Chapter Text
Kuramochi Youichi was a childhood friend of Miyuki's. They fell out of touch and haven't seen each other for years—not until Miyuki gets processed, and Kuramochi is the guard assigned to escort him to his cell.
"So it really is you," Kuramochi says, after neither of them said anything. "I saw your name but I didn't know..." He trails off and Miyuki doesn't fill the silence, so Kuramochi does it himself, asking if Miyuki is still with Shirasu, a mutual childhood friend.
Miyuki feels himself flinch, doesn't bother disguising it. "No. We broke up a long time ago."
Kuramochi nods, turns and starts off, gesturing for Miyuki to follow. "No offense," Kuramochi says as Miyuki falls into step, "but I'm not sorry to hear that. Shirasu's a good guy. He deserves better."
"Yeah," Miyuki says. He doesn't say he knows that, but the way Kuramochi's face almost softens for a fraction of a moment as he glances at Miyuki now, Miyuki can tell he got it.
As they go, Kuramochi gives Miyuki a quick rundown on yard politics and the major players, discreetly pointing out the people he's naming, guards as well as inmates. Miyuki doesn't say anything as he takes it all in:
Yuuki Tetsuya is the guard with a reputation for firm but fair; if you think he's soft hearted and try to take advantage of him, you're going to end up in a world of hurt. (He does have his favorites, though.) (All the guards do, to be honest.)
Isashiki Jun is the guard you don't mess with, the one who can stop things before they start with a look.
As for the inmates:
Don't fuck with the Kominato brothers. Seriously, don't. If you think Ryousuke is scary when you try anything with his little brother, just wait until you see Haruichi if you go after his big brother. Just. Don't.
You want to steer clear of Narumiya Mei.
Takigawa Chris Yuu could have been king of the yard but he didn't want it. He's a loner in here, a man without a gang. He's pretty respected anyhow, and mostly left alone.
Once in a while a new inmate will try to prove himself by taking Chris on (Chris was a Big Deal on the outside, y'know)—but it never ends well for them. Usually Chris doesn't even have to do anything himself, someone always steps in and puts the challenger down before he even lays a finger on Chris.
Kuramochi leaves him at his cell. "Don't expect special treatment," he warns Miyuki as they part. "You're on your own in here."
Miyuki doesn't say anything; he already knows his own situation.
Not to presume he knows anyone else's situation better than they know themselves—but by the second day, Miyuki can't help thinking that even though Chris says he isn't, he really is the king in here.
One reason Miyuki thinks Chris might really be the king is that this kid Mei—they're about the same age but Miyuki thinks Mei is one of those people who will still be called "kid" when he's 100—this kid Mei is the self proclaimed prince and no one disputes that. But he doesn't even try to call himself a king.
It's just over a week before Miyuki is approached by two inmates. He's seen them hanging around the prince. They don't introduce themselves, even though they've never spoken to Miyuki before, and he doesn't know whether that's because they assume he knows their names (he does: the tall one is Carlos, the other is Shirakawa) or because it doesn't matter if he does.
"He wants to see you," the tall one—Carlos—says. He doesn't say the name, but this time Miyuki knows it's because he's expected to know who they're talking about.
"All right," Miyuki says. He gets to his feet and goes with them to where Mei is holding court in his cell.
When Miyuki arrives, Mei smiles widely and dismisses everyone except the big guy who's always with him. Harada; that's what he's called by everyone except Mei. Miyuki wonders what would happen if someone other than Mei were to call him "Masa." He looks at Harada's face and decides not to find out.
Mei welcomes him, makes some small talk, and Miyuki responds in kind. Then Mei says, "Let's get down to it, Kazuya—is it all right if I call you 'Kazuya'?"
It's not; only three people in the world call him that. Well, the dead probably don't count as being in the world anymore, so it's only two.
Miyuki grins. "Sure."
Mei looks at Miyuki's grin a fraction of a moment before smiling too. "Well then, Kazuya, you must know why you're here."
"I have a guess," Miyuki says, letting his grin shift but not letting it fade or slip.
Mei smiles more. "And?"
"And." Miyuki knows he has to be careful about his smile here. He can't let it harden, can't let it go soft. "I'm flattered by the offer. But I'm turning it down."
Mei, who is not in a position of having to be careful with his smile, lets it harden as he looks at Miyuki. His already focused gaze narrows. "You're making a mistake, Kazuya."
Neither Miyuki's smile nor his resolve wavers as he continues to meet Mei's eyes. "You don't know everything about me."
Mei's lip curls. "I know more than you think." He turns away, dismissing Miyuki, fingers opening up as he flicks his wrist back over his shoulder.
Mei isn't looking at him but Harada still is, and Miyuki keeps smiling as he turns and goes. He keeps the smile on his face as he walks back to the spot in the yard where he'd been sitting when Mei's thugs came and fetched him.
He sits back down on the ground and finally lets the smile fade as he thinks about what just happened. He knows it's a risk to turn down the invitation to join Mei's gang, but it would've been a risk to accept too. That's not what's making his stomach still jump and twist, though, minutes and meters away from Mei's cell.
It's that smile. The way Mei smiled, even more than the words he used when he said, "I know more than you think."
That smile knows something. Miyuki doesn't know what, doesn't think the smile knows he's here on an undercover assignment—but it knows something.
Of course, it could have been a complete bluff, a childish retort wrapped in a diamond-hard tone... But this is Narumiya Mei, so who knows what he knows.
Miyuki doesn't know how he's going to do it, but he'll have to figure out a way to find out what Mei thinks he knows.
He looks up when a shadow crosses over him—and stops thinking about Mei when he sees the shadow belongs to Chris.
Chris sits down next to him without a word, without looking at him. Miyuki lets himself look another moment before tipping his head back to look up at nothing.
