Chapter Text
The Cleaner Studios, one of the best photography studios in the city, always has its schedules booked— no matter what. Their portfolio ranged from graduation portraits for students to the high-fashion spreads of models and actors for international magazines and billboards.
The Studio's influence had grown so vast that management began expanding, establishing specialized branches across the globe. And among them was the Akuta Branch. Unlike the general studios, the Akuta Branch catered to high-end models, frequently collaborating with daily fashion magazines and luxury brands that requested "Team Akuta" by name.
Zanka was Team Akuta's best and main photographer. Always behind the camera, he captured every pose with skill— creating professional masterpieces that rarely required any photo editing software.
But yet, he felt like he was lacking something.
Was it the equipment he used? No, that's stupid and an insult towards the person who MADE the camera. The lighting? No- that was impossible! The member in charge of it never failed at their job! Perhaps the themes failed to resonate with the main subjects... Or perhaps— he hadn't f𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 the right subject yet.
Zanka was craving something. But he wasn't sure about what. It was a feeling that he couldn't exactly describe all too well.
"Enticing" wasn't the right word—it felt too sweet for his taste. No, the word he was most definitely looking for was "challenging". Exactly what the challenge looked like, Zanka didn't know what he was looking for. But he'll find it-
He'll find it soon enough.
So, he continued working, taking the opportunity to bring pictures to life, as if they belonged in a museum. ‘Don’t get yourself worked up over it, kid. You’re the best out here!’ Is what Enjin would say—the manager of Akuta, and his mentor in this field.
Zanka is very fond of the man anyway, almost like the big brother he didn’t have, not that he’ll admit that to him.
Click. Flash. Click. Flash. Click. Flash.
“Rudo! Move the light slowly to the left side,” he instructed the boy, who gladly obliged and did as he was told. The shift of the light completely changed the atmosphere of the room, and the model before them never looked better.
“Awright, stop there! That’s good!”
Another set of clicks of the camera, not wasting a second to take the opportunity. Zanka is capturing the moment like always. “Riyo, you can re-adjust her makeup now.”
They go for another set with a different theme, something that the model could choose from once all photos are edited and ready to be shown to the public. The model is wearing a whole different outfit as Riyo does her best to complement the makeup with her clothes.
Zanka, locked in as always, took pictures until it lasted. Not letting the opportunity go to waste. Going for different angles and lighting positions. A few more make-up readjustments until it was done.
“All good!” He announced, watching the model before him, who finally relaxed and thanked him for the opportunity. He nodded as he skimmed through the pictures in his camera, and he would probably inquire with Shikage about the pictures later.
“Would you like to have a peek at the pictures, ma'am?” he asked, watching her move closer as she looked through the pictures. “Ah! These are lovely! They weren’t lying when they said that Cleaners: Akuta is the best out there!” she complimented, earning a faint blush on Zanka’s cheeks; the boy loves being praised after all.
“We simply do what we do best. Thank you for the opportunity as well.” He replied with hostility, keeping his professionalism. Soon enough, the model’s manager called, and she had already left the studio, leaving only Zanka with his coworkers as they cleaned up the set.
“Man, I’m beat! Glad that today’s over!” Riyo—who is in charge of hair and makeup—stretched her limbs and began cleaning up her supplies, putting them away in their designated places.
“You didn’t even do much…” Rudo muttered under his breath, struggling to put back the portable reflector in its case after removing it from the light stand.
“Good job for all of you, especially you, Rudo. For the whole month you’ve been here, you’ve been doing well. Keep it up, Kid!” Enjin came out of his office, complimenting the boy who was stammering a thank you to the older man.
Zanka watched from the sidelines, still skimming through the pictures caught by his camera. They were beautiful, but not enough. He thought something was lacking. Maybe Shikage can help him enhance the pictures with computer editing, he thought.
“Yo! Zankaaa,” Riyo dragged out, bag already slung over her shoulders, “We’re going out to eat, wanna come?” It wasn’t even a suggestion or a question; Riyo just started to drag him out of the studio and kept up with Enjin and Rudo. “Riyo, I haven’t even said anything yet!” he argued as they walked towards a restaurant.
“Enjin’s paying for it! You can’t let go of the opportunity, little Zanka!”
“I’m older than you.”
“Yeah, but I was here first.”
“And that means what exactly?”
The two bickered for a good minute while Enjin and Rudo walked in front of them, having a conversation of their own. Finally, after minutes of walking, they reached the restaurant where they usually hang out after work.
They entered the restaurant, and the place was quite crowded; only a few tables were available, so they immediately secured their seats in a far corner.
Enjin fell in line with the other people at the counter as they made their orders. Zanka followed suit, taking Riyo and Rudo’s order to sit back and wait.
