My Yakuza Boyfriend

"Do you like me, Ken?"

"Yes, my boyfriend."

"Now it's your turn, my boyfriend! I want to see you naked too!" Takao licks his lips and leans against the window.

"But dear, I feel so conscious of my slim smooth body." Ken blushes. "But as we are consenting adults, all right! I'll do it! But promise me you'll not to laugh at me, dear."

"I'll never laugh at you, Ken."

He removes his own T-shirt, revealing his smooth white slim body. He turns around, disclosing his curves and smooth arms and shoulder blades. Takao lowers his large hand and covers his hardening cock.

"Are you all right, Takao?"

"I-I guess so."

Ken smiles and undoes the button of his jeans. He lowers his zipper and drops them.

"Fuck! You're like a model and look so hot, Ken!" Takao takes his briefs and covers his fully erect cock. Ken smiles and turns around, revealing his round buttocks in a white pair of briefs. He turns around and removes his underwear. "Geez, I'm lost! What a cute god you are, my boyfriend!"

"I feel odd being naked in front of you." He smiles. "Can I put my clothes back on again?" They both get dressed.

"If you'll excuse me, I still need to fix my bedroom." Ken smiles and exits awkwardly.

"Oh, yes, of course! If you need some help lifting heavy things or carrying things for you, just call me."

"All right. Thanks dear." Ken exits and closes the sliding door of his lover's bedroom.

Oh, dear! What am I doing? Ken smiles to himself and shakes his head, as he unpacks his clothes and puts them in piles in the closet. In Japan it's not common to have closets with hangers or drawers. Instead, they have a huge empty closet space divided into two parts, like a bunk bed, but squared. As Ken finishes organizing his room, he hears Takao preparing something in the kitchen.

"Dear, we haven't spoken about cooking arrangements yet. I need to help you pay for our food. I know that food in Japan is very expensive."

"Ken, I don't want you to worry about our food. The company pays for my expenses, which is more than sufficient for two people. You can always buy snacks or whatever else you wish to eat and I'll pay for you. And by all means, you can also help prepare our meal. I'll teach you the names and uses of all the ingredients and food stuff in the kitchen, for I believe you're used to eating different food."

"I'll eat whatever you eat, dear."

"I know that in Brazil you eat red meat every day. And you also eat rice and beans."

"I agree with you, dear. But red meat in Japan costs a fortune. I'm all right with fish, chicken, and pork."

Ken helps Takao prepare dinner and they have a feast. Takao turns out to be a great cook. Ken does the dishes and cleans up the kitchen while Takao takes a bath in the ofuro, or hot bathtub.

As he is done, he watches some TV in the living room. Ken also enters the bath and enjoys the warm water. He then joins Takao later. As he doesn't own a sofa, he puts some large cushions in a pile and nestles among them. Ken joins him shyly and they watch TV together. Takao invites Ken to snuggle in to him. Ken hesitates at first, but then decides to try it.

"Now we're like a real couple." He kisses Ken's head.

"I'm still getting used to having a boyfriend around me, dear. Wow, you're so warm and your muscles are hard."

When it's sleeping time, each goes to his own bedroom. Ken closes his sliding door gently. As he is spreading his thick cot used as a mattress, he realizes he doesn't have a pillow. He gently opens his sliding door again and tiptoes to Takao's bedroom. As he is about to knock the door, he hears him moaning and grunting. He smiles and returns to his bedroom right away. He folds a large towel and uses it as a pillow for the time being. He closes his eyes and thanks his stars for his new life.

On the following day, Ken hears a gentle knock at his bedroom door.

"Ken, are you awake?"

"Yes, dear."

"Breakfast is ready!"

"Oh, ok! I'll be there in a minute!" Ken rubs his eyes and yawns. He gets up, folds his thick cot, and gets dressed. He opens his sliding door gently and puts on his slippers.

"Good morning, Ken! Take a seat and let's have breakfast!" Takao is all smiles.

"Good morning, dear." He smiles and admires the table. "You didn't have to prepare this feast, dear."

"I wanted to, my boyfriend!" He helps himself to the rice from the electric rice cooker. He spoons some and puts it a bowl for Ken. "There, fresh steamy rice! You won't get any fresher than that!"

"Thanks, dear." Ken takes his chopsticks and eats some rice from his small bowl, some pickled radish, a piece of omelet, some broiled fish, and natô, or fermented beans in soy sauce and topped with chopped green onion.

"It's much better having breakfast with one's boyfriend." He is all smiles.

