Work Text:
As a photographer who ran his own business, Cheng Xiaoshi learned early on to never question his clients’ requests.
They demanded a neon pink background that clashed with their skin color? Sure. They asked for “touch-ups” on Photoshop that basically rendered them a completely different person? Weird request, but okay. As long as they paid for the additional photo-editing service and paid extra for every major revision, Cheng Xiaoshi wouldn’t say no even if he had to transform a middle-aged uncle’s face into Jackson Wang.
So when the anime club on campus hired him to be the photographer for Lu Guang’s cosplay shoot on top of a mountain, Cheng Xiaoshi didn’t even raise an eyebrow. “As long as transportation’s covered, I’m in.”
Time Photo Studio was closed for the day. Before the sun had properly risen that morning, Cheng Xiaoshi piled his photography gear into the club president’s car trunk, made himself comfortable in the back seat, and assigned himself the role of snack distributor and music director. Which basically meant he was in control of the phone connected to the car’s Bluetooth speaker as well as the portable karaoke mic.
Countless anime songs later (courtesy of him and the club president, though he noticed Lu Guang’s foot tapping to the beat), the club president parked her car. “I booked a lodge for us!” she said, pointing at the row of small villas behind her.
Cheng Xiaoshi squinted, covering his eyes from the sun. The lodging looked simple enough, but going as far as holding a solo photoshoot on a mountain, and providing accommodation, too? The anime club sure had funds.
“Here’s your cosplay, Lu Guang! Fresh from the seamstress. Go change, then we can start the shoot as we climb.”
“What are you cosplaying this time, anyway?” Cheng Xiaoshi asked, eyeing the bag that contained Lu Guang’s mysterious costume as they walked to their room. If it was anything like last time, long robes and a cape and all that, he imagined it would be hard for Lu Guang to climb the stairs to the mountain.
Cheng Xiaoshi studied Lu Guang’s face, trying to guess his costume from his makeup. It was heavy, which was normal for a photoshoot. There was a streak of brownish red across one of Lu Guang’s cheeks, and a similar color lined his bottom lashes. Lu Guang wore bright blue contacts, reminding Cheng Xiaoshi of the color his eyes turned to whenever he looked into the past through a picture.
None of these hinted at anything substantial, aside from the fact that it had to be another fantasy costume. But the photoshoot location already gave that away.
“It’s easier to just show you,” said Lu Guang. The moment they reached the room, he immediately disappeared into the bathroom.
Cheng Xiaoshi busied himself with inspecting the room’s interior. Two single beds were in the center of the room, and he wondered if he could sneakily push them together, the way he did at their hotel room in Yingdu. A low circular coffee table hosted several packets of tea and chocolate, along with a greeting card welcoming the guest. Cheng Xiaoshi inspected the welcome drinks, and before he could explore the rest of the room, he changed directions towards the kitchen.
Minutes later, Cheng Xiaoshi’s chest was warm from hot chocolate. He smacked his lips, savoring the remaining rich taste on his tongue. Who knew powdered chocolate could taste this good? he thought as he filled his thermos with more of the delicious brew.
Satisfied, Cheng Xiaoshi continued walking around the room. There was a cable TV, but he immediately decided it was unnecessary when the natural view outside was insanely breathtaking. Cheng Xiaoshi found himself rooted in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the bright blue sky painted with wispy white clouds, like the product of a painter repeatedly tapping their brush on canvas. Towers of sturdy grey rocks jutted up to the heavens, decorated with crevices and tufts of trees. Faint wisps of fog obscured the ant-like people trailing up the staircase to reach the mountain’s peak.
The sound of the bathroom door closing tore Cheng Xiaoshi’s gaze away, and he was greeted by a more beautiful view.
Lu Guang stood on the carpeted floor, feet bare aside from the piece of metal with intricate designs of swirls and circular patterns that looped around his ankle and the soles of his feet. They, along with a white, slightly tattered skirt, left Lu Guang’s smooth calves visible for everyone to see. Walking around Lu Guang in a circle, Cheng Xiaoshi noticed the skirt had a very high slit, revealing his knees and fair thighs. A white and blue fabric belt secured the whole skirt in place, separating it from the breezy white shirt with the same slit running down its sides…
Cheng Xiaoshi had to force himself to stop staring at the side of Lu Guang’s exposed torso and inspected his face. Lu Guang wore large, circular earrings decorated with blue jewels. Two pure white horns rested on both sides of his head. But the loudest piece of clothing, the one that demanded all his attention, was the wings—huge, imposing, bone-white structures artfully torn here and there.
Cheng Xiaoshi could die and descend to hell and grovel at the feet of this demon in front of him. Was that too much?
“Whoa,” was all he could mutter under his breath.
Lu Guang raised a hand—decorated with a silver vambrace that gleamed underneath the warm lights—and adjusted his crooked wings. He cleared his throat. Cheng Xiaoshi just realized how dry his own throat had become.
“Come on. I’ve kept the president waiting.”
Picking up his jaw from the floor, Cheng Xiaoshi hurried behind Lu Guang.
The climb up the mountain was exhausting for Cheng Xiaoshi, who wore proper layers, so he couldn’t imagine what Lu Guang felt in his single layer with huge slits down his sides. At least he changed into proper shoes for the hike, and the wings were off to avoid bothering other hikers. Ten steps up the staircase, Cheng Xiaoshi took off his outer jacket and forced Lu Guang to wear it to ward off the chilly air. Huffing and puffing, the three of them hiked for a good half an hour to find a good spot.
