Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Was this a sign? 

To go find the nearest bridge and just end it all?

Abby stared numbly at the machine’s screen. The haunting words PAYMENT DECLINED displayed across it mockingly, a cruel taunt. An unfriendly reminder that no matter how hard he worked, he seemed to always fall short. Being unable to afford cheap ass dinner and some necessities from a convenience store was undeniably a harsh new low.

His worn down card hung uselessly between his fingers. The chip and swipe both failed. Fuck, he thought he had enough. 

“Do you have cash?” The disinterested cashier droned out. 

Abby resisted the sarcastic urge to scoff. Did he look like he carried any cash? His wrinkled wallet hadn’t seen bills in months. 

“Uh, no. Let me try again.” 

He must be a masochist because he attempted three more times. All three times the machine beeped loudly, its jarring tone alerting any nearby shoppers that his card was rejected. 

“Fuck!” Exhaustion and frustration crackled in Abby’s voice.

The cashier remained apathetic. “Look man, you’re holding up my line and I go on break in five.”

What a prick. Abby wasn’t asking to be coddled but damn, not even a little empathy? At the mention of the line, however, Abby looked behind him.

And,

Two things:

There was just one person, a guy. (Abby would drag the cashier to hell himself if he could).

And said guy was really, really gorgeous. 

Abby was instantly pulled in by the guy’s luminously rich brown eyes, veiled by a curtain of thick, dark lashes. His features were elegant; artful eyebrows, sharp jawline, pale rose lips. Piercings lined both of his ears, his earrings glinting under the lights. The guy was tall, maybe an inch or two shorter than Abby, with dark hair pulled up in a messy bun and loose strands framed his face. He filled out distractingly in his all black, definitely some high top brand attire. The shoulders and sculpted chest combo in that turtleneck was lethal. A flashy watch encircled his wrist while a gold chain decorated his neck which draped down to settle between his prominent pecs. 

Mortification swelled up in Abby as the guy regarded him quietly while holding his small bundle of items in one arm. 

Abby knew he wasn’t much to look at in his ratty shirt, stained sweats, and run down beanie that covered his greasy pink hair. He wore crocs instead of expensive slides like Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome. Humiliation joined in and from the way his eyes prickled, tears weren’t far behind. 

God, screw a bridge. Abby would find a ditch to shrivel in and die there instead.

“Forget it.” He muttered, stuffing his card into his pocket as he stalked away with whatever dignity he had left. Even if it was in shreds, it was his. All he had to his name.

He hastily left the store, leaving behind his frozen dinner, frozen breakfast burrito, off-brand deodorant, and single roll of toilet paper. With his back turned, he didn’t see the dark haired stranger instruct the cashier to ring up his items.

The cool evening air did little to soothe Abby’s heated skin. Breathing in and out was not calming his agitated nerves. He had no groceries, no money, and just made an absolute fool of himself in front of a guy who was just his type. Why did the universe hate him?

At that moment, a silky voice called out to him from behind.

“Excuse me.”

He turned around and- Oh fuck me. 

It was the guy. Who was even more beautiful up close.

If only the ground would swallow Abby up now.

“Hey.” The guy walked up to him, his long legs closing the distance in just a couple strides until he was standing right in front of Abby. “Sorry for bothering you, but it seemed like you needed these so I bought them for you.”

Only then did Abby realize the guy was holding two sacks, one which he handed over to a confused Abby. However, a quick glance inside the plastic bag revealed what was inside. And Abby froze.

Whatever expression he had on his face prompted the guy to speak again. 

“I promise there’s no motive behind this, I only wanted to help. But um, I do apologize if this crossed a line. Or makes you uncomfortable. I know we don’t know each other but it just felt right to—oh. Um. Are you—? Yeah, okay, those are tears. Please don’t cry.”

Abby didn’t know when his vision went blurry and honestly he felt bad for the guy having to deal with his emotional ass but this was the nicest thing someone’s done for him in so long. The feeling of being looked after was so foreign yet Abby’s gotten a taste of it through his life to know how comforting and safe it is before it always got snatched away from him. Cruel and sweet. 

That only made his tears fall faster. A sob split his lips.

Now the guy was stammering out apologies and trying to calm him down. 

“It’s just hard sometimes.” Abby finally managed to ground out in a thick, watery voice. He took a shuddering breath and wiped his eyes. “Just really hard.” 

The stranger paused his panicking, expression softening as he took in Abby’s wet cheeks, pink tipped nose and red rim puffy eyes. 

“Shit, sorry. Didn’t mean for you to deal with my blubbering ass.” Abby chuckled wetly before beaming at the guy. “Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate you doing this for me. Um, I would love to pay you back of course. Oh, my name is Abby. Sorry that this is your first impression of me. I’m not usually this down in the dumps, I swear. And um, I’m not a bum, I have a job and I get paid next week, can I buy you a drink? Coffee? Beer?”

Abby forcefully cut himself off before he rambled any further and waited for the guy’s response. He earned a gentle smile before the guy reached into his pants pockets and pulled out a sleek phone that definitely cost more than Abby’s trash bag of apartment’s rent.

“I’m getting more than I hoped for, is that bad? I said I had no motive but I did want to know your name. Now I have it and an outing?”

Abby blushed. Oh. 

“What’s your number? And my name is Jinu. It’s nice to meet you, Abby.”

Jinu. Ugh, why’d he have to have a hot name too?

“Nice to meet you too. And thank you again, Jinu, this saved me. You’re a lifesaver for real.”

“It’s no problem at all.”