“Riyo said she wanted something spicy, while Rudo wanted something sweet.” He announced from behind, almost startling Enjin.
“Is that so? Not sure if they have anything sweet in here, but sure, and I assume you want something with broth?” he said with a cheeky grin as he looked at Zanka.
“Y-yeah..., that would be nice.” Zanka stayed quiet, overthinking the food he had eaten for the day. Surely, a simple broth meal wouldn’t make him gain weight, right? Hopefully not.
They waited a long time before it was their turn to place their order. Enjin picked out the meals the rest of the group would like best, letting Zanka choose what he wanted to eat, even though Enjin encouraged him to order more. After listing their orders, Enjin did not miss the chance to flirt with the cashier. The lady politely declined, but there was obvious malice on her face.
After she listed their orders and gave them a number, she rejected Enjin’s flirtatious advances (rightfully so), and they stepped out to retrieve the rest of the group.
“Do you seriously have to flirt with the cashier?” Zanka started. Despite having great respect for the old man, he still sometimes acts like a high schooler. “Hey, I’m taking my chances. Not my fault, Miss Girly is pissed off today.” Enjin just laughed it off as they sat back with Riyo and Rudo.
“Alright, gang, the food wait is about 15 to 20 minutes, though, given the busy crowd, my guess is it’ll be longer,” Enjin announced, earning an audible groan and complaints from Rudo and Riyo. Zanka didn’t mind the wait, and frankly, he wasn’t even that hungry (or was he ever hungry at all). His lunch earlier at the studio was enough to keep him going for the day.
The rest of the group started a conversation. Riyo talked about the gossip she heard from the Beauty Branch, something about the two models having beef with each other and apparently fighting on set. It took a while before the two adults broke free. The story earned a laugh from Enjin, “Ahaha! Are they for real?? Imagine if somebody caught that on video! Bahaha!” Enjin kept laughing obnoxiously.
“What are they beefing about anyway? And what scandal was it?” Rudo piped in, more curious than finding the story hilarious, probably just pure curiosity.
“From what I heard- don’t quote me on that,” Riyo continued, “Apparently those two used to be high school sweethearts? Or something like that, and they ended up in a rough breakup.”
“Tsk, and they call themselves professionals. Can’t even keep proper decorum in front of others,” Zanka commented, sounding more bitter than he intended. “Eh, some couldn’t keep their thoughts to themselves. It’s funny, though,” she shrugged, still snickering at the memory, when she received a text from her friends in the Beauty Branch.
It had been half an hour before Enjin stood up and went to get their food at the counter, returning immediately. The mix of sweet and spicy aromas filled their table. Enjin placed each bowl. Rudo had a sweet beef dish with fried rice, Riyo had a spicy soup that would probably give her an ulcer because she likes her meal “extra spicy,” Enjin got himself a plate of fried fish, and Zanka had…
…
A bowl of miso soup.
“Really? Just miso soup?” Riyo asked, already devouring her own meal, “How are you gonna be full by just soup??”
“I ate earlier at lunch,” he replied absent-mindedly.
“Zanka, that’s just one apple.” Riyo deadpanned, “An. Apple.” She emphasized, pointing her fork directly towards him.
“I heard you the first time, Riyo. I know.” He finished his meal faster than the rest of the group. “And I’m not exactly in the mood for eating something heavy.”
“Don’t force him when he doesn’t want to; let the boy eat at his own pace,” Enjin butt in, while chewing his own food.
“Why won’t you eat so much anyway?” Now it’s Rudo’s turn to butt in on the conversation, which makes Zanka groan in frustration. Despite loving these three people at the table with him, they’re a bit nosy about his personal matters. And one of them is his choice of meals.
“Ah, ah, ah, leave it. Drop it. Don’t mention it unless Zanka brought it up himself,” Enjin told the boy, who was munching on the beef on his plate, ignoring the rice underneath.
In times like this, Zanka is really glad that Enjin knows how to make them stop prying. Not that he doesn’t trust Rudo and Riyo in his life; no, in fact, they’re the closest thing he has for a family, despite not being blood-related. So, he loves them with all his heart, but it’s just difficult for him to talk about certain topics in his private life.
As everyone fell into endless chatter, Enjin finally called a waiter, paid for their tab, and left the restaurant. Going back to the studio building and walked a bit more to the garage where Enjin’s car is parked. Rudo and Riyo are in the backseat, while Zanka sits in the passenger seat. Enjin started the engine of the car and drove out of the studio parking lot.
The car ride was calm, Riyo still talking about gossip from other branches—seriously, how does she do that? Rudo munched on sweets that Enjin gave him as Zanka rested peacefully in the car.
“So. I was thinking, what if we watch something tomorrow? To introduce Rudo to the Akuta tradition,” Riyo chimed, pure excitement written on her face.
