Work Text:
Akaashi moved carefully, taking his time as he crept up the side of the building toward the roof. It was one of the gutsiest things he’d ever attempted but despite the situation being dangerous, it was also the most genius idea he’d ever had. Every residence in the high-class neighborhood had every security system imaginable set in place to keep people like him out of reach, anything from trained dogs to laser sensors. Surprisingly, the neighborhood’s centralized security building didn’t have any of those things, receiving only enough funding to have a couple of guards patrolling the empty streets or sitting in the monitoring room with their feet propped up.
As he lifted himself on the edge of the roof, his foot skidded against the wall. He froze, not even batting an eyelash as he waited. It had hardly made any noise, but it was just the sort of sound that would raise suspicion if anyone had heard it. Keeping his breaths shallow and silent, Akaashi listened intently for any sort of movement from either the grounds or within the building. There was nothing but the gentle chirps of some crickets, a dog barking on the other side of the neighborhood, and cars rushing by on the nearby highway.
Akaashi took a deep breath and pulled himself up the rest of the way. He was thankful the roof didn’t have too sharp an incline and he crept across it easily enough. Settling along the edge at the back of the building, Akaashi knelt and slipped his backpack to his front. Pulling out a set of binoculars, he surveyed the lower part of the neighborhood spread out before him.
There were several homes lining the street in front of him, all of them unnecessarily large and gaudy in taste. He shifted his binoculars more to the right and landed on one residence that was unlike the others in every way. Akaashi smirked; he’d hit the jackpot.
Ennoshita Chikara was a celebrated director, creating masterpiece after masterpiece without missing a beat. The man himself was a bit reclusive in his private life, however, and even though it was no secret where he lived, hardly anyone had ever seen the house itself since the front was blocked by a high wall and even higher bushes. Despite that, Akaashi knew it was his house when he saw it.
Unlike the other houses, it wasn’t a very big house at all. It was pure minimalism, one long rectangle for the main house that was just one story, and another long rectangular structure jutting off of the house that featured an outdoor living space. Stretched out in front of that was a long pool with a row of lounge chairs running alongside it. The lights inside the pool glimmered, reflecting ever-changing organic shapes over the house and trees scattered throughout the yard. They were the antithesis of the sharp angles of the house, creating an intriguing contrast of shapes and textures.
Surrounding the entire residence were tall privacy bushes that were meant to keep the director’s home life private. To the best of Akaashi’s knowledge, he was the first person to catch a glimpse of it without permission from the man himself. He shivered, both pleased by his success and also intrigued by what he might find.
It wasn’t Akaashi’s ideal job, being a tabloid journalist. Besides the terrible hours and needing to rush off at the drop of a hat whenever they got a tip about a celebrity sighting, he honestly found the whole business distasteful. His deepest desire was to take gorgeous photos of interesting people revealing their most genuine emotions. Instead, he was forced to take pictures of the rich and famous, regardless of how interesting or not interesting they were, and the shots had to be as humiliating or shocking as he could make them.
Akaashi was a private person himself and he hated having so much influence over other people’s lives. Snapping just the right shot, he could tear down people’s careers or marriages. A twitch of his finger against the button, that was all it took.
Photography was always a highly competitive business, unfortunately, and without connections, it was difficult finding any decent work. Akaashi was amiable enough, but he was soft-spoken and sometimes seen as cold which never helped him attract any clients when he was just starting out. He had just graduated, and he needed to work to survive, so the wild world of tabloid journalism ended up being his safest bet.
Ten years later and not only had he not moved on, but he was one of the magazine’s most celebrated photographers. Being with them for so long had its perks and he was saved for the magazine’s top storylines and interviews. He hardly ever went out on night runs anymore, invading people’s privacy like a creepy stalker, but the execs were desperate to get anything on Ennoshita, and Akaashi, being the ultimate fan of the director, greedily took up the offer.
Now that he’d found the right place, Akaashi settled into a comfortable position, put his binoculars back and began taking out his camera equipment. He set up his short tripod first, arranging its spindly legs around and between his own. Then he fastened the camera base to it and pulled out his prize telephoto lens.
He lifted his knee and settled his elbow onto it for more stability as he cradled the camera. Leaning against it, he moved the lens slowly over Ennoshita’s residence, searching for the man himself. There was no doubt that he was home since the whole house was illuminated with a soft light. With the whole backside of the house being primarily windows, it was almost too easy to spot him.