After they exchanged numbers and decided on where and when they’d meet, the two of them parted ways. Abby waved before taking off shyly, feeling Jinu’s spellbinding eyes on him until he turned the corner.

Did that really just happen?

Meanwhile, Jinu remained standing on the sidewalk, wondering how that pathetically small pile of groceries elicited such a precious, bright smile. 

—>

Abby couldn’t stop thinking about Jinu for the following days. Couldn’t wait until their meetup so he could see him again. 

To thank him of course. 

Not just to marvel at his model-like face and admire his muscles, no. 

Those were like a bonus, though, right? 

Abby genuinely had never seen such a pretty man before in his life and the fact that he went out of his way to help Abby was doing something to him. 

When the day finally arrived for them to meet at the designated cafe they agreed on, Abby took extra measure in sprucing himself up. He wanted to make up for the first impression he gave Jinu. 

So he didn’t worry about using up his hot water while taking a shower and scrubbed every crevice of his body until his skin was a peachy tint. He stepped out feeling refreshed and started air drying as he pulled a small black woven basket down from the little shelf next to the mirror. Inside were a variety of medium to small bottles, ranging from different colors.

He might be tight on money but that didn’t mean he never allowed himself to be spoiled every blue moon. He deserved nice things and his little collection of cosmetics he bought over the years was his favorite, pricey possession. From cologne to skin care products, and even some lip masks. 

Abby put extra care into his skin routine, moisturized his body with his scented peach-vanilla lotion, and brushed his teeth. After getting dressed in his best jeans, a pastel pink button down and his pink and white converse, he spritzed his cologne on, hitting all the marks, before completing his look with his signature beanie and leaving his tiny apartment. 

The cafe they decided to meet at wasn’t far from his place. He was a little early when he arrived about ten minutes later but to Abby’s surprise, he spotted Jinu already sitting at a secluded corner by the window. Butterflies tickled his stomach. Jinu was looking down at his phone typing, dark hair hanging over his eyes, so he didn’t notice Abby staring. How such a simple mundane thing looked so sexy when he did it was beyond Abby.

And fuck, he had tattoos? Dark intricate ink stuck out from under the short sleeves of Jinu’s black shirt, swirling across his corded biceps. 

Abby sucked in a steadying breath before making his way over. Jinu looked up as he neared and smiled softly at him. 

“Hey there.”

“Hi, how ya doing?” Abby offered a smile back. He hoped it didn’t look awkward.

Jinu stood up. “I’m fine, and you?”

“Good, I’m good.” 

“I’m glad to hear. Shall we go order?”

“Oh sure! My treat, so help yourself to whatever.” Abby said as they made their way up to the counter. 

“Thank you.” Jinu followed behind. 

Abby didn’t see the way those dark eyes gleamed as they discreetly checked him out.

After they ordered and Abby paid (the PTSD he got when he inserted his card was brutal but it went through, thank fuck) they returned to their table to wait for their order.

“So,” Jinu said as soon as they settled into their seats. He fixed a gentle but steady gaze on Abby. “Tell me a little about yourself. What do you do?”

Abby scratched his cheek. “There's not much, really. I’m going to school full time and work part time at a restaurant. Just trying to make it one day at a time.” 

“That’s quite a lot on your plate. May I ask what you’re in school for?”

“Right now I’m just getting the basics out of the way and undecided but I’m leaning towards being a veterinarian. I love animals but it’s so much money. That’s why I’m thinking of taking a break after this semester so I can work full time and save.”

It wasn’t a plan Abby was too fond of because he didn’t want to take time off school but he was his only support; no family or friends to reach out to for help. Keeping up with rent, bills, and food was becoming a struggling feat. And with the addition of school fees, he couldn’t see himself continuing like this without making some sacrifices. He already limited his meals during bad days when he was all out of money. It was depressing to say the least, but somehow he always managed. 

Still, it would be nice to not have to worry about money for once. It would be nice to be able to afford things like cologne or new beanies to splurge on just because. Or have a nice meal instead of frozen packaged food. Abby did his best not to complain but damn, it was hard.

Jinu took in the slight downturn of Abby’s plush lips and furrowed brows, the way his honey amber eyes faded as he took a sip of his dragon fruit mango tea. He resembled a dejected oversized puppy, one Jinu wanted to coddle and spoil. 

Abby forced himself to perk up not wanting to bring the mood down and parroted Jinu’s question. “What about you? What do you do? Are you in school?”

“Oh, no. I’m a porn star.” Jinu answered casually. 

As if Abby had asked him what two plus two was.

To say Abby was shocked would be an understatement. He wasn’t at all expecting a response like that and found himself gaping while Jinu seemed entertained by his reaction. 

“What?! Y-you are?” He managed to squeak out. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I mean, really? You’re not pulling my leg here, right?”

Jinu chuckled softly. “Is it that hard to believe?”

Abby’s mouth moved quicker than his brain. “You’re fine as hell, so no.” He gasped as soon as those words left his lips, earning a hint of a smirk and cocked eyebrow from Jinu.

Dearest Ceiling,

Please cave in.

“Sorry.” Abby mumbled, cheeks blazing as he shied away from their eye contact. 

Jinu found the rosy blush endearing. Briefly he wondered how that color would look spread across the rest of Abby’s body. 

“No need to apologize, I’m not mad or anything. And thank you, by the way. You’re very pretty yourself.” Jinu smiled. 

