Work Text:
Tanizaki Junichiro. A mysterious photographer whose name hadn't been well-known for years recently caught the world's attention for being the person behind Nakajima Atsushi's most recent photoshoot.
Most photographers followed a consistent concept around Nakajima: sweet, pure, angelic. When the world's number one symbol of purity announced his collaboration with Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and released concept pictures for their music video, the whole world collectively lost its mind.
With his father's death, Nakajima lost his manager as well and went radio silent for months. Having joined a new agency, and with the legendary Dazai Osamu as his new manager, Nakajima came back promising changes.
Beast was, to say the least, something different. His newest album was raw, loud, and (according to the Internet) hot. Many sources speculated Nakajima had always been kept restrained by his old agency, never allowing him to sing what he wanted. And they were right; Beast proved it.
The album's obscure themes and borderline disturbing visuals showed just how much Nakajima had been forced to suppress what he felt, what happened to him under his own father's agency.
And the man to bring every single photograph related to Beast had been Tanizaki. But why? Why choose a new photographer with two cents to his name? Why not someone like Nakahara Chuuya? He had name and skill to spare and had worked with ADA in the past. What kind of relationship did Nakajima and Tanizaki have that Nakajima demanded him and not anyone else?
Of course, Michizou knew why but he couldn't write his boyfriend's entire backstory in his newest article for Black Lizard without asking first.
It came as a surprise when Hirotsu asked him to bring him something on Junichirou and the growing rumors he and Nakajima had a special relationship. Which, were all slander.
There was nothing he wanted to do more than to write to their users that they were all fools and that Tanizaki already had an amazing and super hot boyfriend, therefore, he couldn't be with Nakajima. Besides, the boy wouldn't stop looking at Akutagawa with stars in his eyes; it was painfully obvious whose affections Nakajima wanted.
Yet he couldn't deny Junichiro and Nakajima were really close, they grew up together, after all. And if someone understood what Nakajima felt enough to portray it perfectly it was Junichiro.
That was it; there wasn't a big scandal waiting to be uncovered, they were just friends and to pull through with Beast Nakajima needed a friend by his side.
He only hoped people believed it. Nakajima's true fans (the ones that stayed even after the drastic change in his music) would understand, but many others would oppose to letting go of the matter. Such was the life of a celebrity, and Junichiro was right there in the middle of it.
It was normal to worry about him in this kind of situation. Junichiro always preferred the animosity in his work and took the oddest jobs to avoid making a big name for himself, but he threw all that when he accepted to work with Nakajima.
That guy was too kind for his own good.
Michizou laid back on his chair. The office remained lively as ever, with only Gin gone from the desk next to his. He stretched and turned to Gin's empty desk. He didn't need to look at his watch.
As fast as he could, he shoved all his papers and his laptop in his bag and turned off the light. He cursed when he hit his hip with the edge of some desk. And he then cursed Gin for not telling him when she left like she usually did.
Now he saw late.
He told Junichiro he'd be home by ten. For once he could leave before midnight but he was too engrossed thinking about his boyfriend he forgot he was waiting for him.
Their apartment was at a nice running distance of his office, and something Michizou took pride in was his exceptional stamina. If there was a record of the shortest time a man has made it home to a waiting partner Michizou is certain he just broke it.
“Honey, I’m home,” he said as he opened the door.
“Welcome back, sweetie,” he heard Junichiro answer from the kitchen.
Michizou made his way to the kitchen and saw Junichiro checking the oven, where something sweet was being baked. "Something smells good."
"Yeah, not you," he'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt when Junichiro backed away from him. "Did you run all the way here?"
He hugged the redhead as rubbed his face in his clothes, he felt him struggle in his arms but didn't let go. "Yeah, I didn't want to be late, got a problem with that?"
Junichiro gave up on shaking him off and ruffled his hair instead. "You're not even that late."
"Are we eating dessert for dinner?"
"No, I just ordered Chinese food from that place with the weird cat."
His favorite. A sigh escaped him, he didn't want to mention the article at all but he couldn't wait until after dinner. Better rip off the band-aid as soon as possible. He let go of Junichiro and sat on the counter.
"They asked to write an article about you," straight to the point. Band-aid ripped off, now what? There wasn't any reaction from the other male, he should say something. "Well, not you-you, more about the possibility of you and Nakajima being together."
That didn't make it any better.
"Me and Atsushi? He can't stop looking at Akutagawa and people think he's with me?"
Atsushi and I, but he wouldn't comment on that. "What do you want me to do?"
Junichiro groaned and leaned on Michizou's shoulder. "Would it be possible for you to not write it?"
It hurt Michizou to shake his head. He couldn't say it out loud. If an article on Junichiro came out in Black Lizard he could kiss his animosity goodbye, Michizou didn't want to be the cause of that. It meant more jobs and a one-way ticket into a world he escaped when he was adopted by the Tanizakis; a world Atsushi had been trapped in for years and even if he was free now ho couldn't truly get out.
"You could change your name and start over."
He felt Junichiro's arms embrace him. "Any suggestions?"
"Tachihara," he said before he could stop himself.
Junichiro backed away, hazel eyes opened wide in shock. Fuck, why did he say that? "I-
A kiss interrupted his attempt at formulating some sort of excuse. "Yes," Junichiro said before he kissed him again, and again, and again, a yes separating each and every one of them.
Well, he proposed and Junichiro accepted to take his last name, now he could never admit he'd always liked the sound of Tanizaki Michizou.
Junichiro's cold fingers against his back made him go back to reality and he noticed his jacket was gone. The kisses were now longer and deeper and he had no will to stop them. Instead, he cupped his now fiance's face and used his legs to pull him closer.
"Wait!" Junichiro exclaimed as he pushed Michizou away. "I have to tell Naomi!"
Michizou paled. If being pushed away by your loved one didn't ruin the mood, being told they'd tell their overprotective sister whose blessing you haven't asked for yet that you were now engaged definitely did.