanwhile the young male would be sitting in hot water relaxing. The phone call was short and he looked over at the boy, "The manager says the hot-tub in the pool area is all yours. Just to give him a few minutes to clear anyone in there out," Jean headed over to the dresser and pulled the top drawer open to yank out Akira's swimming trunks. The taller male always made sure that everything was put in the same place no matter where they went so as to make everything run smoothly.<br><br>"Do you want to eat your dinner down there? Or have it up here when you get back?" the international star had a very strict diet. Jean knew what could be eaten and what couldn't and made sure that Akira stuck to that.
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>16-12-2009, 05:12:16</strong>
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				Akira trailed around the room with Jean heading into the bedroom to get his swimming trunks. He looked at the bed - he wouldn't be sleeping there anyways. He rarely slept, which meant Jean never slept, and the few times that he did sleep he managed to crash on chairs, the floor, or the couch, usually when he was writing. He could only stay awake for so long, afterall. He reached into his pocket for his sunglasses but realized that Jean already had them, a tiny smile crooking the left side of his mouth before it dropped once more, liking that Jean was a step before him. He licked his lips and looked out over the city sprawled in front of him.<br><br>He was hungry for fame, hungry for world domination, more than pleased to sit atop his throne - or penthouse suite, as it were. He reached back with one hand, not looking at Jean at first, pulling on the swim trunks once he headed into the marble bathroom. He came back out, bare-chested, one arm crossed over his chest as he rubbed at the other one. "I'll have dinner up here, later, whenever you eat."<br><br>He looked around briefly.<br><br>"You got any cigarettes?"<br><br>Akira wasn't supposed to be smoking, but his last assistant used to sneak him the occasional smoke. It helped calm his nerves, helped him feel a little bit better about the fact that he wasn't actually allowed to <em>eat</em>. <br><br>He had steamed something or other for dinner every night, with a few vegetables. Barely enough for a human to survive on, certainly. His manager wanted him to lose those last five pounds - or so he'd been saying for the past thirty pounds. He was going for that 'heroin-chic' thing, but Akira's body didn't seem to want to, and he'd kept that slim, long frame no matter how small his manager cut his diet. <br><br>Shrugging on a black sweatshirt with some sponsor's name - maybe a hair product, he wasn't really sure - he turned to the penthouse suite door and opened it, looking back over his shoulder to see if he'd get the cigarette he wanted. He knew perfectly well how to get them; he'd just go and ask some teen girl walking down the street if she had them. Everyone knew who he was these days, unless they lived under a rock. He contened himself with the fact that even though he didn't really have any close friends other than his backup band members, everyone knew who he was. That was the tradeoff, right? <br><br>Akira was a very intelligent young man, and it shone in his greyish eyes, blinking slowly at Jean, half coquettish (hoping still to secure that cigarette) and half calculating. Most people looked at Akira and thought of him as cold, removed, arrogant, but attractive despite his quiet ways and his occasional snide comment. When off camera, he was pleasingly sarcastic, but actually quite caring about his staff members (even if they didn't always realize it). He was dedicated, that much was certain. <br><br>He poured all that he could into his art, pushed himself to limits that he probably shouldn't have, but that was why he was famous. <br><br>"Oh, and could you grab my notebook and pen?" No one got to see the inside of his notebook. It held his deepest feelings, often made into songs, his thoughts, his fears. Everything he felt, he wrote down, giving him fodder for music. When the time struck, he could spend hours making songs out of what he had on those little lined sheets. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>17-12-2009, 01:12:20</strong>
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				Jean hadn't planned on eating tonight, so he would probably just make sure the food was ready for when Akira came back from swimming. Sleeping and eating were luxuries that people in his position usually didn't get. It was sad that he was one of the highest paid assistants in the world and he'd yet to spend a dime of it. There just wasn't time for it. Jean spent all his time making sure Akira's life was in order that he didn't have time for a life of his own. He hadn't been out for a night on his own since he took this job. Luckily, he'd known that would happen and wasn't surprised by it, "It'll be waiting for you when you get back," he said softly.