“Oh yeah? And what’re we doing?” Enjin responded, eyes focused on the road.
“Akuta Tradition?” Rudo asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Just a normal hangout somewhere sometime; usually we do it at our place. Riyo just wanted to give a fancy name to it,” Zanka butt in, finally joining the conversation.
“I didn’t give it a ‘fancy’ name! It has always been like that!” Riyo turned to Rudo, “At least once in two-month, Team Akuta will and WOULD always hang out somewhere sometime to keep the heavy workload lighter than intended to! It’s a chance to relax and have some fun!” Riyo explained, “And not to mention the timing is perfect because it’s our day off!”
“Uhh huh… Sure, I’ll think about it…” Rudo replied shyly, fiddling with his hands.
“Don’t think about it too hard! I’m sure your erm- dad? Regto? Would be glad that you’re hanging out with your coworkers!” Riyo chirped, shaking Rudo and convincing him to agree with her.
“Come on now, Riyo, don’t push it. If he doesn’t want to, then he doesn’t. He’ll join us when he’s ready, yeah?” Enjin looked through the rear mirror, reassuring Rudo.
“N-no! I’d like to join! It’s just… uhm… I’ve never been invited to hangouts before…so yeah, I’m actually kinda nervous…” Rudo muttered, the nervousness evident in his voice.
“You sound like you’re gonna pee yourself. Relax, dude; nobody’s gonna bite ya.” Zanka didn’t even look up from his position in the car, but he joined the conversation anyway.
“Sh-shut up! I’m not gonna pee myself, turd-face!”
The conversation continued with Riyo planning where and what to do for tomorrow, and what activities to introduce to Rudo. The itinerary is set to go for a little shopping at the mall and watch a movie by nightfall, and without a doubt, it’ll turn into a sleepover, and without any questions, it’ll be at Enjin and Zanka’s house.
Enjin drove Rudo to his house. His adoptive father, Regto, was already waiting by the door and thanked Enjin before taking Rudo inside their house. Next stop is Riyo’s apartment. A much longer drive, but not one that Enjin minds. A few more turns, and they’re finally in Riyo’s apartment building. Enjin insisted on walking with her to the elevator until they reached her apartment complex, talking about a protective father.
“I’m telling you, Enjin, it’s fine. It’s not like I'm gonna get kidnapped at my own place,” Riyo complained, walking side by side with Enjin as they reached the elevator.
“You don’t know that,” Zanka butt in, walking alongside them. “Besides, what kind of idiot lives in a 14th-floor apartment? You wanna experience a horror elevator crap or somethin’?” he continued as they went inside the elevator, hitting the 14th-floor button.
“Eh, it’s one of the available floors here; besides, the building is near the cozy cat café nearby, so it’s a good deal.” She shrugged it off, not caring about how high her apartment floor is at all.
“Y’know, one day this elevator will break, and you have to climb all the way to this floor.”
“Now don’t jinx it! And knock on wood!”
“Ha! And since when are you superstitious?”
“Alright, children, let’s not bicker throughout this whole elevator ride before something breaks or something creepy walks in,” Enjin separated them like a preschool teacher separating two kids fighting about a crayon. “What matters is we take Riyo safe and sound to her apartment, alright?”
“Fine.”
“Sureee”
Both said at the same time.
Finally reaching the 14th floor, despite a few obstacles of other people coming in and practically squeezing the three of them inside, they immediately got out of the elevator and followed Riyo to her apartment door.
“Thanks for walking with me, guys, even though I didn’t need it,” she opened the door with the passkey, waving them goodbye as the two walked back to the elevator.
The two men walked back to the elevator, basking in the calming silence.
It was like that until they reached Enjin’s car, driving to their shared apartment. As the quiet sound of the engine and the wheels on the road filled the air, Zanka had started to doze off again, obviously tired from today’s work.
The car ride was exceptionally quiet, other than the loud honking of the other cars nearby because Enjin is such a shit driver; it’s peaceful. It’s a big wonder how he’s still not in jail for his reckless driving, though. But Zanka couldn’t care less about that yet.
A few more turns and stops, Enjin parked his car near the entrance just like he always does. “Yo, Zanka, wake up, buddy.” Zanka slowly opened his eyes, seeing the familiar walls of their apartment building’s parking lot. “Mhm… yeah, I’m up.”
They walked out of the parking lot and into their apartment building. In times like this, Enjin would usually talk about something, but the older man could see he was tired as well. And Zanka didn’t mind the silence. They reached their apartment door and went inside, letting out a sigh of relief after a long day of work.
The two of them were soon greeted by Zanka’s most prized companion— his lovely cat, Aibo.
Zanka knelt, reaching out to gently stroke his cat’s soft fur. “Good evenin’, my gorgeous lady~” He cooed, voice full of affection. “How have you been doing today??”
