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“I found this,” Zen states as he holds something out to Ryo. Ryo immediately assumes it’s another vegetable the farmer is trying to force on him, but instead, when he turns, he sees a camera- specifically, an instant camera. One that isn’t smashed to bits. “I dunno if it works, but maybe you can use it.”
Ryo wastes no time in taking it and inspecting it. It’s a few years old, and a little on the cheap side, but not awful. To his excitement, it turns on, and there still seems to be useable film in it. Not much, but anything is better than nothing!
All that’s on his mind now is testing if it works. He quickly brings up the camera and snaps a picture of Zen, who has just enough time to realize what Ryo is up to, but not enough time to retreat.
Click.
A bright flash attracts everyones attention as Zen grumbles something under his breath. Ryo can’t make it out, nor does he particularly care, because he’s too busy admiring how the camera’s printing out the picture. It works!
He carefully places it in his pocket for now- he won’t be able to see the results until it finishes developing- and grins widely. Even if the photos turn out bad, he’s happy just to have had the experience of taking an actual picture again. It’s comforting, and vaguely nostalgic.
“Thanks Zen!” Ryo lunges at the poor disgruntled farmer and wraps him in tight hug. Zen is blushing as he tries to awkwardly push Ryo off; there’s no real effort in the motion, but Ryo can tell he’s hurting the other man’s pride, so he backs off. For now.
“Is that a working camera?” Rinko asks once she gets close. “Was there film?”
“Yeah! Looks like enough for about 4 more pictures,” Ryo answers, counting up the lit lights.
Someone mutters an “oh, no”, a misguided soul probably thinking Ryo wouldn’t put the film to good use. Regardless, everyone searches around where Zen found the camera to check if there’s anything more around.
No luck. Just dust, junk, and some icky stuff Ryo has no desire to identify.
Oh well, it just means he’ll have to be selective about what pictures he takes. He pulls out the photo, now fully developed. It’s a clear and bright image of Zen caught mid-motion trying, and failing, to hide from the camera. It’s nice quality, way better than he suspected. It’s also rather adorable, and he resolves to keep Zen from ever seeing it to save it from inevitable destruction.
He keeps the camera in his room, safely tucked away until he finds a time to use it. While some impulse shots would be nice, he can’t really risk wasting film- who knows when or if they’d ever find another working camera?
So, planned shots only, he decides.
It’s hard resisting the urge to use the camera, and he finally brings it back out only a week later, when they’re about to have a barbecue. It wasn’t uncommon for them to hang around the campfire together, but the abundance of food always makes things livelier; it would definitely make for a nice photo.
They see him with the camera, but once he sets it down, everyone seemingly forgets about it before too long. Perfect. Ryo eventually makes to go grab more food, slyly picking up the camera in the same motion, and stops a few feet away.
Everyone’s distracted and having fun. Minamo’s telling the group about some silly customers that used to come to her dad’s shop, much to Sachika’s great delight. With the sky bright with stars, the full moon shining down, and the campfire illuminating everyone’s happy faces, he angles the camera just right to frame the scene and…
Click.
He thinks he might have accidentally caught Yuma mid-bite and Haruto, now looking back at him, could have been distracted, but he’s fairly confident it will turn out well regardless.
He heads back to his room to drop the camera off and places the picture in a dark drawer before rejoining the others.
When he returns later that night to sleep, he checks in on it. He didn’t time it as bad as he thought; Yuma’s mouth was closed as she chewed on her pork chop, and Haruto was looking just slightly to the side. All in all, it's a pleasant photo, and seeing everyone’s smiling face brings one to his own.
He hears Haruto enter the bedroom and walk over.
“Oh. That turned out nice,” Haruto comments from behind him. He sounds impressed.
“Yeah, it sure did!” Ryo agrees.
“Not that I want to use up your film,” Haruto starts one morning. “But I’d like to take a group picture. With you included this time.”
“I don’t need any pictures of myself,” Ryo replies. And it’s true- he can just look in the mirror any time he wants to see himself. He honestly doesn’t mind being left out of the group shots.
“I do,” Haruto says. He says that line so bluntly and so earnestly that Ryo, even though he should be used to Haruto’s cheesy dialogue by now, is taken aback. Just for a second. Then he laughs.
“Well, I can’t exactly say no, then, can I?”
“You can.”
“You nerd,” Ryo teases. “Let’s see if we can gather everyone. Or are you hoping to get some risqué photos of only me?”
