A/N: Wow, this has had a lot of cooking involvement. O_O Oh well. For some reason I always summarize only the beginning and parts of the middle. =_= Oh well, drama's a comin', but probably not for a couple or few chapters. you may have already suspected it, but I am in love with this letter - é.
Disclaimer: I don't own L'espoir. The lyrics and song belong to the beautiful cellist/songstress Kanon Wakeshima.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
Ichiru was going to have hell to pay.
Not only could those pictures have ruined his chances at a modeling career, but they could also have destroyed what little reputation and credibility he possessed outside of his sheltered home life. Worse than that, were if his parents were to find out about them, they wouldn't cut him off, but it was likely that they would do something that would eventually limit his freedom and their relationship. Zero swore that his brother could be so childish at times! Still, he supposed that he was partially to blame.
Trudging through the caramel colored lobby of PePuri Café, Zero cast tired smiles at patrons as he turned into the stairwell leading into the upper loft.
"Zero, honey, you look like hell." his mother commented in passing, brushing the back of her hand across his forehead. "Is everything alright? How did the scouting audition go?"
"I'm the only one who got a contract so far." he sighed.
"That's wonderful!" she beamed before noticing his grave expression. "That's wonderful, right?" her tone lowered considerably, as if she were ready to kick the ass of whatever it was upsetting her son.
"Yes it is, mother. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to visit with my dear brother and deliver the good news." Zero said flatly.
Hikari recognized that tone.
"Oh gosh, what did he do now?"
"Nothing to worry yourself over. He helped to get me signed, so I won't be becoming an only child just yet."
"Another individuality issue?" she frowned. "I knew we should have been more strict with him."
"It seems like everyone's soft on him..." Zero muttered, parting from his mother and continuing up the staircase.
His brother sat, back turned to him, typing up a document on the family desktop. A few of his University applications were scattered along the dark coffee table and mint-colored couch. It looked like mom had changed the furniture theme again--this time to an Earth-based theme, that or mint chocolates.
His concentrated click-clacking on the keyboard drowned out any noise he would have made upon approach. Zero utilized his hunting skills, which were taught to both he and his brother as declared by family tradition since they were young, to stalk closer, coming up right behind his twins ear and took a deep, silent breath.
"ICHIRU!"
The sound of shattering china reached them upstairs. His mother would probably scold him later for scaring her, but he didn't care.
"Nii-san!" Ichiru yelped, falling off his chair, staggering back into the sofa. "I had no idea that you were back yet! Er, you just hung up on me like that, how did the auditions go?"
"Tadaima," he growled through clenched teeth. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"Zero, ah, what's past is past, remember what I said this morning? I support you, one hundred percent! I'm behind you all the way onii-chan, you can always try another agency!"
"Don't give me that cutesy act! Oh I got signed, but I was so embarrassed I only signed the main papers before telling them I had to get back to work. they looked at me like I was nuts, and now I have a ton of paperwork for tomorrow! You're going to be in worse trouble than when you took that picture of me! Do you have any idea how that could have affected my future? Do you have any idea how that can still affect my future? They have copies Ichiru! And what about you? Obviously, you didn't quite think that one through, because we look alike! That means this applies to you too!"
"None of that would matter if you got into modeling for those sleaze magazines." Ichiru started to laugh, mirth disappearing when he noticed that he couldn't joke his way out of this one.
Then he would have to spring to his last resort.
"Dad sent you an email today!" his voice was high pitched, pleading.
"Oh, and have you been going through my things on top of that?" Zero hissed, making his twin flinch.
"No, I know because he sent me and mom one, so you should already have one in your inbox."
Zero so dearly wanted to pummel his brother into the ground right then, but he was really eager to read whatever his father might have sent him. He was away in France at the moment, studying under culinary geniuses so they could open a five star restaurant at a hotel in Astale, adding to their little Café.
Food was definitely the family business secondary only to hunting, but now that it was an obsolete pastime, something that the current generations were only trained for, it became the main source of income for the Kiryuu family. While Zero was talented at cooking, he couldn't see it as anything other than a mere hobby, well, maybe stress relief. German chocolate cake was what saved his brother from sound ass beatings now-a-days, and he had a feeling he would be whipping up at least half a dozen of them today.
