Work Text:
The smell of soil and rain blends in the air as people walk around the museum. Suga likes the petrichor, and it often oozes away his anxiety. It gives him the feeling of being able to overcome his hardships. Glancing back to reality, he takes photos of the people walking around while his “Staff” ID hangs around his neck.
“Nude: A Bare Heart” is the title of the collective exhibition that opened today. It featured works by various artists that depicts what the human heart truly feels.
The organizers hired a pianist for the opening day. The attendees listen to his interpretation of the exhibition while they sip on their glass of champagne, playing renditions of classic pieces and his own compositions. The pieces varied from concepts of longing to loving, and to hurting. Some were even too depressing to listen to for an afternoon event, but it’s an important addition to the exhibit’s concept.
“Good job,” Suga walks closer to the pianist as he hands him a bottle of water. “You can take a break now, Tsukishima.”
“Thank you.”
“Excuse me,” said a guy with dark hair who’s probably a few centimeters taller than Suga. “I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but I took some photos of you while you were playing. Ah, forgive my manners. Here,” he says as he gives Tsukishima and Suga his business card. His card has a photo of a woman’s side profile with her hair flowing with the wind, nearly covering her face, but the photo was breathtaking nonetheless. At the back, his name and contact details are written.
Daichi Sawamura. A freelance photographer. He doesn’t look that bad for a photographer. He was wearing an unbuttoned olive button down shirt, light gray undershirt, a pair of black ankle length jeans and white sneakers.
“I specialize in film prints and a few editorials, and I often participate in wedding photography. Well, anyway, it may be a bit too late to ask for permission, but I took photos of you and I’m planning to use them for an upcoming exhibition.”
“I don’t mind,” said Tsukishima. Daichi received Tsukishima’s business card when he nicely asked him for his contact information to mail him copies of the photos he took using his film camera.
Daichi then faced Suga, politely asking for permission to take photos of the artworks and the exhibition.
Oh right, I’m an event staff. “Sure, you may do so. Just remember not to use your flash.”
“Thank you so much. That artwork made by Hoshi is inviting. The model looks really familiar to me, too. It feels like I’ve seen him somewhere.” He was pointing to the painting of a man, exposing his broad shoulders up to his nose with his right hand touching his lips. “It feels like he’s expressing his desire, almost like he is going to consume his lover.”
Suga was speechless. He never met someone able interpret what the painter was truly aiming to express. Years of being in an exhibition, not once did someone interpreted the paintings perfectly.
“Ah, sorry. I’m actually a recent fan of Hoshi. I’m not a huge nerd on paintings, but their works are truly mesmerizing,” Daichi embarrassingly expressed as he touched his hair.
“I see. Well, I’ve been invited to Hoshi’s exhibitions a lot, but I can say that you’re the first fan to be able to interpret the paintings well.” Daichi blushed from the praise he gave, and it made him giggle. “Anyway, we hope you enjoy the event. I need to head back to work. Nice meeting you, Daichi.”
“Thank you for the hard work, Sugawara.”
Two months since the exhibition, Suga couldn’t seem to focus lately on his work. He turned on his laptop and opened his folder named “REFERENCE PHOTOS – STILLS” just in case he would get inspired to continue his work. He kept on scrolling and found nothing, until he lands on a photo from the previous exhibit he attended.
What was his name? He looks for something specific on his pile of business cards. Daichi Sawamura. He took photos of Daichi after their short conversations and thought that he would be a great partner for a future work.
Morning came, and his phone was buzzing nonstop. He looked at his clock, just a few minutes before 10. He didn’t bother checking who was calling him.
“Hello?”
[“Koushi, where are you?”] The man from the other end was whispering to his phone and Suga could barely catch what he was saying. He recognized that it was his colleague calling him.
“What do you mean?” he rubbed his eyes and let out a huge yawn. “I’m at home. Why?”
[“What?! Didn’t you receive a message from your manager? He couldn’t attend the meeting today, so he asked you to fill in.]
“What? What meeting? Where?” He put the phone on speaker mode, and noticed the number of missed calls and messages from Asahi, his manager, the night before. Asahi caught a flu and had to skip the meeting. He was so engrossed on looking for inspirations that he did not bother checking his phone. “Shit.” Thank the gods the restaurant where the meeting is being held was just a few blocks away from his house. He can just use his bicycle to get there.
[“We’re going to start in a few minutes, you better get your butt here ASAP.”]
