Work Text:
“Huh? Onee-sama what are you doing here?” Tsukasa approached opposite from the photography set up in the studio.
“Oh almost right after I contacted you guys about the session for the promotional photos, I got a call from the studio asking if I could fill in for a sick staff member, the numbers are low today so sorry in advance if things run slowly.” Anzu looked up from her clipboard, a thin line of sweat on her brow from nerves, already feeling too busy and it had barely been 30 minutes. She pulled at the edges of her brown blazer, her fashionable producer wear making her awfully sweaty – not helped by the turtleneck she wore underneath.
“That’s alright, I’m sure everything will be better with you here. Maybe we should-“ Tsukasa comforted Anzu as a weight crashed into him.
“No fair Tsukasa stealing all of Anzu!” Leo cozied up next to his junior, cutting him off from speaking.
“It’s alright I’m sure there is plenty of me to go around, you can all share.” Anzu light heartedly joked as she scribbled down notes onto the schedule sheet, opening up her metal latch on the clipboard to take one of the papers out.
“This is for you guys, it’s just an updated version of the schedule, the group work we’ll do first to use for promotional work and possible album covers, and our solo shots will be after the break. The company we are working with wanted soloes of each of you for advertisement purposes.” Anzu handed Tsukasa the piece of paper, her note scribbles on top of it.
“Thank you Onee-sama, hopefully we can talk again soon. We will go and make sure everyone is ready to start.” Tsukasa smiled as he turned, trying to shake Leo off of him like a clingy child.
“Bye bye!” Leo waved to Anzu as he walked away.
Anzu sighed as she was alone again, busying herself to stop her body from shaking with anxiety by talking to other staff at the shoot. She updated herself on the magazines the company was partnered with, the merchandise set to be made, the planned direction of new album covers.
Her brain was fairly occupied during the group shoots, the staff and Knights happy to fill in the blanks where she could’ve been contributing. Anzu didn’t know much about photography, let alone modelling, so she was happy to let other people take the reigns for once.
“Well, well, if it isn’t little Anzu-chan!” A mellow voice drifted through Anzu’s ears as a weight came up beside her, leaning on her shoulder. Jumping slightly in fright.
“Ara-nee?! Phew... sorry you frightened me coming up so suddenly.” Anzu breathed a sigh of relief.
“Sorry Anzu, you just look so cute when you get spooked like that. If you’re too cute then boys will snatch you up! You should be more careful.” Arashi lightly pinched Anzu’s cheeks.
“Well it’s a good thing I like women then.” Anzu clutched her clipboard to her chest, her cheeks pink from where she was pinched.
“Haha, you’re right. A nice lady would treat you much better than a man ever would anyway.” Arashi giggled lightly.
“I agree, I’m sure one day I’ll have enough time to even find a girlfriend anyway. So busy I barely have enough time to even… find uhm nice… girls.” Anzu turned her head over to where Arashi leaned on her shoulder.
Anzu prided herself on her self-control, discipline, and modesty. But the way Arashi softly smiled at her, face lightly painted in makeup to match her pure and clear complexion. Anzu’s eyes traced over the neat ridges of Arashi’s Knights uniform, she dug her fingers hard into the plastic of her clipboard, leaving small divots of where her nails scratched.
“Hmm? Anzu you’re really red! Do you feel sick? Should I tell someone? Do you need to pee?” Arashi raised the back of her hand to Anzu’s forehead out of concern, the producer swatting her hand away as she buried her face behind the red of her clipboard.
“No I’m fine just… feeling a bit warm. I’m just going to… splash some water on my face. I’ll be back in a minute.” Anzu scurried off, leaving a puzzled Arashi by herself.
“Scaring off Anzu? Again?” Izumi walked up beside Arashi.
“Hnn… I have no idea what I’m doing wrong. Do I come off as rude at all when I talk? Because she’s been like this around me for the past few weeks.” Arashi sighed, putting her hands on her hips as she thought.
“Honestly, it looks like something else to me. But you aren’t really ready to hear it.” Izumi nonchalantly added.
