Chapter Text
It was a slow Saturday night. Traffic barely moving as the rain falls contradictory to the cars’ speed. Keiji Akaashi sat at the back of a taxi, reviewing several scripts from his phone and sighed heavily. None of the stories seemed interesting enough to become his next project. He looked outside to see stationary cars and people in the rain, some with umbrellas and others without.
A hole-in-a-wall café caught his attention, its sign illuminated by dim yellow lights. Akaashi gave some thought to his current situation, it wasn’t like he was going to sleep when he got home anyway. He paid the driver whatever fare he owed and ran through the rain with nothing but his old top coat and an overused leather bag to shield him.
Inside, the café had the same lighting as the sign. The unmistakable smell of coffee greeted him, followed by a waitress who smiled at him and told him to take a seat in a nearby booth as a performance was about to begin. Akaashi did so, finding the worn leather seating in the café oddly comforting, the waitress handed him a menu as he settled himself. The already dim café lighting turned lower as a lone spotlight illuminated a stage up-front, a microphone there and a lanky man with unruly black hair approached it. Akaashi blinked twice, he’s pretty sure he knows that figure. Tetsurou Kuroo was one of the most recognisable names in Japan’s film industry due to its various appearances in the credits: sometimes he was the producer, other times the screenwriter, and occasionally a director. This guy basically had a ridiculous amount of talent and too much time on his hands to be able to do everything he did.
“You seem to recognise him,” a voice came from behind Akaashi, he turned to look and saw a short man with an unusual dye job done to his chin-length hair. Akaashi’s brain told him that this guy was also familiar.
He nodded in response. The other simply turned his focus to the stage before asking, “May I sit down with you?” To which he answered yes.
“Kenma Kozume.” The man said as he sat opposite of Akaashi and immediately, he realised why he seemed familiar since Kenma Kozume was one of the most sought-out executive producers as of now. Akaashi was a bit taken back and it’s not because he wasn’t anything special, it’s just that he, Kenma Kozume and Tetsurou Kuroo just worked in different circles. The other two did mainstream political thrillers, and action-suspense films that have raked in awards and acknowledgement across the country. He was just an indie drama director with a handful of accolades and though Kozume sometimes produced an independent film, he never really met him before.
“Keiji Akaashi, it’s nice to meet you.” He introduced himself to which Kozume responded,
“I know who you are.”
“What?”
“We’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now, this is just a particularly happy coincidence, I suppose.” Kozume replied as he received a menu from a passing waitress, his cat-like eyes immediately scanning the pages.
“We?”
“Me and Kenma,” someone said from behind Kozume, Akaashi tilted his head up, only to find himself looking at Tetsurou Kuroo who wore a lazy grin. He didn’t notice that Kuroo was finished with whatever he did up the stage.
“What was it this time?” Kozume scooted so that the taller man could slink into the seat beside him. The two of them seemed quite used to one another.
“A piece by Bukowski,” Kuroo replied and idly picked up the discarded menu in front of Akaashi. To say that Akaashi was shocked would be an overstatement, he was a bit rattled though.
“Wait, excuse me but Kozume-san, can you explain to me what’s going on here?” Kuroo’s eyebrow raised at that and he looked at Kozume with a tired expression.
“You didn’t tell him yet?” and Kozume shrugged in return causing Kuroo to sigh.
“Pardon Kenma’s indifference, he just gets shy easily. Anyways, I’m Tetsurou Kuroo,” he stretched a long arm to Akaashi, offering his hand. Akaashi took it and introduced himself for the second time since he entered the café.
“We know,” Kuroo replied with upturned lips and Akaashi made a mental note to be more wary around this person, “I saw you at Yokohama last year, you won best director for The Essence. To say that the film was moving would be diminishing your work.”
Akaashi smiled because he remembered working on that film, he had fun on the project plus the cast and crew were an absolute pleasure to direct. Daichi Sawamura and Koushi Sugawara were amazing producers. “Yeah but I really couldn’t have done it without everyone else on the project.”