Abby’s blush deepened. He’s never been called pretty before. Definitely not by someone as stunning as Jinu, who’s a porn star on top of that. God, learning that Jinu was a porn star was sending his thoughts into a reeling state. What kind of videos did Jinu do? What were his preferences? Women or men? Both? Did he give or receive, or do both? And of course, Abby’s treacherous mind now couldn’t stop thinking about naked Jinu. Or how big his dick might be. Because if he was being honest, the man looked like he was packing and-

“Have I made this awkward now? I’m sorry.” Jinu’s voice interrupted Abby’s loudly inappropriate thoughts. 

“No! No, sorry, I’m just- I just never met a porn star before. And you- you surprised me is all. I didn’t expect that. But that’s cool! How long have you been, y’know? Wait, is that rude of me? Sorry, you don’t have to answer. Not my business. I bet you’re great, though. Fuck, ignore that please. Would you like another muffin?” 

Abby was halfway out of his chair, inwardly cursing his nervous ranting but Jinu reached out, warm fingers wrapping around his wrist, successfully stopping Abby from jetting. 

“Abby, it’s fine. Please sit, I’m good. I don’t mind answering any questions so no more apologizing. But I do have one for you, and if it’s too intrusive, please don’t feel like you need to answer.”

“Okay. Sor- I mean, go for it.” Abby stammered as he settled back in his seat. He tried not to be disappointed when Jinu let go of his wrist.

”Do you need money?”

Well, that was kind of a broad question. Yes, Abby needed money. Everyone did. Some more than others. Abby fell in the latter category desperately. 

His expression must’ve looked perplexed because Jinu reiterated his question.

“What I mean is, your part time job, it’s not enough. And from what you told me, your financial situation isn’t that great.” 

“It’s shit.” Abby doubled down on that statement.

Jinu chuckled before pulling out a small card from his pocket and handing it over to Abby. 

“This is the company I work for. My boss is currently looking to hire and I think you’d be a perfect fit. We make good money, are treated well, and create our own schedules. On top of having weekends off.”

Abby stared down at the golden and white card in his hand, shocked. In elegant, gold cursive, he read,

                     Elysian Productions

Jinu continued. “You’re thinking about working full time but what if I said you could stay in school and still make more than your part time in a week?”

Once again Abby’s mind was running rampant. Him, a porn star? Yeah right. Sure, he was familiar with porn but that was watching it, not being the one who was making it. Hell, the last time he had sex was what, four, five months ago? Some random hook up he couldn’t even remember. Abby couldn’t imagine fucking in front of a million cameras acting under a raunchy, curated script. 

“How much a video?”

So why the fuck did he go and ask that?

Jinu saying he’d be a perfect fit must’ve altered his brain chemistry.

“A thousand. They go up if there’s threesomes, double penetration, or otherwise special extras.”

Abby’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.” He didn’t even have that in his savings right now. 

“And we get bonuses if we do a series, which are three to five videos. Those are always four thousand and more, depending on what we’re doing.” 

The plural on bonus instilled a yearning ache into Abby’s actual soul. He’s never gotten a bonus in his life. And no, the twenty cent raise the manager at his part time job tried to tell him was one does not count. Nor was it an adequate goddamn raise. 

Jinu could see Abby was thinking it over. He could practically hear his whirling thoughts. A flash of white teeth came out when Abby chewed on his bottom lip absentmindedly, the flesh reddening in seconds. 

“Hey, no pressure. You can take all the time you need to think this over. I just wanted to offer, see if I could help you out.” 

Since that first day they met, Jinu couldn’t forget Abby’s tears, his blatant defeat, or the words he said so thickly in a broken voice. 

“It’s just hard sometimes. Just really hard.”

Being alone? Struggling? Scraping to get by? At the time, Jinu had a hunch but didn’t want to presume since he didn’t know Abby or his situation. But after hearing Abby talk about it today, knowing he was struggling by himself and working hard to provide for himself, Jinu genuinely wanted to help however he could.

Abby looked relieved by Jinu’s words. “Okay, yeah, thanks. I just, you know, never thought about it. Being a porn star. Uhm, and how long have you been doing it?”

“Eight years.“ 

“Damn. Not in a bad way-“

“I got you.” Jinu’s eyes twinkled. “Any more questions?”

“How old are you?”

“28.”

Damn, Jinu looked young.

“Surprised?” Jinu laughed. “How old are you?”

“I’m 24.”

“Huh, baby face. Will there be further questions?”

Between Jinu calling him baby face and his goddamn sexy teasing tone, it took everything in Abby not to melt off his chair. “Not right now.”

“Feel free to text or call me if you do, you have my number. That’s my boss’s card, all of his information is on the back. Our website is there as well in case you want to check it out.” 

“Thank you so much.” A small pause stretched between them as Abby chose his next words. “I’m not gonna lie, this doesn’t feel real to me.” He leaned back in his seat, eyes shyly meeting Jinu’s. “You don’t seem real.” 

Jinu tilted his head quizzically to the side. “Me?”

How could a man be so cute and hot at the same time?

Would this be a recurring question when it came to Jinu?

Whatever.

“First you save my ass and buy my sad groceries. Now you’re offering me a job with dreamy pay. And you’re, you look like that. You’re attractive as fuck. Talking to me. Helping me. Am I being scammed? Is this like one of those reality shows and I’m being punk’d? Any hidden cameras around?” 

Jinu laughed. Full, blown out laughter erupted from his chest and Abby pouted but was also mesmerized by the beautiful sound. 

“I understand how this would seem sketchy to you, but I promise none of that is true. Plus, I’m only around cameras when I’m working.” Jinu held his hand up in a scouts honor manner. 

Abby found the action adorable. 