"Until you see at least six cakes sitting on display in the Café, do not talk to me." Zero warned, stomping over to the family computer to check his email, leaving Ichiru to scramble downstairs while he still had the chance.
He closed out whatever Ichiru had been working on, including those angsty poems he had on Microsoft Word, oops, and logged onto his profile, sighing with relief when he noticed that Ichiru hadn't cracked his latest password and changed his desktop background just to annoy him. Opening Firefox, Zero signed into his Yahoo! account.
Yahoo! ID:
zero0kiryuu at yahoo dot com
Password:
************
Sure enough, Ichiru was right. In his inbox were a few unread messages, all of them but one from different online clothing stores. He clicked on the message from his father, and was greeted with a beautiful picture of a patisserie nestled between a pair of clothing boutiques, the cakes in that shop window far outshining any of the extravagant clothes in the other stores.
Paris Fashion was never his sweet spot in the first place...
Zero! I can't believe it's already been a month since we've all been together as a family. Time sure as hell flies when you're having fun with learning. Of course, as always, I miss you guys too. You and Ichiru are getting along, right? By the way, I remembered that by the time you would be reading this, you'll probably have already gone through auditions for that modeling place. How did it go? You're gonna make your mom and dad a bunch of money, right? Just kidding.
Your mom tells me that German chocolate cake hasn't been baked in a few weeks at the Café. I hope this means that you and Ichiru are coming to terms with your moving out. I've tried to explain it to him in a baker's dozen worth of different ways (haha, baker's dozen, because we're a culinary family, get it?) that you aren't abandoning him, but no matter what, he still thinks of it that way. You should probably tell him that yourself, that way he and I can have an actual conversation about more than just you. Lol. Ah, I probably sound like a terrible father for that, but, as always, I'll let you guys be the judge of that one.
Oh, before I forget, that little pastry shop I took a picture of is the most famous one in all of Paris. They do it all, from scratch - fondant, royal icing decorations, pastillage, gum paste, meringue icing, normal icing, - you name it, they can do it. The designs are amazing I tell you, and I know that you would love learning a thing or two from the pros. Baking and decorating always was your strongest point.
You're my cute son, and I'm not saying this to put any other aspect of your life down and whatnot, but I honestly think that you would do better in a culinary profession instead of something like modeling. Your looks won't last forever, but no one will be able to take away your skill of knowing how to cook. However, that reason is precisely why I'm perfectly fine with you going out for modeling, because you'll always have your natural talents to fall back on.
Well, I've lectured you enough for one email. Message you later!
Love, Dad
"You jinxed it dad." Zero sighed, scrolling back up to take a closer look at the patisserie.
There were silhouettes of cars and other people passing by on the street in the reflection of the window. Beyond the glass and display, beyond the extremely fancy, brightly colored cakes, the shop was filled with people, all of them smiling fondly. Zero knew what the chefs must have been feeling, if they were in it for more than just money. He could relate to the sheer pleasure any chef, or anyone who knew how to cook for that matter, received when they watched people enjoying their creations. The design and outer beauty could only get a cake so far when it was intended to be eaten. What counted the most was the flavor inside, the texture, and compared to that, decoration would win second place every time.
Zero smiled in spite of his angry mood, even after he realized that his father had really sent him the picture, not only to show him the lovely designs in the shop window, but to make him look beyond to the happiness that cooking brought to the people who partook in the tasting of the cakes themselves. He was wiser than Zero thought, but that still wouldn't deter him from his dream. The silver-haired youth typed out his reply, fingers flying across the keyboard.
You want my dream to dry up, like a raisin in the sun. D= What kind of father are you? No, I'm only kidding. You happen to be a damn good father, even if you guys do spoil Ichiru too much. When are you gonna throw some of that my way? Again, kidding on that last bit.
I got signed, actually. And if I were to make a lot, of course I would share it with my family. I'm not some sort of prick who would waste it on frivolous things. You and mom could open your own chain of restaurants, and Ichiru would have enough funds to be able to do whatever he dreams up for his life.