At first, Ennoshita was just milling around his kitchen, pulling out a late-night snack. Whenever he stepped out in public, his attire was immaculate and expensive but Akaashi was charmed to see him in a slouchy pullover and a pair of sweatpants. Ennoshita was never praised for being as handsome as the actors he selected for his films, but Akaashi personally loved his looks.
Despite his genius, he had a kind smile and warm brown eyes. He was patient and gentle, even when working under timing constraints and with rowdy actors. With a few curt words from him and a pat on the shoulder, chaos was straightened out in the blink of an eye.
Watching Ennoshita settle on his sofa with a bowl of ice cream, Akaashi smiled like an idiot. He went ahead and took a few shots even though he knew they wouldn’t be worth much to his superiors. The most they could spin off that was the fact that Ennoshita had bad eating habits and actually wore normal clothes for a human being. Still, Akaashi couldn’t help but find it charming.
The hours ticked by and although his body was beginning to protest, Akaashi didn’t stir from his spot. He was willing to sit there all night if he had to, although it would be best for him to slip away before sunrise. It was a little monotonous since all Ennoshita was doing was watching TV alone in his house but as time pressed on, Akaashi began noticing several changes through his lens.
Although Ennoshita had naturally sleepy-looking eyes, he didn’t appear to get tired, even though it was the middle of the night. Akaashi wondered if he had some form of insomnia; he had similar issues himself, after all. Then he spotted slight changes in Ennoshita’s expression as his eyes shifted away from the TV. It took him a while to realize that he was staring off into space, thinking about something else besides what he had been watching.
Akaashi’s chest clenched as he recognized what Ennoshita was feeling, sitting alone in his spacious living room. Loneliness was one of those emotions that no one wanted to admit, but it was one that everyone felt to some degree. Ennoshita was often seen dating gorgeous people, but nothing ever seemed to come from his romances. Akaashi couldn’t help but wonder how much of that was just for show.
His breath hitched as he saw Ennoshita flinch and reach into his pocket. As he pulled out his phone, the screen was illuminated with an incoming call. Ennoshita’s face contorted with emotion as he stared down at it, hesitating to answer.
Perhaps not all of his romances were for show, Akaashi wondered as he snapped a few more shots. Before the phone stopped ringing, Ennoshita answered it and held it up to his ear. His face had smoothed out like a polished stone, cold, hard, and emotionless. He walked toward the window to stare out at his pool, unconsciously giving Akaashi the perfect shot.
Akaashi’s eyes were wide as he watched the scene unfold, occasionally taking a picture if an interesting expression passed over Ennoshita’s face. The call didn’t last long and as Ennoshita lowered the phone in front of him to end it, his lips were pinched tight. He lumbered out of the living room and for a moment, Akaashi was scared that he’d lose track of him, especially at such a pivotal moment. When he emerged out into the outdoor living space and sat on a chair near the pool, Akaashi sighed with relief.
He straightened up and reconfigured the camera angle, focusing directly on his face. Ennoshita’s typically warm eyes were unfocused, cool light reflecting within them as he stared down at the water. Akaashi blinked when something on his cheek glimmered and focusing the camera a little closer, he could clearly see a tear slipping across his skin.
As his eyes began to leak more, Ennoshita winced and wiped his face with his sleeve, but it was no use. He crumbled forward, allowing the tears to drip down on the concrete as his back shook with sobs. With the warm light of the house against his back and the cool light of the pool immersing the rest of him, it made for one of the most powerful images that Akaashi had ever seen and his finger snapped picture after picture, pausing only to refocus or change an angle.
When Ennoshita finally lifted his head, Akaashi gasped. With the light reflected off his face, the narrow stream of tears looked like a tendril of aqua-blue diamonds. Even more beautiful than that was the agony pouring from Ennoshita’s eyes. Akaashi closed his own eyes for a moment, feeling a hot tear escape out the corner before he opened them again and snapped a photo.
—
A few hours later, Akaashi sat outside a cafe with a coffee and pastry just around the corner from Ennoshita Chikara’s neighborhood. He numbly took a sip of coffee, but it did nothing to warm the chill on his skin. It was often that he was conflicted about which photos to share with his boss, but nothing had ever compared to this.