“Alright, I’ll be there in less than twenty minutes. Save me a seat beside you. Thanks, Oikawa!” He had no time to drink his favorite coffee or eat breakfast. He hurriedly washed his face, changed his clothes and took two mint candies into his mouth.
“Hey, Oikawa, I’m here in the restaurant. Which room are you guys in?”
“Pst! Over here!” Oikawa was doing his best not to shout and scold his friend for his tardiness. “Excuse me, sir, Hoshi is here.”
“I’m truly sorry for being late. I wasn’t able to check my phone in time.”
“That’s alright, Hoshi. Come, have a seat. Tooru can provide you the information you’ve missed.” It was a good thing the head organizer, Kiyoko, was in a good mood. Although, the stares he received from the attendees were making him more embarrassed than he already is.
He was focused on the PowerPoint presentation, but he felt his spine shiver, and a man was staring at him. Daichi was staring in awe, and Suga didn’t mind until he remembered that he introduced himself using his real name.
Everyone from the meeting knows Suga under the pseudonym of Hoshi, and only a few knows his true identity since his manager was the one who always goes to meetings. Well, excluding today.
Oikawa passed him a note saying: “Collaborative exhibition of selected models and artists, or with people working on this project.” Suga was about to whisper a question to his friend, when someone suddenly barged in the room.
“Sorry I’m late!” It was a loud voice that Suga is so used to hearing. He was panting a bit, hoodie and backpack on his left hand. He was obviously at the gym not too long ago. “I forgot about the meeting and—Huh? Hoshi?” Bokuto noticed the gray haired man trying to avoid his gaze.
“Hello, Bokuto,” Suga says as he hesitantly waves.
“HOSHIIIII!” Bokuto pulled Suga up to hug him tight and rub their cheeks to one another.
“Um, Bokuto…” again with the stare from the attendees. He can see Oikawa pinching the bridge of his nose.
“Oh, right. Sorry about that. Sorry for being late!” Bokuto sat beside him, and Suga reminded him not to cause a scene. Kiyoko pardoned Bokuto from the tardiness and the noise. He was her favorite model, anyway. Despite his loud energy, Bokuto can be really reliable when it comes to his profession.
The meeting ended after having lunch and Suga barely focused on his food because he was positioned in between Oikawa and Bokuto. They’re good friends, but they always argue who’s a better model: Bokuto or Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi is not a professional model. He was not invited to the meeting, but he often models for Oikawa’s paintings and some of those were the reason behind Oikawa’s achievements.
“So, where are we headed to?” Bokuto asks Oikawa as he hangs his shoulder on Suga, his other hand holding on to his hoodie.
“Well, for one, you definitely need a shower, Bokuto,” Oikawa said with one hand resting on his hip.
“So, let me get this straight. We can use old works as long as they’re inspired from the models we will work with right now?” Suga couldn’t seem to understand the sense to it.
“Yeah, that sums it up. But, you can use me or the other artists as your models or inspiration for the exhibit. As long as it’s within our team. For one, you already have Bokuto. You can use the painting from your previous exhibit since Bokuto was your model.” They only have four months to work on their pieces, and Suga wonders if he could actually finish on time. “Don’t worry too much about it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, Iwa-chan is waiting for me.”
“Boo, you have a date. How lame,” teased Bokuto.
“You’re just jealous. For a famous model, you still don’t have a lover.”
“Um, excuse me.” The three looked behind them to see Daichi politely barging in.
Oikawa noticed him looking only at Suga, and he knew right away what to do. “Let’s go, Bokuto. They have a meeting of their own,” grabbing Bokuto by the arm as they begin to walk. “See you around, Hoshi.”
“What?! But I want to buy ice cream with Hoshi.”
“We’ll do it next time, Bokuto,” Suga reassures him and Bokuto gave him a beaming smile. “I’ll call you soon.” Looking back at Daichi, he noticed how uncomfortable he was. He wasn’t even looking at Suga in the eyes.
“A-about last time… I’m sorry if I was rude to you. Um, during the exhibit, I—”
“How about we talk about this over coffee? That is, if coffee is alri—”
“Coffee is great!” Both were startled from the tone, even the man who spoke himself. Daichi cleared his throat and said “I mean, yes, coffee would be great.”
They sat across each other, taking a sip of their iced coffee with whole milk. Coincidentally, they prefer the same drink. Daichi paid for the coffee since Suga forgot to grab his wallet when he was on a rush to the meeting. He’s had a bit too many embarrassing moments today.
“So, um, about the previous exhibit, I hope I didn’t offend you in any way, Hoshi. Especially when I interpreted your painting.”