“You know what’s going on? Please I need to know if I’ve done something wrong.” Arashi turned and grabbed Izumi’s hands in her own.
“Don’t be so touchy it’s annoying.” Izumi tried to flick his hands out of Arashi’s grip, she tightened her hold, hearing Izumi suck in a pained breath.
“If I let go will you tell me?”
“Sure, sure, whatever. Now let go you’re hurting my hands.”
Arashi let go, staring into Izumi’s eyes.
“God, don’t look at me like that. Yeah so Anzu is definitely into you.” Izumi shook out his cramped hands.
“Huh?” Arashi stopped for a second, thinking about Izumi’s words for a moment.
“Were you even paying attention to her? The way she looks at you like you’re the only thing in the universe, then she gets flustered then runs away. Typical stuff for a girl with a stupid crush.”
Izumi sighed deeply, before looking up at Arashi, her cheeks burning red as she held her hands over her mouth. Izumi raised an eyebrow.
“It’s not like she’s the first person to have a crush on you, I don’t get what the big deal is- Oh. Oh wow, didn’t expect that. I mean, she’s a nice girl but like, you’re gonna have to deal with the many other people also vying for her attention so. You do you.”
“Oh god I think I like Anzu too.”
“Yeah. And you wouldn’t be the first.” Izumi deadpanned, earning a glare from Arashi.
“Phew… I’m just going to… recompose myself. I don’t want to have splotchy skin for the next round of photos.” Arashi walked away back to the dressing room to retouch up her makeup, hoping to cover up any redness.
Quickly hurrying back to her position, Anzu returned to the photoshoot set up, droplets of water visible on her face, small bits of her hair slightly wet.
“Eh? Why do you look like a wet mop?” Izumi prodded, leaning against the wall as he sized Anzu up with an antagonistic glare.
“O-oh me? I was just getting a bit flustered so I went to splash some water on my face, you know how it is… busy, busy busy. The set is short staffed so I’ve got a few extra things to do, that and thinking about the other things I have to do tomorrow. Lot of things on my plate-“
“You’re into Arashi right?” Izumi bluntly stated.
“Wh-wh-what?! No! I can’t believe you’d even suggest that. I’m pretty much her boss, it would be weird. And besides, you don’t have to ‘be into’ someone to appreciate them being pretty. Girls appreciate each other’s beauty all the time.” Anzu angrily gripped her clipboard, she turned away to avoid Izumi’s aggravating stare.
“Whatever, just thought I’d let you know that she thinks you’re cute too.” Izumi stood off the wall, walking back to the dressing room. Leaving Anzu by herself to ruminate.
--
From then on Anzu kept mostly to herself, narrowing into work mode as she focused intently on her notes and coordinated the schedule with other staff members. She was pleasantly in the zone as she busied herself with minor tasks, even going out of her way to prepare hot drinks for everyone just to keep her buzzing brain distracted.
Even helped with things she didn’t have much knowledge in, like camera preparation and photography lighting. And if she were stood with truly nothing to do, she would scribble circles into the edge of her page just to keep herself occupied.
“Hah..? Are you drawing something?” Ritsu slurred as he leaned onto Anzu’s shoulder.
“Hm? Oh! No this is just… it’s nothing important.” Anzu suddenly gripped her clipboard close to her chest.
“Hmm… okay. Also thank you for turning the lights down, the flash hurts my eyes…” Ritsu mumbled.
“It was mostly because having a light too bright would make your already pale skin look ghostly.” Anzu commented light-heartedly.
“Hmm… I don’t think I’d look that bright. Maybe it’s just because I don’t have model talents, photoshoots are a drag anyway.” Ritsu sighed dejectedly.
“I don’t think that’s part of the problem…”
“See? Nacchan has no problem with the lights… and she is a professional model…” Ritsu pointed over to the camera set up, Anzu followed his finger to see Arashi soaking up the attention of the camera.
She came out of her pose to look at the photographer’s camera, viewing the photos with a critical eye. Sighing to herself.
“It’s missing something.” Arashi commented sombrely.
