The room was at a whispering null, nothing but the dust frolicking in front of the open windows could be seen within the warm, morning rays of curtains drawn and fabric fluttering. It was fairly early in the morning, the sun already crawling across the broad horizon speckled with fluffs of clouds and bringing the temperature up to it's usual, California high. Sprawled across the sea of wrinkled linen and piles of large pillows, lay the blonde male pleasantly settled with his lover in the king-sized bed. Fully nude with blankets bundled around his waist and lower half, he suddenly began to stir at the obnoxious chirps coming from his phone somewhere within the room. Squishing his eyes tightly and bringing the other body closer against his own out of instinct, Mako could only grumble in protest before cracking those peepers open and gazing at the beauty beside him. Eyelashes shuttered down and cherry lips parted with the faintest of breaths, the blonde had no intention to bring his attention away from his gorgeous boyfriend sleeping soundly on his chest. The tresses of beautiful, golden locks disheveled from their long night of lovemaking and bare chest, raising and falling ever so sweetly in a rhythm of harmonious slumber. The taller one could only reach down and dust the back of his hand across his cheek lovingly, feeling the softness of his skin and radiating warmth against his finger joints. He just wanted to stay like this for a tad bit longer, holding him like they were the only two alive in this world and doing his best to ignore the bothersome noises his phone made.
But when the warbles became more persistent, a groan sifted past his lips and the comfort melted from his shoulders like butter, suddenly sinking back against the mountain of pillows with a huff, similar to that of a child. His stern expression softened up a little when scowling at the ceiling, but his brows began to knit together in annoyance.
"The one day I want to stay in bed.." He grumbled, voice rough around the edges, a raspy whisper soaked in caramel. First words of the day, gone within an instant, and he knew he would have to drag himself out of bed to at least get
some work done before the interrogations; another thing he didn't want to think about. Snaking his arm from around his jagiya and slithering out of bed ever so quietly, Mako made sure to do it without having to bother the other body sleeping soundly beneath the covers. As much as he didn't want to leave Ji-Yeon in their bed alone, naked and as handsome as ever, it was best to get started with the day earlier than not at all.
The noises became more of a low screeching and that's when Mako had it, snapping up and darting over to the dresser to snatch the device into his paws with a low growl. Rummaging through the typical client-side notifications of heart emojis and kissy faces, the blonde halted on a few texts to read them silently to himself. From one person, all spread out in variants of two or more messages chained together, they all generally said the same thing in a whiny, impatient tone.
"I woke up early for this shit baby, where the fuck are you?"
Massaging the little hairs on his dark brows with his left hand, he padded his thumb across the illuminated keyboard with speed to reply as considerate as possible. He knew no matter what he had replied with though, the little rodent on the other end was going to tell him to hurry the fuck up regardless. Exhaling through his nostrils, Mako tossed his phone back on the dresser on silent this time, and bee-lined straight for the shower to begin his morning routine. The Water Lily, a host club of sorts, was the home he was forced into once hitting the ripe age of eighteen. His means of business, his means of power; because wherever the families went, there was always fucking business to take care of. It almost made him long at the thought of sleeping in, to tuck himself back in bed and send himself off in another ceiling stupor. Drifting away from the things that made his knuckles crack and molded him into the being he was years ago. Mako took another one of those deep, withering breaths and turned the shower water on, drowning out any thought of the past from his mind to prevent himself from regretting it.
That initial bout of inertia made Mako's shower surprisingly quick. His head swam like a fishbowl, splashing over it's sides, soap, lather, back of the head pressed against the tiles, water off and finished. He swiped his palm across the surface of the wall-sized mirror, clearing the condensation to expose a slice of brown almond puddles and drifting lower, to a flat-lined mouth and set of dimples. Thick, dark eyebrows, framed murky eyes, wide nose, and pink, rotund lips, all there and accounted for. Teeth brushed, cologne applied, hair dried and combed to the left in vanilla swirls, drooping just above his the corner of his forehead to frame his face. Slinking the rectangle of fabric around his hips, Mako waddled out to find something appealing in their conjoined closet, thinking critically of what to wear in this sort of heat on a Sunday in Los Angeles.
Clothes made the man, or whatever his father used to say to his nanny when she tightened tiny ties around his neck, making sure he looked the least bit suitable in his presence. It stuck with Mako though, throughout all these harsh years, like a hoarse hiss in the back of his ear that he desperately tried to tone out. Now standing at the age of twenty-three and towering a handful of feet, it pained for Mako to say he looked exactly like his father, broad shoulders and all. A ghost imprinted in his flesh, attempting to possess every aspect of his well-being to an illustration of likeliness.