Actually, with this letter, you have jinxed my cake-less streak - I've just finished telling Ichiru not to talk to me until I've baked six cakes. It's nothing to worry about, really, just a little misunderstanding. In fact, I think it'll be straightened out before the end of the day, and both of your sons will live. Maybe.
Ichiru sort of has, and dad, you're a dork.
Really, it all looks amazing, but I know what you're trying to do, and you're right about that last paragraph. Thanks for supporting me even if you don't completely agree. Who knows? I mean, baking is my hobby, maybe one day I'll make designer pastries.
Take a picture of the Eiffel Tower too, will you? You're amateur shots are amazing.
Love, Zero
"Nice try." he laughed, sending the email before shutting down the computer.
Stepping into his twin's room, Zero rooted through his clothes drawers, annoyed by how Ichiru didn't bother to fold any of his clothes. He stole one of his old white t-shirts and worn jeans, singing a song two octaves lower than the original tune as he changed.
"-Hontou wa kotoba de fuan na-
-Kokoro kakushi teru-
-Sunao ni koisuru watashi ni-
-Kae te hoshii-"
After discarding his nice clothes into a hamper in the bathroom, he descended the stairs, popping his fingers in preparation for tedious work.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
"Ah, I should have gotten him to fill out the personal survey before he left." Kaien hummed, thumbing through Zero's paperwork. "We only have his cell phone number and home address, but he said he was going back to work."
"Let me see that." Kaname said, snatching the papers from Kaien.
The pureblood flipped through them with one hand, towel drying his now solid-brunette hair, which had been stripped of all pink and re-dyed a dark mahogany. He had changed into a casual aqua and white graphic tee, jeans, and similarly colored flip flops, all designer.
He noticed that a few of the documents were different from the ones he had signed when the was first scouted a few years ago. He and Kaien sat in the photographer's desk in his large, glass office on the tenth floor, Yagari joined them, disjointedly, lounging in a dark winged armchair in front of a plasma screen. He flipped through the channels with disinterest, listening to Kaname and Kaien converse.
"I can fill out some of this." Kaname laughed, taking a pen to his right hand. "Let's see... Name... Kiryuu, what the hell is his first name?" he rubbed his foot against the pale, eggshell colored carpet in thought.
"You mean to say that you two were acting all chummy and you didn't even know his name?" Touga asked from the armchair, throwing his head back to clear his eyes of hair.
"It won't be important once he gets a stage name." the pureblood waved a hand in dismissal. "Details details... Now, Work - PePuri Café. Eye color - Lilac Spring. Hair color - Silver Rain. Height," he stood, holding his hand out flat in front of his face, trying to compare the teen to himself. "One eighty one centimeters, or five eleven."
"You had time to measure him and find out where he works, but you don't know his name." Touga stated with a harsh laugh.
"Since when has learning anyone's name been that high on your priority list, Yagari?" Kaname asked, giving him a pointed look, which shut him up immediately, making the raven-haired model turn back to some soap opera he wasn't even interested in.
"How do you know that Kaname-kun?" Kaien inquired, looking up from his laptop.
"I ran into him this morning at that Café place." he said, scrutinizing a single question on the paper. "Hey, when this asks for all measurements, do you mean all measurements, or just the ones for clothes? Because I have a rough estimate of another one, but I'll have to do more 'research' before I can confirm or deny anything."
"Well, since you seem so interested in him, you can go and get the rest of the information for yourself." Kaien mused, eying Kaname with interest. "And tell him to come back tomorrow at ten am so we can do his first photo shoot."
"I suppose." the brunette sighed, gathering the papers into a neat pile, tapping them on the desk to make them even before slipping them back inside the binder. "Where are the five hundred fledgling profiles? He'll have to eliminate all but fifty before tomorrow at noon."
"You stuck him with that task?!" Kaien exclaimed in surprise. "That was supposed to be your responsibility, it's your line that they're modeling for, after all."
"I already have my picks." he rolled his eyes. "I just want to see if he'd be worth more than a pretty face to me. What better way to do that than making him akin to my personal secretary?"