Kuroo nodded in acknowledgement as Kozume was placing their orders. Akaashi didn’t really feel like getting anything except more information on why Kuroo and Kozume seemed to be interested in him.
“A little birdie also told us you haven’t taken on a project yet and half the year’s gone already despite the fact you’ve been accepting several scripts for consideration,” Kuroo said in an almost nonchalant manner. Akaashi felt his fingers twitch, he hasn’t started on anything yet because he hasn’t been interested in anything. Besides, why does Kuroo and Kozume care if he’s been in a creative dry spell for a while now?
“Ahh, did I offend you?” Kuroo said and Akaashi blinked back, refocusing on Kuroo and not on his thoughts, he shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t mean to offend you, this is why I wanted Kenma to talk to you instead. So the thing is, we have a proposal for you.”
With that, Akaashi looked at Kuroo in what could be disbelief. A proposal?
“As you know, I do screenwriting and lately, I’ve been getting bored with the same formula, y’know? The whole stories that would sell and stuff. Even though I like what I do and I add my own spin onto things, it’s been getting dull so I recently wrote up something not exactly up my alley---“
“If you’re saying what I think you’re saying, then you have a script...for me?”
“Bingo! When I finished it and reread it, I thought to myself ‘this seems like the kind of thing the director of The Essence would just nail’ so I told my friend here,” a pat to Kozume was given, “that I wanted to get in touch with you so we could talk about it.”
Akaashi nodded slowly. This was a pretty shocking turn of events. His mind began to wonder about the possible consequences and rewards of working with the Tetsurou Kuroo and Kenma Kozume who had only collaborated twice before; one for a hit detective drama television series and the second an action film about games that remained the talk of the town for months. The pressure was close to overwhelming and he wanted to stay within the boundaries of independent films as much as possible.
“Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. I’m just going to be a ghost-writer,” Kuroo smiled at him like a cat who was about to pounce on a prey, “so take that into mind when you consider this offer. I can send the script to you by tonight.”
The two of them talked further about the story and Akaashi was deeply intrigued by the premise of it. He already subconsciously started to think of how to execute certain scenarios that Kuroo told him about. He was good as a mouse who just walked into a mousetrap. He accepted the proposal. The tall dark-haired got his e-mail and gave his, as well as Kozume’s. They walked together outside to the entrance of the café, Akaashi noticed that it was already passed midnight. Kuroo and Kozume bid him farewell and walked towards the direction Akaashi had come from. It was then he noticed that Nekomata studios was three blocks away from the café.
“A happy coincidence,” he smiled to himself and called for a cab.
----
The script was amazing.
Akaashi had read it about three times in a row after finding it in his e-mail as soon as he got home last night and then another two times when he woke up. The plot was simple, a man who survived an accident that killed his whole family and he ends up locking up his family home in order to travel the country as a way of healing. There was hardly any dialogue and it was extremely action driven, the actor for the main would have to be great. The cinematography would have to carry it and the set designs too. Akaashi was so fascinated with how much character growth was penned in stilted scenes and in a way, it did remind him of The Essence but this film was going to be more of challenge to pull off.
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Fr: [email protected]
Subject: Kuroo’s ScriptGood day,
I have had two days to go through the script that you sent and I would like to say that I’m definitely interested in the project.
To my knowledge, from Kuroo-san’s e-mail, this would be submitted to an upcoming independent movie festival next year, correct? If possible, I would like to discuss the production timetable as soon as you two are available.
Also, may we prioritise casting? The lead role would require someone with a notable amount of presence and a wide acting range. I believe Kuroo-san has someone in mind for this already.
Hoping to hear from you two soon.
