Work Text:
Higashikata Josuke was the main door for the entry and exit of illegal profit. An explorer with thousands of customers, the son of one of the biggest smugglers in all of Asia. His name circulated with almost caustic ease through the sheds of the false offices. Some said he was a well-known moneylender, charging high and absurd interest rates; a smaller portion, however, said the man was a narcotics dealer who had been encouraged by his family to enter the criminal world against his will; and, some smart ones from the lower strata of society, already speculated that he was just an owner of foundations that carried out clandestine practices related to piracy.
After all, what Higashikata wanted more than anything was... Money. Easy, quick, and dirty money. What needed only very few bureaucratic standards and, who knows, assertive punishments. The end of it didn't matter so much. His reputation was good enough, although he could have anything he wanted. Luxury objects, fame, men, women, whatever he thought best. It was just a matter of choice.
In one thing, however, the people were right: even if he liked - in a way - all this unworthy life, that in itself was not part of the choices he could make today, being the heir to a great representative of one of the best-known Chinese mafias, he could not argue much. And even if he wanted to see the favorable sides of the whole big "equation", Josuke could never be forgetting that once he got in, he could never get out.
His mother was an example of this, killed in the Shanghai massacre in 1927 and accused by members of enemy factions of being part of the communist party. He was just a child when it happened, protected by the forces that came from his father's blood, who didn't bother to protect his wife when it all happened. It was something that Josuke's blue eyes could never forget.
In any case and as stated earlier, it was a difficult situation in which he could not escape. Higashikata was heading to Shanghai that night, out of a great irony of fate. The faction's headquarters were constantly changing, but the young had been settling in Hong Kong for a few months, right in the middle of the vibrant and densely populated urban center. Today he would be resolving yet another matter related to one of his negotiations with some type of new customer that one of his employees added to his list. It wasn't a very fat money exchange, Josuke judged. In reality, there was not even a relevant reason for him to agree to go to another city for receipt of the sum, since Higashikata could postpone the order or just close the deal without any commitment. However, the fact that the transaction would take place in Shanghai was... One thing. Josuke found himself accepting without even realizing it, even after all these years without visiting the central coast. Maybe it was something to do with his mother and the burning desire in his chest that begged him to come back again.
He entered the refined and illustrious bar that was on one of the most famous streets in the city, located in an area by the sea that carried several important buildings. It was somewhat surprising that he had selected such a emphatic location, since Josuke was used to meeting his collaborators in all kinds of unusual establishments: from sex clubs to drug outlets. You see, Shanghai was China's largest industrial and commercial center, but at the same time there was also a exacerbated growth in exploitation, addiction, and prostitution - in addition to a number of other problems. Receiving an invitation within the most prestigious territory of the metropolis was one of the details that made him reconsider the acceptance of the agreement with the unknown client.
The young man was accompanied by one of his assistants when he arrived at the table reserved specifically for them, which confirmed the veracity of the information. Josuke asked for a drink while waiting at the noble wooden table, witnessing all the artifices that made up a decoration from the colonial era around him.
He looked at his wristwatch. "What time did he schedule to meet us here?"
"There is no appointment, Mr. Higashikata." The man next to him explained, settling into the chair more appropriately as he watched the room fill with elegant people. "The client only expressed the information that we should be here at night to make the transaction. In the evening, events open at a fixed period, so it must be at that time that he will appear."
Josuke raised an eyebrow at him.
The man snorted in his place, taking his pack of cigarettes from the compartment of his italian suit. He could see his assistant open his mouth, as if he were about to warn him about smoking in a closed place like that, but he seemed to give up when he remembered all the times he tried to reason with Josuke on the same subject. Higashikata lit the object, swallowing deeply before letting the smoke out of his lungs. If he was lucky, there would be a few minutes before an employee noticed him and asked him to stop smoking permanently.
However, he couldn't help it. Josuke was nervous, extremely restless and submerged in his abstinence. He was unable to say whether this was because this was the place that reminded him of his past traumas or the detail of having to dress in such tight and uncomfortable clothes. That is, in addition to not being able to use his characteristic accessories that night - since he needed to be properly disguised. It was stressful in a way that he didn't need to explain.
It was not long before the whiskey he requested earlier arrived, followed by a kind of introduction to the shows of the day. Josuke didn't quite understand what it meant, so he figured it was a kind of musical performance. Higashikata had his suspicions confirmed as soon as a woman with a generic rhythm started to sing on stage, receiving a certain acclaim that made him assume that the stranger was a famous artist. Josuke didn't care. The young continued to take massive sips of his alcoholic drink, stamping his feet on the ground apprehensively. He needed to get out of there.
A few more songs played, Josuke didn't really pay attention to them. Even the vase on the white tablecloth, carried by the bar's dark, dull light, seemed more interesting. It housed a red rose, which made Higashikata think around the fact that the first rose grew in Asian gardens 5,000 years ago. He did not have much access to education at school, however it was one of the knowledge he kept with himself, strangely.
His glass was empty when the latest attractions began to be presented. Josuke looked up in time to see a man come down the stairs and appear behind one of the gray curtains, with traits of an unusual appearance. In fact, Josuke had to blink twice to make sure it was a man.
He wore a long, scarlet dress on his body, just in a way that it was incorrigible that his muscles and curves were well accentuated under the onerous fabrics and on his exposed shoulders. He also wore a heel, but he moved so masterfully that the youngest had fullness in stating that it was not the first time that the other had incorporated an effeminate style.