"Oh, yes, dear. But tomorrow is my turn to prepare it, dear!" Ken notices Takao wearing an old thin light navy blue kimono barely covering his upper body. He is also wearing shorts.

"Ok! By the way, I suggest we make some 'onigiris' to take along." Onigiris are rice balls. "We can take some pickled veggies, a bag of chips, some apples, and some cupcakes to our picnic, what do you say?"

"Hey, that's a cool idea. And we can buy cold drinks on the way to the lake."

"I heard Brazilians like to barbecue steaks and sausages on the grill in the park. Maybe we can also do it sometime."

"Takao, my brother Tanaka is inviting me to visit him in August, during the week-long holiday. I want you to come along, dear." Ken takes his large callused hairy hand.

"I-I don't know, Ken."

"What is it, dear? You don't like to travel?" Ken looks in his eyes. He looks away.

"I feel shy, Ken. Your brothers might not like me, for I'm," he forces a smile. "I know that Brazilians hate Japanese people. Not you, of course."

"But dear, that's where you're mistaken. Not all Brazilians are the same. Just the same way that not all Japanese are the same. Don't you love me, dear?"

"I do. But I'll think about it, I promise. Now, let's finish eating before the food gets cold."

"All right, my Japanese samurai!" He smiles. Takao frowns.

"I thought you'd call me, 'my Japanese yakuza boyfriend!" He looks hurt. Ken smiles.

"All right, my yakuza boyfriend!" Ken kisses his hand. Takao beams with pride. "But I'm glad you're a nice man and not a ruthless criminal." Ken strokes his warm cheek.

"I like being the big boss so I can impress you, my love. I like to be the head of the household, to protect and take care of you. You can always count on your yakuza boyfriend, my love."

As they finish, Ken clears the table and does the dishes, while Takao prepares their stuff for their picnic.

Ken looks out their small kitchen window and sees a man in a navy blue uniform and cap stop by the front door and dropping an envelope in the mailbox. He approaches the door and takes it. Wow, post office delivery even on Sunday! That's efficiency for you! He smiles.

"There's mail for you, dear." He hands the fat envelope to Takao.

"Did you look what was inside, Ken?" His face is stern and he squints his eyes.

"No, dear. It's sealed. What is it?"

"It's nothing important." He looks down, folds the envelope, and puts it in his shorts' pocket.

"All right. But you don't need to be so uptight, dear." Ken kisses his face. He nods gently and forces a smile.

"Sorry, but there are some things about my life that, I'd rather keep it to myself, if you don't mind."

"All right, dear. If you feel like sharing them with me, I'm all ears. But I won't judge you or press you further. Like I said, you're at home, a place that you feel safe and comfortable. Nothing should disturb your peace, including my being here."

"I know that, Ken." He turns away and goes to his bedroom. He closes his sliding door with a bang.

Ken takes his diary and begins to scribble a few lines. He hears some rock music coming from Takao's bedroom. He smiles and finishes writing his entry for the day. He comes out wearing a black T-shirt and some jeans.

"I'm going to do some groceries before we head for our picnic." He speaks dryly.

"In this case I'm coming with you."

"But you don't have a large backpack. Besides, the supermarket is down the street. You'll get tired riding the bike up the hill on your way back."

"I'll be all right, dear."

They leave at once and Takao rides his bike quite quickly. Ken at times tries to catch up with him, but quits. He knows where the supermarket is and joins him in the bike parking lot. As they enter the supermarket, both take a shopping basket.

"You go on picking whatever stuff you want, snacks, candies, that kind of thing. I'll go and pick some food stuff."

"Maybe we can pick things together, dear."

"Oh, all right." Takao doesn't seem too pleased with Ken's suggestion. They go on shopping and Ken meets Berenice and Raul, some old Brazilian friends.

"Oh, hi guys! What a pleasure to see you!" He kisses and hugs Berenice and Raul. "Let me introduce you to Takao!" They bow rather awkwardly. Takao excuses himself and takes Ken's shopping basket.

"I'll finish the shopping and wait for you outside, Ken."

"Wait! We can do it together." But Takao is already heading to the fish section.

"So, how's your new factory and accommodation? And how's married life? I heard you got a new car?" Ken forces a smile.

"We're still in our honeymoon phase, aren't we, my love?" Berenice kisses Raul.

"The new factory is very good and the accommodation is also fine. We're doing a lot of extra hours, you know, to pay for, the new car. And what about you and our old factory? And how come you're shopping with that guy? He's a yakuza, you know?" They both turn to him at the distance. Ken shakes his head.