“I believe you. It’s just, this type of stuff doesn’t happen to me. I’ve always been on my own.” Abby admitted before taking another sip of his drink. 

Jinu studied him softly. The first thing about Abby that caught his attention last week at the store was his figure. He was broad and tall, packed in with muscle that anyone with working eyesight would give a double take. Intimidating was a word that came to mind at a glance when it came to Abby but as he sat across from Jinu, he was nothing but. There was an air of innocence surrounding him, a sensitivity softening his six foot something frame. His beanie provided an extra topping of softness and Jinu wanted nothing more than to scoop him up and away from any hardships. 

“Can we keep in touch after this?” He asked instead.

Abby looked surprised by the sudden question. 

“Yeah, of course.”

“Good.” Jinu smiled. “I text a lot, I hope that’s okay.”

“Looking forward to it.” Abby smiled back. 

They moved off the porn stars topic and started talking about other random things. Anime, music, what type of movies they liked. It was nice. Getting to know each other was fun for both of them. Jinu was shocked to learn that Abby grew up as an orphan. Abby thought Jinu making the difficult decision to drop out of college so he could provide for his mother and sister was noble and selfless. Learning that Jinu eventually went back and finished school once he got his family on track motivated Abby. They were so deep in their different conversations that they lost track of time. 

It wasn’t until almost three hours later when their petty debate on whether jumbo marshmallows were better than mini marshmallows got interrupted by Jinu’s phone ringing. 

Jinu took one glance at the screen before excusing himself to take the call. It was pathetic how Abby missed his presence as soon as he left. Jinu remained within eyesight and Abby stole many discreet glances as the man spoke into the phone.

“Hi~! So, I know you’re off today but Mystery woke up sick so I was wondering if you could please fill in for him? Everyone else is scheduled already so they’re not available.”

Bobby’s familiar bubbly voice greeted Jinu. 

“Yeah, no problem. Actually, there’s something I wanted to discuss with you so this is fine. I’ll be there.” Jinu pulled his phone away from his ear as a screech traveled through.

“Oh, thank you thank you thank you! I’ll let Romance know about the switch! We’ll see you later, Jinu! 8 PM darling, it’ll just be an hour~! Byeee~!”

Jinu pocketed his phone as he returned to the table. “Sorry about that.”

“All good. Is everything alright?” Abby asked.

“Yeah, I just got called to fill in for a coworker tonight. So I have to go and get ready.” 

Abby tried not to deflate at that but he knew this would end at some point. “Oh, I see.”

“But I would love to give you a ride home, if you’re okay with that.” Jinu smiled. 

And just like that, Abby perked up again. “I am!”

Jinu laughed. “Alright, let’s go. I’m right out front.”

The extra 10 minutes Abby got ended too soon for his liking. Jinu pulled up to his apartment building, his luxurious car standing out in the rundown lot. 

“Well, this is me.” Abby met Jinu’s eyes shyly. “Thank you so much. I had a really good time today.”

Jinu sent him a gentle smile. “I did too. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. We will have to do this again, yeah?”

Oh, the pretty boy wanted to do this again? Abby’s heart somersaulted. 

“I would like that a lot. Okay, I won’t keep you. Oh, but about what you said, I’ll think about it. I really do need the money.”

Jinu nodded. “Good. And like I said, take your time thinking it over. I’m open to answer any questions you may have, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you. Um, good luck tonight!”

“Hah, thanks.”

Abby stepped out the car, ears burning at his dumbass comment. Why couldn’t he ever keep his mouth shut, damn. He could hear Jinu chuckling behind him before he closed the car door. He tossed an awkward wave and abruptly turned, heading quickly towards the entrance.

Jinu waited until he was safely inside before pulling off. 

For that, Abby’s heart flipped one more time.

Chapter Text

“And that’s a wrap! Thanks for all your hard work~!” Bobby’s voice echoed through the intimate studio. 

It was a cozy space with soft cream and gold accents, the lighting casting the entire room in a warm, serenity glow. 

Two staff members immediately made their way to the California king bed with robes and bottled water in tow to give to Jinu and Romance who just finished their steamy session. Since Jinu was just filling in, the scene was heavily improvised, Bobby having given them free rein. Both co-stars were naked and glistening with sweat, their skins glowing underneath the halo light. 

Jinu scooted to sit at the edge of the bed and thanked the staff for his water which he took a sip of. Romance slowly sidled next to him with a groan of complaint.

“Bro, my hips. You always bruise them, you ass.”

There were indeed handprints imprinted on Romance’s slender hips. Not just there, Jinu’s mark was everywhere; his thighs, the back of his neck, and the soft flesh of his inner ankle. 

Jinu was effortlessly thorough.

“Funny how you don’t complain when it’s Mira.” 

Romance flipped his hair as he got up and slipped into the provided robe the staff was holding open for him. “Facts.” He sauntered off to the dressing rooms while telling everyone good night. 

With a chuckle, Jinu accepted his own robe and slid it on before making his way towards Bobby while the camera crew were packing up. 

“Ahh, Jinu! Great job as always. Thanks again for filling in. The viewers will be happy to see you and Romance together, it’s been a while.” The director chirped. 

“Not a problem. Are you free to talk right now?”

“Of course, come back to the office. Everyone, good job tonight! We’ll be back again tomorrow to do it again.” Bobby waved at the crew members before leading Jinu in the direction Romance took.

The dressing rooms, the shower rooms and Bobby’s office were all in the back. Jinu entered the small office after Bobby and cut right to the chase. 

He informed Bobby that he may have found the porn star Bobby was so desperately looking for to complete their team. He described Abby and the interest sparked in Bobby’s eyes like a flame. 