Sincerely, Keiji Akaashi
Once he hit the send button, Akaashi hoped he didn’t sound too forward with the two but at least he would have gotten the message across clearly. He started contemplating on the script again and wondered who could pull off a role such as this one. In Kuroo’s e-mail, he mentioned that a few of his friends expressed intent to act for his script if it would ever reach production. Akaashi knew of Tetsurou Kuroo’s friends through the various showbiz printed and online articles, Kuroo was quite a socialite and was often spotted in celebrity parties accompanying some friends. Akaashi leaned back on his computer chair and mustered up what he could remember about Kuroo’s circle of friends.
There was, of course, Kenma Kozume whom he also met, the two are even rumoured to have known one another since childhood. He needs to focus on actors though… Akaashi thought of Asahi Azumane, whom Akaashi has worked with before, is a known friend of Kuroo’s despite them not being close. Asahi is able to bring out immense emotions to any role he does though, he mostly does it through his gentle speeches and glassy-eyed looks which seems far too much on the side of soft for the role. There was also Lev Haiba, the breakthrough actor of the year, who was photographed with Kuroo at a mall recently. He’s half Japanese and half Russian with a peculiar appearance and penchant for playing drama villains so this is a bit out of depth for him. Then there’s Tooru Oikawa who’s been with Kuroo at almost every party. His acting skills are certainly on a higher tier and his range would include something of this calibre but the brown haired man is currently shooting a television series and two films at the moment. Akaashi tapped his chin and felt the chair further recline.
Well, there’s also Koutarou Bokuto, bigshot action star and Kuroo’s notorious partner-in-crime when it comes to celebrity antics. Akaashi doesn’t understand why he even considered it since this type of drama is obviously out of the white haired actor’s acting range. He decided to put off trying to guess who his leading man is going to be and focus on figuring out a cohesive timeline for the shooting.
----
“Akaashi accepted,” Kenma said calmly from across the table. He was checking out his phone when he received the e-mail. Though he might not show it, he was relieved to find that Akaashi was willing to direct that script since it meant a lot to Kuroo.
“Really? That’s great!” Kuroo exclaimed and lifted up his glass, some beer spilling on the table at the action. The person beside Kuroo was not particularly amused.
“Ugh! I know you’re happy, Kuroo but don’t get that stuff on my clothes!” Lev moved as far away as he could from Kuroo though they were in the same booth.
“Awww, c’mon! It’s a joyous occasion! I can finally say I wrote something that wasn’t suspense related or action fueled!” Kuroo smirked.
“But you’re ghost writing,” Kenma deadpanned as he typed out a quick reply to Akaashi, “also, about our lead actor…”
“Oh yeah, I can give him a call right now,” the black haired one immediately dug through his pockets for his phone. Lev was starting to laugh at him.
“I remember the time you drunk called him, I hope he’s still willing to answer you after that!”
“Shut up, Lev,” Kuroo gave Lev a soft slap to the back of his head.
“Ahhh, yes--- wait, Bokuto, listen to me…”
----
The last stunt left him feeling sore but the sting on the palms of his hands just reminds him of how much he enjoys acting. Bokuto brushed off some of the set debris from his shoulders and examined his costume, everything still seems to be in place. He smiled and headed towards the makeshift command centre of veteran director Ikkei Ukai. If he did the jump from exploding building A to crumbling building B then a run and last jump to debris filled street (like the directional notes say) correctly then that would be a wrap for the whole shooting.
“We got everything, good job, Bokuto.” Ukai gave him a thumbs up; Bokuto scooted closer to the old man to get a better view of the tiny monitor where they reviewed the shots. The action sequence looked pretty damn good if he did say so himself and the jump he did wherein he had to inadvertently land on his hands had so much drama to it, especially from the ground angle wherein you could see the explosion from behind his back.
Yeah, it looked totally cool.
He huffed and went on to thanking the other cast members plus the crew who worked with him. He received varying degrees of replies, from ‘Bokuto-san, we’ll miss working with with you!’ to ‘Ahhh, Bokuto-san, hopefully on your next project you won’t be as much as a handful’ but all of them were given with light and pleasant tones. When Bokuto was nearly finished with his rounds, Keishin Ukai, lead cinematographer and grandson to the great Ukai, then announces an ‘End of Shoot’ party on Friday night back in Tokyo, cheers were heard throughout the set.