<br><br>Akira's manager had tried to change the boy's diet again, but Jean finally put his foot down about it. It was bad enough that they didn't let him have any meat proteins, but they also cut his fiber and vegetable servings in half. The manager wanted to cut it in half again, but Jean hadn't allowed it. Jean had even managed to get Akira to be allowed carbs again. The boy was always moving around and on stage, so he needed some kind of carbs in his diet. Tonight would be the first time that Akira would have some kind of pasta again in a long time. It wasn't much, but noodles with steamed vegetables and a little salt was better than just steamed vegetables. <br><br>At first he ignored the request for a cigarette. The younger male was not to be smoking. His manager had made that very clear, though the former assistant had told him it was okay once in a while. Jean still wasn't sure on what stance he would take with that. Apparently the time had come to figure it out. He'd already fought with the boy's manager once today about the diet. The last thing he needed was for the man to find out that he'd given Akira a smoke. They all knew that Jean smoked. It would be shocking for someone with his amount of stress not to smoke. So the boy knew he had cigarettes somewhere.<br><br>"I already have them," he commented about the notepad and pen. The boy didn't go anywhere without them. Jean had a small stack of notepads and pens inside his messenger bag. Anything he didn't have in there that Akira used on a daily basis would be in there once Jean realized he needed it. He guarded that bag like he did the Asian boy since in the wrong hands people could get a lot of information out of it, "You can't have a cigarette and you know that," he said as he ushered the boy towards the door, "Now come on. You have to eat by ten so that you can try and get your hip iced and a few hours of sleep. So if you want to swim or sit in the hot tub down there then you need to go now. That will give you two hours down there before you have to come and eat. Then you can spend some time with your guitar and such before sleeping," though neither of them would probably get any.<br><br>Jean locked the door behind them before heading towards the elevator. Akira had said he needed time to think on his own, but Jean's life was to follow the boy around and so far that meant even when Akira wanted alone time. He probably wouldn't know what to do with himself if he had real time alone anymore, "The hotel manager said the pool area is all cleared out for you and that we'll be the only ones with access through the side door. All the other doors will be locked so no one can get in. He also had all the windows covered with curtains," they didn't need people peeking in to take pictures that would end up on magazine covers in the morning. While it was common knowledge to most that Jean was the boy's assistant there was likely to be some tabloid that would convince people that Jean was some older lover or something of that nature if they were picture together near a pool.
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>17-12-2009, 18:26:19</strong>
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				Akira sauntere down the hallway, heading towards the pool area, looking over his shoulder at Jean briefly. "Seriously? C'mon. Cut me a break here - I don't even get tasty food, the least I could get is some cigarettes." He pressed the down button, waiting calmly for the elevator to show up, stretching a little bit. His hip ached - he knew that it made sense for him to only spend a few hours in the pool so that he could go ice it. He trailed down into the pool area, feet sticking slightly to the pretty blue tiles. It was a sort of Mediterranean style, beautifully styled. That was the advantage of staying in a five-star hotel. <br><br>He sank into the hot-tub, turning so that he was propped on his elbows, feet floating in the deep tub. He looked up at Jean, watching him momentarily, drumming his fingers on the tiles. Jean was attractive, a bit taller than him. He admired him, a tiny smile touching his lips, turning slightly so that he could spin in the hot water.<br><br>He ducked his head under the hot water and let out a big breath, bubbles coming up, popping on the surface. <br><br>"Tell me about yourself," he said, popping up before he could get started on Tetris. "Do you have a girlfriend?" His feet kicked slightly in the water, sharp features framed beautifully by his dark hair, slicked back by the water. He looked up at the other man, smiling faintly, running his fingers back through his hair to shake it out slightly. <br><br>He'd get back to writing once he was upstairs.<br><br>He was dying for conversation, now. He hadn't actually <em>talked</em> to someone in a while. Maybe he could get close to this assistant. The last one had ended up leaving him. His assistant was the only person he could really trust to stay close to him, and he was hoping that he'd be able to get a friendship out of this. His pale eyes blinked up at Jean, hovering in the hot water. "What do you like to do in your spare time?" <br><br>He wanted to get to know something about Jean.<br><br>He twirled a bit in the water - he could already feel his left leg loosening up, the hip relaxing - slim fingers spreading over the surface of the water.