The man gasped in glee. “Seriously?! You found my missing beefcake?” 

Jinu snorted in amusement. “Possibly. I gave him a light rundown about everything and he told me he would think about it. Nothing is guaranteed but I wanted to let you know.”

“Do you have a picture of him?”

“No, but I’ll show you if I ever get one. He’s a cutie. I wouldn’t mind shooting with him.” Jinu smiled faintly as Abby’s sweet face filled his mind. 

Bobby clapped his hands. “Well, let him know he’s more than welcome to come see what we do first hand. I’d love to meet him, but whenever he’s ready! Thanks for telling me.”

“I’ll keep you updated.” Jinu nodded.

“Are you on tomorrow?”

“Yeah, with Rumi.” 

“Ah, right. If you want one of the others to fill in for you and make up for your day off, let me know. I feel bad for making you guys work when you’re off.”

“Nah, don’t worry. I’m good.” Jinu waved before heading to the door. “Alright, have a good night. See you tomorrow.”

“Get home safe!”

Jinu did.

His drive home was uneventful like it always was except on this particular ride home, a certain pink haired hunk was occupying his mind. There was something about Abby that pulled Jinu in. He didn’t know what or why, all he knew was that he was looking forward to getting to know the younger man better.

—>

True to Jinu’s words, he really did text a lot.

It’s been almost two weeks since Abby’s cafe outing with him and the two of them have been texting nonstop, every day. Not that Abby disliked it, it was quite the opposite. His heart nearly skipped out of his chest every time he received a text message from Jinu. 

It started off with sweet good morning texts that led to them swapping memes and funny videos late at night. Then face timing and phone calls followed suit. In a short time, Jinu carved a space in Abby’s dull, depressing world and brightened it up with his warm presence. 

He never failed to put a smile on Abby’s face, always lifting his spirits without trying. The amount of messages they accumulated over the two weeks was a lot. Before Jinu, Abby only used his phone for games and alarms. But now he was constantly glued to it, going back and forth with Jinu like some lovesick fool. 

They talked so much. About anything and everything. Always learning something new about each other. They sent each other music recommendations, pictures of food they wanted to eat together, and even selfies of each other got thrown into the mix. Abby enjoyed every moment of it. How comfortable Jinu made him feel, how the sound of his voice washed pleasantly over the phone when he called. How he laughed (especially when it was because of Abby), his laughter trumping all seven wonders of the world. 

Due to their busy schedules, it took a while for them to link up again in person. But once they started hanging out regularly, their blooming friendship merely knitted even tighter together. 

Jinu was mindful of Abby’s financial situation and stuck to little things like bar hopping and eating out. Even then Abby found himself a little spoiled by Jinu when the man would buy his drinks. Most, if not every time, Jinu wanted to buy his whole meal but Abby refused so a drink was usually the compromise and sometimes dessert when they wanted to really splurge. They also became workout buddies, so that was a nice plus. Abby gained a partner on his morning solo runs once Jinu joined him on some days.  

(Witnessing a sweaty, shirtless Jinu was a very nice plus).

Before Abby knew it, a month passed. 

Everything was still amazing with Jinu, but Abby’s money issues seemed to be teetering into the trenches and that was due to his shitty landlord raising his rent out of the fucking blue. He fought for extra shifts, especially on the weekends since those were the busiest days, but that meant late night study sessions for school. His sleep schedule, which wasn’t perfect to begin with, worsened. Slowly but surely he was getting burned out. 

But he didn’t mean to crash on Jinu’s incredibly comfortable couch halfway through during their movie night. His eyelids were like anvils and he struggled with keeping them open but the dim lighting and comforting atmosphere coupled with his exhaustion made it impossible to stay awake. One minute he was staring at the bright flat screen tv and the next he was drowning in peaceful darkness.

Jinu knew the moment Abby’s head slumped sideways that he was knocked out. He didn’t hesitate to move Abby into a more comfortable position before covering him with the blanket he kept folded on the back of his couch. He could tell the younger man was particularly tired tonight but his concerns were brushed off, Abby saying he was fine. But was he? Recently Abby had gotten busier than usual and was frequently working late. 

At least for the past several days in a row now. Jinu sighed as he looked over at the curled up lump in the corner of the couch fondly before turning back to the movie. Clearly Abby needed rest so Jinu would save his questions for later.

Later came in two hours. 

Abby jerked up with a gasp, feeling disoriented and wide awake all at once. 

“Whoa, where’s the fire?” 

At the sound of Jinu’s light teasing voice, Abby felt his cheeks warm up and he looked over to see Jinu in his stupidly gorgeous glory. He was still in the same position before Abby clocked out, mile long legs outstretched across his coffee table. Their snacks and drinks were cleared away, and the tv was off. The only light in Jinu’s living room was the overhanging floor lamp next to him.

It had different settings and was on the lowest one, casting only a small part of the room in a faint glow. Jinu was on his phone, wearing his black framed reading glasses Abby had become obsessed with. 

“I’m sorry, I’m so lame. I can’t believe I fell asleep like that.” Abby groaned. He glanced down at his lap, blinking when he noticed the blanket draped around him. 

“It’s fine. I could tell you were tired, so I didn’t wake you up.” 

“What time is it?”

“Close to midnight.” Jinu replied. 

“Shit, I have work in the morning.” Abby flipped the blanket off him, ready to get up but Jinu stopped him by grabbing his wrist.

“It’s late so just stay. I’ll take you tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

Jinu nodded. “Yeah, it’s no problem. But how come you’re working more than usual? You’ve been picking up shifts like crazy.”

