In response to an Anon prompt on marukaprompts. (marukaprompts. tumblr post/72956395594)
A/N: Since they are actors here, it would be weird for them to have the exact same name as their characters, so I used a slightly modified version of their voice actor's names.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Outtakes
Shimizu Nobunaga - actor, nineteen years old, 5'9", Black hair and blue eye. Lead of primetime's 'Ever Blue'. Cast as Nanase Haruka.
Suzuki Tatsuya – actor and singer, eighteen, 6'0", light brown hair and green eyes. Cast as Tachibana Makoto.
Their highly praised talent and huge fan base (that got even bigger after the announcement of their relationship) put them at the top of the list of prospect actors for Kyoto Entertainment's newest show, Free!, a short series about swimming and friendship. They didn't need more than one audition; on their first try it was clear they were perfect for their respective roles.
With those two in the cast the show was bound to be a hit. And their acting experience would help the recording go smoothly, or so everyone thought. Too bad those two just can't be professionals around each other.
Episode 1-5.
The first four episodes were relatively easy to record. The actors still getting used to each other and the characters they were playing. A few errors were committed as expected, nothing more than a few line forgotten here and there.
It was normal if you didn't count all the times, too many times, lines were forgotten, or simply not spoken, due to the distraction over too much bared skin and flexing muscles. But all in all, it was the same experience as any other show.
Episode 5 was the turning point. That's when things started to change; the series slowly took a turn for the emotional side shifting the dynamic between the characters, bringing them closer, especially Haruka and Makoto. And by the next episode, the problems started for the recording team.
Episode 6. Sukishima Island. Scene 1. Take 15.
Haruka just got Makoto on the sand. The brunet wasn't moving. The thought of losing his best friend sends the normally calm teen into a panicked state. After calling for help with no success he finally calms down enough to remember the training he received years ago in the old swim club.
First hearing Makoto's heart (still beating), then looking for visible wounds (none) and finally checking his breathing (weak). He proceeded with the steps of CPR. Tilting the brunet's head back, pinching his nose and moving his lips closer to the other's mouth, he felt the warm breath caressing his face, he could practically feel the softness of the pink lips, the taste of that tempting mouth, he could-
Just then the other turned his head and coughed up some water. "Haru…Hn?" The brunet's words were cut short when the black-haired teen turned his head back into positing and proceeded to kiss him thoroughly, just like he did in the other 14 takes before that.
"CUT!"
The taller boy had no complaints about the kiss, happily pulling the other closer on top of him.
"CUT! CUT! That's it! Someone get me a bucked of icy water. NOW!"
Episode 6. Sukishima Island. Scene 2. Take 4.
After the drowning scare, the two best friends found a place protected from the rain to sit. The strong feelings caused by the incident led them into a very emotional conversation with the brunet expressing his fears and desires to the older teen.
"I wanted to swim in a relay with everyone again. But…", the brunet looks down at his trembling hand. "If you're not there…" he closes his hand into a fist and looks directly into blue eyes. "It's meaningless without you! I want to swim with you."
The black-haired teen's eyes widen slightly at the words. His heart beating faster at the depth of the emotions he could see into the other's eyes. He was speechless, his mouth was moving, but no words would come out. What could he say to that? How to respond to such heartfelt words?
On impulse he grabbed both of the brunet's hands and looked deep into his green eyes. "Me too! It's meaningless without you too!", his voice shock with the weight of his feelings.
"CUT!", but neither heard the order.
At first he was surprised by the other not following the script, but the brunet soon realized his lover had seen beyond his acting. The words he said, he really meant them. Taking the smaller boy's face into his hand he closed the distance between their faces, "I love you." After a quiet 'Me too', their lips met.
Meanwhile, the director was beside himself, all his shouts of 'CUT! God damn it, CUT!' were completely ignored by the lovers.
"Sir, may I suggest a change in the script? You know, cut the scene short before they get a chance to do", with a hand gesture at the two actors, "that."
Ceasing his attempts at separating the couple, the director turns to his assistant, "What changes do you suggest?"
And that's how Yamada Tsubasa – first time actor, cast as Hazuki Nagisa – got the most important role in the entire cast, the 'cock-blocker.'
Episode 7.
No emotional scene between the lovers this time, for the relief of the crew. The last episode had been torture. Hours upon hours spent just to get one tiny, few minutes long scene done right. The poor director, a balding middle-aged man seemed to have lost even more of his hair with all the time he spent pulling on it in frustration. At least the worst part was over, hopefully it would be easier for the rest of the series.
Episode 8. Haruka's house. Scene #4. Take 3.
"Cut!", the director orders as he slaps a hand on his face.
'Of course they wouldn't make it easy. Why would they?', he thinks as he looks at the scene before him.
It was so simple. Haruka gets in, listen to the message, wakes Makoto up, says one little line and it's done. For whatever reason, they decided to start hugging each other just then and it didn't look like they'll let go any time soon.