I'm not like my father, he used to whisper, chanting to himself every time a mirror drew close to him,
I won't be like him. But sometimes, he honestly wondered if he really was like him in the end.
Mako made sure his style today took the temperature into consideration, as well as allowed for brisk movements and future stains because dirt was unforgiving on designer suits and shiny shoes. If anything escalated at the workplace or even at the interrogation, the blonde knew for a fact he wasn't going to let one of his nice suits get tarnished. So, now adorning his frame was a
black floral button up, fitted to his stocky form and revealing his bulky arms, and a pair of black jeans suited with a belt for ulterior purposes. On his feet were a set of black laced ass-kicking boots, settled nicely just at his ankles and the hem of his tight jeans. Slipping a few necklaces on as well as his usual watch and rings, Mako sucked at his gums and hesitated at the doorway, gazing at Ji-Yeon before sauntering over to plant a drawn-out kiss on his forehead. He always hated this part of the morning, having to say goodbye to him.
"I'll see you soon, jagiya." He whispered in his ear, almost feathery, hoping it wouldn't wake him.
Sliding his phone and wallet into his back pocket, the blonde went to fetch a black bag tucked away behind their clothes in the closet and be on his way. He made sure to leave his car keys and anything else of importance for Ji-Yeon, remembering him talking about picking up Ethan later on in the day. As much as he enjoyed driving especially in this heat with the air conditioner on, the blonde was more than capable to walk in sacrifice for his lover. Tossing the bag over his shoulder and grabbing his sunglasses from off the coffee table, the taller one started on his brief journey into the outside world.
While stepping out, his phone suddenly vibrated in the back of his pocket, causing him to chew on his lip in displeasure, already knowing what the text had read in the back of his mind. Reaching behind him to grab it, he leaned against the elevator wall and peered at the screen glaring back at him with small, taunting letters.
"Hurry the fuck up, I'm lonely."
Not really in the mood for this man's sharp tongue and firecracker attitude, Mako replied just as quick before anything else could be said. Floor signals continuously chimed in the background while his fingers clicked aggressively, typing up something to regain his power within the conversation.
"Do you forget who you're talking to?"
Silence. The doors crept open and revealed the lobby, giving him permission to edge on and step outside into the grueling sunshine. Another ping, and Mako raised his phone.
"It's been a long time Ma-kon~, you don't scare me much anymore."
The rest of the way there was as right as rain, other than the occasional pause he would have to make in the shade to cool himself down. This California weather was an absolute bitch, and it was a surprise he hadn't bought a one-way ticket straight to Alaska by now. Nonetheless, Mako finished the last few feet and found himself entering his workplace, immediately scanning his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. A few clients scattered here and there, accompanied by his newly hired hosts, but so far, everything was fine. A handful women proceeded to squeal and greet him loudly, practically waiting for his presence, but the blonde had other matters to deal with. Taking off his sunglasses and tucking them on the collar of his shirt, he walked over to one of his staff and lifted up the bag, hinting at the question he desperately wanted answered.
"Where is he?" The other suddenly turned and nodded in the direction behind him, straight towards the VIP lounge, biting his lip in hopes of it being the correct answer. He knew what all this was going to lead to, and he began staggering away to get himself at a fair distance.
"Saw him go back there."
Nodding a simple thanks, Mako gripped the leather handles of the bag and marched his way to the back, ready for whatever lay ahead of him with this unpredictable son-of-a-bitch. Just as he ambled in, face blank but eyebrows furrowed something furious, a relatively high voice called out his name almost lovingly when he made his appearance.
"Ma-kon~" It whined when the towering blonde approached the table, eyeing Joja and the one other sitting beside him with a look of disgust.
"It's nice of you to finally decide to fucking show up."
Immediately unzipping the bag and prying it open, the taller one tossed it onto the table in front of him to reveal it's contents, a few small baggies of cocaine and various other drugs he had no interest in.
"I told you a long time ago that I'm not doing this shit anymore." Joja leaned forward and dug around a bit, cracking open one of the bags to give it a small sniff and poking his fingers in, running the white powder along the inside of his gums with ease. His eyebrows perked up, and a feline smile pulled at the corners of his wide mouth, exceptionally happy with the quality of this crop.