Suga shook his head. “No, you don’t need to worry about that. What I said about you interpreting my works perfectly was true.” He noticed a touch of pink on Daichi’s cheeks. He can understand how embarrassing it could be. Thank god he’s not the only one having embarrassing episodes today. “Also, you can call me by my real name if it’s just the two of us.”
Daichi let out a sigh, relieved that he did not offend an artist he admires. “Thank you, Sugawara. I look forward to working with you.”
“Same here… although I’m sorry, but I also left my business card at home.”
“That’s fine. I think we will meet again in the near future. The next meetings, I mean.”
“Oh, about that. I usually don’t go to meetings. My manager does it for me, but he was sick today.”
“Ah, I see.” Daichi tried to cover a frown, but it was noticeable for a painter who specializes in facial expressions. He wonders what that was all about. Anyway, he can use that reaction as a reference for his future work.
“Suga! I’m so sorry!” Asahi was bowing nonstop to Suga for not giving a heads up that he couldn’t attend the meeting. He knows how much of a big deal it was for Suga to attend a meeting even if Oikawa and Bokuto were there. “I was so sure I was feeling better, but my sister saw me tumble down.”
“That’s alright, it was nerve-wrecking, but I managed since there were familiar people present.”
“That looks nice. I guess you finally found an inspiration. Are you going to use it for the exhibit?”
“I’m planning to. Well, I’m still unsure about it.” It’s been a week since the meeting, and Suga managed to draft two portraits and one landscape.
“Anyway, have you eaten? I brought mapo tofu. I’ll set the table.”
“Ah, just what I need! Thanks, Asahi. I’ll be there in a minute. Rice is ready, though.”
“Have you thought about your collection for the next exhibit?” Asahi asks while they eat dinner. “The theme is human aesthetics, right?”
“Right. I plan on asking Oikawa and Bokuto to model for me. Maybe when they’re not busy anymore.”
“Alright, just let me know. The next meeting’s two weeks away.”
“Where’s the meeting going to be held at?”
Asahi was struck, Suga never asked where the meetings would be. “Same time and place, same people.” He noticed Suga nod, and something felt weird. “What’s wrong? You never asked me where the meeting would be held. It looks like you’re interested on something, or someone.”
Suga couldn’t lie to his manager. He may be great at painting expressions, but his manager, and his best friend, was better at reading his. “Well… there’s this photographer—”
“The one you’re painting?”
“Are you a manager or a stalker? Or maybe a psychic?”
“All of the above. I can arrange a meeting for you, if you would like that. Perhaps after the meeting for the exhibit?” Suga need not say a thing. Leave it to Asahi for knowing what his best friend needs.
“Hoshi, are you here?” Asahi asks, but to no avail. He walks around the house, scanning for any sign of Suga, until he hears laughter coming from the roof deck.
Suga was taking photos of Oikawa on the wooden bench, with freshly picked flowers near his face and hands. A nice piano background music is played to help Oikawa have a feel of what the painter was aiming for. He asked Bokuto to tell a joke to make his friend laugh, but he received a glare instead. Oikawa rarely laughed at Bokuto’s corny jokes.
“Oh, Asahi!” Bokuto waves at him, and is surprised to see Daichi following him. “Oh, Mr. Photographer! Are you going to take our photos, too?”
“Not really,” said Suga. “He’s here to model for me, too.” Bokuto and Oikawa’s eyes opened wide from his bold statement. “Oh, Daichi, you can take photos too, if you like.”
“Please take care of me,” he shyly answered as he brought out his camera.
“I’ll leave you guys for now, I’m going to prepare lunch.”
“Asahiiii, can I have one milk bread, please?” Oikawa asks nicely, and Asahi nods to the request.
The team went back to work with no time to lose. Suga is fired up, his brain is full of inspiration, and he has these talented people to thank for.
“I’ll leave him to your care, Sawamura. Suga, make sure to drink your coffee,” said Asahi as he leaves the house with Bokuto and Oikawa after eating lunch.
“Thanks, everyone!” He turned back to Daichi, and saw the man fidgeting in discomfort. “Will this be your first time modeling?”
“Y-yeah, I’m not model material, anyway,” he says while rubbing his nape as they walk to Suga’s work room. It was as big as a master’s bedroom, and it didn’t have a strong scent of paint.
He hands over an off-white poet shirt to Daichi for him to change into. “Don’t be nervous, it’s just the two of us. I asked them to leave after lunch to make you feel more comfortable. Besides, you have a great body. You should feel more confident about it.” He noticed Daichi’s face turning red.