Nothing much happened after Ennoshita wept next to his pool. He took a few deep breaths to pull himself together and wandered back inside. Akaashi had spied on him as he went through his whole house, turning off his lights individually. Even after he went to bed, Akaashi didn’t move from his perch. It was only a couple of hours later that Ennoshita flipped his light back on and dressed in workout clothes. Akaashi quickly descended the security building and snuck around the neighborhood until he made it to Ennoshita’s residence, making it just in time to get a few pictures of him running down the street.
When he was sure that he’d captured enough, Akaashi went straight to the cafe and spent some time going through the shots he had taken, seeing plenty worth turning in to his bosses for a good story. There was no way to guess who was on the other line of the phone call, but the mystery was part of the intrigue, just the sort of thing to get people talking. Ennoshita was such a figure of strength, kind, but untouchable, and Akaashi had captured his weakness. All he needed to do was unveil it to the world.
Akaashi sighed and picked up the pastry, taking a small bite. It was decadently sweet, yet it tasted like ash in his mouth. There wouldn’t be an issue if he were just a typical tabloid journalist who only cared about the money he could make with his pictures. But photography meant more to him than that, his greatest reward being his pride in taking the most beautiful pictures he could.
There were many secrets that Akaashi withheld from his superiors, some he would take to his grave. The one secret that kept him thriving while working his meaningless job was that, besides taking humiliating pictures of celebrities, he would also snap images of them in moments of pure, genuine emotion. An actor laughing as he tickled his toddler, an idol alone in her studio singing her heart out to a song that she hadn’t written but had obviously touched her deeply, Ennoshita Chikara weeping over a love he had lost. Akaashi shamelessly took those pictures and kept them for himself; they were his treasures.
It wasn’t often that one of his treasures were just the type of photos that his superiors would salivate over. The picture of Ennoshita crying was just as humiliating as it was stunning. It was the sort of shot that could win him awards and yet he didn’t want to share it with anyone. His reputation would suffer if he just hands his bosses a few photos of Ennoshita running in the early hours of the morning but at least he’d still get paid for it. The pictures he took to treasure were priceless, like spotting the rarest of animals in a forest and quickly leaving it alone, allowing it to live its life in peace.
Akaashi sighed and pulled his backpack onto his lap, fishing out his camera. He set the backpack down by his feet and turned his camera on, not to take any photos but to look through the ones he’d already taken. He smirked slightly as he paused on Ennoshita’s running shots, admiring the way his legs looked in his shorts and his broad shoulders extending out of his tank top.
He sped through the series of Ennoshita crying, feeling his chest clench even as they flickered in front of him for a brief moment. When he reached the ones of him lounging on the sofa, enjoying his snack as he watched TV, Akaashi lingered, heat sweeping across his skin like a warm blanket. For him, the images of him lazing around in his comfortable clothes made him seem more human than any of them and Akaashi couldn’t stop himself from wondering what it would be like to curl up next to him, trying to steal some of his food while making fun of his choices in late-night programming.
It was a dangerous line of thought, especially when Akaashi had already decided to keep a few of his pictures for himself. He needed to keep the separation between them, reminding himself that just because he’d seen a few of Ennoshita’s intimate moments didn’t mean they were close. Ennoshita Chikara didn’t know he existed and probably never would.
—
As he reached the main street, Ennoshita slowed his pace to slip into the flow of foot traffic. His favorite time to run was painfully early in the morning when the world looked gray. It was quiet and peaceful, but within an hour the serenity was destroyed by the rush of people on their way to work.
His body ached with every step, every scorching breath. As much as he loved running in the morning, he never did it after an entire night of no sleep. After Yuuji’s call earlier, however, he felt like he was suffocating inside his own home. He needed to get out and breathe, run until the exhaustion in his body overcame the chaos in his head. Maybe then he could fall back in bed and get some sleep.
He’s such an asshole, he thought even though he didn’t mean it. They had hardly dated officially, most of their relationship revolving around fast and hard hook-ups. It was just Yuuji’s way and he’d known it for a long time. In the beginning, it was just what he wanted as well, but that wasn’t him anymore.
Yuuji was full of love, the kind of wild and unrestrained passion that couldn’t be confined. For a time, he had been Ennoshita’s muse, inspiring several films that had sent his popularity as a director skyrocketing. He owed so much to Yuuji, but that didn’t mean he could give in to his whims. It didn’t matter how many times he told him he couldn’t sleep with him anymore, Yuuji had a six-second memory which got even worse after a few drinks.