Bokuto joined in the hoots of excitement, that was then he noticed an unexpected silhouette near the back of an equipment van. He grinned and ran to the figure who was already walking across the distance between them, meeting him halfway.
“What are you doing out of Tokyo, Kuroo???” He questioned rather loudly while engulfing the other in a friendly hug. Kuroo returned the hug and released Bokuto with a pat on the back.
“I heard this was your last day of shooting so I thought I’d pick you up and we could watch that film I was talking to you about,” Kuroo said as he scanned the scene behind his friend, action movie productions were always this hectic.
“Awww, shucks, that’s so sweet of you, man! I’ll just finish saying goodbye to the rest of the crew and change into something less…military.” Bokuto perked, he picked at the vest he wore that was still covered in set debris. The nod Kuroo gave him was enough of a response and he walked away to the wardrobe station to change back into his casuals.
----
“That was so beautiful, oh my go---“ Bokuto sniffed and reached for a tissue from its box behind him on the coffee table. Kuroo was seated on the couch while his equally wild haired friend was on the floor, letting out quiet crying noises as the credits rolled.
“Yeah, this film was my place-marker when I wrote my latest script,” Kuroo’s fingers grazed through the assortment of crisps in a bowl settled on the coffee table in front of him. He finally decided on a spicy nacho Dorito when he noticed that Bokuto still hasn’t chimed in yet, “Bokuto?”
“Huh? Oh,” the white haired man roughly wiped his face, “I just think that this was sooooo amazing. I never get projects like this even though I actually started out doing drama.”
“Hmmm, did you not listen to what I told you the other night?”
“The what? Oh, you said your script got greenlit and I said that I promised you that I would act in it if ever it reaches production, right?” Once Bokuto deemed his face presentable enough, he turned to Kuroo with one of his usual bright smiles.
“Yep, now, do you know why I made you watch that film?”
“Because you’re a sadist?” Bokuto said, tilting his head with an easy grin. If Kuroo wasn’t used to the other’s remarkable impression of a particular bird, he probably would have found this annoying. Kuroo raised an eyebrow as a retort and kept his gaze focused on Bokuto.
“Well, aside from that, it’s possibly because you know I have a soft spot for dramas and I always love a great film like this. Also, this one was super well-made! Ya’know the feel of reading a love letter? It’s like whoever directed this made this love letter for the audience in uhh..ahmm plain stationary but the handwriting was just really elegant and the words were sooo touching!” Bokuto explained as he gestured animatedly, pretending to be writing and even pointing out at random directions, Kuroo smiled fondly and stood up.
“I’m glad you like it! Because you’re going to be working with the person who made that!”
“Wha---what?”
Kuroo rewound the still playing credits footage and paused at the earlier parts of the roll. He pointed at the screen, “Keiji Akaashi, the director. We got him on board since this project is more or less an independent feature full-length drama and those happen to be his forte.”
Bokuto slowly turned towards his television set and looked at the white text against black background. He read the name in his head, Keiji Akaashi. He then turned back to Kuroo,
“Even his name sounds so delicate!” Bokuto was close to squealing. He wonders how Akaashi is in person and he hopes that they would get along when working. Someone who managed to spearhead a film that touching must be the sensitive and flowery type or at least that’s the impression Bokuto has of him. Kuroo just walks to the exit of Bokuto’s flat.
“You can keep that copy of The Essence for a while. That should get you reacquainted with your first love,” Kuroo snickered as he put on his shoes. Nobody really knew but the outspoken action star has a deep connection for drama and as far as he knew, drama was what Bokuto got into acting in the first place.