"He's not a yakuza, dear. Anyway, we're now living together." Ken tells them about his new living arrangements and relationship with Takao. They look at each other in wonder.

"But Ken, he's not a man to be trusted. Others said he had problems with the law. No wonder no one wants anything to do with him."

Ken goes on defending Takao. In the end, they offer him their number in case he needs a place to stay and a new job. They kiss and Ken promises to visit them sometime. Then he looks around for Takao. He goes through the cashiers and spots him sitting on a bench, sulking.

"Did I take long, dear?"

"Did they say bad things about me?" He stands up and goes out to his bike.

"Let me help you carry something, dear."

"I'm all right. But you didn't buy your favorite snacks, candies, and your favorite food, Ken."

"Takao, stop treating me as if I were a spoiled child or a doll! I can also do things and I want to help you, dear. Why won't you allow me to help you?"

"Ok. I'm sorry, Ken." He hands Ken some shopping bags. "But the heavy stuff I put in my backpack, ok!" He looks stern.

"I love you, dear." Ken smiles. He knows that in Japan people don't show affection in public, much less kiss in the open. Instead, Ken puts his hand on Takao's broad shoulder and rubs his back gently.

"I-I love you too, my Ken."

Barely have they reached their house, Takao is on his knees.

"I'm really sorry for the way I behaved today, my love. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I won't do that again, I promise, Ken!" He has tears in his eyes.

"Dear, it's ok!" He takes Takao in his arms and hugs the big man. He rubs his hand over his muscular back. He kisses his burning cheeks.

"I'm not a bad guy, Ken. I won't deny that I have my dark secrets, and, I need to keep unpleasant things away from you, for I don't want you to run away from me." He produces the envelope from his pocket and hands it to Ken. "I want you to have this."

"What do you mean, dear? I saw this envelope being delivered to you earlier today. I handed it to you."

"Please, take it." Upon his insistence, Ken takes it, and opens to check its content.

"Takao! What's the meaning of this? That's a lot of money!"

"Yes, my love. There should be $10,000."

"What! You've got to explain to me how come you've got so much money delivered to you! That's at least three month's worth of my wages in this envelope!"

"I-I'll explain it to you, my love. A while ago, a man hired me to, settle an account with his acquaintance. This man was making out with his wife. He wanted me to scare him but not kill the man." Takao closes his fist.

"Oh, dear! Takao, did you, hurt him?"

"It was dark. I hit him a couple of times. I wasn't expecting him to have a knife though." He lifts his T-shirt, displaying his furry chest and armpit. "See. The wound is superficial and difficult to see."

"But when I asked you about this scar, you said it was from a machine in the factory!" Ken inspects the wound and looks into his eyes.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Ken!" He looks down. "I'm a dishonorable man. That's why you should never call me a samurai. You should call me, a yakuza, like everybody else who has crossed my path." He looks away.

"Come here, dear." He embraces this strong man and kisses him. "You've got to trust me, do you hear me, dear?" He strokes Takao's face. They look into each other's eyes.

"I-I've never had anyone care about me, my love. No one cared. I'm but a disposable cheap laborer doing the lowest job in this factory. No one would ever hire a man like me in the market. My folks expected so much from me. And when I fell short, I became violent. It has ruined my academic career and life. You see, all the proceedings I make, I save, for when I get old, who's going to take care of me?"

"I see, dear."

"In Japan, you need to have a child, preferably a son to take care of you in old age. If you're old, single, and penniless, they'll throw you out on the street. Or what is even worse, you are sent to an institution full of old sick people. Such places are hidden away from society. I've seen a few myself and," he has tears in his eyes, "you live at the cost of someone else's money. You live from hand to mouth. In Japan if you opt for that, you are disgraced, you're done for." He looks down.

"I also think of old age, dear."

"But you're still so young, handsome, charming, intelligent, and sociable, Ken! You attract people, you dazzle people with your light and aura, you turn even the saddest and darkest place, a home by your light presence. I can feel it myself. On the other hand, look at me! I'm already middle-aged, have trouble with the law, work in a dead-end job, and on top of that, I'm gay. Not to mention that people call me a yakuza. I just have zero chance of finding someone nice. And out of the blue, you've appeared and, has brought so many changes in my life already."

"You're a fine man, dear." Ken hands him back the fat envelope with the money.

"I gave it to you, Ken, because I love you. I don't want you to feel I'm buying your affection. I want you to accept it as a gift from, someone who dares to call himself your boyfriend. Please, you'll make me happy if you take it."

