Hiko was stretched out on the bed in a pair of white briefs. Down to the underwear he chose, Hiko was a no-nonsense, basic person. Even the way he lay there, on his back, arms clasped behind his head, as if this were any ordinary evening, was so Hiko.

A wrestler back in school, Hiko had an incredible physique, broad and strong. The work he did, combined with lifting weights, kept his brawn toned and defined. One thick leg slipped from its bent position to lie flat and Hiko’s sloping thigh muscle rippled. Shinji’s stomach danced around some more, matching the rhythm of his heart.

Hiko turned his head on the pillow and grinned. “Come in.” He unclasped his hands and sat up.

Shinji stepped in and peeked over.

“Hana’s not here yet,” Hiko said, as if reading his friend’s mind. His hands rested on the bed on either side of him. He watched Shinji come in and gestured to sit beside him, which Shinji did, heart pounding. Several quiet moments passed. “For what it’s worth, Shin-chan,” Hiko said softly, “I’m nervous too.”

He laughed. “It’s hard to tell with you, Mr. Cool.”

Hiko grinned and ruffled Shinji’s hair.

In the quiet that followed, Shinji thought of their very first meeting. He’d been walking past Hiko in the schoolyard minutes before the first-period class began. Hiko had been standing with a few other boys, their dark jackets hanging open, collars unbuttoned, passing a lit cigarette between them. At the sight of Shinji, Hiko had gestured for him to come over and take a drag. Wanting to fit in, Shinji had approached him and accepted the cigarette, which made him cough like crazy. The other boys laughed, but Hiko had given him a friendly slap on the back. “No problem,” he’d said. “Intolerance to smoke is a sign of intelligence.” That strange answer and the way Hiko hadn’t made him feel stupid had sparked Shinji’s attraction to him.

“I’m here,” Hana said near the partly open screen. She politely stood to the side until Hiko told her to come in. She appeared in the doorway, large drawing pad in hand. She looked at them, her eyes widening.

“We won’t bite you, Na-chan,” Hiko said. “Unless you get too close.”

A tiny smile came to her lips. Shinji had always loved her smile. She was like a little wood nymph with her large soft eyes, heart-shaped face and cupid’s-bow lips. She took a few steps into the room and knelt on the shaggy area rug over the tatami flooring Hiko had laid in each bedroom.

“Do you need a stool or something?” Hiko asked her.

She shook her head, slowly turning over the cover of the drawing pad and taking a pencil from behind her ear.

Shinji cleared his throat. “What do you want us to do?”

Uncertainty slipped through Hana’s huge eyes. “I…don’t know.”

“I remember some of the drawings in the manuscript.” Hiko climbed onto the bed on his knees. “Come here, Shin-chan. Get on your knees in front of me.” He winked.

Shinji followed the instruction, heart pounding anew. In seconds, he was kneeling in front of Hiko, face-to-face. Hiko’s wide torso made him feel so narrow. What felt like darts of invisible heat seemed to emanate from Hiko’s body and sink into his own skin, as if Hiko created a force field around him.

“From what I’ve seen of those manga,” Hiko went on, “there are all those passionate embraces. Why don’t we begin with one of those?” He looked at both of them, as if for approval.

“Sure,” Shinji said.

Hana gave one firm nod. “Yes.” She lifted her pencil, her gaze apprehensive yet intensely curious.

Hiko’s large dark eyes took on that simmering look again, the one he’d gotten just before their kiss earlier that night. “Ready?”

Shinji nodded. That jumping-off-the-precipice sensation overcame him again as Hiko’s brawny arms closed around him. The hardness and heat of the other man’s body invaded Shinji’s chest and stomach. Their torsos pressed together and Hiko’s large, calloused hands palmed Shinji’s back. The touch was hot, vibrant, like brands on his bare skin.

Shinji’s heartbeat galloped. He returned the embrace. Hard, bunched muscles met his hands. The connection brought their entire fronts together. Heat zinged through his cock at the light press through their underwear. Involuntarily, Shinji’s eyes fluttered closed. Hiko’s breath was warm against the side of his neck.

Hiko pulled him closer. One large hand slid up Shinji’s back and thick fingers burrowed into his hair. Hiko’s chest muscles brushed his nipples.

Hana dragged in a noisy breath. Her pencil scraped across the paper.

Hiko’s erection nestled firmly against his. The friction made Shinji’s cock tingle, and heat flushed his chest. He fought not to pant as Hiko moved back and forth so slowly, someone watching might not see it. His thumb rubbed one of the tendons in Shinji’s neck. Shinji’s breathing deepened. Hiko’s power, the command he must have as a lover, showed in the burning yet restrained sensuality of his movements.

“Is this what you need, Na-chan?” Hiko asked, his breath pulsing warmly on Shinji’s neck.

“Yes.” Hana sounded breathless, and her pencil never stopped its light skittering over the paper.

“You feel good, Shin-chan,” Hiko whispered, so close to his ear Hana could never have heard it. He followed the statement with a tiny lick on Shinji’s earlobe.

Shinji pulled in a breath. Lust skittered down his back and darted into his groin. He closed his eyes and tilted his head. Hiko’s lips landed on the side of his throat. And rested there.

Ohhh. Shinji stifled a moan. His hands rested on Hiko’s thick triceps, which flexed with each tiny movement. When Hiko brushed the tip of his tongue back and forth, Shinji dug his fingers into the muscle more deeply, his body surrendering to Hiko’s. In the haze of his mind, he heard Hana’s pencil scribble furiously over the paper.