"Secretary? Sounds like slavery to me. I'd hate to be one of the models under your command." Kaien shivered, feeling sorry for Zero as he passed Kaname a thumb drive with all of the modeling information.
"That's because you're naturally dominant." Kaname snickered, tucking the information away into the pocket of his destroyed, Néi brand skinny jeans.
"Not all the time." Yagari called, reaching for a pack of Veedua lights, Kaien rising from his chair to stop him.
"Oh no you don't! I told you to stop smoking and you still carry those around with you?"
The sounds of their argument faded as Kaname stepped beyond the glass door towards the elevator, heading out to meet with that kid again, his eyes set to kill in a mischievous way.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
"-Ce piege que je t'ai tendu,-
-Ce fil de couleur cerise,-
-Tombe dedans, esclavé de mon amour-
-Tu ne peux pas y echapper.-"
"Stick to your day jobs, Zero." Ichiru mused, standing in the door frame to the kitchen in the back of the Café.
"Ichiru, do you see half a dozen cakes out there, or do you have a death wish?" Zero growled under his breath between clenched teeth, turning up the radio.
"You're not going to do anything while we're down here, especially when you're decorating." Ichiru yawned. "It's the loft I have to be weary of, that's where you really cut loose when you're pissed." he shrugged, sitting down on a stool at the white tile island, opposite his brother.
Couldn't his twin see he was in mid-creation? The sweet scent of caramel, chocolate and toasted coconut escaped through the singing door, gaining quite a few 'mmmm's' and inquiries to their mother about the cakes. Zero tried to ignore all of it, focusing instead on piping the widely-spaced, chocolate latticework around the cake's circumference over the already iced sides. He was debating as to whether he should add the coconut and caramel to every diamond, or every other diamond when Ichiru's hand caught his eye, dipping into the chocolate icing.
"I hope you washed your hands." Zero snapped with a glare, losing patience with the teen.
Ichiru only rolled his eyes, bringing the finger to his lips, tasting the dark sugary paste.
"A chef's hands are always clean. You put too much chocolate in it, by the way." he said, dipping his finger once more.
Zero caught his wrist, pulling him forward to sample the chocolate for himself.
"It's supposed to have a strong chocolate taste, which is why I'm only using it for latticework." he shrugged, mixing the bowl of icing again to keep it from crusting, and also ensuring that the cocoa powder was evenly distributed within the solution.
"As long as the customers like it." Ichiru shrugged back, turning away and averting his eyes.
How long was the pouting going to last this time? Zero straightened up, sighing in defeat as he gestured to the cakes. He guessed that he would have to be the bigger man in the argument, again.
"I'm halfway done with decoration on this one. There are two more on the cooling racks, and another two in the ovens still. If you want," he noticed Ichiru perking up at the offer he knew was about to take place. "you can check if either of them are cooled and help me with the rest."
"If you insist! What would you do without me nii-san?" he laughed, jumping up to run to the cooling racks.
"Probably be a hell of a lot more sane." Zero muttered lifting a brow with an endearing smile. "You're still not off the hook, otouto." from the corner of his eye, he could see Ichiru stiffening in fear, just for a moment, sending a secret surge of satisfaction through him.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
Kaname pressed on the gas pedal, making the engine of his prized, cherry-red Lamborghini snarl in anticipation. He looked to the black and gold bull emblem on the steering wheel, hunching down to chuff on the cold metal, bringing his sleeve to wipe at the foggy condensation. With a smirk, Kaname grasped the black-handled gear shift, putting the sports car into drive before pealing out of the parking garage, engine roaring, tires squealing against asphalt.
It was a straight shot down the street. There were six city blocks, or half a mile, which was four fifths of a kilometer, between them. He pulled into the nearest parking garage, in the middle of a wide empty gap on the first level, and got out to walk back to the Café, carrying the three ring binder of Kiryuu's photographs and his contract with him.
Honks and stared trailed after the pureblood as he pounded the pavement, suppressing the urge to open the binder back up and stare at that final picture. Kaname promised himself that he would commit it to memory on his own, and possibly take Kiryuu that way. He would grasp the teens shoulders, thread his fingers through that fine silver hair, and dominate that cheeky little human, in every position known to man, and several known to vampires.
