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Shien was disciplined enough to keep the photos at just the proper level of risqué and faux intimacy the magazine editors craved even as his heart jackhammered in his chest.
He still couldn’t believe that he was here, within touching distance of his subject, not that he would dare do such a thing.
Kanade Izuru.
Idol. Fashion influencer. Critically acclaimed songwriter.
Here at a roped-off section of beach, posed in front of the reflector and stunning even in simple cut-off jeans and a pair of rounded, pink-tinted glasses.
The sun hung low in the sky, giving him an extra golden glow.
Shien wanted the viewers to feel that they could grasp the hand that reached out to them, to be lucky enough to walk along the shore hand in hand with this beautiful idol.
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Izuru took a step forward and tilted his head slightly, just that simple motion was enough to make his mind race with a scenario to go with the photo; it’s the last week of August and after a day at the seaside carnival, you tell your boyfriend to wait just a moment once again, please. He sighs but allows you this small moment with a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. He waits patiently for you to take yet another photo…or maybe it was finally time to pop the question?
He was within arm's distance…
Just keep yourself a little distracted, this is heaven but you have a job to do.
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Shien wasn't even supposed to be here, when his boss told him that he was now the photographer for their exclusive story with C****s top idol it took everything in him not to break down crying in the office, all because of his sick senior.
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A short break as the rest of the small team worked quickly in the dwindling light to set up for the second to last set of shots; a large and inviting beach towel, the classic blue and white cooler, and a stray beach ball, he doesn't even need to guide Izuru much, everything seemed to come to him naturally, he leaned back on the blanket, one toned leg crossed over the other and an arm propped on the cooler.
Could you imagine this after a day of fishing? his thoughts often went to such a situation, the pleasure of watching Izuru enjoy himself, a lazy afternoon for the hardworking idol. Isn’t that the dream? To be allowed the sight of them unguarded?
Real and all for you.
The privilege of cooking the catch for him…
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His body worked on instinct, after years of doing this he didn't really need to regulate too much thought to the mechanics, leaving his mind free to wander.
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His idol could cook well, so that wasn't enough to offer him that but they could cook together couldn't they? Izuru in nothing but an apron and a smile-
Was that a wink?
The heat had made him even more delusional than usual.
His hand shook as he swapped the camera lens, now all too aware of a pair of eyes on him, waiting.
“Kageyama-san?”
He nearly dropped the camera.
“Ka-kanade-san?”
“May I touch your ears?” Izuru asked.
If he didn’t know any better he would call the new smile that accompanied the question coy, but he wanted to touch him? Seriously? He had asked so directly as well, no hesitation.
His palms were sweating, it wasn’t that surprising, maybe work had prevented him from interacting with many beastmen in the past? It was a request he associated with children and he was pretty young when he had started so maybe it was that?- as his mind ran in circles he noticed the smile grow wider and he realized he was staring, taking a fraction too long to answer-
“Yes, of course,” he said quietly as he walked over to the side of the towel to kneel in the sand, head slightly bowed. The distant set team must be confused, wondering what in the world they were doing.
A hand carefully stroked the soft fur at the tip of one ear. He willed his body to stay still.
His hand was so small.
He was also very, very, close.
This distance, at this distance he could smell him easily, sunscreen, sweat, the sweet smell of whatever conditioner he used in his hair, he was going to go insane, why was he leaning in even closer!?
“You're a fan, aren't you?” Izuru laughed. “I can tell from the way you look at me.”
The warmth of his breath, that raspy voice in his ear!
He shivered and made a small choked noise of affirmation.
“Your tail gives you away too” another heavenly laugh. “That’s really cute, Kageyama-san”
Now that it's brought to his attention he is aware of his tail wagging behind him in a distant way as if everything in his body but his ear was numb, he was flicking sand to either side but it was cute? He was cute?
“All of you are the same, that slightly vacant look in between the gross, heavy stares...what are you thinking about? Do you want to touch me?”
The words hung in the air.
“I’ll lose my job if I were to touch you how I want, Izuru-san.” It was the first thing that sluggishly rose to his clouded mind.
Feeling like an idiot was worth another laugh, however.
“I’m not worth losing your job over? I'm cute enough, I know I am.” The hand returned, to lightly scratch at the base of his ear for a moment that was not long enough and yet felt like a century.
Izuru quickly backed out of his space, not waiting for an answer, the smile on his face back to idol-friendly, something safe and for everyone.