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>20-12-2009, 04:54:19</strong>
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				"Sorry. Manager says no. It's bad for you lungs and can make singing hard," he on the other hand smoked like a chimney sometimes. Jean walked with the other into the pool area and made sure to lock and close the door behind them. A small shade had been placed over the door window to keep unwanted eyes away. While Akira was dressed to swim, Jean was still dressed in a white, button up shirt and black dress pants. His nice shoes made soft tap noises as he walked across the tile and took a seat at one of the small tables near the hot tub.<br><br>He'd already pulled out his phone when the other asked if to talk about himself. Jean perked an eyebrow up slightly. Five months working for the boy and they'd never had a conversation, Jean just now realized that. Part of him was perfectly alright with that. He wasn't interested in being buddy-buddy with his employer after all. Jean liked to keep his life private. The less people knew about him the less they could write about him.<br><br>"Girlfriend? Heh...No," he shook his head and leaned back in the chair some, "I don't date," even if he did, Akira was getting the gender wrong. Jean didn't have a social life. Instead he had a few flings here and there and his job. That was about it. Truth was that he liked it that way. With his schedule it was impossible to keep up with friends or a real relationship. It would just end badly with him probably being called a cheater or something like that. Drama was something he couldn't afford. Luckily, he had a few phone pals that were more than willing to 'talk' to him once Akira had gone to sleep to help him relieve a bit of stress. It wasn't as good as sex, but it was the best he could manage most of the time.<br><br>Spare time? The words were foreign to him. He was with Akira nearly 24/7. If the boy was awake then Jean was there. With how little the boy actually slept, the times that he did Jean usually did too, "I don't really have...spare time. This job keeps me fairly busy. But I don't mind that at all. I like being busy and having a lot to do. Guess that's why this kind of work is the best for me. I hate not having something to do. I get bored and lazy," he tried to make it not sound like Akira was running him ragged or something.<br><br>"Having a social life isn't important to me," with all the money he made that went basically untouched his parents sometimes wondered what he would do with it once he retired. Having no real friends and no one special in his life would leave him an old man with too much money and nothing to spend it on.<br><br>Jean looked around a bit, "Sorry...I rambled a little. This is all probably very boring to you. I'm going to call room service and make sure they have ice upstairs ready for you to ice your hip with later..." the brunette snatched up his phone and wandered off to a corner of the pool room.
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>21-12-2009, 08:29:52</strong>
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				Akira hardly liked the idea of not being able to smoke. He'd get some of them later. It wouldn't be a problem to bum some of them off one of the roadies who wanted his attention or his favours and he was going to be able to get some the next day and smoke them while in the bathroom or if he managed to make it up to a building roof to get a little bit of fresh air. He let out a soft sigh as he settled into the water. <br><br>He looked up at Jean, listening to him, how he had no girlfriend and how having a social life wasn't particularly important to him. He watched as he retreated to call for ice for his hip - had he been that obvious about it? - and thought. Akira was a smart young man, but his eyes were cold, and he was a calculating one. <br><br>He knew what he needed to do to stay on top and he was going to do it no matter what.<br><br>That being said and done, though, having someone around him to be close to wasn't such a bad thing. If Jean could keep up with him, he could certainly keep up with being Akira's friend. He really only had his band members now, and even they had their own friends outside of the band while he really didn't. <br><br>He only had the friends that he had the time to make. <br><br>Maybe he could take a gamble. See what would happen. He'd snuck quite a few flings himself, and many of the so-called 'straight' actors were anything but and he knew it from personal experience. He looked Jean up and down. He was clearly good looking in a way quite different from himself. In a more quiet way. <br><br>"Hey, Jean? You ever messed around with a guy before?"<br><br>This was a make or break situation. If Jean reacted favorably he would be able to tell him about his own orientation - despite his many rumored flings with females - but if he didn't then he could just play it off as a joking question.