“I agree, though I’m not sure what it is… Almost this vacant feeling, like your mind is elsewhere. I need that stronger feeling of embodying what it is to be part of Knights.” The photographer supported her statement.
“I think you’re right, it’s not like me to be so distracted during a shoot. I must be out of practice, maybe I’ve put on a few pounds…” Arashi took a deep breath as she walked back to the scene, trying to position herself with an effortless natural beauty.
She looked across the room at Anzu, clipboard tucked under her arm as her hands were in fists as she faux cheered, bouncing herself up and down, jostling Ritsu as he tried to rest on her shoulder. It was endearing, making Arashi’s lips stretch into a genuine smile. Tucking her delicate hands under her chin as she gazed softly at Anzu.
The producer slowed to a stop, regaining her balance as Ritsu walked away after being rudely bounced awake from Anzu’s shoulder. She returned the model’s smile with her own. Her cheeks a rosy pink as she tightened her grip on her clipboard.
“Yes, yes, that’s it, very lovely Narukami, that’s the shining chivalrous spirit I was looking for.” The photographer echoed, clicking the camera multiple times to try and capture the many beautiful angles of Arashi.
As the lights dimmed, Arashi wiped the sweat off her brow carefully, not smudging any of her makeup before she could properly wipe it off. Her head whipped over to Anzu as the sound of her clipboard clattering to the ground echoed in the room. Her small boot heels clicked on the ground as she walked up to the set, grabbing onto Arashi’s hand and dragging her away into the dressing room.
“E-eh? Anzu where are we going in such a hurry?” Arashi squeaked in nervousness.
Anzu let go of Arashi’s hand, closing and locking the door of the dressing room. She quickly approached the model, shedding her blazer as she rested it neatly on one of the seats of the long vanity. She put her hands on the vanity’s surface, caging Arashi in between her arms as she slightly leaned back to match Anzu leaning forward.
“Ara-nee, I think I like you as more than a friend!” Anzu quickly blurted out, her face burning red. Arashi held her hands to her chest in nerves, fiddling with each one of her gloved fingers.
“I like you too little producer. Goodness, cornering a lady like this and putting her on the spot. So mean of you! But I can’t say no to a cutie being so forward.” Arashi light-heartedly added, she fanned her face with one of her hands to cool down her scorching skin.
“Can I kiss you?” Anzu sprung her question suddenly.
“W-well I mean, assuming this confession leads to us dating which leads to us becoming girlfriends then yes-“
Anzu cut Arashi off from finishing her sentence, leaning up on her tip toes to reach the model’s lips. Soft against each other’s. Echoing the taste of Anzu’s lip balm with the faint hint of artificial strawberry. Mingling with the almost chemical taste of Arashi’s lipstick. Anzu pulled back, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.
“I guess they don’t market lipsticks for the flavour.”
Arashi’s face flushed crimson, trying not to bury her face in her hands out of embarrassment.
“We can make-do if you would like.”
She leaned off the vanity, cupping Anzu’s supple jaw and cheeks as she leaned in to pepper light kisses over the producer’s face. Small feather-like kisses against her temples, her cheekbones, the edges of her lips. Arashi pulled away as she realised Anzu was spiraling into an affectionate overload. Admiring the soft pink lip marks left all over her face.
A soft knock rung out from the locked door.
“You two okay in there?” One of the staff members politely spoke.
“Uhm- yes! No problems going on here.” Anzu quickly responded. She gave Arashi one last kiss to the underside of her jaw, before scampering off to unlock and open the door. Forgetting her blazer back in the room. Slight whispers echoed in the room as she came nonchalantly out of the door, red face covered in lovingly dotted pink lip marks. Arashi lightly touched Anzu’s hand with her own from inside the dressing room.
“You forgot your blazer, and, you know, you have a little something, on your face.” Arashi spoke barely above a whisper.
“Hmm?” Anzu rubbed a finger along her cheeks, pulling her finger off and viewing the smeared pink lipstick on her skin. She looked around the room and realised all the eyes staring at her.
“J-just a second!” Anzu dashed back into the dressing room, Arashi patting her new girlfriend on the back soothingly as she fished out some makeup wipes.