It was nice, he liked seeing it, but-
“Come on Kageyama-san, let's do the last towel set.” Izuru laid on his back, legs slightly splayed and ran a hand through his hair to expertly tousle it.
The final set of towel photos was an ordeal to go through, unable to retreat to his usual thoughts as Izuru posed for him. He was being teased, it could only be called that, sticking his tongue out, slowly sweeping it across his upper lip. The slight arch of his back off of the towel, it was completely unnecessary but it added so much to the photos, all unprompted.
These were easily the best set of photos.
Any of these as the cover would lead to it selling out easily.
He scrolled through the previous set in the final downtime, the small crew back to clear away the props.
The last set of photos were to be at dusk, a simple shot of the idol and the waves as a call back to his earlier songs and rougher persona.
“Did the photos come out well?” Izuru asked, walking up to stand beside him, the coy smile was back.
“Yes, you're amazing, Iz-Kanade-san”
“Mm” now the idol smile was back and a little cooler.
“Kageyama-san do you have anything you would like for me to sign?” Gracious idol, polite and distant tone. Obviously a practiced phrase but he couldn't help the bubbles of joy that arose in him.
He rummaged around in his backpack, drawing out his prized CD case.
Izuru took it from him, pen conjured from somewhere and ready to sign but he paused before opening it, taking a long look at the top.
He finally opened the CD case and took out the battered and worn insert booklet with its little image of the black cat in the corner and a genuine smile took over his features.
“My first album, I wasn't even a talent back then,” he breathed out. His fingers smoothed over the little line of a previously dog-eared page corner.
It had been the first CD Shien had bought in years at the time, from the then fifteen-year-old indie singer's online shop. He smiled at the old memory, at the anticipation of holding it in his hands, the nights spent reading the lyrics in the booklet over and over.
Never in a million years did he think he would ever have a chance to get it signed six years later.
“The songs really spoke to me at the time,” he started softly “Life wasn’t going too well and your songs made me want to go out and just appreciate the nature around me again.” He was aware that he was probably telling him something that he had heard thousands of times but it felt good to get it out in the open.
Izuru looked at him for a moment, quiet as he scanned his face and looked back at the insert.
“Orders for these were only open for a month, I only sold fifty of these.”
He was surprised he remembered that exact detail, did that not get lost to time?
“ I had to make sure I got one, I listened to your covers so much. I had always thought the whole indie, net-idol thing was a bit too much, even for me.” He laughed at the mindset of his younger self, voice actors were one thing but idols? Net idols? He had felt like a stereotypical otaku back then but at least he grew out of that feeling.
”You stopped your old sign-off once you got sponsored but it made me think if someone younger than me could make it out of your situation, I had no excuse not to do my best as well, so I think you'll always be amazing to me, Izuru-san.”
When he dared to glance over again Izuru was signing the booklet's back page, very careful to avoid the black cat with the gold ink, and still completely silent.
Had he said the wrong thing?
Well, it didn't matter, he never thought he would have had a chance to share that embarrassing story anyway so it was well worth it. He took the offered CD back and put it in its place in his bag with a mental note to take a photo later.
The last photo session was over quickly and with little fanfare, Izuru was quiet during the whole affair in a way that made him too uncomfortable to retreat to his own delusional fantasies, making him awkward in his movements and guidance but the photos were beautiful despite that, a distant look out to the sea, perfect for a photo intended to close off the magazine's interview.
He took back his earlier thought, this photo was the best one, he knew he was being sentimental but it really did remind him of the awkward but earnest idol in his memories.
He tried to leave quietly, not wanting to mess up anything further-
“Kageyama-san”
Izuru ran up to him.
“We have to do this too,” Izuru said, he stuck both of his hands out in front of himself in the typical handshake event pose with the idol smile back in place.
He sighed, just a half hour ago this sort of offering would have had him over the moon but after the strange mix of emotions that today had been, he just felt a little tired and ready to spend time at home.
“Please, Kageyama-san”
He couldn’t refuse that so he returned the gesture, allowing his hand to be grasped in two small ones.
The hands are cool and dry, just perfect, everything about him was perfect.
A small card is pressed into his hand and then it's over before he could really register it, Izuru ushered away by the team in the opposite direction across the beach.
When he looked at the card later that night, he is surprised to find, in small, neat, handwriting under the C**** logo was a date and hotel name…..