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>21-12-2009, 15:10:21</strong>
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				Jean had really made the phone call to get away from the questioning. It was a little unnerving to be bothered about his personal life. He didn't like talking about himself. Mostly because it seemed silly for him to admit that he had no life to speak of. How did it look for someone in his position to not have friends? Jean didn't want to hurt the boy's career in any way. That's why he'd managed to keep out of any flings since he started working here. It was just easier that way and with how busy he kept he didn't really think about it.<br><br>He'd hoped that by the time he got back to the table that Akira would be too focused on something else to care about Jean's life. Sadly, he was wrong. The moment he got settled the boy started in again. This time going for more personal questions that before. It would of been easy for him to just say no and leave the room with an excuse. The last thing he needed was to find out his employer was a homophobic kid. His last employer had fired him because he didn't have breasts and that man had wanted an assistant that did a little more than just keep up with his schedule. Jean had a feeling that Akira might of been looking for a reason to fire him.<br><br>"That's a bit personal," it was kind of silly since Jean knew nearly everything about the singer. Hell, he even knew Akira's underwear size and could probably even learn the size of the other male's more intimate parts if he wanted to with little work. Yet he was being kind of stuborn about giving up details of himself, "Well...I guess it's only fair since I know so much about you..." he sighed and leaned back in the chair some, "Yes. Yes I have."<br><br>Jean had fooled around with women too, but not nearly as much as he had men. He found women to be overly shallow and ungrateful for his attention. They always seemed to think that they didn't need him and could get another guy easily. Men weren't usually that shallow about it. They at least seemed to enjoy it more and were less likely to be doing it to get something else, "So...what's with all the questions? Not looking for a reason to fire me, are you? My last employer got more curious just before he got rid of me."<br><br>The taller man crossed his legs and tried to relax. It was difficult when he felt so uncomfortable with the current conversation. The last time he'd really talked to anyone was quite a while ago. Probably a year, maybe two. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>31-12-2009, 17:41:43</strong>
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				Akira lounged casually in the water, knowing that Jean was trying to get away from him by talking on the phone, but he was patient. He wanted to distract himself from the impending release of his album (an album that he still wasn't done writing songs for, and wasn't fully ready to produce yet), and the fact that he was in a far amount of pain from his hip, where he had strained it during a tour. His guitar was upstairs and he needed to tune that, as well, and then get back to writing. But for now, he'd distract himself with Jean's personal life.<br><br>He smirked when Jean realized that he was wrong, and that Akira was still going to ask questions, propping his chin upon his hand. "Yeah. You already know everything about me, so tell me a bit about yourself."<br><br>He dipped his hair back in the water, letting the liquid soak into the black strands, making it gleam like spilled ink. His eyebrow arched when told that Jean had, in act, fooled around with guys. <br><br>"Really." <br><br>He bit his bottom lip thoughtfully for a moment and fell silent, though laughed when asked if he was looking for a reason to fire Jean. "Not at all. You've done a fabulous job so far and I'm not about to fire a fantastic assistant because he's gay - or bisexual, or whatever. Plus..." <br><br>He looked up from under his lashes, and it could have been a photoshoot, with the cold but highly playful look in his eyes. "I happen to enjoy male company quite a bit myself. Afterall," he said, spinning in the water, relaxing, "Where exactly do you think that I get off to when I sneak off?" He'd been good so far, only snuck off twice on Jean's watch, disappearing into a bathroom once with a roadie and sneaking out the back serviceman's entrance the second time during a photoshoot to meet up with a rather handsome young actor. He hadn't been caught, thank God, or the paparazzi would have been all over it.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>04-01-2010, 12:49:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				While he was a bit relieved to hear that Akira wasn't going to fire him for the fact that he was gay or bi or whatever. He wasn't quite sure what he was either. With how little time he had to really explore any possibilities, he just kind of went with whatever options came to him. If he was approached by a guy and he had the time for a quickie, then that was what he went with. If it was a girl, then so be it. He wasn't about to turn down the few chances at sex he got in his life. Jean was attractive and could get someone if he wanted to, but his job kept him from really trying to get anyone. In highschool he slept with nearly every guy and girl that he could get his hands on. His favorite thing to do was to sleep with the cheerleader's boyfriends and then sleep with the cheerleaders. Then of course watch them fight. Jean had only done that because the football players had tormented him in elementary school and middle school. It was a petty revenge, but he enjoyed it.