Abby chuckled dryly. “Ha, yeah. Um, my fuckass landlord raised the rent.”

His heart skipped a beat when sudden warmth enveloped his hand and he looked down, seeing that Jinu moved his grip from his wrist to his hand. Jinu squeezed their palms together gently. Another aspect of their relationship was the slow building physical contact. Jinu initiated it mainly; if they were out in crowded places, he would settle his large hand on Abby’s lower back to either keep him close or guide him. And when they were alone, Abby received random soft brushes of contact that always had him flaring up. 

“Have you given any thought about my proposal?” 

When has porn star Jinu not been on Abby’s mind? Every time Jinu tells him he has a shoot, his imagination wanders off the rails into dangerous territory. He’s never seen a video either, it was too risky for his pining heart. 

“I have but I don’t know, Jinu, I think I’d be too awkward. And not good. What if I give the company bad ratings or something?”

Jinu laughed. “Okay, for one, that’ll never happen. If anything you would boost our ratings. And yes, you will feel awkward at first but that’s normal. It goes away, you’ll forget the cameras are even there, I promise.”

Abby pouted. “Really?”

“Really. And for two, I’ve been meaning to mention this, but I showed my boss a picture of you a few days ago and he already wants you to join. Says he wants to meet you if you’re fine with that.” Jinu smiled at Abby’s shocked look.

“Heh?! He does? Which pic? Oh my god, and you’re telling me now?”

“I wanted to tell you sooner but you were out being a workaholic. I didn’t want to say it over text. And it was this pic.” Jinu showed Abby the picture. “Even my costars got excited.” 

Jinu recalled the night. The talk of them possibly getting a new member already had his costars buzzing so when they finally saw a picture of Abby, their excitement surged. 

“I need him, Jinu. I need him badly.” Bobby stressed as he held Jinu’s phone close to his face, lashes fluttering against the screen.

The screen which a distracting picture of Abby filled, one the younger had taken and sent to Jinu. In the photo, the pink haired hunk was wearing blue shorts and a white tank top that showed off his glistening muscles, shimmering from the sunlight as he was outside on a run. 

“10/10 would not recommend this heat!” Abby had texted Jinu along with the photo. His hair was a sexy windswept mess and sweat pooled in his clavicles but his eyes were bright and happy, nearly glowing gold into the camera. 

All the times Abby called him pretty and attractive yet he was looking like that? Jinu was quite obsessed with Abby’s natural beauty.

Romance whistled as he took a turn with Jinu’s phone, a predatory glint in his eyes. “Damn, beefcake indeed. He’s sexy.”  

Mystery came over to get a look, peering over Romance’s shoulder and letting out a low hum. Not a man of many words but Jinu knew Abby just received a stamp of approval. 

“He’s gorgeous! I need him on my camera, like yesterday.” Bobby cried as he walked away. “Bring him to me, Jinu! With consent of course.” 

Jinu chuckled as he plucked his phone away from Romance. “I’ll see what I can do.”

However as soon as he got his phone back, slim fingers stole it away from him. “Lemme see. Ooo, he’s hot as fuck, damn!” Zoey purred. 

“You always over exaggerate.” Another voice droned before a slender woman with flowing magenta hair sauntered up behind Zoey and there went Jinu’s phone again.

“He’s like an Adonis, Mira.” 

He watched his two female coworkers, both who were in their signature silk white robes preparing for a shoot, staring at the screen.

“What’d I say?” Zoey smirked while Mira silently took in the crafted art smiling up at her. 

“Whatever.” She stalked away after handing the phone back to Zoey who Jinu swiped it from with a lighthearted snarky ‘Thank you’. 

“You better share.” Zoey warned him.

“Zoey! Get your cute butt over here now! Preferably naked please!” Bobby shouted from the cluster of staff stationed by the bed that was set up in the center of the room. Mira was already there getting in place.

“I don’t like sharing, you know that.” Jinu smirked.

“It might seem intimidating but I’ll be with you. And everyone is chill and nice. Bobby can be a little much but that’s only because he cares about his job and making videos, and he thinks you’d fit right in.” Jinu squeezed Abby’s hand again, his touch tender and sweet. “Plus, you’ll make so much more and won’t have to overwork yourself in the process. And you’ll have more free time.”

Abby could really go for that. And the more money part. It eased his nerves a little to know that he was actually wanted for this and Jinu telling him that his coworkers were looking forward to meeting him gave him a little boost as well. Also, he was just done. Done working himself to the bone, done with his shitty landlord and apartment. Done living his paycheck to paycheck life.

“Alright look, I’m not confident but I’ll meet him. Bobby, I mean. You’ll go with me right?” Abby asked.

“Of course I’m going with you.” Jinu promised. “I’ll let him know.“

—>

“Here we are.”

It was two days later and Abby found himself staring at the building Jinu pulled up to. It didn’t look out of the ordinary. If Abby walked by it, he wouldn’t have ever assumed it was home to a porn company. 

Jinu drove up to the tall metal gate and pulled out a keycard from his visor before swiping it across the little box. With a beep, the gates slid open and Jinu pressed forward, sliding into a parking spot. There were a few other cars in the private lot. All sleek and flashy.

Abby wouldn’t lie; he was a bit nervous. But the reassuring smile Jinu sent him smoothed out his jittery butterflies. 

“It’ll be fine. Are you ready?” Jinu asked.

“Yeah.” Abby said. As ready as I’ll ever be.