And, well, there was also his face. It was covered in some kind of transparent veil, but nothing that prevented him from seeing his lips colored by a bright red that went in perfect harmony with his green hair and flashy eyes in the same tone, besides the marked jaw and his thin cheeks on his face.
It was fantastic, Josuke would say. He couldn't take his eyes off him, watching him hold the microphone and adjust it silently.
"Do you know the name of the singer that is in the stage now?" The young adult asked the assistant, not really looking at him.
"Kishibe Rohan." The ears of the other prickled when he heard it. He almost dared to repeat it, just to know how it would sound in his voice in the open. "Is Mr. Higashikata interested?"
Josuke swallowed, stubbing out his cigarette at the top of the table. "Tell me what you know about him."
"He is one of the survivors of the april 12 incident, his family comes from a wealthy class made up of several popular artists. As you already know, the Chinese metropolis was also a cultural pole of music and produced a significant number of talented people." He explained, witnessing the round of applause that formed for the beginning of the song. "Kishibe is a direct relative of the father of Chinese pop music who lives in Shanghai, Li Jinhui."
It seemed eloquent enough to Josuke.
Higashikata did not expect that when Rohan brought his lips closer to the microphone and started singing, something he genuinely liked could come out of it. He had a soft, melodious voice, and calm when accompanying the sound of a guitar in the background. The first notes flowed in a serene timbre in the lyrics of a song that Josuke recognized almost instantly. Like the songs of the former composer mentioned, there was a bold touch in the way the tones evolved into something more desperate, more in need. There was a sensual touch to the words, behind the whole story of a young man, poor and thirsty for love. Something passionate, but also warm.
Josuke felt involved in these little phrases filled with double meaning. He barely noticed when he was wondering how the other's delicate hips would feel in his hands. The negotiator wanted to be inside his green eyes, sailing immensely and feeling it at the same time that he could hear that same gentle voice calling his name slowly.
For an instant, he made Higashikata look around and see if people were really taking the whole revolutionary atmosphere seriously within the culture that made Li Jinhui to be booed for years. However, everyone was fascinated, if not petrified by the figure of the singer. Josuke felt a chill go through his body when the song ended, followed by a series of new applause more hysterical than the previous ones and several roses thrown at Kishibe Rohan's feet.
Josuke stood up seconds after Rohan left the place, telling his assistant that he would take care of a private matter and leaving by the stairs adjacent to the stage. The negotiator bit his lower lip as he followed the same path that the unknown man did, coming across a dark corridor that led to the men's room. He hesitated a little before opening the door, aware that he should not venture into places too isolated for his own good. As soon as Higashikata entered the room, he felt something firm and rough against his neck. His eyes widened when he realized it was a blade: a burning sensation beginning to dot tiny droplets of blood that warned him of how sharp it was.
"Why are you following me?" Questioned a voice behind the man. Josuke frowned when all of his fur stood on end, feeling intimidated by the likelihood of having been recognized.
“You're Kishibe Rohan, right? I just enjoyed your music.”
He felt the knife in his neck gradually move away, until he was free to turn and face the other behind him. Several questions arose at the bottom of his heart due to the mystery related to the singer tried to defend himself in an unusually violent way. But, for some reason, it only served to excite Josuke more.
In fact, the more he thought, the more the pieces fit together. Kishibe Rohan must have been a person who was frequently threatened. He survived a massacre against a party his family adopted, as well as walking in the footsteps of a man who had been hard-hounded in the past and to this day for political reasons. Rohan was breaking the law by singing banned songs in this way, as well as demonstrating to everyone that he was never part of the cause that his lineage supported.
This made the negotiator's stomach turn over when he remembered his mother was killed by the same incident and the faction that was waiting for him on the other side of the country.
"... Did you come to me just for that?"
Higashikata came out of his trance upon hearing it. The singer carried an unreadable look on him, analyzing him with a certain curiosity that made the taller feel warm on his cheeks.
In that proximity, he could see Rohan's velvety lips, calling him in an ingenious and attractive invitation. Josuke sighed, trying to be honest with himself at least once: "No."
He made guesses about many things now, but none of them suggested that Rohan would smile broadly and maliciously. The olderman one approached after that, never breaking his eye contact with Josuke. Kishibe stood just inches from the negotiator's face, having to stand a little more on tiptoes - even with his heels considerably high. The singer closed his eyes, as if he expected Higashikata to do what he wanted, and he didn't have to ask verbally. He moved forward in his mouth, sealing his lips in a way filled with accumulated desire.
Rohan was more agile as he made space on his full lips with his tongue, deepening his kiss as he groped Josuke's waist, pulling him towards himself as much as he could. The taller man pushed the man's slim figure toward the door, causing him to let out a shaky moan with a stronger impact than necessary. He broke away from Rohan's appetizing lips, down to his neck in a trail of moist kisses alternating between rough bites. The singer seemed to like it because he rubbed his hips over Higashikata's erection without any qualms while doing so. Josuke just fell in love with it more, intensifying his attacks.
He wrapped his arms around the artist's waist, watching how it fit perfectly due to its small size.
"You enter my hands so well, it’s like you’re made for me.” The same whispered. Josuke didn't mind having sex in a public bathroom.
However, something stopped him on the way. Rohan pushed it away subtly, revealing his messy features with his smudged lipstick and wrinkled dress: "I've been waiting for you, Higashikata Josuke."
After affirming this, he adjusted his clothing again to his body, taking several bank notes from somewhere in his purse left on the marble counter in the space where they stood. The youngest did not understand immediately, until Kishibe put the amount inside his suit and turned his back on him. Coincidentally, it was the same amount he would receive from the client who agreed to meet him there.
"It was good to do business with you."