“Finally!” Cheng Xiaoshi said with a grunt. They hadn’t even reached the top, but the view of a small waterfall in one of the crevices was already worth all the sore legs and back pain from lugging his photography gear around. He didn’t have much time to rest, because the president was touching up Lu Guang’s makeup with lightning-fast hands, reminding Cheng Xiaoshi of the pit stop crew in a car race. Soon enough, Lu Guang’s wings and overly complicated footwear were back on. He slightly shivered when his bare feet touched damp rocks.
As a photographer and as Lu Guang’s friend, Cheng Xiaoshi knew he had to be quick. When taking pictures in nature, he had to race against so many things. There was the fact that their location could suddenly turn traitor. The current weather was lovely, and the rays of sunlight trickling from between the dense trees provided some warmth, but it could choose to turn against them without warning, no matter what the forecast may have said.
There was also the model to consider. The temperature was slightly chilly for him, so it had to be more so for Lu Guang, who had dipped his bare legs into the small stream. How Lu Guang managed to maintain the detached, mystical aura of a demon when his toes must be freezing was a testament to his commitment to the craft. Cheng Xiaoshi could only hope to live up to it with his own photography skills.
Cheng Xiaoshi wanted to take more pictures in this location before they moved on, but he forced Lu Guang into a break fifteen minutes in.
“Up, up, come here,” he said, holding Lu Guang’s hand and practically pulling him out of the stream. He didn’t even have time to revel in the touch of Lu Guang’s soft fingers. Cheng Xiaoshi snatched the towel the club president offered to Lu Guang, made him sit on a dry rock, and knelt on one knee. Before Lu Guang could protest, he had started drying his feet.
“Cheng Xiaoshi! That’s okay, it’s my job—”
“It’s fine, president,” said Cheng Xiaoshi, eyes not leaving Lu Guang’s feet. They were shivering, but that was to be expected. “You can look through the photos in the meantime.”
Cheng Xiaoshi continued drying the crevices between Lu Guang’s toes. He could feel Lu Guang's gaze burn a hole into his skull.
“Are you cold?” he asked. If his hands weren’t busy drying Lu Guang’s heel, he would have smacked his face. Of course he was cold, duh! “Uh, there’s hot chocolate in my bag. The yellow thermos.”
Lu Guang silently reached for the bag, which was leaning against the rock he was sitting on. He located the thermos and uncapped it. Lu Guang gave it an appreciative whiff.
“…Thanks.”
Cheng Xiaoshi’s nails nearly scraped the metal underneath Lu Guang’s soles. “Don’t mention it.”
“When did you even have the time to make this?”
“When you were changing.”
“Mm.” Cheng Xiaoshi heard Lu Guang take his first sip. “It’s good.”
“Right? It’s the lodge’s welcome drink. Didn’t look like much, but it’s surprisingly great.”
“…Yeah.” Lu Guang’s voice was slightly muffled by the cup.
For a while, there was comfortable silence between them. Moving his focus upward, Cheng Xiaoshi rubbed the soft towel against Lu Guang’s ankles. His hands then trailed up Lu Guang’s calves, then thoroughly patted the back of his knees. Above that was dangerous territory that he didn’t dare touch—not yet. Besides, the stream wasn’t that deep, so Lu Guang’s thighs were dry.
Suddenly, Lu Guang broke the silence. “…Just like someone I know.”
“What was that?” Lu Guang’s voice was soft and muffled by the thermos, and Cheng Xiaoshi was distracted, so he wasn’t sure if he was hearing things correctly.
“Nothing.”
For the first time, Cheng Xiaoshi snapped his head up. He looked at Lu Guang, squinting through the thin rays of sunlight.
Kneeling by Lu Guang’s feet, Cheng Xiaoshi got an incredible view all for himself.
Lu Guang had put down the thermos, a small smile playing across his lips. The lines of his jaw were more defined, and if he tilted his head just right, the sun would highlight the drops of water across his cheeks. Sunlight spilled from the canopy of leaves, forming a blinding white halo behind his head. Flecks of light danced around Lu Guang’s white hair, and maybe it was a product of Cheng Xiaoshi’s awestruck imagination, but the horns seemed to gleam like polished marble. And the final nail on the coffin, the thing that made Cheng Xiaoshi ready to jump into the bottommost depths of hell for this demon, was those striking blue eyes that reflected the heavens.
This demon was his protector and killer. He promised salvation and ruin. He would toy with his heart and soul, crushing them in his slender fingers, then cradle and treasure them afterwards.
Those were the things running through Cheng Xiaoshi’s mind at the sight of Lu Guang.
He wished he had his camera in his hands. He wished he could capture this very moment in a photo. He wished he could revisit it later and relive how deeply he had fallen.
Actually? They were in a photoshoot. He could do that right now.
“Stay right there,” Cheng Xiaoshi breathed out. He scrambled up. “Don’t move a muscle.”
“What…”
“Don’t move, Lu Guang, I just got a burst of inspiration!”
The club president was still clicking through the first batch of photos, but Cheng Xiaoshi gently pried the camera from her hands. “Sorry, president, I need this.”
“Whoa—hey!”
In an instant, Cheng Xiaoshi was back in his previous position, kneeling by Lu Guang’s feet. He adjusted his lens. He leaned back. He squinted through the viewfinder.
“Ready, Lu Guang?”
“You told me not to move, idiot. Of course I’m ready.”
Cheng Xiaoshi snickered. Oh, he was so far gone.
Click.