"I heard what you did."
These are the first words Chris has ever spoken to him. That's the first thing Miyuki thinks; the second thing, so immediately after that it's almost simultaneous, is that it's barely been ten minutes since he was in Mei's cell. Word sure travels fucking fast in here.
"I think you made a mistake," Chris says.
Miyuki laughs without looking down. "You're not the only one."
A thoughtful, inarticulate sound comes from Chris.
After another wordless moment, Chris says, "I find mistakes interesting." He gets up without waiting for a reply, doesn't even glance at Miyuki as he goes on his way.
Miyuki lets his gaze follow Chris—he knows Chris knows he's looking but Miyuki lets himself look anyhow.
He drags his gaze away and looks up again. He can feel the hard, curious stares on him and he doesn't want to return or acknowledge any of them. He knows why everyone is looking at him: he was summoned by the acknowledged prince, and approached by the unspoken king.
Good thing his assignment doesn't call for Miyuki to be low profile.
He grins.
Unlike the rest of the yard, Miyuki wasn't surprised that he had been summoned. Mei has a reputation for being tough and smart and loyal, and for surrounding himself with those who are the same. It wasn't hard for Miyuki to catch his eye by showing almost immediately that he's tough and smart, and not only smart but clever: he can handle himself in a fight if he has to, and he knows how to use his mouth and his wits to get out of unnecessary fights. He has also let slip flashes of ruthlessness that he felt confident Mei would appreciate, without crossing his own internal line.
The only ones who know Miyuki's identity are Kataoka Tesshin, who is the warden, and Takashima Rei, who is his handler. Kataoka eventually makes the decision to let his most trusted guard, Tetsu, in on Miyuki's situation.
One time when Miyuki is in solitary, after the secret has been shared, Tetsu goes to see him. He says he wants to do whatever he can to help Miyuki and Miyuki nods; Tetsu has already been helping. "Not just in the yard," Tetsu says, "but anything you need personally."
He's looking at Miyuki so sincerely that it takes a moment for the words to sink in, but then Miyuki gets the implication. He doesn't say anything but he keeps looking at Tetsu. "I could suck your cock if you want," Tetsu says in the same sincere tone, with the same sincere look, and Miyuki is alarmed as he feels something crumble inside himself because he didn't know that's what it took, simple sincerity, to break him.
Miyuki shakes his head. He tries to shake off the feeling inside, but that quiet sincerity is under his skin. "There might be something else, though..." His gaze slides off.
Even when Tetsu says, "Tell me," Miyuki doesn't look back at him, not right away.
He steps closer. Looks up and takes another step closer. He knows what he wants but he doesn't know how to ask for it. "Could you." His hands come up, arms bent at the elbows, not fully extended.
Tetsu gets it anyhow. "Yeah." He steps in close and puts his arms around Miyuki, and Miyuki sighs as he slips his arms around Tetsu too. Relief and quiet pleasure wash through him. He didn't realize he's been missing simple physical contact so much.
They stay like that awhile, until Miyuki loosens his hold. Tetsu takes the signal, does the same and steps back.
"Thank you," Miyuki says.
"Any time." Tetsu catches his gaze, holds it. "I mean that. But listen," he adds, "you should probably say, or at least lead everyone to believe that you let me suck you off."
There's that sincerity again. Miyuki gets it. He nods and Tetsu does too before he leaves.
Shirasu and Miyuki haven't really broken up. Miyuki was worried about Shirasu getting caught in crossfire or being used against him if Miyuki got made on the inside, but Shirasu said that if anything, he wanted them to get married so he couldn't be shut out if anything happened to Miyuki; the compromise between breaking up and getting married was staying together. But then when he was reading the assignment dossier, Miyuki saw Kuramochi's name listed as one of the guards at the prison, and realized that could be dangerous. So he and Shirasu have pretended to break up.
Which means no contact—no phone calls, not even letters, and definitely no visits. That's part of why Miyuki allows himself a moment of weakness when Tetsu offers him physical interaction.
Tetsu is sometimes around even when he's not officially on shift. He starts coming around a little more after the offer he makes Miyuki. He doesn't look at Miyuki openly but the rumors start anyhow and Miyuki takes the advice, doesn't deny or disconfirm the rumors that Tetsu is sucking his cock. The gossip intensifies when Miyuki gets called away by Tetsu now and then. No one says anything to Miyuki's face, but he gets knowing looks—some sympathetic, some jealous.
Sometimes Tetsu plays shogi with the inmates. It's not uncommon to see him playing against Chris. Casually watching one game from a near distance, Miyuki sees Chris about to make a critical mistake. The way he inhales makes Chris look over at him (although honestly Miyuki feels like Chris has been watching him the whole game, even if he couldn't see the gaze...).
Chris hasn't taken his finger off the piece and when their eyes meet, Miyuki gets up and goes over.
"May I?" His hand hovers over the piece Chris is moving.
Chris's brows arch as he looks to Tetsu, who sits back and offers an open gesture that Miyuki decides to accept as an invitation.
His fingertip brushes Chris's as he takes control of the piece. He slides the piece in a different direction, releases it to finalize the move.
He looks at Chris; their eyes meet. "Sometimes mistakes can be interesting," he says, echoing their first conversation, "but sometimes they can be fatal."
Chris smiles. "Indeed."
Miyuki lets his gaze drop to the board, then turns and goes. He doesn't go back to where he'd been sitting and watching. He thinks Chris set up the game exactly as it played out, including Miyuki going over when he did and making the move he did.
But he can't tell whether he thinks that only because Chris wants him to.
Chris finds out Miyuki is an undercover cop.
Because.
Tetsu tells him.
Chris may not have a gang in prison, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have men—and Tetsu is one of them.