<br><br>Now a days he was a bit more respectful and less pathetic. Jean took no pleasure in making people fight anymore. He was too busy to do something like that. Akira was a demanding person, even if the boy actually made few verbal commands. Jean was in charge of making sure everything in the boy's life went as smoothly as possible. Sometimes he wondered if Akira actually knew just how much Jean did. If he knew that it was him that booked all the hotels, ordered all the food, made sure any and all paper work was not only signed but also sent to the proper people, made sure that Akira's money was always in the right bank accounts and that his accountant wasn't stealing any of it, that he was the one that assured the boy's parents that everything was alright and set up times for them to speak with him. Jean did jobs that most people hired others to do. Luckily for Akira's manager he'd found someone that could do it all and not ask for a day off and that would even work holidays since his family wasn't that big on gatherings. Jean had no reason to take a day off. Ever since his senior year in high school he'd given up on parties and such. <br><br>"Yes well....thanks," he said idly as the other finished off saying he wasn't getting fired. Jean wouldn't deny that this was actually the best job he'd had. Akira was quite for the most part, not too stuck up, not verbally or physically abusive, and didn't do drugs. So he was happy to be here.<br><br>Jean pulled a bottle of water from his bag and nearly spit it out when Akira said that he enjoyed male company himself. Jean had read the magazines and newspapers saying that Akira slept with every woman he met. Jean knew that those weren't true. He'd also read ones that said Akira was flaming gay. Jean had always doubted those. He just figured that despite his life as a star and his confidence that the boy was just shy around women and didn't have the courage to ask one out. But to hear that Akira preferred men was a bit shocking. Not only that, but that he'd wandered off to be with these men. Twice already he'd lost track of Akira and he wondered if that was where he'd gone off to. If so, he felt like strangling the kid. Both times Akira's manager had yelled at him for losing the boy. But he didn't. Jean had better control over himself than to do something stupid like that.<br><br>"Really now..." he put his water on the table and leaned back. Jean started to wonder why Akira was telling him this. Jean couldn't figure that out and it was a bit annoying. Jean didn't like knowing what was going on since it was his job to have things under control, "And why are you telling me this? I mean, aren't you worried that I might go tell the tabloids or something?" he didn't believe anyone trusted him. His last boss had told him that it was impossible to trust someone that had no friends and no life outside of his work, "I'm not going to do that, but you couldn't of known that beforehand..." all thing considered, Jean was taking the news rather well. The taller male didn't care who his boss had sex with so long as his paycheck still got signed, "You don't really have anything to gain from telling me that about yourself unless you're wanting me to find you a date," which wouldn't be a first. Groupies were easy to find and he'd had to go through doing that before. Jean never even thought that Akira might just want to have a conversation with him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>04-01-2010, 16:33:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Akira was careful to watch his reactions, to make sure that he wasn't about to go spill to the tabloids - but there was something about Jean that made Akira trust him, at least a bit more than he had trusted his previous assistant. He had to be able to trust his assistant, mostly because he didn't get much time to hang out with anyone else and it was nice to have someone to talk to every once in a while. There was a part of him that wanted to stop this crazy life and have friends and see his family, but a larger part of him wanted to be famous and adored by everyone and anyone who saw him. <br><br>That sounded pretty sick to him, in his mind.<br><br>He did his best not to be a bad boss - though he knew that he was exacting, demanding, accepting nothing that wasn't absolutely perfect. He was hands on, always directing exactly what he wanted, and then it fell to Jean to get it done. <br><br>He smiled faintly, a bit sadly, when asked why he was telling Jean all of this. He wiped that expression from his face before it was more than a flicker, though. It wouldn't do to let Jean see too much of how he actually felt. He shrugged a bit, "No, I don't need help finding dates. I prefer to do that myself. I guess..." <br><br>He twirled in the water, slowly, then rested his hands on the edge of the hot tub and moved his hips langorously side to side so that he could relax his hip a little bit. "I guess I figured since you spend so much time with me, I could actually get to know you. I..." he trailed off, doing his best to formulate words that wouldn't make him seem pathetic, "It'd be nice to have someone to talk to, every once in a while," he finally settled on with a dismissive shrug as he dipped his head under the water and blew out a stream of bubbles, dismissing the entire thing in a mildly childish way. <br><br>He came back up, slick, dark hair pinned back against his head. He looked lovely, almost serpentine, and those cold eyes flicked about the room briefly. "Let's go back upstairs," he said, getting up, dripping wet. He plucked the towel from Jean's hands and wrapped it around his waist, not bothering with sunglasses or a shirt. