Über Cool
Disclaimer: Black Lagoon and its characters © Rei Hiroe
A/N: This short fic is requested by and dedicated to a dear friend. Get well soon, mousy. You gotta drive me to Taco Bell!
Shenhua and Sawyer stood on either side of the table, staring at him. Their eyes were intense, contemplative. Rotton had no idea why they told him to have a seat. Though there was no clear essence of disdain coming from either of them, Rotton felt he was about to be scolded for something.
"Sawyer find this last night," Shenhua said evenly. She took out a dated, dog-eared magazine she was hiding behind her back and dropped it in front of him. "Look familiar, Rotton?"
It took a moment for Rotton to register what he was looking at. Shifting forward in his seat, he maintained his cool look, but the sharp intake of breath he took upon recognizing what, or rather, who was on the page gave away his surprise. He picked up the magazine to get a better look. No, it couldn't be. They couldn't have found...
On the page was a tall, handsome young man in his early twenties with a lithe, athletic build. He was completely exposed, and fortunately, or sadly, to some, the picture cut off right below the navel. If it weren't enough that his trim, toned body was on display, the pose and overall expression was certainly enough to drive a woman mad. His hands were placed behind his head and he was staring directly at the viewer. His expression was aloof, yet alluring, medium-length hair shifting in the breeze as several strands grazed his cheek.
Yet the most distinguishing features of the male were the sunglasses and powdery silver hair.
"Where did you find this?" Rotton asked hurriedly, still looking at the page.
"I had a job... cleaning up... in an apartment... After I cut them up... I was gathering... personal effects to burn... and there was a pile... of magazines in a closet. I was putting them... in a bag... but one of them... slipped to floor. I picked it up... by a corner and it... opened up... Then I saw that page..." Sawyer shrugged with a small smile. "It was... an interesting find. I decided to... share it with Shenhua."
"How Sawyer find it not important," Shenhua said with a wave of her hand. "Rotton, you say you too clumsy to be host in bordello, but you let someone take photo of you like that? There something you not telling us when you go out to look for job?"
Rotton sighed at what Shenhua was implying.
"I am not hiding anything from either of you."
"Then how come we don't find out about raunchy picture until now?"
"... With the exception of my past..." Rotton added quietly.
"You did smut... in the past?" Sawyer asked with a tilt of her head.
"I was not involved with any publications with blatant explicit content, that I am aware of," Rotton clarified, "But I was still required to do poses like what you see here. I only did it a number of times."
"You don't sound like... you enjoyed it..."
"Why you do it if you not like it to start with?"
"Why does anyone work?" Rotton asked rhetorically. "This was taken a long time ago, before I ever knew of Roanapur. I was still trying to find my footing as a hunter. My standard of living was nothing to be desired. I was struggling and..."
Shenhua and Sawyer blinked. Rotton took a deep breath and swallowed his pride.
"I was desperate. I needed the money." The words were forced. The Cleaner and the assassin could tell it took a good deal of willpower for him to admit he essentially sacrificed his integrity for a paycheck.
"Once I assessed that I had saved enough to sustain myself, I quit shortly after. Things like this," he gestured to the page, "Are not my raison d'etre."
"Strange, considering... your personality."
Shenhua pinched Sawyer.
"Oww..." The gothic woman rubbed her arm with a pout.
"I've given you an explanation," Rotton stated, taking no offense to Sawyer's comment. "Will you allow me to leave or shall I face further interrogation for past ventures?" Shenhua and Sawyer rolled their eyes and nodded for his leave. They had no further questions. The silver haired man rose from his seat and walked out of the room.
When they were sure he was out of hearing distance, the Taiwanese woman and the body disposal specialist both took a hold of the magazine and looked at the page-sized photograph of their male compatriot. They shook their heads and tsked.
"It big shame he not like doing this. He take a very good picture."
THE END
A/N: As well as being a gift for a friend, this story popped into my head when I came across a picture from Black Lagoon Poison: The Book of Venom. For those of you having a hard time imagining what Rotton would look like in a glamour shot: http://i365(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/oo91/StayuplateInsomiac/Black%20Lagoon/UberCoolWizard(dot)jpg
It is an official image out of the illustration book, but I confess that it's a tame version I altered and cropped from the waist up in photoshop. The original version has a full body shot. Now, hold your horses there, you perverts. It's not a nude shot. He is wearing... something (MY EYES ARE NOT GOOD FOR MARRIAGE ANYMORE), but I don't think it's very appropriate to post here. Sorry readers, you've got to find the original image on your own. Or badger me for a link. Perverts.
Then again, I'm the one who stumbled across the image and decided to write a story about it to begin with. So what does that make me?
Cheers.