Even when he told him no and ended the call, Ennoshita knew that Yuuji would shrug it off and call someone else. He had plenty of people to choose from that didn’t have the same hang-ups that Ennoshita did. Yuuji simply swept away from him like a wave pushing back into the sea, leaving Ennoshita alone in his aching loneliness.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. For a man of his age, he had too much success to be so depressed. He had the funding to make the kind of movies he’d dreamed of and the connections to work with the best people in the business. Who in the world had that kind of chance? The world should be filled with the brightest colors but even though the sun was already bathing the street in golden light, it still seemed gray to Ennoshita.
His breath hitched as a woman burst out of a door right in front of him, chattering away on her cell phone and didn’t give him a second glance even though she’d nearly wiped him out. But then the scent of coffee and sweet pastries stirred his senses and he glanced up at the sign above the door. His stomach gurgled, seeing that it was his favorite cafe that was right around the corner from his neighborhood.
Ennoshita bit his lip as he stood off to the side, allowing people to sweep by him while he decided what to do. Last night had been a treat night, and then he went and moped the whole night instead of getting any sleep. He did just go for a run but indulging in that kind of breakfast would negate any benefit he had gained from it.
He groaned and took a step away from the door, deciding that it wouldn’t be worth it in the end. There were several tables set up along the sidewalk and he started to walk around the first one when he spotted the person sitting at it. He nearly didn’t recognize him, his hair unstyled and adorably curly around his face. It was always his eyes that captured Ennoshita the most, beads of jade beneath thick eyelashes, the shape as elegant and sharp as the eyes on a kitsune mask.
Akaashi Keiji.
Before he was caught staring, Ennoshita ducked back into the cafe and shuffled into the line. From there, he could see Akaashi clearly through the window as he stared down at the screen on his camera. Ennoshita frowned and glanced at Akaashi’s clothes, all of it black and slim fitting. There was a backpack at his feet and all the clues fell into place at once.
It wasn’t surprising. He knew what Akaashi did for work and why his name was whispered amongst the elite like a cautionary tale that grandmothers told little children in their beds to influence their behavior. The first time he’d seen Akaashi was just a month ago at a party, his hair slicked back and gaze cool and unwavering. He captured Ennoshita’s fascination immediately, but his manager held him back from speaking to him.
“That guy will discover every secret you’ve had in your life and splash them around for everyone to see. We’re in full promotion mode and that bloodhound will be sent after you soon, trust me. Stay the hell away from him.”
It felt like one of those old films where the pious parents were warning their daughter to stay away from the motorcycle-riding punk. His manager couldn’t scare him off like that, not with all the risks he’d taken already to make it where he was. He didn’t approach Akaashi at the party, but his eyes followed him the entire time, trying to pick the elusive man apart.
At first, Akaashi had seemed like a shark slipping amongst minnows as he worked the crowds with a lethal grace. But the longer he observed, Ennoshita noticed Akaashi stepping into the shadows to take a breath, his fingers fiddling in front of him. Even when he slipped back into his mask of confidence, there was a clear tension in his body that Ennoshita hadn’t picked up on before. The only time he relaxed was whenever Akaashi’s friend, the famous actor Bokuto Koutarou, found him and wrapped his arm around Akaashi’s shoulders. It was enchanting to see Akaashi with a smile on his lips, but Ennoshita couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy at the reason for it.
He snapped out of the memory when it was his turn to order. Taking a quick glance at the menu, he stuck to an iced coffee and a blueberry muffin. His body would hate him for it later, but he’d make up for it tomorrow, hopefully after a full night's sleep.
After paying, he stepped off to the side of the cafe, pretending to glance at the newspapers on display. Tipping his head slightly, he could see Akaashi from there, but it was mostly a view of his back. He was still flipping through his pictures but from what Ennoshita could tell, he seemed to have paused on one in particular.
Ennoshita frowned as he slipped off his baseball cap, running his fingers through his damp hair. He put it back on, his thoughts dwelling on Akaashi, whatever picture he was staring at, and who it was in the picture that had captured Akaashi’s full attention. The cafe was just around the corner from his own neighborhood, but that didn’t mean much. The whole area was filled with celebrities and wealthy people needing some extra security.