He didn’t know what to expect when he followed Jinu inside but the moment Abby heard the honeyed moans bouncing loudly off the walls and wet smacking sounds, he felt his cheeks heat up. He glanced at Jinu who was completely nonchalant on his phone texting someone.

Well, it made sense since this was Jinu’s line of work. 

“They’re almost done.” Jinu pocketed his phone. “I was gonna go out there but do you want to wait in the office or come with me? We just have to be quiet on set.”

“I’ll go with you.” Abby was kind of curious. 

They rounded the corner and entered an open area, where cameras and lighting were all centered on two guys in a massive bed. Through the gaps of the camera crew surrounding the bed, Abby glimpsed the clash of pink and smoky grey. The sweaty bare skin. His eyes widened a fraction when one of the camera men ducked down to capture an intimate angle and he finally saw the scene at play.

They were in doggy-style with the pink haired guy delivering snapping thrusts that had the grey haired one keening into his folded arms. It was a little surreal and slightly mesmerizing for Abby seeing a guy getting fucked right in front of him. It was definitely a different experience than watching porn on his phone. 

“Look at you, can’t even speak ‘cus you’re gagged full of my dick. Just how you like it, huh?” The pink haired guy gloated.

He slapped a pale asscheek, twice, the resounding crisp smack piercing the air followed by a needy whimper from the grey haired guy. 

As Abby gazed on, Jinu stood beside him with his arms crossed while taking in Abby’s cute reaction, finding the hunk’s colored cheeks adorable. Considering what Romance and Mystery could do, this scene was mild in comparison to their previous scenes. 

It was a few minutes later when their ‘characters’ climaxed and said their final lines before Bobby called out to cut. 

“And that’s a wrap for ‘Assistant Lover’! Great job, everyone!” Bobby cheered brightly as he clapped. “Thank you for all your hard work!”

“Come on.” Jinu said. 

Obediently, Abby followed closely behind him. People greeted Jinu as he walked by before their eyes shifted to Abby in interest or curiosity. 

Jinu lifted a hand in greeting when Bobby spotted him. The delighted smile that lit up the man’s face was almost cartoonish, especially when those vibrant eyes looked over Jinu’s shoulder and saw Abby. 

“You’re here!” Bobby all but shrieked before zooming over, his short little legs crossing the distance impressively. 

Jinu warned Abby beforehand that Bobby could get…passionate so Abby wasn’t too caught off guard by the grinning exuberant man suddenly in his bubble. 

“Hello! Welcome, Abby, my name is Bobby and it is so lovely to finally meet you!” 

Abby accepted the pudgy hand to shake with a polite smile. “Hi, nice to meet you too. Um, thanks for having me.”

“It is my absolute pleasure! Would you like anything to drink? Perrier? Champagne? Arnold Palmer?”

“Oh, no I’m okay, thank you.”

“Damn, beefcake, you’re way more sexy in person.” A new voice interrupted Bobby before he could say anything else.

Abby looked at the newcomer, eyes widening when he realized it was the pink haired guy. He was wearing a white robe that was sloppily tied so patches of skin peeked through. Abby briefly gazed at the distracting slope of the man’s chest and hard abs before meeting his sultry eyes. 

“Hi, I’m Romance.” Romance held a hand out for Abby but Jinu cut it, lowering Abby’s raising hand back down.

“Oi, did you even wash up yet?” 

“Oops. My bad.”

Jinu rolled his eyes while Bobby scolded Romance. 

“Shoo! Go shower, you stink. And you two, come with me to my office.“ Bobby began ushering Jinu and Abby away.

They don’t get far because Zoey walked in at that moment and immediately brightened when she saw Abby. She recognized him instantly which wasn’t hard to do.

“Oh ehm gee?! Are you Abby?” 

Now there was a young woman crowding in his space. Abby blinked while she flitted around him like a hummingbird, seizing him up in awe. 

“Yes, that’s me. Nice to meet you-?”

“Wow, you definitely work out. You’re so pretty in person, hello? Can I get your squat routine?”

“Zoey, we have a meeting! You can chit chat later.” Bobby told the energetic woman.

“Aww, fine!” She pouted before shooting Abby a grin. “Hope to see you soon!” With that, she tossed a carefree wave at them and walked away.

“Goodness.” Bobby chuckled once they were inside his office. “Make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa.” He made a beeline for his mini fridge while Abby and Jinu sat down. 

In a few seconds two chilled bottles of water were placed in front of them while Bobby got himself a can of Perrier. He cracked it open and took a sip before sinking down in his chair.

“Ah. Like I said, it’s so good to meet you.” Bobby smiled. “Before we start, do you mind telling me a little about yourself?”

Abby nodded. “Sure. I’m 24, currently in school, and work part time as a server. I like working out, going on runs mainly and eventually would like to become a vet.”

“A vet is awesome~ I love animals. So you’re in school for that then?”

“I’m getting my basics done and then planning on taking a break so I can save.”

“I see. Best of luck to you. Well, again, I’m Bobby, the director and owner of Elysian Productions here. I’m sure Jinu has given you a basic rundown on what we do but I’ll go over everything with you. The team and I provide a variety to our viewers. Different series my creative team puts together. Then we have the basic but still juicy one on one videos with a simple plot that gets straight into it. We dabble into everything really. Jinu and the others usually choose who does what, there’s not a set rotation or pair.”

“The viewers do have their favorites, though.” Jinu chimed in. 

“Yes, they certainly do.” Bobby jabbed his chin at Jinu. “It’s no surprise he’s the top favorite here. They love him with everyone but especially with Rumi. Then the girls are popular as a trio. We cater to that but also keep it mixed up. That’s why I know you’d be a wonderful fit here. Oh, but may I ask your preference? Women and men? Just men? Only women?”