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>09-01-2010, 01:41:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jean thought the idea of being 'friends' with the person that was his boss was a rather silly idea. He'd tried that once and it had ended rather badly. Since then he'd decided that it was just a bad idea all together and made sure to stay away from that happening. Jean liked his job and wasn't going to risk it. So hearing Akira say that it would be nice to get to know each other felt a bit awkward. He was worried that he'd made the wrong impression. That maybe Akira didn't take him seriously enough as an assistant. He wondered idly for a moment if he'd have to start working harder.<br><br>Quickly he dismissed all these thoughts as Akira seemed to push the idea away and started to get out of the hot tub. He stood and handed over the thick towel. He'd held up the shirt and sunglasses, but Akira didn't touch them. Instead the boy started to walk off. Jean kind of got a cold feeling from it all. Jean felt kind of bad that he'd managed to get the conversation shrugged off. Truthfully he knew he should be glad about it. It would only lead to trouble if he got too friendly with the boy, or even a little friendly. Jean liked keeping the appearance of a work addicted jerk. At least that's what he'd heard some of the roadies and Akira's manager call him. They all thought he was a stuck up jackass with no life. They were right in thinking he had no life, but he wasn't stuck up.<br><br>Jean was just distant. He wasn't a jerk. He was actually nice to people that didn't screw up their jobs. The only reason Jean got cross with people or rude with them was when they didn't do their jobs and caused Akira to get angry and his manager to yell at him. If it didn't cause him to get in trouble, then he wouldn't give a damn what other people did. Half the time he let the little things slide and took his punishments. <br><br>"Listen," he debated if he should say 'Mister' or 'Sir', but that just felt kind of silly. Jean was older than him and he wasn't comfortable with saying that unless he had to, "..." it was better to forgo any formalities like that or even his name, "...I'm sorry. You wanted to talk and I got a little snippy about it. I'm just not used to...talking..." at least not small talk. He could talk the ears off of a room full of record label CEOs, "Ummm...That's probably not a good enough excuse, but you understand...right?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>13-01-2010, 19:44:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Akira wrapped the towel around his waist, tying it and heading back towards the elevators. He turned over his shoulder, smirking slightly, waiting until Jean was done to say something. "It's alright. I can see why you'd be uncomfortable - it's not like I've made much effort up until now, afterall." Slim white hands moved up to rub at his eyes, frowning a bit, clearly tired. No time to sleep, though. He had to get the last songs done. His album would be being finished up in the next few days and he still had two songs to record. The album posters were already all over the city, a highly aggressive marketing campaign almost ensuring that this would be another multi platinum hit. <br><br>He pressed the 'up' button on the elevator and then leant back, sighing a bit, against the wall. He was always so tired these days, no matter what he did or how much coffee he drank. He ran his fingers back through his hair and stepped into the elevator when it arrived, waiting for Jean, letting him press the floor. <br><br>He wanted to stop aching. His whole body ached, all over. <br><br>He followed Jean out of the elevator, "I figure I can open up to you a bit. You haven't gone and spilled anything to the tabloids yet, and it'll be nice to have someone to chat with every once in a while. Especially since Junji left." Junji had been his bassist,a&nbsp; childhood friend who had hated being a backup to Akira, and who had decided to start his own career. That failed, naturally, but he was still off trying to succeed in L.A. <br><br>He turned back to Jean, "Also, seriously, you need to stop hoarding your cigarettes." Akira smirked slightly, "It's getting harder and harder to steal them from you. It won't kill me to have one every once in a while."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>07-02-2010, 01:02:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jean perked an eyebrow when he heard that the other had been stealing his smokes. He wasn't sure whether to believe it or not. He wondered if maybe Akira was just trying to get a cig or was being honest about already taking them. Either way, he chuckled a little behind the shorter male, "Maybe," Jean was honestly just trying to do as he was told to keep his job. He knew assistant didn't mean dog. Akira might of been signing his paychecks, but he was not the one calling all the shots. It was Jean's job to be one of the only firm people in the singer's life. To stick to his decisions and not back down easily to Akira's demands or even his charms.<br><br>The tall American was probably one of the few people that was able to so openly and right to Akira's face reject and refuse his little smiles and sweet voice. He'd actually never even listened to one of the boy's songs other than as background music while he was focused on something else. For an assistant that was so well known in the music world he didn't listen to music or even dance.