"You are my boyfriend, Takao. And I am here because I need you too. I know that in Japan, one hardly expresses his feelings, or display affection in public. But we're different, dear. I'll accept your gift, but you've got to let me pay for all our bills too from now on! You've got to understand that you don't owe me anything, dear. We're on the same level."

"All right, my love! Anything you say, but please, don't leave me!" They kiss on the mouth.

"Of course I won't leave you, my brave yakuza boyfriend!" He smiles.

"Perhaps, we should put the food away in the cupboards and fridge, my sweet geisha." Ken smiles.

As soon as they finish putting the food away, Takao does the laundry, a task he thinks a girl should do, and not a proud yakuza boyfriend. Ken smiles and cleans the bedrooms, living room, and toilet.

"That was a productive morning, dear!" Ken takes off his rubber gloves, after cleaning the toilet.

"What do you say we have our picnic by the lake, my geisha?"

"Good idea, dear. I'm dying to see it! Let's go!"

This time, Takao rides his bike slowly. They enjoy the view of the green rice-fields and flower beds all over the landscape. They take a small paved farm road and reach the smooth calm lake.

"Hey, that's a cool place! I wonder how come I've never been here before!"

"Shall we unpack and have lunch? I'm starving, my love!"

As they sit under some trees, a lot of other families are also gathered for their picnics. Ken looks around and notices some smoke from grills.

"Look, dear! I can't believe it! That's Berenice and Raul over there! Oh, and look! Shigeru, Taís, and Mitsuro are with them! I haven't seen them in a long time!"

"Do you want to join them, Ken?" Takao looks serious.

"Let's go and say hi, dear. I'm sure you'll like to meet them. Shigeru, Taís, and Mitsuro come from the same city in Brazil that I do." Ken smiles and waves.

"Oh, all right, of course, my love." They all turn to them and wave back.

"Hi, guys! Long time no see!" Ken hugs and kisses everybody. "Let me introduce you to Takao! He's my Japanese boyfriend!" They all look at each other. Raul then shakes hands formally with him, and so do the others.

"You're joining us for a barbecue, Ken and Takao!" Raul says. His wife looks at him disapprovingly.

"Well, why not? We've brought some food too. We're buying some drinks later." Ken is all smiles.

"Perhaps I can go and get the drinks, Ken." Takao says.

"You stay here and help set the table with our food dear. Mitsuro and I shall get the drinks. Right, Mitsuro!"

"Sure thing. Let's go!" They head towards the vending machine near the parking lot.

"Your boyfriend is a big man, Ken. I'm glad I'm finally meeting him. When Berenice and Raul told us about him, we couldn't believe it, Ken."

"We're trying to make things work between us, dear. And the more I know him, the more I fall in love with him."

"Well, I'm glad for you, Ken."

"I won't deny that he's had a troubled past, dear. But he surely deserves a second chance in life."

"I've heard that he's got a short temper. And that has caused him trouble abroad and in the university that he's taught."

"I'm sure he's going to tell me about his experiences as he feels more comfortable."

"Well, as far as I know, in Canada he just gambled and had a good time. Drunk driving is a serious offence there. And in Japan, he was dismissed from the university after breaking the nose of another faculty member. Apparently his colleague outed him during a heated argument."

"Like I said, dear. I'm sure he'll tell me these things as he feels more comfortable." Ken buys some beer, soda, and juice from the vending machine. They put everything in two bags and return to their group. Takao is by himself by the table.

"I'm back, dear!" He puts his hand on Takao's shoulder.

"I helped Raul light the fire. Taís and Berenice went to the toilet and haven't returned yet.

"Wow, look at this table! I haven't had potato salad in a long time!" Ken smiles.

"I can't wait to have some real barbecue!" Mitsuro opens a can of beer for himself. Takao looks at him.

"Can I serve you some beer, Mitsuro?"

"Oh, all right! I've forgotten that in Japan you serve drinks to others!" They all laugh.

"So, you'd better start serving me my soda, dear!" Ken smiles to Takao.

"Sure, my love!"

The girls arrive and Raul announces that the meat is almost ready. They all speak in Portuguese and Ken manages to translate everything to Takao either in his broken Japanese or English.

"I'm amazed at how Ken just throws himself at every situation and speaks his Japanese like a native speaker! I've never seen someone learn it so fast." Takao says.

"Oh, dear! But I bet I speak it incorrectly!" Ken blushes and kisses Takao's cheek, who blushes completely.