What if it was me, though?
A shiver ran up his spine at the thought, picturing Akaashi lurking in the shadows, watching him in his private abode. He’d gone through extra lengths to make sure no one could manage that but for some strange reason, it gave him a sinful delight thinking about Akaashi succeeding. To have those jade eyes following him like a bird spying his next meal scurrying across the forest floor.
He startled as his name was called out for his drink and muffin, and he quickly approached the counter to grab them. Walking toward the door, however, he moved much slower, considering his next move. His manager’s haunting words echoed in his brain, urging him to run the other direction and pray that Akaashi doesn’t spot him. But his own desires were too powerful, the desire to feel Akaashi’s eyes on him only. Stepping out of the cafe, he walked straight up to Akaashi’s table, trying to stifle the excited smile on his face.
“Excuse me, do you mind if I sit here?”
Akaashi flinched and shut his camera off, leaning over to slip it back into his bag. “It’s fine. I was just about to leave anyway.”
Ennoshita frowned and pulled a chair out, leaning back into it leisurely. “That’s a shame. Can’t you spare a few minutes… for me?”
Akaashi paused and glanced up from his backpack. His face fell as the color drained from his skin. Ennoshita smiled innocently back at him and took a sip of his drink, amazed by the reaction he had drawn from such a famous journalist who didn’t seem the type to be frazzled by anything.
He recalled some of the whispers about Akaashi, that he was like a heartless phantom, slipping through cracks to capture intimate moments that didn’t belong to him. They claimed that he had no feelings at all, and his face was like stone, but the man sitting across from him seemed the opposite of that. Those gorgeous eyes that Ennoshita admired were as wide as the small pastry plate that his muffin was sitting on, and his slender lips were parted with shuddering breaths. His emotions were bursting from him and Ennoshita drank them in like a fine wine.
“Are you alright?” he finally asked, his voice trembling with a soft laugh. “If you’re uncomfortable, I can leave.”
“No,” Akaashi croaked and quickly cleared his throat. He settled back in his chair, calmer than before but still wary of Ennoshita’s presence. “Forgive me, Ennoshita-san. You’re just the last person I expected to sit across from me.”
Ennoshita’s face warmed after hearing Akaashi speak his name. It was possible that he needed to know his name for his job since he was a popular up-and-coming director, but Ennoshita flirted with the idea that perhaps Akaashi knew it for other reasons.
“Why should you be surprised? I live right around the corner. But you already knew that, didn’t you, Akaashi?” Ennoshita kept his eyes on him as he tore a bit of muffin from the top and popped it into his mouth. He nearly choked on it when Akaashi’s face flashed with surprise again.
“You know who I am?”
“Akaashi Keiji, the famous tabloid journalist? Of course, I know who you are.”
Akaashi winced and looked away. “I’m not surprised that you’ve heard of my name, but how did you know it was me? I may be a photographer, but no one takes pictures of me.”
“I can’t understand why they wouldn’t. Your features are mesmerizing.”
Ennoshita couldn’t even believe his own nerve. He was always a little backward with flirting and he still struggled with his shyness, but something about Akaashi brought out his need to pursue. Potentially it was the lack of sleep after a lonely tear-filled night but seeing Akaashi’s cheeks flush bright red made it all worth it.
“Thank you, that’s kind of you to say. I am actually not very photogenic.”
“That’s hard to believe. To answer your question though, I saw you at Miya’s place. It was about a month ago I think, that big party he had.”
Akaashi’s eyes flashed and he tilted his head curiously. “You were there? Why did I not see you?”
“I tend to hang back at parties. I’m more of a wallflower.”
At that moment, the sun emerged from behind a cloud, bathing their table in warm light. As it radiated against Akaashi’s skin, his lips curled up in a gorgeous smile, his glittering eyes locked onto Ennoshita.
“Yes, I can understand that. I would not attend any if I had any choice, but a friend had insisted that I go with him that night.”
“Bokuto Koutarou.”
Akaashi flinched, and Ennoshita worried that he’d said something wrong. “Yes, it was Bokuto-san. Sorry, there aren’t many people who know that we’re friends.”
“Why not?”
“Because if my superiors found out how close we are, they would force me to use our friendship to take intimate and potentially humiliating photos of him.”
“What would you do if that happened?”