“I’m a bisexual who leans more towards men but I’m fine with both. I have experience with both.”

“Perfect!” Bobby took a moment to jot something down in his notes before continuing. “Now I’ll get to the payment section, since that is why you’re here. You get paid $1,000 for a single video, $2,500 for threesomes and the price goes higher if there’s double penetration. Sometimes we do special episodes and those prices vary. As for the series, that’s when you’ll be up in the $4,000 to $6,000 range and get bonuses on top of that.”

Bonuses was truly a divine word. 

“The single videos are usually an hour, everything else for time limit varies. Sometimes there’s a little script but mostly the guys just improvise. How does this all sound so far?” Bobby asked.

“Fine. It’s, yeah, I could do this I think.” 

Bobby laughed. “Good. We don’t have extreme contracts here, we just ask for a one month notice if you ever decide to leave. Just so we can get enough time for finding a replacement. That’s what this paper is for. This one is terms and agreements, and your consent for being filmed. We are very strict to keep our videos on our Elysian Production website only and take down any videos that get posted elsewhere. It’s only happened once.”

Abby accepted the papers Bobby handed him to look over. 

“We’ll also need you to get check ups every 3 months. The medical page is the third one. We cover the services. Other than that, I think that covers the major stuff. Do you have any questions or concerns?”

“Oh, well um, when would I start? And is there training?”

“I wouldn’t call it training but Jinu volunteered already to work with you. He’ll show you everything you need to know. As for a start date, that would count as your first video so once Jinu thinks you’re ready, which I would say maybe in two, three weeks or so, we’ll get you guys on set. Usually my creative team puts together a role playing scene but we’ll decide when we get there.”

Get them on set? Together? So that meant Abby’s first porn video would be with Jinu? He glanced over at the dark haired man who caught his gaze. Abby’s stomach fluttered. 

“Is that okay?” Jinu asked him. 

There’s a high chance Abby’s heart may go into overdrive and stop, but that’s a risk he was willing to take.

“Y-yeah! Thanks for offering.”

Bobby clapped his hands. “Yay! So, just to reiterate the ‘training’, you’ll be working one on one with Jinu outside of here in order for you to feel comfortable in front of cameras and all that good stuff. Now all I need are some signatures from you and we will be Gucci.”

Abby accepted the pen Bobby handed to him. Wow, so he was really doing this. He signed where he needed to before giving the papers and pen back to Bobby who beamed, eyes sparkling. 

“Welcome to Elysian Productions, Abby! I’m looking forward to working with you~”

“Thank you, same here.”

“Jinu, keep me updated.” 

“Will do.” Jinu stood up and gave Abby a small grin. “Let’s go.”

As he followed Jinu out, there was only one thing on Abby’s mind that had his heart thundering in his chest, and that was the knowledge that at some point in the near future, he and Jinu would be having sex. 

—>

The following hours were a foggy blur. 

Jinu wouldn’t take no for a celebratory meal and treated Abby to steak and ramen at an upscale restaurant, with expensive alcohol and dessert included. 

Afterwards, Jinu took Abby to his job so Abby could inform the manager in person that he was quitting. Handed in his name tag and apron, and felt an odd sense of relief as Jinu drove them to his place. Like there was some weight off his shoulders. The only reason Abby stuck out for so long at that shitty job (outside of needing an income) were the tips. He wasn’t heartbroken to let it go. No more rude customers, no more 12 hour shifts. Halle-fucking-lujah. 

Now, the pair of them were lounging on Jinu’s couch together, comfortable in their pajamas (Abby having borrowed Jinu’s clothes since he was staying the night) while discussing their next step.

“I was thinking it’d be easier if you just moved in with me, that way we would have more time together for your training and you can save faster for a new place.” Jinu explained as he lazily twirled his phone. 

Abby looked surprised. “Me? Live here? That’s asking for too much, I couldn’t.”

Jinu snorted softly. “I’m the one offering. Plus I have plenty of space. You can take the spare bedroom, I’m not using it.”

“But my lease-“

“I’ll pay it off while you stay here and you can pay me back when you can.” Because Jinu knew how Abby felt about not wanting to owe him despite Jinu telling him to not worry about it. “No rush, sounds good?”

Damn, it sounded wonderful. 

“Are you sure?” Abby tried one last time but the look Jinu sent him sucked out all the fight and hesitation from him. He gave in with a nod, gratitude swelling. “Alright, fine. Sounds great. Thank you so much. And yeah, I’ll pay you back as soon as I’m able to.”

“Like I said, no rush. Tomorrow we’ll get your things and then we can start your training.”

At that, Abby perked up. “How does training work?” He remembered Bobby mentioned something about training not really being training, and was confused by that.

“We’ll watch some videos first so you can see how things work. Then we’ll go into the physical sessions; lots of foreplay. Basically training is me getting to know your body so you can get used to someone touching you. I’ll film a few times as well so you can get a feel of a camera in your face.”

Lots of foreplay? The air around Abby seemed to thin out, leaving him a little lightheaded. 

“Oh.” He managed to croak out weakly.

“Don’t go having second thoughts now. You’ll be fine and I’ll take it slow.” Jinu reached over, his large hand soothing over the curve of Abby’s thigh. 

Abby warmed up at the touch. “No, I’m not! I’m ready.” 

A spark of excitement joined his buzzing nerves as Jinu smiled.

“Good. We’ll start tomorrow.”