Aibo leaned into his touch, purring softly as she welcomed him home.
“Yo, Zanka, I’ll hit the showers first, okay?” Already undressing, Enjin headed to their shared bathroom and started to shower. Zanka waited for him on the couch with Aibo. He kept petting the girl as if she were the best thing in the world. (She is.)
Enjin took his sweet time in the bathroom, to the point that Zanka heard him sing Rihanna's Umbrella. After 30 minutes of Enjin putting on a full concert, complete with a meet-and-greet with his imaginary fans in the bathroom, he came out with a towel around his waist and a smaller one to dry his hair.
~
Enjin went to his room on the other side of the apartment, changed into a new pair of clothes, and plopped himself on the couch as he turned on the TV to find something interesting to watch.
On cue, Zanka let go of Aibo for a moment, then gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead before heading to the bathroom to shower. He would rather starve than let a day go by without a bath.
Call him a hypocrite, but Zanka also took his sweet time in the bathroom. Letting the lukewarm water hit his skin eased his nerves and muscles. A small moment to bask in silence and the sound of running water.
Remembering what happened on Tuesday— Rudo’s fourth week in the studio, though he learned faster than Zanka gave him credit for— the boy still has room for improvement. Wednesday— a successful photo shoot with a very well-known actress and a music group that’s going to release a second album. Riyo asked for their autographs because, apparently, she was a fan. Thursday— no photo shoot appointments that day, so Zanka took the opportunity to go to the convenience store and look at the newly released magazines from different branches of Cleaners. The same day, his hard-earned camera was broken when he accidentally dropped it after some incredibly handsome asshole ‘accidentally’ bumped into him and then stepped on his already broken camera—
Sigh.
Zanka recalled what happened on Friday and what happened today. He has a small routine he follows, something about reflecting on himself every week. After writing in his mental journal in the bathroom, he scrubbed off the rest of the sweat and dirt on his body before grabbing his towel and drying himself.
Watching himself in the mirror, staring at his reflection for a little more than he intended to. Wandering to unwanted thoughts.
He shook his head, clearing his mind, reassuring himself that it’s all in the past and he shouldn’t dwell on it any longer; he has a new, better life now.
He came out of the shower and went to his room to grab a simple blue tee and shorts before joining Enjin in the living room, already watching a movie and playing with Aibo with a toy mouse.
“So, how’s your camera doing?” Enjin started, still playing with Aibo.
“Rudo said it's still salvageable, but it’ll probably take some weeks.”
Enjin hummed. “You weren’t able to talk to the guy who broke it?” he added. “Nah, I… wasn’t able to. Pissed me off so bad and stormed off.” Zanka sighed, remembering the encounter with the beautiful magenta eyes of a good-looking young man who broke his camera.
“You gotta thank Eisha for letting you borrow her camera though; I’m sure August will keep bugging you about it.” Enjin laughs it off. Eisha is also Akuta’s photographer, but she usually works at her brother’s boutique, helping him model a few outfits he made himself.
“Don’t worry, I won’t forget to thank her for it. I’ll turn in for the night now, Enjin, g’night.” Zanka stood up, bidding Enjin good night, bringing Aibo with him as he walked to his room. He thought about how soft his mattress is right now, how it’ll send him to dreamland and ease his worries, how it’ll relax his thoughts, and how it won’t make him think about the recent activities that give him an awful feeling in his stomach.
Still mourning his broken camera, Zanka suddenly remembered he needed to send the pictures to Shikage today. He would’ve done it by tonight if it weren’t for Enjin; the older man would nag him about staying up all night anyway.
“Hmm… it can be done tomorrow,” he murmured. Shikage is probably already asleep anyway. Aibo was already settled in her own space in his room, a cat house and scratcher in one, in her preferred shade of blue. He walked up to her, helped her settle in, gave her a generous head pat, and then gave one last kiss on top of her head. “Good night, gorgeous.”
Zanka settled in his own bed, closing his eyes to drift to sleep. He could worry about other things tomorrow. Tonight, he’ll rest.
~
"Oh my God, I can’t fucking sleep."
Zanka tossed and turned in his bed, trying to find the right angle to sleep, but none of them worked. He can’t sleep, and he hates how his brain keeps going back to the memory of those magenta eyes.
"God damn it."
"Stupid, stupid, stupid."
"Stupid, beautiful magenta eyes and those stupid fucking wavy locs— wait, no, those are wicks, right? Ugh, who cares!! He pisses me off!"
Even if it’s just a short moment, the image of that guy’s face is stuck in his head, like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
“Ugh… this is stupid…” Zanka groaned in annoyance, looking at Aibo, who slept peacefully in her own bed.
"Man… I wish I were a cat, no work, no worries, just meow meow meow…