Akaashi smiled ruefully. “I would have to find a new job. Once that knowledge comes out, I know that they would hound me until I gave them something, and that is something I refuse to do. Bokuto-san is a highly-cherished friend and I do not have many of those.”
Cold, heartless, a phantom… those blind fuckers.
Ennoshita smiled warmly at Akaashi, only to have the other blush even more furiously and avert his eyes. Despite his loyalty to his friend, there was a touch of guilt in his expression. It was intriguing, luring Ennoshita in even deeper than before, and he was beginning to get an idea why Akaashi was so shocked by his presence.
“Did you have a busy night last night?” Ennoshita smirked when Akaashi grimaced at the question. He couldn’t help teasing him a bit more. “This is my favorite cafe, you know. It’s just around the corner from my neighborhood, but you probably knew that already. Hmm, perhaps that’s where you were working…”
Akaashi gulped and forced his gaze back to Ennoshita. Slowly, he nodded.
“Oh, so you were there! Impressive, considering our tight security. There are plenty of people who live there that I’m sure would be of some interest to you. Unless… it wasn’t me you were spying on, was it, Akaashi?”
He nearly burst out laughing at Akaashi’s stricken face. It was obvious that he’d never been caught before, otherwise, his reputation wouldn’t be what it was. A part of him wanted to soothe Akaashi. Even though he valued his privacy, it was still thrilling that Akaashi would go after him of all people, just a plain-faced director rather than a gorgeous actress. But the urge to pick on him more was too great, especially if he could stir up even more emotions out of Akaashi.
“The nerve, Akaashi-kun, spying on me when I’ve worked so hard to keep my property private. How did you even manage it?”
“While the guards patrol the neighborhood regularly and monitor the cameras, they pay little attention to their own building. It was lucky for me that the building was at the top of the hill and from the roof, I had a perfect view of your entire property.”
Ennoshita gaped at him and felt the power shift between them as Akaashi smirked back. He had been teasing Akaashi when he said he had nerve, but it was more accurate than he first thought. To think that he’d have the guts to sit on top of the security building itself to capture his pictures, it was almost poetic.
“You’re shitting me.”
Akaashi snorted and took a sip of his coffee before answering. “No, I am not.”
“Can I see them?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The pictures you took.”
It was Akaashi’s turn to look shocked and Ennoshita leered back at him, giving him a silent dare. Akaashi frowned and looked down at his backpack, staring for a good minute or two. As curious as Ennoshita was, he had only intended to provoke Akaashi to see what he would do. He was astonished when he reached into his backpack and pulled out his camera, handing it over.
Ennoshita took the camera, holding it carefully as he held Akaashi’s gaze. “Seriously?”
“You did ask to see them.”
“What would you do if I deleted them?”
Akaashi considered that for a minute before answering. “I have no reason to trust you, but I am confident that you wouldn’t do that. Especially when you see what types of pictures that I was able to obtain.”
What types of pictures?! What the hell did I do last night that would make such good shots?
Unable to resist, Ennoshita turned on the camera and quickly went into the review mode to see them for himself. The series started with the latest picture taken first, which happened to be several of him in the exact outfit he was wearing, taken earlier when he’d left on his run. They were excellent pictures and while he wasn’t the best-looking person, Akaashi obviously had a good eye with how flattering they turned out. It was surprising since he imagined the magazine was looking for something far more humiliating.
A couple more clicks brought him to earlier before he’d forced himself to bed, not that he’d slept at all. The picture was far off, a sweeping shot of his pool and the house illuminated behind with himself between. He hummed, appraising the angles and subsequent shadows of them, created by the varying light sources. The mood of the photo tickled his fancy and immediately his mind began forming a story from that one image.
He shook his head and moved on. Knowing that Akaashi was a tabloid journalist, he was certain that the card inside held at least a hundred photos from stalking him the night before. If he continued at the rate he was, they’d be there until sunset and he’d have a different plot attached to each group of photos.
From that far shot, the photos zoomed in closer until he landed on an intimate portrait of his face. He gasped, his body freezing and the whole world quieting to a hush as the picture sucked him in. It was definitely the sort of shot the magazine was looking for, a blatant display of his sorrow and loneliness that he kept hidden from even his closest friends. But Ennoshita felt no shame in seeing the picture for himself. He looked like shit yet, somehow, the photo was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
“I can’t believe you got this from the roof of the security building… Are you a magician?”