“Thanks, Kuroo!!! And take careeeee!!!” A response was shouted from the living room. From right outside the door, Kuroo could hear the opening music for The Essence. He’s assembling a pretty good team if he says so himself.
----
It turns out, the casting would be the least of Akaashi’s problems. With Kozume’s “Please don’t worry about anything else except for location scouting” and an unsaid I will handle everything else, Akaashi is now in small town around the Miyagi prefecture with the set designers; Morisuke Yaku was a friend of Kozume’s who had a sharp eye for venues and Akinori Konoha was someone he worked with more than once before so all in all, Akaashi felt like he was in good company.
The three of them were inspecting a quaint coffee shop for the film when the entrance bell dinged. Yaku looked to the entry way as Akaashi took some sample shots of Konoha against the red brick wall with wooden shelves holding an assortment of trinkets. From the corner of his eye, the black haired director noticed Yaku making his way to the door, possibly to check out the lighting coming in while he and Konoha quietly discussed the colour and tone of the shop.
“Ahhhhh, Yaku-san! I didn’t know you’d be here!” A masculine voice chirped, Akaashi kept his eyes on the digital camera screen, he didn’t want to seem impolite by looking at what could be a private reunion. He could vaguely hear the conversion going on between Yaku and what could be a friendly acquaintance that happened to be in the area. Meanwhile, Konoha noted that the shop could definitely cover Scene 23 and walked to the counter to ask management about shooting in their establishment. As Akaashi was about to trail Konoha, a booming voice resounded throughout the space,
“KEIJI AKAASHI?!?”
Akaashi snapped his head up from the camera and slowly faced the source. On the entrance way, he could spot Yaku’s brown hair as the set designer was face-palming and someone that he has only seen on TV or from a distance in the same studios or awards ceremony. White hair, pointed to strange degrees, with streaks of black and striking facial features, especially the close to gold eyes. Akaashi is certain that this was Koutaro Bokuto and he wasn’t exactly sure why the man had shouted his name. Before he could even blink, the action star was trudging towards him with an intense look that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. He shifted back a bit once Bokuto was practically less than foot away from him, the taller and more-built actor was just looking at him though he seemed to want to tell him something.
“Ah, Bokuto-san, is there something you need from me?,” he said with the same courteous smile he gives to everyone. If his eyes aren’t deceiving him, Akaashi would say that man opposite him was shaking a bit but in another sudden moment, Bokuto was now grabbing his both of his hands, letting the small square camera dangle by its cord wrapped around his wrist.
“I--- I’m such a big fan of your work, the Essence was so awesome and I won’t say I cried but I was SO close to it and everything!!!” The actor rambled out as he held eye contact with Akaashi.
Akaashi could see the gold flecks on Bokuto’s extremely light brown eyes, his mind noted how appealing they were but it also noted how Bokuto completely bypassed honorifics for his name. There was a heat rushing towards his cheeks that he hasn’t felt in so long, Akaashi opened his mount to speak but shut it again, he sensed a stutter coming. He spoke after a few beats of silence,
“Thank you, Bokuto-san. I’m glad you watched my movie. A compliment means a lot coming from someone of your reputation in the industry,” the director could see the big grin that was directed at him and realised that Bokuto still had his hands firmly in his grip. The actor saw the way Akaashi glanced down on his hold and immediately released the fair-skinned hands. Akaashi smiled sincerely, this was certainly a funny predicament that he was in, especially since the handful of customers in the shop have probably recognised Bokuto by now and were stealing glances at the both of them.
A flustered Bokuto starts profusely apologising to him. Akaashi couldn’t help but laugh little at the sight as he squeezed out an “it’s okay”. It wasn’t every day you get to see a famous film star make nervous gestures. Akaashi could physically feel the way Bokuto stopped fidgeting and shifted his gaze on him, he refocused on Bokuto’s face,
“Ahh! I’m sorry if I’m making you feel awkward again, it’s just that you had such a cute laugh and I sorta’ got distracted,” Bokuto huffed out a laugh of his own, Akaashi just smiled fondly at him. Koutaro Bokuto was indeed such a character. It was at this point that Yaku decide to intervene,
“Alright, since Bokuto-san seems to be attached to Akaashi now, why don’t you help us by being the model for our sample shots?” Akaashi was about to protest since they just couldn’t ask an actor who probably had a busy schedule do a favour for them.