Maybe he’s shyer than I thought, he said to himself. He faced the set where Daichi would be while the model changed clothes behind him.
Once done, Suga’s excited face faded to an awe expression. He was speechless. The shirt was loose, but it fell wonderfully on Daichi’s build. Not to mention the exposed area on his chest.
“You’re handsome.” The two are shocked by the compliment Suga never intended to say out loud. He clears his throat and hands over an antique guitar, one that you would see in Victorian films. “Do you know how to play the guitar?”
“A bit.”
“Great.” He instructs Daichi to sit on the floor, leaning against the wall near the door to the balcony. “You can play with the guitar, I won’t require you to look at the camera if it makes you feel better. I’ll start now.”
After a few minutes of comfort with Suga’s guidance, Daichi strummed the guitar to a familiar tune and began to hum the lyrics to the song. Suga continued snapping and directing where he should stand, until he realized what the song was.
“So, you’re a musical fan. Can you sing the song?”
Daichi blushed from the request, and he couldn’t seem to reject it. “I’ll try. I’m not a good singer, but let’s see.” He clears his throat as he began.
“Ten minutes ago I saw you,
I looked up when you came through the door.
My head started reeling,
You gave me the feeling
The room had no ceiling or floor.”
Daichi continued singing and playing the guitar, and Suga did his best to focus on his work. The voice, the view and the moment was distracting him. A handsome man right in front of him wearing a loose shirt, serenading him as the warm rays kisses his skin. He couldn’t stop staring from the masterpiece.
“In the arms of my love I'm flying
Over mountain and meadow and glen,
And I like it so well
That for all I can tell
I may never come down again!
I may never come down to earth again!”
Daichi stopped when he noticed Suga staring with his camera on his hands. Their eyes locked for what felt like forever, his face began to heat up. “Um, Sugawara?”
“Oh, sorry… How about we take photos without the guitar?” Daichi stood near the curtain facing the horizon as Suga flicks the curtains to create and artificial movement from the wind.
After the session, Suga and Daichi reviewed the photos on the monitor. It still felt surreal to Daichi that the model he’s looking at was actually him. “You’re actually a great photographer.”
“Thanks! I—” he accidentally pushed the next button, showcasing Bokuto’s nude photos from this morning. Bokuto in all his glory lying in bed in a room in dawn, with just a chiffon fabric covering parts of his body on each photo. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to make this more awkward than it already is.”
“No, no. It’s alright. I actually know Bokuto, I met him when I was an intern and he was the model for a wedding magazine. Besides, we’re both artists.”
“Ah, right. You’re right…” Silence crept in with Bokuto’s nude photo still on the screen.
“So… Bokuto, huh?” Suga tilted his head to confusion. “You’re together, right?”
Suga cracked and laughed his ass off. It was not the first, but something about Daichi’s query made him laugh perhaps a bit too much. “No, no, no. We’re cousins.”
“I-I’m sorry… Hold on, isn’t it weird to have your relative model for you? Nude?”
“No, it’s alright,” Suga let out a deep sigh wiping the tear from the corner of his eye. “At first, it was, but we got used to it anyway.”
“I see. So… you’re single?”
“Are you flirting with me?”
“May—I mean… no… no, I’m not,” he stuttered as he returns their focus on the screen. “Can you show me more photos?”
They scanned through the shots Suga took and criticized each photo, with Daichi giving out tips as a person from that forte. They weren’t able to notice until their shoulders bumped to one another, closing the gap that once was as big as a canvas, their lips just millimeters apart.
They immediately looked away, and silence was once again present. “Um, I better get going.”
“Ah, thanks for the hard work. Let me show you out.”
“No need, I know my way. Bye,” Daichi left fast without looking at Suga.
He felt a heavy weight on his heart. It was pounding wildly, like it wants to go out and ran to wherever it wanted to. He shook his head and focus on what needs to be done. He can think about his heart later on. For now, he has a deadline to meet. But his inspiration was gone.
Time went by in a blink of an eye, and there’s only two days left before the opening night for the exhibit. This time, Suga won’t use a staff ID, he’ll just go with the invitation Kiyoko gave him and Asahi.
He’s excited to attend the event for he felt proud on his new works, but somehow, he still felt uneasy. He hasn’t seen Daichi even when he personally contacted him to model for him one more time for last minute paintings. The longer Daichi didn’t respond to him, the more he felt sorry for the awkward feeling he gave him last time.
He shrugs it off and began rumbling through his closet looking for an outfit. He began to regret the lame decision of not attending opening or gala nights. He only has two set of tuxedo, and the team has seen him wear it more than once.