Hiko lifted his face from Shinji’s neck and looked down at him, eyes looking glazed, almost…wild, his skin pale but flushed along the cheekbones. Then he turned to Hana. “How about another pose?”

“Ah, yes. That would be good.” Hana’s voice was tight, almost husky.

Hiko flashed her a devilish smile. “I know just the one. I’ve seen it on your storyboards,” Hiko said and slid his large hands down to the small of Shinji’s back and tugged. “Come, Shin-chan, straddle my lap.” In one motion, he sat back and brought Shinji down with him.

Their groins rubbed. Shinji’s breath hitched. Hiko’s cock bulged hard against his through their briefs, and the pleasurable friction paralyzed him. He grasped Hiko’s shoulders and arched his back.

Hiko’s warm breath caressed his chest, and his large hands splayed over Shinji’s back. Hiko pressed his lips to the center of Shinji’s chest. The sensation sent delicious shivers into his nipples. Involuntarily, he tilted his head back, eyes closed, aware that he was only half-posing. The other half was really getting into the heat between him and Hiko.

Heavy breathing crashed in his ears, and several moments passed before he distinguished the rhythm of his own breaths from Hiko’s and Hana’s.

She knelt nearby, sketching away. “I’m almost finished with this one.”

“Okay,” Hiko murmured then brushed his lips almost secretly back and forth over the same spot on Shinji’s chest. Darts of icy heat trilled through Shinji’s skin. His heart pounded and his erection was so tight now it was getting painful.

What would happen if Hana weren’t in the room? He imagined Hiko’s tongue sliding over his nipples or Hiko’s large hand pushing into his briefs and stroking his cock.

“Done.” Hana lowered her pencil and heaved a breath.

Hiko lifted his mouth from Shinji’s chest, eyes dark with hunger. His erection jumped against Shinji’s as if to say you and I aren’t finished yet.

Shinji looked at Hana. Color stained her cheeks. Her smooth skin glowed from a sheen of perspiration, and her eyes, though full of concentration, held a dazed look. Her nipples poked mercilessly at her bra and tank, as if they’d tear right through the material. Above the neckline, her chest showed a flush of dappled color. From the way she looked, her pussy was probably soaking wet too.

Shinji’s erection surged against Hiko’s, which still pressed to his. Shinji’s mind reeled. He’d stayed so long in a safe zone that now he felt as if he’d swallowed some kind of pill that was making the world look fuzzy and strange.

“Do you need another pose, Na-chan?” Hiko asked.

She stared at them, her soft lips parted. “Um, well, only if it’s okay.”

Hiko chuckled. “Fine with me. Shinji?”

He nodded. “Fine.” His gaze dropped to Hiko’s lips. He liked his friend’s lips, firm and perfectly shaped, their dusky pink color inviting.

As if reading his mind, Hiko said, “A kiss for this pose.”

“Yes,” Hana said, sounding breathless.

Shinji heard the large pages of the pad being flipped over. Hiko’s strong hands, still splayed on his back, eased him closer with a gentle but commanding tug. Electric fire jolted through Shinji’s body. Without thinking, he laced one hand into Hiko’s short but sleek hair then tilted his face, leaning closer. Hiko’s warm breath caressed his lips and hovered a mere inch away, teasing him with the closeness, the warmth of anticipation.

Hiko closed the space first. The touch of his lips sent a thrill through Shinji’s body. As if he were liquid, he melted against the larger man, burrowing his fingers deeper into Hiko’s hair. What’s going on with me? The question spiraled through Shinji’s fevered mind. Hiko’s tongue stole between his lips and glided against his own. Back and forth, in tiny licks, Hiko was tasting him, just enough so that they didn’t break their pose but were really kissing, not just posing.

For what felt like a long time they stayed that way, lips pressed together, tongues flirting with the deeper kiss they couldn’t explore. Instead Shinji breathed in Hiko’s scent, felt his friend’s breath pass into him like an exchange of souls.

Did he love both his friends the same way?

Finally Hana’s pencil stopped scraping over the paper. “I’m done.” Her voice was so tremulous Shinji wondered if she was about to come.

Hiko broke their kiss, pulling away with a tiny sound of suction. His broad chest rose and fell heavily and his lids half-covered his eyes.

Shinji looked into Hiko’s eyes. Desire, like an electric current, moved between them. If there’d been any question they were just posing and nothing else, the doubt was erased. The two of them were about to spill over the edge of something that would change them forever.

Hana shifted and he slid away from Hiko’s warm body and looked at her flushed face.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “Thank you so much.” She rose to her feet, the pad in front of her, like a shield.

“Do you have what you need?” Hiko asked.

She gave several quick nods. “I think so. I’ll work on these tonight.” As she spoke, she backed toward the door.

“We can do more tomorrow night, Na-chan.”

Hana nodded again at Hiko. “Yes, tomorrow. Thank you.” She backed through the door and went to her room, forgetting to slide the shoji closed.

Shinji’s heart lurched as he stared at the open space into the hallway. A short distance away, he heard Hana’s screen slide closed and click shut. “I think we scared her.”

But Hiko shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “I’ll bet anything her panties are soaked. She probably ran to her room to, you know…” He made a rubbing gesture with one hand down by his groin, mimicking the way a woman would touch herself.

The thought fueled the fire in Shinji’s cock. His hard-on still bulged against his boxer briefs.

Hiko’s hand covered his. “Shin-chan.”

Warmth skittered up Shinji’s arm. “Yeah?”

“Stay a while?”

Shinji tingled. Everywhere. He nodded. “Yes.”