“Oh! That’s no problemooo. This is why Kenma suggested I go to Miyagi anyway, he says I could help out the set designers do the location scouts and this way, you guys could make sure my hair doesn’t clash with any of the places,” the white haired man replied as matter of factly and this confused Akaashi. He wasn’t sure if the confusion was shown on his face but Yaku seems to have seen it,
“Oh, Akaashi-san! Since there hasn’t been a formal pre-production meeting yet and Kenma is still gathering up the whole crew before official casting, he must’ve not told you yet!” Akaashi just watches Yaku intently as he walks closer to him and Bokuto. The shorter set designer then point to him,
“As you already know, Bokuto-san, this is Keiji Akaashi, our director.” Akaashi automatically offers a hand towards the man standing right in front of him who just smiles and accepts the handshake,
“Keiji Akaashi, this is Koutaro Bokuto and he’s going to be your leading man.”
Next thing he knew, Bokuto was attempting to rapidly explaining the situation to him and all he could make out was the phrase:
“I’m going to be your main actor, please treat me well, Akaashi!”
----
As a director, Akaashi considered it his duty to be as hands on he could be on the films he did. That usually meant being as well acquainted as he could be with his cast and crew. He never overdoes the whole friendliness thing but the fair-skinned man made it a point to get to know who he was working with at least since experience has taught him the valuable lesson of handling others.
But for the life of him, he just doesn’t understand how he ended up with the project’s producer and its ghost screenwriter at a party after their first formal pre-production meeting and contract signings. Scratch that, he knew because Kuroo said something about a small get-together at a ‘cool’ place to celebrate but upon arrival at said get-together venue, it was far from small.
The booming music was making his ears ring as he paced as quickly as he could to keep up with Kuroo and Kozume who were making their way through the club like they were used to it. Akaashi notes in his head that they probably were used to it. Moreover, the dark interior with strobe lights that should have come with an epilepsy warning were starting to make his head throb even though all he was doing was cutting across the dancefloor, to get to a secluded looking area at the back with black couches. Akaashi so wanted to just rest on those black couches, perhaps have few casual conversations, and then politely bid his farewell before he could get roped into doing more things.
Kozume who was in front of him stopped and inevitably, due to the ambiance, Akaashi walked into him. He was about to apologise when he realised that Kuroo was talking to someone and this was what caused the halt in movement. He could faintly hear what Kuroo was saying, let alone identify the person the taller one was talking too as the screenwriter’s broad back also covered the scene. That was when he heard a familiar and very loud voice coming from behind him,
“KUROOO! IS THAT YOU?!”
A head of wild white hair was quickly making its way through the crowd of dancers, when the actor was close enough, that was when he seemed to register that Akaashi was looking right at him. On the other hand, the director was sort of relieved that there was another person he knew that was also here since he gets the odd feeling of being the third wheel whenever he’s around Kuroo and Kozume. It was during this time that the mentioned duo disappeared from in front of Akaashi when he looked and he found himself borderline fearful for his life at a club in nighttime Tokyo.
“Hey Akaashi!”
Akaashi turned to Bokuto, the actor was giving him that bright smile of his and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of fondness for that smile. Bokuto was trying to speak to him, the dark haired director was certain however, he could barely make out the actor’s voice from the constant stream of electronic music. A look of realisation flashes on Bokuto’s face before he pulls Akaashi closer to him, their faces inches apart then Bokuto leans slightly into the director’s right side, their cheeks brushing one another for a second.