<br><br>He placed a hand on the back of Akira's as he lead the youth back into the hotel room, "I'll get you a cool pack for your back. Dry off and get dressed. Maybe after we ice your back and you rest for a little bit, then you can have a smoke," he was willing to compromise. He'd noticed over the past few weeks that Akira barely rested. If he could get the boy to do so by hanging a cigarette over his head as a bribe, he'd do it. There was no shame in that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Sho</strong> on <strong>23-02-2010, 04:51:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Akira yawned when told that he might be able to get a cigarette out of the other man, not to be disrespectful, but because his body was begging him to go to sleep. He trailed into the suite and looked around the room once more, some dark hair falling in front of his lovely eyes, blinking slowly. He walked into the bedroom and picked his own clothes - a rare luxury at the end of the day, and he pulled on a soft red sweatshirt from his last tour, emblazoned with his name and a silhouette of him dripping off the back in black ink, oversized over the tight black jeans that clung to his body in a decidedly indecent way. They were soft, though, and far more comfortable than what he usually had to wear. <br><br>He flopped onto the couch, notepad once again before him, tugging up the sweatshirt to reveal the soft curve of the small of his back. It was revealed for the icepack, hip still throbbing as well, scrubbing at his eyes. "By rest, I hope you mean finish these songs. Leo's been riding me to get them done...he wants me to have a new single ready in the next few days."<br><br>Leo was his manager, known for pushing stars until they broke, then getting newer and prettier ones. <br><br>Ones that would shine even better.<br><br>Akira, though, was his gem. He was the driving force of the record label, a darling in the eyes of the media - or rather, a darkling, but that was a rather good thing these days - and everyone seemed to want him. <br><br>He looked at Jean, "What're you gonna have for dinner?" <br><br>He wanted nothing more than an ice-cold vodka and a cigarette, and as he reclined on the couch on his stomach, he reached a slim hand up. "Can I get that cigarette, please? I'm laying down, at least..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: How Low [Sho and Michi]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Jag</strong> on <strong>01-03-2010, 02:38:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Jean moved to the small fridge and pulled out a cold bottle of water as well as the ice packs that room service had put in there. He turned to see Akira laying out on the couch with the notepad and frowned. That wasn't his idea of resting. Song writing was Akira's 'work' and Jean wanted him to relax and not work. The boy had been skipping sleep lately and he needed to rest, "I'm not having dinner tonight, but you're having noodles with steamed vegetables," the noodles would probably come as a surprise since for a long time the other male wasn't allowed to have carbs or starches like that, "And that isn't what I meant by resting..."<br><br>He walked over with the icepack and placed it over the boy's hip. Jean then proceeded to pluck the notepad from Akira's hands and smirked before walking back to the small nightstand and placing it on there, "Just lay down and close your eyes," it didn't matter where the singer slept, just so long as he slept, "I said you could have the smoke after resting," though hopefully he would pass out and not wake till morning. Jean knew that wasn't going to happen. Akira would get bored or hungry or antsy. Jean quickly tried to think of something that would keep Akira relaxed and resting, but not bored. The only thing that popped into his head was also the one thing he dreaded and had fought a little to get away from earlier, "Got any more questions for me?" he felt the he might regret that, but his job was to keep Akira healthy and in performing condition. Sleep and rest were needed for that.<br><br>Another thing that he did, that he knew he would probably regret, was settle down onto his knees next to the couch. He reached up and began massaging one of Akira's calves. The assistant wasn't hitting on him. Jean knew how much stress Akira's body took on and that it had to be relieved once in a while. Massages were good for that. No one could ever claim that Jean didn't do everything he could for his employer. Many would find it hard to believe that Jean, being either gay or bi, wasn't attracted to Akira. Even straight men admitted to be willing to give it a go for Akira. Sex wasn't too important to him since he sometimes went months or even years without it and appearances were more professional based to him. He knew Akira dressed the way he did and such because that helped boost his fame. Jean was sure that if Akira hadn't of been discovered that he would probably look a bit different. Even in the privacy of the hotel room the boy was different looking than when they were out in public.<br><br>That didn't mean he didn't find Akira attractive. Jean had always liked men a little younger than himself. Akira was fit and healthy, with the exception of the smoking. He had nice hair, skin, and eyes. So yes, he could admit to Akira being attractive and even admit to finding himself looking once in a while when he shouldn't. But Jean, with all his knowledge and experience, was a social reject. He was strong and confident in front of cameras, reporters, CEOs, managers, and even Akira; but he would probably fall to pieces on a date, "And don't worry about Leo. Even he has to go through me to get to you. You won't hear much out of him."
			</dd>
		</dl>
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