Haruto, of course, gets flustered. Mission accomplished. “Everyone together is fine!”
There’s some half-hearted fight from Zen and Yuma, but they do all get talked into it. It’s probably lucky that this is one of the rare moments everyone, minus Sachika, is a young adult, so no one feels too self-conscious.
Ryo lets Haruto set up the scene, and they end up posing together at the beach. The arrangement is very orthodox and highly planned, so Ryo knows this will feel like a generic family photo, but, he supposes, that gives it a special kind of charm.
It helps that it’s Haruto taking the picture and a by-the-books image is exactly what it means for Haruto to put his heart into it; even with him missing from the photo, it’ll feel like he’s right there with them.
Sachika is so excited that it takes Rinko holding her in a hug to get her to stand still long enough for Haruto to take the picture.
Once he does, everyone immediately crowds around. Of course, the image that comes out is solid black, so Ryo grabs at it and places it in his pocket again.
He makes a scene of removing it some minutes later, to show the others.
Minamo snatches it from him and the next day, they have a framed photo hanging inside the garage. He, ultimately, hands the other group photo to her for the same treatment.
They help the garage feel a bit more homely.
It’s no surprise to anyone when he brings it out next. After all, it’s Sachika’s fourth birthday! They had even prepared a cake and some candles for it. She’s delighted as they sing, giggling and clapping along. Once it’s time for her to blow out the candles, Ryo readies the camera.
Click.
The photo looks good- Sachika’s eyes are lit up as she’s blowing with all her adorable little might. A perfect capture of her excitement, befitting a four year old.
Not that the older Sachika would have reacted any differently.
It makes his heart ache a little, realizing they would never be able to have a photograph of the other Sachika to hang up. She’d only live on in their memories. There was a very real chance they would all wind up outliving this Sachika, too…
His depressing thoughts must show on his face, because Mamoru picks now to come over and loudly comment on the photo. It attracts the others and he has no time to mourn- they would all do that at night, anyway, long after Sachika tires herself out.
Minamo already has a frame prepared, and wastes no time in hanging it with the others.
Despite being a cheery photo, Ryo can’t help but feel it looks a little lonely next to the others.
“Are you going to take the last picture?” Haruto asks at night, months later.
It takes Ryo a second to realize what he’s talking about. “Oh. The instant camera?”
Haruto raises an eyebrow, as if to ask what else he’d mean. “Yeah. It’s been a while- are you saving it for something special?”
Ryo diverts his eyes, and awkwardly scratches the back of his head. “Yeah… about that. I already used up the last of the film. Like. Months ago?”
“Huh? What’d you photograph?” Haruto sounds genuinely interested, and that just makes Ryo feel worse.
“I mean- I’ll show you if you want, but it’s really not...” He trails off and hopes Haruto won’t be mad.
“You take nice photos, I’m sure we’d all like to see,” Haruto says like the naïve man that he is. Well, Ryo doesn’t really have a right to hide it from him.
He opens his drawer and pulls out two photos. One is the picture of Zen, figuring Haruto will appreciate it, and the other being the newest photograph.
He hands them over.
Haruto chuckles at Zen’s photo, as predicted, and then flips to the other photo.
He freezes immediately, eyes wide.
It’s a photograph of Haruto himself. Haruto is clothed, mostly, but the ropes tightly binding him and the blindfold are unmistakable. Ryo took it during one of their many nighttime bonding sessions, evidently.
It’s not a tasteless photo, but it’s also not one he’d ever let Sachika see.
Still, Ryo thinks it’s cute; he’s particularly proud of the artistry in the bindings.
Haruto just starts turning beet red.
“Wh-What!?” is all the poor man gets out.
“Sorry,” Ryo only half means it. “I got carried away that night. I can get rid of it if you’d like.” The last part is sincere. He didn’t really get Haruto’s permission, after all. His appreciation for art comes second in this case.
“N-no, you don’t have to…” Haruto is covering his face with his free hand, but he does keep his eyes on the photo. “I don’t hate it.”
Ryo hums. “If we find another camera, I’ll let you take one of me in return.”
Haruto doesn’t reply, but Ryo can tell he’s considering it.
“So, about showing the others?”
“No, thank you!” The response is immediate.
The photos are banished back to the drawer, hidden carefully between the stacks of paper inside. With luck, for Zen and Haruto's sakes, no one else would ever stumble onto them.