“Do you want to head over there?” The actor advises, right to Akaashi’s ear as he points to the back area. Akaashi looks towards where Bokuto suggests and nods in return.
The two of them make their way to the back with the black couches, Akaashi was oddly conflicted about hoping to find his earlier companions as he strangely just wants to keep getting to know the actor who he’ll be working closely with for the next few months. However, similar to the situation on the dancefloor, Kozume and Kuroo weren’t anywhere to be seen on the couches. Akaashi sinks onto one and Bokuto follows his example. Even though Kozume and Kuroo prematurely and abruptly abandoned him, Akaashi did not feel an ounce of anger, there was the creeping feeling of concern for the pair but nevertheless, he was quite delighted with Bokuto as company.
“So…how did your week go?” Akaashi looks at Bokuto, really looks at him. The actor seemed to be a bit more sullen and a lot less active despite his initial greetings. Perhaps it was because of the actor’s workload?
“It was fine, wrapped up a bulk of work this week. How about your week, Bokuto-san?”
Bokuto visibly twitched when prompted with the question. Maybe something bad did happen during one of his week’s activities? Akaashi tries to recalls the times he’d seen the white haired actor on various shows as a guest so Bokuto was probably out most of the week. Amidst his reverie of thoughts, he completely missed the other’s reply which sounded rush and winded even though he was barely attentive of what Bokuto was saying. He apologised for his rudeness and kindly asked Bokuto to repeat himself since he missed it. Now, the actor was fidgeting but before Akaashi could slip back into his ponderings as to why, the actor replied,
“I was a bit down ‘cause I didn’t get to hang out with you this week,” there was an obvious sulky tone to the response but rather than being annoyed, Akaashi was getting further endeared by Bokuto.
“Well, I’m mostly free to spend time with, as long as it doesn’t overlap with my workload,” Akaashi shrugs, “I can give you my cell number now since Bokuto-san would probably need it in the near future anyway.”
With those words, a clear shift of moods was displayed on the actor’s features. His lips that were in a slight pout slowly upturned while his eyes which were fixed downwards was suddenly looking directly at Akaashi with a gleam of something. A little something also settled at the bottom of Akaashi’s stomach, he wasn’t sure what it was but it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
“Really?! That’s—That’s great!”
The two of them exchanged numbers and proceed to make small talk. They both recall their time together in Miyagi for location scouting. Bokuto admits that it was the first time he was ever that he helped the set designers out since he’s constantly signed onto high budget action movies and that he barely gets to choose his jobs himself because his agent wants to maintain his ‘image’. The director listens intently finds that Bokuto is far from the airheaded, happy-go-lucky bigshot that the media likes to portray him as. Yes, he had tendencies to act how the media says he is but there was this depth that Akaashi just can’t help but want to find out more about.
There was talk of future and former projects; Akaashi still incredulous of Bokuto’s enthusiasm over The Essence and the actor keeps sincerely gushing about one of the side character’s monologues that Akaashi put so much effort into getting the mood set and captured that he was genuinely relieved that someone noticed it. At some point, drinks were served to them. Akaashi cards his fingers through his hair after taking a sip of what could be a martini and realises that he forgot to put his watch on, he shrugs it off and continues to be fascinated by how Bokuto regales him with stories about his action star experiences but what truly intrigues him was the fact that Bokuto had started out acting by doing theatre so drama was his first love. They talk drama then: mood, lighting, delivery, nuances, particulars, extravagant little details that most people don’t bother to notice. These were the things that big time filmmakers tend to overlook for the sake of producing outputs that were more ‘marketable’ and that was why Akaashi doesn’t want to go mainstream, he felt as if he would be selling a small part of himself if he did.