"Ma-kon baby, you were so good at it though, and look at this!" He paused, waving at the pile of drugs strewn about in front of him.
"You always know how to get the best stuff right to my hands, that's what I call talent, and here you are wasting it away." Joja stood up and slid around the table, holding his index finger and middle covered in powder up to Mako's lips, offering him a little bit of the personal flavor.
"See for yourself.."
Out of instinct, Mako recoiled backwards and nudged the hand away from his face, inhaling sharply at the thought of the taste.
"You know I don't touch that shit." He hissed, ogling the thin film of cocaine dusting the pads of his fingers, scared that even a little would cause him to slip up and relapse. He couldn't live through that again.
"Aw baby, why not? You know you loved it back then, is someone preventing you from having a little fun now?" Joja pouted, running his hand along his stomach to dust it off, only to reach up and flick a stray hair out of Mako's vision, causing him to look away once more.
"That's none of your business."
The obsidian haired male suddenly burst into a fit of loud, hyena laughter, returning his hand back to his cocked hip.
"Oh my, so there is! Who knew big, strong Ma-kon would settle down for a cute little housewife.." He snorted, shark-like teeth glittering as he snickered.
"Bet it's not as good as what we were back then.." Mako's cheek burned a soft pink, thinking back to the days of running around with this lunatic and drugging their lives out, getting completely trashed and fucking senselessly at the wee hours of the morning. That was the past, a disgusting display that shamed him to even think of it once more, especially at this point of his life. He wasn't like that anymore, it was the old him; the old Ma-kon.
"I got you what you wanted, now go."
"Oops, I plucked a soft spot didn't I?" Joja smiled, playing with one of the buttons on his floral shirt, practically wanting to pop it wide open and reveal that masterpiece beneath. He longed for that sweet tan skin again, wishing to scrape his nails across it in long, red lines just like he did only a few years ago. The sweat dripping off the ridges of his muscles and rough breaths swearing at him in his ear. His shoulders suddenly started to shudder at the thought, practically getting off on the past.
"I know you miss me, baby."
Mako stepped back towards one of the walls near the doorway, trying his best to keep calm and collected before he blew his lid completely. He didn't have the patience for this.
"Get out you piece of shit." His voice was sharp, crisp, a demanding shout that was a last minute resort before he went off on this man. Joja continued to smile brilliantly, not even faltering a bit at his booming voice, and motioned for one of his body guards to hand over the briefcase of cash over to Mako, making it clear that he was very much on his way before things escalated.
"You know I love it when you degrade me." He cooed, blowing him a kiss just as he began to leave.
"Until next time, jagiya."
A few seconds passed, a minute even, and Mako stood there in utter silence at the bullshit he got himself into. There wasn't going to be a next time, not now not ever. His knuckles grew white when holding the handle of the briefcase, nearly snapping it right off as the rage bubbled beneath the surface. This was the last time he would ever deal with that man again, a constant plague that seemed to come back no matter how hard he tried to push him away. Turning, the blonde immediately raised his fist and brought it straight into the drywall a few times, creating a gaping hole and breaking the skin of his knuckles without thinking twice. Blood trickled down his hand in tiny little strands, dripping to the floor in little plops.
"God dammit.." He cursed, pressing his forehead against the cool surface to gaze at the carpet.
"God fucking dammit.."
His phone vibrated consistently, notifying him of an incoming call, but at this point Mako avoided it, taking a guess as to who it was without having to look. He wanted nothing to do with the man. Tottering over to the table, he flicked the remaining blood off his knuckles and set the briefcase down, digging out his phone to then hear the specific sound of a remaining voicemail, something he rarely ever got unless it was Ji-Yeon telling him how much he missed him. Thumbing over, he set the device flat on it's back and let it play on speaker.
Folding his arms, Mako buried his face into the folds and let out a long, drawn out sigh, feeling the stress begin to topple onto his shoulders just like yesterday. The voice on the other side was that of an officer, saying he was a suspect and that he needed to appear at the station later that day for a personal interrogation due to the recent events. If not, there would be a warrant for his arrest and as well as a warrant for a house search, something he didn't exactly want especially at a time like this. While it still was fairly early in the morning, Mako was going to make sure to be there minutes beforehand to be on more of the safe side. Turning his head to stare at the hole he created, he shut his eyes, thinking to himself to recollect any bit of sanity he had left.
There couldn't be just one day where nothing happened.
