Work Text:
Yizhi had so much luck to manage to get him and Zetian a job in a photography company, the best thing was the free pass for a lot of parties, the worst was having to work but doing this with his partner/best friend? It wasn't that bad. The both of them were working in this quinceañera. The place was beautifully decored and none of the guests arrived yet, they utilize that to arrange the equipament.
Zetian had gone to the bathroom in some moment when Yizhi was checking the camera lens, he was distracted and didn't notice the people passing behind him doing things for the party until he gave a step back and bumped into somebody.
Yizhi turned back to apologize but he lost his words when he saw the tall, tanned, tattoed, most beautiful man he ever saw. "I- I'm sorry, my bad." He stuttered.
The man smiled and, for a moment, Yizhi felt like he was sent to heaven and back. "It's okay."
Yizhi noticed the box the man was carrying. "Do you need help?" He denied but the photographer insisted until he was helping the DJ set up his equipament.
"Soo.. DJ, right?" Yizhi tried to start a conversation, he wanted to roll his eyes fo himself after this phrase.
"Yeah." Thankfully, the man laughed. "I think you are the photographer, right?" He joked.
Yizhi laughed looking at the camera hanging around his neck. "I have no ideia what gave me."
They both put the boxes on the floor, where the man is staying and he start to prepare everything.
"Anyway, I'm glad that I bumped into you. I was going to ask if you could not use those lasers, you know?"
He frowned. "Course, what's the problem with them?"
"If they hit the camera, they could ruin the lenses."
"I think I heard about that somewhere, thought it was in very specific situations."
"Yeah, but we are going to stay very close to your stage, we don't want the cameras blinded."
"Sure, I won't use them."
"Cool."
"Cool."
They smiled and said their goodbyes, Yizhi made his way where Zetian and him were after he helped the DJ finding his girlfriend eating a hot-dog. She looked at him, her expression indicating she was about to ask a lot of questions.
"I saw you talking to a pretty boy." She said throwing the napkings she used in the trash. "Pleaase tell me you flirted with him."
He could feel his cheeks getting hotter. "You did!" Zetian let out a laugh.
"Zetian." Yizhi's tone was a warning.
"What? I'm not jealous." She was still smiling. "So, who is him?"
"The DJ."
"Our declared enemies. That's hot."
They talked until work call their names, they grabbed their cameras and started to take pictures of the party. If part of it were only the DJ playing, nobody had to know about it.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°
Wu Zetian was about to break something or, better saying, someone.
She and some other photographers were taking pictures for the promotion of this new club, it opened only a day or two ago and this DJ playing was in her list of names of 'hope it dies'. First he put too much smoke in the machine and she couldn't see a thing, imagine taking pictures of it, second when she and one of her coworkers were close to the stage he initiated the spark machine and scared them. Gladly, no one got hurt, but now, he just blinded her camera!
Zetian was fighting to not close her hands, if she did so, she would punch him. She got on stage and got close to the DJ.
She scared him, good. "What are you doing up here?"
Zetian looked at him and, she admit, he was handsome, but not enough to make her forget her rage.
"You ruined my camera."
"Miss, I just got her-"
"I don't care. You ruined my photos with that smoke machine, you scared the shit out of my friend and you ruined my camera. If don't turned off those things right now, I seriously am going to punch you."
"Lady, The other DJ-"
"Please, do you think I'm going to fall for this?" Zetian wanted to throw the camera on the crowd just to stay collected. "Look, I don't care if it wasn't you and what the fuck you are about to say. Just turned that thing off and we don't have a problem. Do you understand?" He nodded. "Good."
Zetian came down from the stage and went to one of her colleagues saying she was going to get another camera. She looked at the DJ one more time and found him staring at her, one of those intense starings that could stop a person from walking away in a romance movie. But they were not in a romance movie. She walked away.
When she got back "sorry" from Justin Bieber started playing. She didn't laugh or smile, but she didn't offer the DJ one of her famous scorn looks, that was progress.
On monday morning, Zetian and Yizhi arrived at the company they worked for. The receptionist called her, she told Yizhi to go first.