He would break Kiryuu.
The very thought made Kaname excited. He licked his lips, ears pricking to several muted, feminine squeals. With a fake smile, the pureblood opened the door to PePuri Café, the high pitched bell alerting the patrons and workers alike to his arrival.
In the realm of humans, Kaname had to be careful to make noise, his steps automatically falling heavier than he normally would have walked, flip flops making a soft, plip plopping noise whenever they left his heel. It was annoying and inconvenient, but he had grown used to it. Humans were an insensitive bunch, unable to feel the presence of vampires, barely their own kind. The only warning signal was the rising hairs on the backs of their necks, but society had become so integrated that even that simple warning became uncommon.
At least he didn't have to go out of his way to be courteous at the agency. In fact, he enjoyed scaring the staffs. The only people whom were still sensitive to their presence were -
"Hello, welcome to PePuri Cafe."
Hunters.
A keen pair of orchid eyes met his from behind the counter, studying him, silently confirming her suspicions as she saw the way the light hit his eyes, brightening them to a slightly more luminous shade of sienna, an adaptation found only in vampires to attract their prey.
"Hello miss...?"
"Hikari." she replied tersely, entire body relaxed save for her left hand, which grasped a silver paring knife, blade buried within an apple.
Even through the fruit hid the serrated edge, Kaname could feel the thrum of power from the object. The silver was very special, having been charmed with anti-vampire capabilities. He looked Hikari over for a fleeting moment, taking in her high cheekbones and pale complexion beneath her silver hair, bangs long, body tied into a tight ponytail that rested over her shoulder in a short and straight spray. Now Kaname knew where Zero got his good looks from, and his similarly spicy scent.
"Miss Hikari." he gave a friendly smile. "I'm here on behalf of Knight Modeling, is Kiryuu-kun still working?"
"He's in the back." recognition sparked within her, but she remained relaxed. "You're welcome to see him, though he's busy baking."
"Baking?" Kaname asked, brow raising in amusement.
"That's right, my son makes the best cakes in the region." she smiled in challenge.
"Then you're lucky to have such a talented young man for a son. In the back you say?" he asked, though he hadn't forgotten, using the question to make an effective exit. "Thank you." he smiled, slowly moving behind the counter, feeling her eyes follow him.
Hikari didn't look like a person to be messed with. Kiryuu's family was proving to be fun.
The sweet scents of baking chocolate and frosting hit Kaname hard. Whatever the hell kind of confection it was, his sweet tooth ached for a piece of it. The smell may have dulled his senses a bit, since the teen before him smelled much more bland than earlier today, but there was no doubt that it was him. Kaname furrowed his brow, trying to shrug off the weird disquiet that nibbled at the corners of his mind. Those damn hunter's blades... Even if they couldn't mortally wound him, they would still be effective in slowing him down.
Kiryuu, Kaname still hadn't learned his first name yet, was bent over the pale island counter top in the back kitchen. He still hadn't noticed the vampire behind him, instead concentrating on piping curving lines of pink along a stiff, flawless layer of chocolate icing, cursing under his breath when he made a mistake, bringing his fingers up to wipe at the glob. Kaname joined him, mimicking his position next to the oblivious teen.
"Making me desserts? But we haven't even had dinner yet, not that I mind." he whispered huskily into his ear.
He jumped, shoving the metal icing tip into the cake, making a sound of frustration as he turned to tell off the intruder, but instead stopped, nearly speechless.
"Kanamé Kuran?" Kiryuu asked, blinking up at the pureblood.
"Miss me?" he smirked, eyes flitting over the burgundy polo and bleached jeans that hugged his frame.
The pureblood noticed that the silver Celtic ear cuff and hook that he wore to the audition had been removed, probably by the request of his strict-looking mother. it was a shame really, though he hadn't said a thing, Kaname actually liked them.
"Who else were you expecting?" he scoffed, as if no one else could compare.
"You're Kanamé Kuran..." he whispered.