Asahi loudly cleared his throat, standing by the door of Suga’s bedroom, holding up a newly bought black dinner jacket and a sapphire blue dress shirt.
“Are you my fairy godmother?”
“No, I’m your manager, and I think you deserve a reward for your hard work.”
By the moment they step foot inside the museum, Asahi was immediately bombarded by interested buyers of Suga’s paintings. He excused himself and left Asahi to do the work while he gets to roam around.
“Passionately: Human Aesthetics Depicted through Their Passion”
The museum was filled with music, and Suga grabbed his glass of white wine. He saw Bokuto alone staring at the ensemble in the middle. “Hey, Bokuto.”
“Ah, Hoshi!” he whispers through his teeth. “Look! Isn’t he gorgeous?”
“Who?”
“The one playing the flute!”
“Oh, you mean Akaashi?”
“You know him?!”
“Well, yeah. We went to the same university.”
Bokuto then begged for him to be introduced to the beauty in front of him. His heart skipped a beat when their eyes met. “Did you saw that?! He looked at me!”
“I’m pretty sure he glared at you. Your voice is getting louder by the minute.”
“Geez, Hoshi. Just because you look handsome tonight doesn’t mean you shouldn’t support me with my love life.”
Suga scoffed at the mention of the term. He suddenly felt a heavy tap on his shoulder, and it almost made him drop his glass.
“Where have you been?” asked a furious Oikawa.
“What? I just got here.”
“Come with me, now.” He left Bokuto still mesmerized from the teal-eyed beauty from the ensemble, and he gave a lit nod to Iwaizumi who was following them to the second floor of the museum.
“Look. This is obviously you.” Suga was speechless. He had no idea what was going on, but he can confirm that the collage was indeed him. “Did you allow this to be published?” asked a pissed off Oikawa. “A lot of people have inquired already to buy this piece.” He was protective of his friend, and respects his decision that his identity should be kept confidential.
“Who did this?”
“The Stars and a Heart,” was the title of the art piece. The stars symbolised Suga's pseudonym, and a heart clearly meant Daichi's feelings towards him.
“Take a guess.”
There’s only one person possible to do this, with stunning quality even. It was the only work Daichi had colored. Even the beautiful photos he took of Tsukishima were in black and white. “Where is he?”
“I saw him at the balcony,” pointed Iwaizumi.
“Thanks, Hajime.” He walked fast to the direction Iwaizumi pointed out.
And there he was, looking at the stars as he drinks the last drip of wine from his glass. Stunning as always, this time with his white tuxedo with black lining. Rain began to pour lightly, and the stars were slowly covered with clouds. Daichi let out a deep sigh.
“If you like stars so much, why haven’t you contacted me?” The rain slowly fell louder as if it was reflecting Suga’s frustrations towards the man he is meeting eye to eye.
“I guess you already saw my artwork.”
“Yes, and don’t you think that’s a pretty lame way to tell me about your feelings? Bastard, you won’t even talk to me.” His face turned red, his eyes began to water which caused Daichi to panic.
“No, no, no. Don’t cry. I’m sorry, I was a coward.”
“God damn, you are. After making my heart beat so loud that it ached, you’re just going to leave like that?!”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats as he wipes Suga’s tears. “Stop crying, please.”
“Not until you explain to me what’s going on. This is making me crazy and—”
Daichi leaned in to seal a kiss. The rain stopped and Suga can smell the damp soil. This very moment made his mind at ease, but his heart was in synch to the fast beat of Daichi’s.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what? For kissing me?”
He shook his head. “No. For running away. And for not contacting you right away. I saw your message days late because I fell sick, and it was a bit too embarrassing to still message you about it. I've always liked you, Suga. You as Hoshi, and you as Suga. I fell in love with your works, and when I first saw you at the museum, I was entranced and couldn't stop thinking about you. And by the way, I saw your works for tonight. It’s also a pretty lame way to confess, you know?”
“You’re just stealing my lines.”
“Or we just match that good to be thinking the same thing. A lot of people were inquiring for your painting of me, those square portraits, ‘Ten Minutes’.”
‘Ten Minutes’ was the title of Suga’s portraits of Daichi’s assets. Perhaps that was the reason Asahi was attacked by the attendees so soon.
“N-no, I’m not confessing anything.”
“Are you sure?” Daichi asks as he moves a centimeter closer to Suga’s lips, his hands cupping his face. And Suga gave in. He finally found his inspiration.