"Hey, Xiuying. Everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. Actually, a man came here earlier saying something about a broken camera." Xiuying said like she telling a secret, Zetian leaned closer. "He said he was the second DJ of the night and one of the photographers came yelling at him for ruinning her camera but he didn't do it. But he felt bad for her and offered to pay."
Zetian blinked, surprised. "That's.. nice of him."
"I imagine it was you because of what you said in our group chat."
"Yeah, hm, wanna go for lunch together?"
"Of course. Zetian, I-" Zetian was walking away before listening to the rest of her sentence.
She went into the elevator and took her phone out of her pocket, clicking on instagram she barely openned it when notice a notification. @Irondemon asked to follow her. Looking at his profile, she notice that, without the neon light, he was the same DJ that was playing in the quinceañera Yizhi and her photographed little less than two months ago.
The elevator arrivied at its fifteenth floor and Zetian clicked in accept. She put her phone in her pocket and walked to her desk.
~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°~°
It was, finally, a day off for both Yizhi and Zetian. They started the day normally, with a cup of coffee and breakfast. After a night of doing 'activities', caffeine would do very well for them.
"What do you think about going to a restaurant tonight?" Yizhi asked tieing his hair in a ponytail, Zetian raised an eyebrown. "You know, taking our pictures instead of somene else's."
She snorted a laugh. "Sure. But only if we get hot-dogs after."
"We're literally going to a restaurant."
"Not my fault you have a so little palate."
She shrugged and got up from the chair she was sitting in, leaving a kiss in Yizhi's cheek she turned on the TV and sat on the sofa. Yizhi rolled his eyes and took his cup of coffee sitting right next to her. He giggles when he realize she out put on a cartoon, but accommodated nonetheless and started watching with her.
The day went by fast, as the days off always are, It was only when it hit five o'clock the couple started to get ready to go to the restaurant. The red dress was beautiful in Zetian and matched the red blouse Yizhi had put on. The couple went to the car and, after a short trip, they were in the restaurant.
"Fancy." Zetian said already sitting, looking around.
Yizhi took the menu with a smile. "Advantages of a rich boyfriend I presume."
Zetian smiled and alson took the menu but something in her peripheral vision made her look at the side. And there was him.
The DJ she and her boyfriend had a crush on having dinner with a couple on the other side of the restaurant. Yizhi looked at his girlfriend concerned until he saw who she was looking, he immediately felt his mouth dry.
"Ready to order?" The couple looked at the waiter surprised.
Yizhi and Zetian faced each other and he took the menus to give to the waiter as he orders their foods and Zetian ordered a bottle of wine. The wine arrived first.
"It's good, I admit." Yizhi said tasting the it.
"See, this is so much better than the one you picked last time."
"In my defense, I didn't know you didn't like white wine."
"We known each other for seven years and you never asked."
He grinned. "Zetian, once I saw you drink half bottle of flavored vodka. The bad ones."
She chuckle. "Okay, fair."
Their foods arrived. Yizhi and Zetian started to eat talking about their past, laughing of what they did when were younger and telling each other what future they want to follow.
Yizhi played with her fingers. "Have you ever thought about letting a third person in our relationship?"
"It's a lie if I told you I did not." She said intertwined their hands. "But what if they tell no?"
Both of them knew who she was talking about.
"I mean, they have to know us first. And, maybe, they will like us."
"It's impossible not to like us."
"Agreed."
They both smirked. Yizhi finished his wine and went to the reception pay for the meal. Zetian let a smile escape and take her purse to the bathroom, in the way back she looked at the bar and saw 'they'. She sights the fear and insecurity aside and sit besides them.
"Three shots of vodka, please." She asks the barman and turn to look at the DJ, now, staring at her. "Hi."
"Hey." He takes a sip of his drink. "Came to yell more at me?"
"Actually, I'm here to apologize." Zetian passes a shot to him. "And to thank you."
He looks nervous. "Hum, I don't drink actually."
"Oh!" She was surprised. "Let me order something else then."
"It's no need, really."