Was he fucking retarded or something? Maybe it was the Café that made him stupid, otherwise he wouldn't have been in awe of the obvious glory that he was.
Why was he complaining about that?
"My name or your throat, we'll see which one is worn out after hours of screaming it." Kaname murmured, bringing a finger up to stroke at the shell of his left ear.
Kiryuu's face flushed ever so slightly before realization hit, then his attitude changed.
"What do you want?" he glared, batting the pureblood's hand away from him and removing his plastic gloves, massaging the reddened skin at the junction of his thumb and forefinger.
"Touchy touchy!" he snickered, looking into his lilac eyes. "I just came to give you these sheets to fill out, since you left in such a rush. You can flip through these high res copies we made of your photos and decide which one you want to represent as your first amateur shots. Also, don't forget to flip through all of the data profiles on here," he shoved the binder into his chest and pressed a thumb drive into his palm. "and choose fifty callbacks. Your first photo shoot is tomorrow at ten, and come without makeup. Any questions?"
Kiryuu raised a brow at that, setting the binder down to flip through contract packets, stopping at a thin one in particular, a single sheet that said 'Amateur Photo Preferences'. Scanning the document, he turned to Kaname, pointing to the title.
"Is this the only document that I'll need the portfolio for?" he asked, avoiding the pureblood's eyes.
"It's the only reason I brought it. You can keep it here if you like, but who's really that vain to want to keep so many pictures of himself around?" Kaname scoffed.
"Um, yeah, hold on a second." Kiryuu sighed, walking over to the business phone on the side counter to retrieve a pen from the notepad. "What's this part? Will it get Zero more work?"
"Oh is that your name?" Kaname asked, brows knitting. "Referring to yourself in the third person? You're haughtier than I thought." he chuckled in amusement. "Of course it will."
His blank face finally twisted into a tight-lipped smile.
"Yeah, that's my name, it's an honor to meet you."
"It'll be my honor to meat you." the pureblood responded, eyes narrowing upon his intended prey, feeling as if he had to work much harder than last time to get a reaction out of him.
He could tell Zero pretended no to hear the the innuendo. He did not lean into Kaname as he had earlier, at the agency. The youth muttered something unintelligible beneath his breath, skimming the contract. He chose two pictures, from the binder, writing their numbers in their respective blanks before handing the portfolio back to him.
"I'm busy, so could you leave for today? I'll have the papers to you by tomorrow." Zero said, still avoiding eye contact as he put on a fresh pair of gloves, picking up his icing bag and twisting the end.
How rude! Ugh, that kid was lucky that his first official day at their agency was tomorrow, otherwise he would have been black marked already. The pureblood left him behind, trying not to feel shaken at the lack of attention he was paid.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
Though he had never particularly liked cake decorating, Ichiru still thought it was fun to take up as a hobby. He dipped an icing spatula into some pale pink icing, loading as much as he could into the bag before twisting the end shut.
"Don't fill it all the way, you'll have frosting coming out of the end and it'll be harder for you to get good control on your grip." Zero said, taking the bag from his brother, squeezing out some of the excess icing. "You did put in a number ten tip, right?" he asked, checking the end before nodding.
"Relax, I'm not going to wreck the cake." Ichiru waved.
"I hope not, otherwise we won't be decorating together again any time soon."
Ichiru rolled his eyes, holding the bag up to the cake.
"Make sure you hold it perpendicular, not at an angle, and use your pointer to guide the tip."
With an irritated glance, Ichiru shot some icing in his brother's face, laughing merrily at his irritated expression.
"You're the one who asked me to teach you a new technique."
"I've seen you do it a thousand times, relax, I'm pretty good at piping, I'll do the stem work first and then ask for your help when I start on the flowers." he laughed, wiping up a spot his brother missed, tasting the sweet pink buttercream.
"If you insist." Zero sighed. "I'll be in the back mixing up more icing, checking on the cakes, choosing different brushed for you to use, and taking out the trash, that mom told you to do this morning." he eyed his twin with a frown.
"Heh, um, love you nii-san!"
"You better." Zero grumbled, disappearing through the swinging door to the other side of the kitchen.