"Ok, let's go to the next scene. We'll just cut the hug out, edit it right after 'Makoto' hears 'Haruka's' words."
"Yes, sir."
Episode 9. Squid Festival. Scene 5. Take 9.
"-That was when I remembered how it felt to swim in the same lane together, how it felt when everyone was waiting on the finish line."
The smaller teen turned to face the brunet, one hand clutching the fabric of his shirt, right over his heart, "It made me just as happy!"
The blue eyes seemed to shine with an internal light giving them an ethereal appearance. It was a marvelous sight. With no conscious thought the brunet's right hand naturally made its way to a pale cheek. "Have you any idea just how beautiful you are?" He says softly as he leans closer, seeking the tempting pink lips that he's been dying to kiss all night.
"CUT!"
Startled, both teens jump away from each other and, in union, turn in the direction the yell had come from.
"Suzuki-kun, what the hell are you doing? Haruka and Makoto are friends. Friends!"
The taller teen flinches at the director's angry voice. "I'm sorry, Takahashi-san, I just-," he throws a look at the smaller boy at his side silently asking for help, but his plea went unnoticed, the black-haired teen too occupied trying to suppress his laughter.
"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again." He says with a sigh giving another look at the chuckling boy.
"That was what you said for the last eight takes!" The director gives an irritated huff before adding, "Alright, let's take 10. And when we start again, you better do it right!", the middle aged man says in a slightly threatening tone as he walks away mumbling all the while, "It's just like that damn beach scene all over again. Better stop wasting time, let's just change the script and add Nagisa already. Damn horny kids."
After bowing to the retreating man the young actor turns to his boyfriend, "Nobu!" he whines a bit. "Will you stop laughing any time soon?" he asks with a mock hurt expression.
"But…his face… his face," the older actor replied in between chuckles just to dissolve into a rich laughter. With a small laugh of his own the brunet wraps his arm around his lover's waist pulling him closer as he plants butterfly kisses on a rosy cheek. "It's all you fault I got yelled at, you know? Comfort me."
"Alright, alright. You're such a kid, Tatsu. He's always yelling at us anyway, you should be used to it by now" The older teen says before encircling the taller one's neck and pulling him down for a deep kiss.
Episode 10.
Another episode the crew was thankful for, even though working with kids was a pain sometimes, somehow it was still easier than what they had to deal with before. This episode had only a small scene between the lovers.
No meaningful words, no close contact, only them sitting side by side playing with fireworks. Then how come they could make even that seem particularly lovey dovey? And like so many other scenes before that, they had to cut it short when too much of the 'meaningfully staring into each other's eyes' started to take place.
Episode 11. Hotel Scene #1. Take 2.
The younger teen sat on the hotel's bed, looking around the room. "Man, we're all by ourselves in this hotel. I'm getting nervous."
"Nervous, hn?" the reply comes from the bathroom where the older one was freshening up. "What do you have in mind?" the dark-haired swimmer asks with a seductive tone.
"CUT!"
"I'm sorry! It was a reflex" he exclaims while bowing. The bright red on his cheeks growing at hearing his boyfriend's amused laugh.
"Get Yamada-kun ready, I have a feeling we'll need Nagisa again", the director tells his assistant with a resigned sigh.
Episode 11. Hotel Scene #2. Take 1.
"Makoto"
"Hn?" the brunet responds sleepily.
"I appreciate you being here for me. Thank you."
A whisper comes from the director's right side, "Sir, that wasn't on the script. He was only supposed to say 'Thank You'."
"It doesn't matter. It sounds better this way. Keep rolling." He whispers back. 'Maybe they learned! Finally no more inappropriate outtakes', the middle-aged man thinks with a small smile.
"You don't have to thank me. You know I do it because I love you."
'Maybe not,' he amends and with a defeated sigh he weakly says what everyone was waiting for. "Cut."
Episode 12. Shower Scene. Take 5.
"CUT! CUT! CUUUUUT! They aren't stopping! Why won't they stop?!" the distressed director asks while pulling his hair (much less than he had at the start of the show) as he watches the two actors.
It started with 'Makoto' offering to wash 'Haruka's' hair (which wasn't in the script, by the way), the idea taken from 'Nagisa' playing with 'Rei's' hair, but the relatively innocent action evolved into a heated make out session. Tatsuya and Nobunaga obviously completely forgetting where they were and that there was an entire crew on the set with them.
"Just look at the bright side, sir" his assistant replies with a mischievous look in her eyes.
"What bright side? It's the last episode?" he asks cautiously.
"No. You have a gold mine in your hands here. Just take all those outtake scenes, put them in a DVD and you'll make a fortune out of all the MakoHaru fans, or should I say the TatsuNaga fans?," she answers with a wink before going back to ogling her favorite couple kissing passionately just a few feet away. Oh, yeah, she knows quite a few fans that would pay good money to put their hands on those DVDs.