The director does something uncharacteristic of him, Akaashi thinks it might have been the alcohol numbing his presence of mind mixed with the enticing words of Koutaro Bokuto that lulled him into a foggy blanket of mental security, and he opens up to Bokuto. He tells him of how much he loves films and why he does what he does. Akaashi explains that The Essence was indeed a love letter but it wasn’t a love letter to the audience, it was a love letter to the film industry and a simultaneous middle finger to it too. All the while, Bokuto sits there, quietly entranced by how the director’s fair-skinned hands do gestures in the air in order to give more emphasis to Akaashi’s tales and how long eye-ashes would hide the colour of Akaashi’s eyes whenever he blinked; there was one word that came into the actor’s mind as he gives Akaashi his attention and that word was beautiful.
Night time doesn’t stop for them and it was almost the hour for the club to close up however, Bokuto and Akaashi didn’t feel the need to leave yet despite the dwindling numbers of people around them. They both had a smidge more than their alcohol tolerance could manage but they were also uncertain if this was due to the drinks or the intoxicating conversation, Kuroo and Kozume were forgotten long ago due to the same reasons. They would need to go their separate ways soon. The last solidly coherent thought that flitted into Akaashi’s mind was that he stayed way longer than intended and that his connection to Bokuto was eerily similar to how he felt for most of his movies.
The sun slowly repaints the sky in bright colours.
The first thing he saw was a white ceiling which wasn’t that out of place since his room does have a white ceiling. However, the sunlight seeping through was coming from the wrong direction and the bed felt strangely bigger. Akaashi bolted up and immediately regrets it when a headache caught him. He palmed his forehead, attempting to ease some of the pain away and once it was bearable, he proceeded to scan himself. The director was in the same clothes he wore yesterday sans footwear, suit jacket, and belt; he had worn a crisp black suit and a v-neck white shirt. Akaashi slowly looks around his surroundings and finds that he’s in a minimalist, black and white designed room, on the middle of a king-sized bed. He calms down when realises that his wallet and other personal belongings were on a dresser beside the bed where a glass of water was also resting, Akaashi reaches for the glass and drinks. After assessing his hangover (it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle), Akaashi stands and walks to the door, hopefully to find some answers to where he was since the room was so barren and barely held any personal assets that would clue who the owner was. As he neared the door, he could hear faint noises coming from outside, it sounded like a sound system was playing something.
He found himself looking at a huge plasma television with characters moving about and fighting each other, the sounds he heard were their sound effects. Akaashi noticed he was now at a living room with a sunken den of couches that faced the TV, there were two figures on the couch. He recognised the fading blond dye and the outrageously styled black hair beside it, Akaashi spoke up,
“I thought I lost you two yesterday.” And without looking back, Kuroo replied,
“You were enjoying your time there. We didn’t really want to disturb you, is all---HEY!” Further comment from Kuroo met an untimely end since what Akaashi assumed was Kozume’s character was in the process of knocking off Kuroo’s charcter off from the platform. He quietly laughed to himself.
“You can get breakfast from the kitchenette.” The shorter one said with the same calm tone though Akaashi could hear how fast and hard he was clicking the Wii controller. It seems that Kozume was incredibly competitive when it came to games, who would’ve known? And though he felt awkward being in someone else’s home without forewarning, Akaashi did feel hungry and he guessed he could ask more about what was happening when he’d had something to eat.
He sat back on the couch with a bowl of cereal. Kuroo and Kozume were still playing though it was probably another round since they were on a different stage and were using different characters. He ate while watching them, surprised that the two of them played in such a civil manner aside from the occasional cuss from Kuroo.
“We’re doing the rest of casting this weekend since it’s only a handful of minor roles,” Kozume muttered as he avoided a kick from Kuroo, “we’ll probably have a solid cast with full contracts next week. Yaku already gave me the sched for location shooting so we can start shooting the week after the next.” Kuroo smiled at Akaashi as the director just stared back at them in silence. That was some quick organisation, Akaashi simply nodded. He already had a tangible vision for the film and relayed his ideas to Kozume prior to contract signing. This film was really happening, Akaashi doesn't understand why it's just sinking in.
If he were a lesser man, he would have gaped and spilled his cereal.