Turning back to the chocolate cake, Ichiru started to pipe out a few lines along the base, which would be covered later, trying to get used to controlling his tip.
"Making me desserts? But we haven't even had dinner yet, not that I mind."
He jumped, shoving the metal icing tip into the cake, grunting in frustration. Great! now Zero was going to scold him for being reckless. Not that he really cared about getting lectured, he just didn't like disappointing his brother.
Oh well. It was something that could easily be fixed. he wouldn't catch too much hell for such a small hole. He could probably patch it up with the rest of the decoration. As he turned to tell off the intruder Ichiru stopped, rendered nearly speechless. It couldn't be that guy that Zero was masturbating to in the magazine, could it?
"Kanamé Kuran?" Kiryuu asked, blinking up at the pureblood.
"Miss me?" he smirked, eyes openly studying his form. "Who else were you expecting?" he scoffed haughtily.
"You're Kanamé Kuran..." he whispered, half of himself wanting to hit him, the other half wanting to hug him as he wondered what the hell he was talking about.
"My name or your throat, we'll see which one is worn out after hours of screaming it." Kaname murmured, touching the edge of Ichiru's ear.
What a bastard! What a haughty asshole! Ichiru was leaning heavily towards the option of hitting him.
"What do you want?" he glared, batting the pureblood's hand away, removing his gloves and massaging his joints, lest he needed to hit the jerk for getting too familiar.
"Touchy touchy!" he snickered, sienna eyes boring into his, making Ichiru feel uncomfortable. "I just came to give you these sheets to fill out..."
Ichiru faded in and out of his ramblings, only paying attention when a binder and thumb drive were shoved at him. He raised a brow at that, setting the binder down to flip through packets and pictures, stopping at a thin one in particular, a single sheet that said 'Amateur Photo Preferences'. Scanning the document, he turned to Kaname, pointing to the title.
"Is this the only document that I'll need the portfolio for?" he asked, avoiding the model's eyes.
"It's the only reason I brought it. You can keep it here if you like, but who's really that vain to want to keep so many pictures of himself around?" Kaname scoffed.
'Probably you!' was something that he burned to say, but he thought better of raising his voice. what should he have done? gotten Zero or sing them in his stead? He was pretty busy at the moment, and he didn't need any more stress.
"Um, yeah, hold on a second." he sighed, deciding to help his brother out, skimming over a particular paragraph entitled 'Adult' "What's this part? Will it get Zero more work?"
"Oh is that your name?" Kaname asked, brows knitting. "Referring to yourself in the third person? You're haughtier than I thought." he chuckled in amusement. "Of course it will."
This idiot, he didn't think that Ichiru was his brother, did he? Pfft, maybe, models were stupid after all, all looks and no substance, right? What harm could he do by messing with the idiot?
"Yeah, that's my name, it's an honor to meet you." he almost choked on the last words, trying not to even let it show in his body language that he was trying to keep from laughing.
"It'll be my honor to meet you." his eyes narrowed.
Oh, this one was a genius alright. Ichiru ignored the comment.
"Fucktard." he muttered under his breath.
He wrote the number of his favorite headshot in the 'General' section, penning the number for Zero's masturbation picture in the 'Adult' section, since it was a bit risqué for the kids. Growing tired of his presence, Ichiru shoved the paper and binder back at the brunette, dismissing him coldly. He hoped that Zero didn't have to work with that... that...
"I thought you were piping." Zero's voice came from the swinging door as he peeked in to check on his brother. "Was there someone in here with you? i thought I heard voices."
"Yeah, these documents came for you. They look tedious though, and you must be tired, nii-san. You should stay here tonight, we still have to celebrate your getting signed." Ichiru grinned, playing it off.
"Okay?" Zero asked, reaching for the papers. "Thanks. Start piping, I'll help." he added, turning to disappear in the back room.
"Sure thing." he smiled, pocketing the thumb drive.
"ღ*~+~*ღ"
A/N: Now I feel like drawing Zero decorating cakes, just because I really want to draw the designs.
Reviews: Thank you for all the reviews I've gotten so far! tell me what you think for this one? My undying love would be yours!