He stares at her with a part smile, Zetian could feel her cheeks blush. It's true he was handsome in the club with colorful lights, but here in the plain ones he was even more beautiful. Zetian was asking herself how could someone look like this and not be worshiped like some god.
"You didn't need to pay for the camera either." She said. "And I shouldn't have yelled at you. So what about let me just get you a soda or something as a sorry?
He delayed an answer for a while but said yes. Zetian smiled and ordered a coke for him, Yizhi arrived ad put a hand on Zetian's shoulder before he could recognize the DJ from the other party.
"Oh, hi!" He said excited.
"Hi!"
Zetian put her hand on top of Yizhi's "I was just thanking.. Sorry I think I forgot introducions. I'm Wu Zetian ad this is Gao Yizhi."
"Li Shimin." He looked bitter. "Nice to meet you both."
The barman leaves the drink with the girl as Yizhi took a stool to sit with them, happy with the new companion. "The pleasure is ours."
Zetian passes a shot of vodka to her boyfriend and the soda to Li Shimin, the three of them toasted and drank.
"It was really nice meeting you both but it's getting late, I should get going." Li Shimin said putting on his coat. He got up but before he could walk away Zetian grabbed his sleeve.
"We were going to get hot-dogs. Do you wanna go?"
Shimin look at them, the couple smiled a little, he couldn't help himself and smile a little too. He said this time he'd have to pass but next time he saw them he would agree. That was enough to the couple, the three of them said their goodbyes and Shimin leave the restaurant with that little smile asking himself what is he doing.
"Do you think he really is going to go out with us?" Yizhi asked.
She payed the barman. "I hope so."
They walked to the car still talkin about the DJ, Li Shimin.
"I like him." Zetian said.
"Me too." Yizhi started the car, driving until they were close to the snack bar his girlfriend liked. "Do you think he will agree if we.. you know?"
"I really, really hope so."
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Zetian, Yizhi and a team of photographers were working in a wedding. All of them wearing black shirts and black pants to go unnoticed in the crowd of elegant guests. Zetian was having fun taking pictures of the kids doing a lot of different poses and Yizhi was walking in the party hall taking some pictures here and there, but most of his attention was in the girl with the kids. Man, he really loves that girl.
Zetian lift her gaze finding her boyfriend staring at her, she smiled at him and got back to photograph the children. The couple traded smiles during all ceremony, Yizhi loved weddings and Zetian loved to see Yizhi so happy. Weddings were like their thing. It was only in the party after the ceremony they both realize they would love to share it with the DJ Iron Demon, who was also working in there. The couple was so excited to see him again but they had to hold back for a while, after all, it was still work.
They felt like centuries had passed and the party was still going on and, weirdly, Shimin had the same feeling and not much after that thought he saw Zetian and Yizhi getting closer of where he was.
"Hi, Shimin!" Yizhi waved at him.
"Hey!" He alterned his gaze between the two. "I saw you guys on the crowd but I couldn't leave this here." He pointed at the equipament.
Zetian stepped forward. "We just got finnish here and we wanted to ask if you would like to go to the bar in this street with us."
"And some of our coworkers." Yizhi added.
Shimin checked the clock on his laptop. "Dammit, I still got twenty minutes in here."
The couple looked disappointed.
"We're gonna be in Huaxia if you still wanna encounter us." Yizhi offered him a cordially smile.
Shimin watched the couple go and sighed, if only the time went faster. He tried to concentrate in the beat and and what music to put next, but even pushing buttons couldn't stop him of looking at the clock every two minutes.
When, finally, was time to leave dismantle his equipament took longer than expected and the groom and bride wanted him to stay longer, they even offered him more money but Shimin had a promise made to other two people. He leaves the wedding with a check inside his backpack and head to the bar.
Li Shimin wasn't exactly a person to act on his feelings, actually, his feelings lead him to develop a crush on two different persons who are already in a relationship and he can't be in the middle of their happiness but he also can't avoid wanting to be close to them.
This is a exception, he thinks, only this once.
He enters at the bar and his eyes immediately land on Yizhi and Zetian. They both turn their heads and smile at the moment they see Shimin and he can't help but smile too. He doesn't know why but, at that moment, everything seems right.