Akaashi laughed softly, and Ennoshita tore his eyes from the picture just to see it. His cheeks were tinted pink again and his smile was radiantly warm. The picture had been almost haunting, the cool light from the pool reflecting off the tears streaming down his face. It was chilling, yet the photographer sitting in front of him was anything but that. His eyes were understanding as they stared back at him and for Ennoshita, it was torture since he wanted to stare at both Akaashi and the picture at the same time. To save his sanity, his eyes flickered constantly between them until Akaashi started to laugh.
“Are you alright, Ennoshita-san?”
“Yes, it’s just… this is probably the most beautiful photograph I’ve ever seen.”
Akaashi smiled and looked away, his nimble fingers tucking a curl of his hair behind his ear. “Thank you. I take pride in all my work, but I was very lucky to have captured that one in particular. I hope you are not offended by it.”
“I’m not welcoming you to spy on me, Akaashi, but this is a million-dollar shot. Why the hell do you work for a tabloid?!”
Akaashi’s shoulders dropped slightly as he sighed. “Nearly everyone has a dream job, but very few are able to achieve them at some point in their lives. All I ever wanted was to take beautiful pictures of interesting people. They didn’t have to be models or actors, just people displaying genuine emotions. Something that when others view the photograph, it gives a tug on their soul and they can instantly relate to the subject in the picture.
“But as I said, it was a dream job and after I graduated, it was a blessing to find any work as a photographer. There was something thrilling about the hunt and trying not to be caught that I found alluring, but the difference between my aesthetic and what the magazine wanted couldn’t have been further from each other. Occasionally, I’ve been able to snap pictures of celebrities in situations that are beautifully candid, but I tend to keep those for myself and my personal portfolio. This is the first one that fits into both categories and I have found myself at a loss about what to do.”
Ennoshita hummed, understanding the dilemma. He had been extremely fortunate with his connections that he’d been able to reach his current status and to do the types of films he chooses. Still, if Akaashi was as talented as he seemed, there wasn’t any reason he couldn’t move on from such a tawdry publication. When he thought about Akaashi being picked up by someone else, however, he felt a similar twinge that occurred whenever he pictured Akaashi being embraced by his friend.
“Akaashi?”
“Yes, Ennoshita-san?”
He lifted his gaze from the camera and stared hard into Akaashi’s jade-green eyes. They no longer seemed so cool and mysterious to him, but they were no less beautiful.
“Can I see your personal portfolio?”
Akaashi blinked. “I suppose there’s no harm in showing you, but it’s locked away at my apartment.”
“Can you take me?”
“Now?”
Ennoshita smirked. “I have nowhere else to be.”
Akaashi bit his lip, still seeming uncertain. “Can I ask why you’d like to see it?”
“Because I have a good feeling about you, and my instincts are rarely wrong. I’m about to start a new project and because of my latest success, the entire projected budget for the new film has practically doubled. What I could use is a good cinematographer, someone who can properly interpret my own aesthetic, and I have no doubt that you’re a perfect choice.”
Akaashi’s jaw dropped further than when he first saw Ennoshita standing in front of him. “Are you teasing me? Trying to get me back for the pictures?”
“I don’t do that sort of thing. I mean, I like to tease, but not like that. I’m completely serious; you are an exceptional photographer and I know that you would do an amazing job if you came to work for me.”
Akaashi looked around them as his breaths came heavily. He raked his fingers through his hair as he shook his head in disbelief.
“I suppose there’s no harm in discussing it. Would you like to go now to see my other work?”
Ennoshita beamed at him and nodded. “Definitely.”
Akaashi finally relaxed and gave him a sly smile. “Alright, but I have to warn you that my apartment isn’t very nice. I know that you’re used to living in an abode that is almost a work of art in itself.”
“Oh, did you like it?” he stammered, feeling like an idiot as heat flooded his cheeks. Besides the films he creates, his home is one of his greatest achievements and although he worked with an architect to build it, he had influence over every detail. Having Akaashi admire it at all was a pleasurable stroke to his ego.
“I loved it.”
Ennoshita shrugged. “It’s not as big as the other houses in the neighborhood.”
“I would consider that a good thing,” Akaashi scoffed. His eyes flicked to the left at the traffic-filled street and he raised his hand. “There’s a taxi now if you’d like to go.”
“Yes, let’s do it.” Ennoshita got up and tossed the remnants of his coffee and muffin away. Everything was going so smoothly that as he followed Akaashi to the curb, he was overcome with a stroke of boldness. “By the way,” he asked, causing Akaashi to pause at the door of the cab, “do you have any problem dating someone you work with?”
Akaashi grinned at him mischievously as he eased into the backseat. “I told you before, didn’t I? Sneaking around can be a lot of fun. Although, I don’t think I’d mind being seen with you either if you’d like to be open about it.”
Ennoshita snickered as he ducked into the cab after him. “Believe it or not, I’m not a naturally secretive person. I like the idea of being open about a relationship, especially if it’s a meaningful one. Of course, if you still get the urge to sneak around,” he paused, dropping his voice as he leaned in toward Akaashi until his lips hovered beside his ear, “I’m sure we can find naughty things to do with a deliciously high chance of being caught.”
“Um, naughty things are fine and all, but could you not do them in my backseat?” the driver asked, eyeing them nervously from the rearview mirror.
Ennoshita buried his face in his hands, feeling every inch of his skin turn red. Next to him, Akaashi laughed sweetly as he leaned his shoulder against him and quickly rattled off the address to his apartment. His camera was resting on Ennoshita’s lap since he’d never taken it back but as the taxi began to pull out, Akaashi picked it up. Ennoshita let his hands drop as he glanced at him, drinking in the slight curve of his lips as he searched through his own pictures.
“I wasn’t going to turn it in, by the way,” Akaashi said softly, not taking his eyes from the screen.
“Turn what in? That picture?!”
Akaashi shook his head. “Yes, that one. I was feeling a little selfish and didn’t want to share it.”
“You’re nuts. That picture could have won you an award or something.”
“You wouldn’t have minded me turning it in? A picture like that would have sold millions of copies, splashing your heartbreak everywhere. Not only that but there was the mystery of it as well and everyone would be wondering who the person on the other line was.”
Ennoshita smirked. “Are you curious?”
Akaashi pursed his lips. “Maybe.”
“It’s actually not that big of a deal. He just got me at a bad time, and I got more emotional than I should have. Paid off for you though. Was that the one you were staring at earlier?”
Akaashi cocked his head at him. “What do you mean?”
“When I was inside the cafe, I saw you looking at one picture in particular but couldn’t tell what it was.”
“Oh… No, it wasn’t that one.”
Ennoshita’s eyes widened as he shifted in his seat to face him better. “You mean you took an even better photo than that?”
“Not necessarily.” Akaashi hunched his shoulders shyly as he looked down at his camera. Slowly, he continued flipping through the pictures until he came to a few he had taken earlier in the evening before the phone call. He turned the camera to give Ennoshita a better view, showing him a picture of himself just relaxing on the sofa.
“Um, it’s a good picture but it’s not very interesting at all.”
Akaashi laughed. “Perhaps not, but I liked it.”
“Why?!”
“You just— I don’t know, you seemed so different from how you are in public. Warm, comfortable, relaxed… I couldn’t stop thinking about how nice it would be to sit next to you.”
Even as he said it, Akaashi leaned into his side and smiled up at him, causing Ennoshita’s heart to go into a frenzy. He was certain that his face was bright red but there was no helping it. At least Akaashi seemed completely honest about it, and he didn’t seem bothered by Ennoshita’s inability to speak either.
The cab driver, on the other hand, coughed as he turned onto the next street. “Listen, naughty things are off-limits, but if you guys want to kiss a little, I’m okay with that. The tension is killing me.”
They both burst out laughing, equally embarrassed by the situation. Akaashi turned his camera off and stuffed it back into his backpack and once it was zipped up, he buried his head onto Ennoshita’s shoulder.
“It’s fine, we’re nearly there anyway.”
Ennoshita was typically shy at first with romances, but something about Akaashi gave him confidence. His smile nearly ran off his face as he wrapped his arm around Akaashi’s shoulders and pulled him into his side. When Akaashi melted into the embrace and sighed, Ennoshita couldn’t help but remember all those whispers and warnings about him. But Ennoshita revered the misunderstood aspects of the world and he always knew when he found a genuine treasure. There was no doubt in his mind that he’d found his new muse and unlike the others, he had a strange feeling that Akaashi was there to stay.